Originally Posted by sggoodri
Fear of car traffic the only valid excuse? I disagree.
If it were, then everybody would be riding bikes, and nobody would be afraid of cars.
I bike commute frequently, and I have never chosen to take the car due to fear of traffic.
My first reason for choosing motoring over bicycling, when I do motor, is time. Second is protection from heavy rain and thunderstorms. Third is needing to transport things I can't fit in my bike trailer.
Claiming that traffic phobia is a valid excuse, while all the others are not, is a sure fire way to develop an inneffective approach to advocacy. It bolsters a false excuse while missing the most important reasons. Most people like what their cars can do for them. Bicycle transportation will increase only if more people like what their bikes can do for them.
Well, congratulations on having balls of steel. Fact remains, riding a bike in traffic is VERY intimidating for a vast majority of the general public. I like what my bike does for me, I don't like what a 2 ton SUV does for me (or for that matter a 1-ton Civic). If you want to "advocate" cycling then you need to be prepared to confront this issue, not dismiss it as an invalid excuse.
And, yes, all of your other reasons are perfectly valid, but even with all of those issues resolved, the danger of being hit by a car remains.