Originally Posted by pj7
One police officer, nor a plethora (I love that word) of police officers should or could be used to as an indicative of the "government and public" as a whole in this case. In my personaly experience I have encountered more power hungry and unfriendly police officers than I have the well meaning ones who actually seem to be interested more in doing the common good than flaunting around the power which the public has given them. But I do not group "all" police officers in the "power hungry" category. In fact I treat most of them on here (deputyjones for instance) with repect and comradery.
I also said in that statement that you are referring to that it would seem to me that the public and government are more pro than con and even gave a simple example to show why I felt that, I easily could give many more. In fact, I can give more examples of cycling being accepted than not!
Examples of cycling being accepted, or
vehicular cycling being accepted?
Helmet Head, I do see what the whole VC thing is about... I actually do get it. However I do not agree with the (what we will refer to as the JF-HH-VC) "whole" of it.
I agree that cyclists fare better when they act as and are treated like operators of vehicles. But we act more than we are treated so that statement is really just that, a statement, and doesn't help all that much out there on the roads.
I agree that being visible and cyclist placement is important to safety.
Good.
But I don't agree that riding on the shoulder or a bike lane is in any way more dangerous because I feel that things off to the side are seen just as well as things in front of motorists and the accidents that do happen are caused by other reasons.
That's a pet theory of mine, and a side issue besides (the much more important reasons to ride further left have to do with potential hazards up ahead, not behind). Please don't confuse it with VC.
I agree that a person needs some form of confidence to be able to ride in traffic safely, but I do not agree that they need an "attitude" as well.
Confidence and attitude are intrinsically connected. Gaining confidence change's one's attitude.
However, I do not agree that there is any type of undiagnosed (or diagnosed by you or JF) syndrome that everyone in the public has (other than VCists) that cause them to feel they are inferior to motorists. Rather I feel that motor traffic is superior or pedal traffic.
Motorist superiority is the flipside of the cyclist inferiority coin: same thing.
See, I do agree with the underlying primciples of the VC movement, I just do not agree with JF-HH-VC and many others feel the same way. Things are not always black and white. You asked me earlier if I was "with you or against you", well actually you used "us" but you get the picture. I'll answer that now. No, I am not with "you". I am with the "others". The ones who are out there every day practicing what VC should be and not the pseudo-religeon it has become.
I'm unclear on what the real significant differences are.