A significant number of drivers out there are not used to driving around cyclists, and that creates problems that are based on drivers not being used to looking out for (and being aware of) cyclists' needs. Our numbers need to increase.
Encourage everyone you know to cycle ON THE ROAD, and give them some primers on safety, etc. Start with your mayor. When our numbers get large enough, the politicians will pay attention and you'll notice a bit more seriousness on their part to fight for our safety (and votes). We, of course, should not just rest on the issue - we should also lobby the police, the mayors and everyone else, so that at-fault drivers don't get off lightly. With more numbers, we can justify the creation of bike friendly routes in cities (roads that are invonvenient for drivers - curves, bumps, separate and earlier traffic lights and lanes for bikes, etc). It's just the way it is. Without clout, we'll always be cycling out of our skin to stay alive, and drivers will always be dismissing us as an anomaly on the road (more driver training, would, of course help - but it's generally what one sees on the road everyday that sticks in the mind and calls for attention).
The wonder is, it's so quick and good for the health to get around on bikes, yet few people "dare" to. If we get powerful enough, drivers will watch for us as well as they watch for pedestrians at crosswalks in big cities - knowing that to hit us would be to put a significant amount (or almost all) of their work time for the rest of their living hell towards the compensation payments for our deaths. It's really insane, for example, that a driver actually runs into a cyclist from behind.
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You are, of course, absolutely right. But it takes an organization strong enough and loud eniugh to be heard. You should try to hook up with an advocacy group in Chicago, and see if there is a state group as well. The more voices in the political arena the better.
There used to be a husband a wife that came to the forums regularly. They were always mentioning some advocacy group or meeting around Chicago. They were also advocates of critical mass. Im sorry that I can't remember their names which would allow you to check the archives.
DieselDan
I just read the Bicycling article about Joe Breeze and his movment to get more people on bikes. I guess so did you.
Chris L
So why don't people start selling the idea then?
bac
So why don't people start selling the idea then?
I do, but it's one tough sales job. I do agree with the premise that to make cycling safter and simply better, more people have to ride. It's the first step that some seem to want to skip. However, this without this step, all other attempts to make cycling better are doomed to fail. Without more people riding:
- we will only get blips of cycling races on obscure cable stations
- we will continue to get struck down on the road, and the offenders will continue to go free
- 99.9999% of the people you meet will give you a strange look when you speak of things such as "bottom brackets" and "sit bones"
closetbiker
A significant number of drivers out there are not used to driving around cyclists, and that creates problems that are based on drivers not being used to looking out for (and being aware of) cyclists' needs. Our numbers need to increase.
The BMA agrees with you. Read
http://ip.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/9/3/205?etoc
Objective: To examine the relationship between the numbers of people walking or bicycling and the frequency of collisions between motorists and walkers or bicyclists.
Conclusion: A motorist is less likely to collide with a person walking and bicycling if more people walk or bicycle.
The wonder is, it's so quick and good for the health to get around on bikes,
and there's the ironic point of it all. In spite of it's inherent dangers (everything carries some risks) the benefit of health from cycling far outweighs it's dangers of accidents. The motorists will most likely submit to heart disease (or other maladies) before an accident in the car, whereas the cyclists will most likely not be as likely to have the same heart disease (or other maladies) as the motorist.
Chris L
I do, but it's one tough sales job.
Unfortunately most cycling advocates generally do a very poor job in this area. It's all well and good to submit papers to government officials as to "why the community would benefit from cycling" but that isn't going to get Joe Sixpack out of his car in the near future. Nor, for that matter is the continual promotion of cycling as "dangerous" that seems to happen so often.
I say, start promoting cycling as "safe" (a more accurate description than dangerous in my view). Start promoting the fact that in even moderate traffic (which is about all we get here on the Gold Coast) it's going to be considerably faster than driving. Then start talking about how much money one can save by riding rather than driving. These are things we simply do not hear from most advocacy groups.
As I mentioned in another thread, Tim Shaw made a fortune by selling steak knives in Australia. He did this by highlighting the positive aspects of his steak knives, not by highlighting the dangers of steak knives. It's about time a few advocates followed his lead.
lsits
This is one of those areas where we shouldn't wait for "someone else" to address the Issue. I' talking to other people at work about my cycling experiences. One guy is close to buying a bike for his 10-mile commute. When people tell me how dangerous cycling on roads is, I have statistics ready to show how it's much safer on the roads than on multi-use paths and sidewalks.
When people tell me how dangerous cycling on roads is, I have statistics ready to show how it's much safer on the roads than on multi-use paths and sidewalks.
How about pointing out that it's also statistically safer than driving on those same roads?
randya
Almost every major metropolitan area has an active bicycle advocacy group. I encourage everyone to join and participate. The more members, the more political clout. Here's a list of selected links, just an example of what's out there; it shouldn't be hard to find more links with a good search engine, plus most of these sites have links pages of their own...