On paper, rights are fine. But who pays attention?

In theory, cyclists have the same right to use the road safely as every motorist. Imagine if trucks suddenly had more road rights simply because they were larger. Never happen, Kimosabe?

Welcome to the world of "big meets small." (But this is America, right?) :confused:

In reality, roads are designed for cars. Even the "bicycling child," who is fabled to populate neighborhood streets, is now inside playing Nintendo, or being ferried to the mall in mom's SUV.

Don't blink.

The best response is to ride in a defensive vehicular manner and to get active politically. Clueless cyclists who ride on the wrong side of the road, weave around parked cars, ride to the right of right-turn-only lanes, ride at night without lights, etc. do not help our cause.

Originally posted by Pete Clark
In theory, cyclists have the same right to use the road safely as every motorist. Imagine if trucks suddenly had more road rights simply because they were larger. Never happen, Kimosabe?

Welcome to the world of "big meets small."

Yeah, tell me about it. I was back on the Gold Coast for five minutes before some motoring primate tried to force me off the road earlier today.

Originally posted by Pete Clark

In reality, roads are designed for cars.

Really? As far as I know, roads were being built along time before cars were. Maybe a few people should remember that.

For those in the U.S., the site http://www.vote-smart.org/ is a useful one. It keeps a pretty good record of how various state and federal legislators have been voting. (If you're writing to, say, advocate closing the SUV loophole in the gas-guzzler tax, it's useful to know how the person you're writing to voted on it.)

Of course, if one's talking about a purely local level, one can always contact the public works department of the city/suburb/town/whatever. This is a level where you may be able to see actual small changes happen -- a pedestrian crossing added on a busy street, for example.

Originally posted by Chris L
Really? As far as I know, roads were being built along time before cars were. Maybe a few people should remember that.

Oh yeah. I'm doing my National History Day project on the bicycle boom of the late 1800's, and bicyclists in the League of American Bicyclist's actually lobbied to get roads improved. There lobbying led to our national highway system that cars use today. :eek:

velo

Originally posted by velo

bicyclists in the League of American Bicyclist's actually lobbied to get roads improved. There lobbying led to our national highway system that cars use today. :eek:


My point exactly. Auto drivers, like pedestrians and cyclists, are legally permitted road users, as opposed to having some kind of divine right to punt everybody else who they think gets in their way. :mad:

It has often been said about my home town of the Gold Coast, that if it's founders knew what this place would eventually become, they would have necked themselves on the spot. It makes me wonder what the League of American Bicyclists would have lobbied for if they had the benefit of hindsight.

In reality, asphalt roads are perfect for cycling. A cyclist of the 19th century would be in awe of the possiblities for cycling today.

Nevertheless, there is an ignorance of the value of cycling today that sort of puts roads in the hands of "fast movers."

There is a solution that would be good for everyone, without a lot of trouble. Just teach motorists and cyclists how to coexist, and enforce it equally.

Cyclists really do belong! :D