Originally Posted by
John Forester
What are you, genec, some kind of totalitarian unable to do anything that is not controlled by the government? The very fact that the government refuses to treat cyclists as drivers of vehicles magnifies the need for the private sector to teach cyclists how to ride safely according to the rules of the road for drivers of vehicles, and to have the confidence to fight if government attempts to prohibit such cycling.
Good... while it is indeed true... that we must fight for what we want... government or no, the American people have little tolerance for bicycles or anything else that they perceive as blocking the way of their automobiles. We are in effect fighting not so much the government as we are fighting the majority... who happen to enjoy their subsidized motoring environment.
Now as to fighting "the government..." bear in mind that all 50 states clearly spell out in laws that cyclists do have very similar rights and access to the roads... I'd have to say that is a far more generous statement than that of perhaps the average motorist who has a tendency to think "get on the sidewalk."
The government is also burdened with the task of offering compromises to all of the citizens... so motorists get what they want, and cyclists get what they want. It is hardly the fault of "the government" that we cyclists have what we now have.