Originally Posted by
John Forester
I do not understand the confusion inherent in your words. You say that it is not the fault of government that cyclists have the existing legal and physical conditions. The laws and the highways are products of government, yet you say that government is not responsible for their condition?
The government responds to the actions and requests of the people... the government does not work autonomously... they respond to the voters' requests through representation. The government is also influenced by single people of power. But the government does not just go out and decide what it wants or doesn't want the people to do. As you present it, the government appears as a great conspiracy... the reality is that through influence by powerful individuals and the voice of the people, we have the environment that suits the majority. Cyclists are hardly in that majority. The government works to address all the voices it hears... thus it creates laws (through representatives of the people) that reflect the voices it hears. The laws on the books for cyclists are a compromise of an auto centric society and the rather mixed voices of cyclists (as they are hardly a unified group).
Originally Posted by
John Forester
Furthermore, the program for bicycle transportation is a governmental program. It is not operated by religious institutions, commercial organizations, labor unions, environmental anti-motoring organizations, or any other type of organization that I can think of. The program for bicycle transportation is entirely a governmental program.
Yes a program of the government, under the jurisdiction of the body of people that direct it.
Originally Posted by
John Forester
You ask me to bear in mind: "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 presume that, bearing in mind the context of your discussion, you intended to make the comparison to motorists; but you failed to specify.
I take it that you have not been reading the great body of this discussion, where the positions have been rather fully stated. You appear to be content that cyclists are granted "similar rights and access to roads". Well, if you are happy with that inferior position, I'm sorry for you. For cyclists to be able to operate safely and usefully they need to have the rights and duties of drivers of vehicles, to be stated explicitly without other legal reservations. Nearly all states limit cyclists' rights under that clause, for purposes that don't bear scrutiny. And, where the fight may come, is in those jurisdictions in which government, and nobody else can do this, attempts to use those discriminatory restrictions to prohibit cyclists from operating in the manner lawful for drivers.
Pay attention and learn, genec.
The government is the voice of the people and those people have chosen to put cyclists who use a human powered vehicle second to the majority who use engine powered vehicles.
Pay attention and open your eyes.