Originally Posted by
genec
Bear in mind that we did not have such laws until about the early '70s. The roads do not reflect traffic engineers not having the laws until then. Laws granting rights and access to the roads for cyclists did occur much earlier, but FRAP laws came later.
This statement is largely erroneous. Cyclists were formally granted the rights and duties of drivers of vehicles in, say, 1887. From then until the 1940s their status as legitimate roadway users was unquestioned. Starting about 1940 (1944 in the UVC), cyclists were downgraded to second-class status by the requirement to stay at the edge of the roadway, obviously for the convenience of motorists. In the 1970s this discriminatory requirement was reinforced by bikeways and bikeway laws.