Originally Posted by
Winfried
Hello
I'm curious to know how much energy an average cyclist spends to bring an average bicycle to an average speed in the city from a full stop. Does someone have some data?
The reason I ask, is to explain to motorists that the reason some cyclists would like to be allowed to slow down and make a right-turn or even go straight through in the absence of pedestrians and cars, is simply that, unlike cars, it takes physical efforts to get the bike rolling again, especially when going up-hill and/or when carrying stuff. Besides the fact that the rules of the road were written for motorized vehicules.
Thank you.
Before attempting to debate motorists on this topic, maybe you should start with a less lofty goal and try and explain the reasonining to me (a cyclists); why we shouldn't have to use stop signs?
My initial impression from the stop/go/effort argument is that it implies you are either lazy or don't know how to gear down as you approach stops -not a great foundation to stand on.
Are there more compelling reasons?
Car and bike collide at intersection because bike rolls stop; cyclist dies.
Car and bike collide at intersection because car rolls stop; cyclist dies.
....
Rather than tell motorists why cylists should be allowed to roll stops; I'd prefer to always obey them and instead insist that cars stop rolling them....