A number of cyclists I know have observed that there are two dominant paradigms that affect the operating decisions made by bicyclists. One is the vehicular cycling paradigm, and the other is the pedestrian-on-wheels paradigm. While vehicular cycling proponents strongly prefer the former, most accept the idea that the traffic law should also allow for the latter in most cases, since operating in a pedestian mode is usually not very dangerous and can sometimes be useful to some cyclists. The usual proposal is that cyclists operating on the roadway should be covered by vehicular rules, and cyclists operating on sidewalks and crosswalks should follow pedestrian rules, while also traveling slowly enough to not surprise drivers at junctions or endanger or upset pedestrians. In many places, the law allows exactly this. Cycling education programs promote following vehicular rules, but often give cyclists an out when it comes to turning left, because since merging to the left can be difficult in busy traffic, the cyclist can choose the alternative of turning on a dime at the street corner by stepping off the bike and operating in a pedestrian mode. While most experienced cyclists find this maneuver to be very rarely useful, I suspect the main reason it appears in the vehicular cycling literature is to teach cyclists not to do it wrong and thus dangerously, i.e. by acting in a manner that is inconsistent with both safe pedestrian and safe vehicular movements. That is, a cyclist must not cut off other drivers when turning left; it is far better to transition into a pedestrian mode and use pedestrian rules than to make the turn improperly while on the roadway. However, these are not just classes about vehicular cycling, they are usually general cycling classes, and include discussion of changing flat tires. I find it interesting that the pedestrian left turn is the only pedestrian-mode manuever considered useful enough and safe enough to include in most cycling classes created by cyclists, for cyclists, for the purpose of improving their safety, convenience, and enjoyment.