Originally Posted by Minerva
Is it like this everywhere? How can I educate my community on cycling laws?
I think it depends on location. In my downtown, more than half the cyclists I see are operating in the roadway, in the correct direction, using the appropriate lane for their destination, at least when no right turn only lane is present (some use the left side of the RTOL to go straight).
Most of these cyclists appear to be road-bike cycling "enthusiasts" who are part of a culture that promotes roadway use, although that culture sometimes encourages running of stop signs and red lights to maintain momentum. We have a lot of upper-income health and fitness oriented road cyclists where I live.
I do see some casually-dressed cyclists on hybrid and comfort bikes riding in the vehicular manner, but they are outnumbered by the sidewalk cyclists and wrong-way Willys. Most of sidewalk and wrong-way cyclists are teenagers, latino immigrants, or possibly low-income. A few are senior citizens or parents with children.
I like the fact that our city publishes road cycling tips on the back of our city bike map. We also have run videos on our public access channel about better cycling practices. I wish we did more with drivers ed regarding proper bicycling. I've started teaching cycling classes as an instructor through the League of American Bicyclists. But beyond that, I think the best way to teach better cycling is to ride well as an example.