Originally Posted by Helmet Head
Commenting on the VC principle:
"Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." - John Forester
This idea implies the "third mode" theory - that cyclists comprise a third mode of travel in addition to the vehicular and pedestrian modes.
How about a subset of "vehicles" -- the word is too generic, as others have pointed out.
It needs a modifier.
We're on the level of genus with that word, when we should be on the level of species (while still recognizing membership in the genus).
We need a clear and appropriate category, not such a fuzzy, wide, and ambiguous category.
We need a clearly communicated category -- one that says something meaningful that is clear to people.
***
Bikes may be just as much "vehicles" as cars and other vehicles; but there are clear and unclear ways of saying that. And they are also different in some ways, and the differences can be recognized without compromising the status of bikes, and their status on the road.
The word just just isn't saying (to most people) what it could be saying, and what you want it to be saying.