It is not rational to believe that lots and lots of cyclists
could ride anywhere they wanted on a 45mph, two lane
road. It would be total chaos. Do you think car drivers
would be happy to do 15mph everywhere to accommodate
bicycles ? Ive never been kept in by a bike lane. I use it as
just another option to facilitate any situation that might arise.
In the Busdriver thread I posted about being right hooked by
a redneck busdriver while riding totally vehicularly and taking
the lane. She went around me into the oncoming lane to do this.
Imagine this scenerio being repeated hundreds of times a day.
There is a certain amount of order required to make a system
work efficiently. This is why SMARTcar drivers dont complain
about not being allowed to drive the outside lane on the Autobahn.
Look how many threads bring up concerns about rogue bicyclists.
Do you think someone who wrongway rides at night with no lights
can be counted on to ride vehicularly and with no guidelines or
visuals to remind them of where they should be for everyones
well being ?? I dont think so.