Originally Posted by
genec
I too think it is a great video... It shows how a cyclist can use vehicular cycling on the right streets... and frankly I have no problem with that.
What I do have a problem with is strict vehicular cyclists insisting that vehicular cycling can work anywhere and for anybody... And with that mantra... insisting that "all roads are bike lanes... "
I'm not sure what you think VC is, but I'm pretty sure it's not something you switch on and off depending on the road conditions. Saying you can only use VC on certain streets is as silly as saying you can only drive a car vehicularly on certain streets.
The way I see it, if you're riding a bike in public space, you are governed by rules. That includes every road, path bikeway, shoulder or other 'road-related area', and you either ride in accordance with them ie. 'vehicularly', or you don't. If you do decide to ride according to the rules, why would you only do so under certain conditions?
VC is not just riding in the middle of the lane. In fact, my reading of Effective Cycling suggested exactly the method of lane claiming that I prefer - to only do it when it's necessary. HH's legacy of over-emphasising lane-claiming as a technique is gonna take a while to dissipate, I see.
The only real failing of the VC education system I really see is a refusal to deal with the rules for paths and bikelanes, and teaching how to ride on them 'vehicularly'.
Now, whether VC can 'work for everybody in every situation' is entirely dependant on the individual. I ride on roads that not many other cyclists prefer to use. I always obey the rules, I claim the lane when necessary, and I mostly feel safe, but I'm not going to insist that they emulate me if they are more comfortable on a path. Some roads are simply too daunting for all but the most experienced cyclists, and even then in some spots, I really start thinking that I'd prefer to be elsewhere. To deny that is foolish. If you
are going to ride on a path though, do it vehicularly.
Originally Posted by
genec
I feel that Vehicular Cycling works quite well on streets posted up to about 35MPH (my personal experience), and beyond that, it becomes increasingly difficult for cyclists to negotiate with motorists. (Forester says when there is a 15MPH difference... negotiation becomes "impossible.")
There are many factor that determine the riding comfort of any road - speed of traffic is just one of them. There's lane width, traffic density, number of lanes, amount of crossing traffic etc. Added to that is the relative rarity of needing to cross lanes to make a turn. There's a variety of techniques one can employ to achieve this, depending on the situation, but I can't say I've ever encountered a situation that was 'impossible' to negotiate by one means or another.