Bikeforumuser0022

Not fond of being called bikers instead of cyclists, nevertheless...

Seth's Blog: Bikes and cars



Bikes should give way to cars:

Cars are bigger
Cars are faster
Cars are powerful
A car can hurt a biker
Cities are built for commerce, and powered vehicles are the engine of commerce
It's inefficient for a car to slow down
I'm in a car, get out of my way
I'm on a bike, I'm afraid

Cars should give way to bikes:

Bikers need a break
Bikers are more fragile
Bikes aren't nearly as powerful
A car can hurt a biker
Cities are built by people, and while commerce is a side effect, the presumption that cars are the reason for a city is a bit... presumptuous
It's a lot of work for a bike to stop and start again
I'm on a bike, get out of my way
I'm in a car, I see you

This dichotomy is, of course, a metaphor, a Rorschach that tells each of us a lot about how we see the world.

kickstart

If one is seeking conflict, they're sure to find it.

Chris516

I agree about not being fond of being called a biker. Because that is a broad term that also includes motorcycle riders. That is why there are cyclists', and motorcyclists', to differentiate between the two.

Getting out of the way is universal

I am on a bike. But I am not afraid.

B. Carfree

If cars are faster in an urban environment, why do they always lose the races to bikes (and often to public transit riders) when they are staged? In the cities I have lived in, I was usually faster from point A to point B than my car-bound colleagues. Sure, they have a higher top-end speed, but since they never reach that speed it doesn't matter. The average speed of cars over their lifetime (miles on odometer/hours on engine) is about 24 mph. In an urban environment, it's a bit over half that, which is slower than a reasonably fit person can ride a bike.

Chris516

In the urban(and even the suburban) environment. Their size actually is the cause of their slow pace. They spend more time stuck in traffic. Because, By 'putting the pedal to the metal'. They are driving aggressively and getting stuck at every light.

FrenchFit 

Seth rocks.