Cycling Backlash Brewing?
 

Rants against automobile drivers are common in bike forums with some justification. The far more serious issue IMO is biker arrogance and ignorance which I encounter almost every day both as a cyclist and a driver.

Cyclist behavior affects driver's perceptions and impacts on his willingness to accommodate us. That affects our safety among other things. Only a small part of the biking population takes cycling seriosly enough to learn the regs/laws, much less how to interact with drivers.

I don't know how to avoid the likely end-result of the present situation as they are now experiencing in Germany (see below). There are rumbles of that brewing in NY city with their bike path initiatives: many at the expense of the general public with the predictable confrontations and backlash.

I'm afraid licensing of cyclists (for the training/education process) and enforcement of traffic regulations similar to the enforcement for drivers may be the only practical if only partially effecticve way to eventually get cyclists to be tolerated by the general population.

In Holland, cyclists are relegated to paths where riding is limited to slow speeds due to the crowds, Cyclists are apparently banned form the roads.

Al

Tempers Fray as Bikes and Cars Vie for Supremacy

Germany may have a reputation as a bicycle-friendly country, but its streets are becoming increasingly tough as cyclists battle drivers and pedestrians for their share of limited space. A history of misguided transport policy is partly to blame for the growing aggressiveness. But model projects across Germany show harmony between bikes and cars is possible. By SPIEGEL Staff

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...786254,00.html

Incorrect

I agree chipcom. There are many cycle paths, but cyclists and autos share the road. I was told (during a business trip in 2008) that if there is an accident involving a car and a bike, the car is assumed to be at fault unless they prove otherwise.

There has been for decades an under-the-surface feud....and we all know this. I dont see it increasing in intensity here in our area unless the "right to be on the road" is flaunted by cyclists riding the middle of the lane and causing safety issues or road rage. We seem to have a rather peaceful co-existence due to the short warm weather season and so many cyclists in the area.

Other than that, in regard to the potential of a new pile of regulations coming our way....I have a mountain bike that has been neglected :D

The solution to this problem is simple: If operators of motor vehicles would realize when a cyclist is OTS they should understand the FTP, of the cyclist. And be aware the cyclist may PT to reach MHR on his HRM until he settles into his LTHR. So the motorist should further realize that the cyclist may be riding a TT with an FW. The cyclist should make sure his CP and SP are always adjusted correctly especially if he is in the DO. The cyclist should realize his responsibility pertaining to the OTF and OTB in order to maximize his LSD. If the motorist or the cyclist cannot do this than they should both STFU! :speedy:

Interesting article. When I read about the numbers and percentages for bike travel I'm amazed and impressed. It seems that transportation in larger cities and towns has been a problem for a very long time; I remember reading an article about the problem of traffic congestion caused by horses and wagons with the associated pollution problems and chronic shortage of parking. I think bipedalism will be the only mode of transportation that doesn't have some type of problems associated with it....unless you start worrying about where everyone would park their walking shoes.

It is incorrect. Cyclists in NL aren't relegated to bike paths where we have to go slow; we are provided (in many but not, unfortunately, all places) with good ones that keep the infernal combustion engines out of our hair. Of course they can get congested, just like every other road, but bike traffic jams happen at the same time as the ones with cars in them, so sharing the road solves exactly nothing in those situations. Also what az_cyclist said re: the presumption of blame in accidents involving cars and bikes.

There is an interesting dilemma here - many of the "aggressive" cycling actions that are good for the individual cyclist are also bad PR, which means they may be bad for cyclists as a whole.

For example, "taking the lane" is clearly the best move for a cyclist's safety in a number of traffic situations. But when that maneuver means a long line of cars going 10 mph on the commute to/from work, almost all of the commuters stuck in that line would be happy to vote for legislation to keep cyclists off the road.

It would be nice to think that those folks would vote to build separated bike lanes - but my sense is that they'd be more likely to vote to ban bike on certain roads during rush hour, etc.

At any rate, free societies - particularly democracies - have a hard time dealing with this dilemma (when what is good for the individual is bad for the group). I think there's a formal name for this dilemma, but it escapes me.

Al, I doubt the bicycle/car right of way issue will get any worse as it's been ongoing for a long time. Cyclists should also plan routes that impede motorized traffic flow as little as possible, primarily during the week for their own safety. Face it, a cyclist is not the easiest road user to spot for a multi tasking driver (cell phone, makeup, kids screaming and etc).

In my area many roads have been modified for bike lanes and new roads have either a bike lane or a double wide MUP style sidewalk. In Texas a bicycle is considered a motor vehicle (to fit existing wording), allowing it access to public roads, but the cyclist is also required to use as little roadway as needed, for example multiple cyclists ride single file yielding space to motorized traffic.

Bottom line is might makes right. Regardless of laws or road construction it's up to the cyclist to make road sharing as fluid and safe as possible.

Brad

I was in Amsterdam in June. We rented an apartment in a canal house near Rembrandtsplein. The guy who rented us the apartment said exactly what you said. Bicyclists in Amsterdam are a bit nuts IMO.

from your link (emphasis mine):

Every road does not have a cycling path - there is a reason why road cycling/racing is so popular in the Netherlands...and it isn't because they are banned from riding on the roads.

I didnt have time for much except work during that trip. I so wanted to do some cycling in the Netherlands.

Not Backlash. Not Brewing.

Cycling has become pervasive enough and resource demanding enough that people are paying attention. More and more people are realizing that bicycles are not just neighborhood toys, or the province of racing, or part of a Back To Earth Cult. This comes at a time when we are waking up to the consequences of living beyond our means for many years and now seeing the need to replenish the infrastructure account.

This all means that cycling is seen more and more as mainstream transportation that consumes resources. People want to see where cyclists are "paying their fair share" whatever that is determined to be. They want to see that payment as direct flow from cycling; not just as a secondary or tertiary effect from general taxpayers who also ride bikes.

We've seen many posts on BF that attempt to justify why roads, bridges, etc should have extra capability to accomodate cyclists but without plans on how to pay for those facilities. We are rapidly coming to the end of the time where such facilities can be sold on the basis of "public good" without a clear payment method.

All this really is a testimony to past successes and an awakening that there is a new day and new challenges.

^^^ this.

Backlash of all varieties seems to be in vogue. It's much less strenuous than thinking or accepting personal responsibility.

thinking is so 20th century

There are cyclists and then there are bicyclists. Two different animals IMO.

Which says:

Which indicates Chip was correct when he said you were incorrect. At worst cyclists must use a path when one exists, however it looks like this is the case only for some paths.

My wife and I don't own a car, it's our choice, we've discussed and agreed that we'd be VERY HAPPY, to pay for a lic. and fee's, according to the, "cost",weight and damage we'd do to the roads and PAY our way! I'd LOVE to have a lic. plate that showed I paid my taxes to use the road, just to be able to tell all the loud mouthed PIA drivers, that YES I do pay taxes to "drive" my bicycle on YOUR !@#$%%^ road! JMHO, YMMV.

I agree with the OP. In the big cities (I'm in Minneapolis) a backlash is building, in fact I think it's accellerating and it's now the elephant in the room at any public discussion of bike infrastructure or accomodations. Angry people are starting to show up at meetings, asking why money is being spent on jerks that are running red lights, riding against traffic and cutting off pedestrians in crosswalks. Any cycling story in the local newspaper ignites a firestorm of angry anti-cycling 'comments' on their web site.

Like the OP, I don't see any solution other than strict enforcement of laws. I am not even sure which side I'm on any more, I'm seeing so many 'cycle jerks' out there and they annoy me too.

Not that I can tell around here. More andmore folks are bicycling - all ages, etc. As more become riders, there are less to complain. We spend a lot of $$ on open space, trails and the like and the populace strongly supports (and voted for) those expenditures/

I'm sure that it varies state by state, but where I live, I think gasoline taxes pay for most road maintenance. Does it work that way in Colorado?

Very similar to the point I recently made to our transportation commission. Just like motor vehicles, bicycles have a wide variety of uses and interest groups. They cannot be lumped together in one pot any more than all motor vehicles can be considered the same.

We are not at war with cars and most of them realize that. Here in the US the chances of a Holland style cycling culture are very unlikely. We have greater distances to travel and we have hills. Most of the cycling I see from Holland is done on pool table flat roads. I looked up the average speed of a cyclist in some of the many pictures we get here and our skateboarders would drop the average Oma bike like a bad habit.
The other point is we don’t represent enough of a target to back lash against. Portland is supposed to be bike Mecca and yet they have less than 7 percent bike commuters and looking at the whole state of Oregon it is about 1 percent. The US average is less than 1 percent so how many of us is even noticed? :D

I am lucky that I live in a pretty bike friendly community and a bike friendly state. People tend to see us riding along and they smile. We have bike lanes on a good number of streets and even on some of our local expressways. There are a few motorists that will yell and shake a fist at us but they will yell and shake a fist at cars and trucks as well. Will people still look down on others riding old bikes with rusty chains and one broken brake lever? Yes, but that hasn’t changed in the last 20 years.:eek: :)