Saturday, June 05, 2010

Conspiracy theory of the moment

Bicycles are considered equal to cars (or any other motor vehicle). They should be on the road, not the sidewalk. They are entitled to take up an entire lane on the street.

On the surface, that sounds good and positive and validating towards cyclists. But what if it's really a conspiracy to keep cycling from being a viable and commonly-used mode of transportation?

Biking in the road is difficult and scary for the cyclist, and is also kind of scary for the driver. If you hit another car, you hurt the car. If you hit a cyclist, you probably kill a whole human being. There's huge outcry about how cyclists should be on the road so they don't interfere with pedestrians, but I personally feel safer walking among cyclists than driving among cyclists, and I feel better able to dodge pedestrians while biking than to dodge cyclists while driving. (I freely concede this might be because I'm a bad driver, and good drivers might feel differently.)

People who aren't hardcore and brave simply aren't going to bike as a primary mode of transportation if it means they have to share a busy street with cars. I'd say the majority of people simply don't want that kind of risk with their morning commute.

Has anyone ever looked into the origin of the law that puts cyclists on the road? Why is it there in the first place? Who thought it was a good idea, and why?

1 comment:

laura k said...

But what if it's really a conspiracy to keep cycling from being a viable and commonly-used mode of transportation?

Many cyclists think this.

It's definitely a problem, because you're right, a lot of people don't have the skills and confidence to cycle in the street with traffic. I am one of them! But on the other hand, cycling on sidewalks is dangerous for pedestrians. I was once mowed down by a cyclist on the sidewalk, and I have a friend who was hit the same way. Small sample size, but it was enough to convince me.