Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
So, I was cruising around Ye Olde Internette, and came across this blog post. Just one of those random things. Go give it a glance, at least the first section and the comments.
I'm right there with the poster. Sanctimonious bicyclists (of whom I've fortunately met none here in Seattle, although I've seen a few on the road) are annoying. Whining about not being afforded the rights of a vehicle and then breaking the laws which apply to those same classes of vehicles? Yeah, that's pretty annoying.
One of the comments, however, really got me. I won't quote the whole thing, it's at the link, from Michael. Here's the part that's bugging me:
The main example of this is running red lights. I will grant that many bicyclists do this in an unsafe manner, blowing through lights without stopping. But I think that as long as a cyclist comes to a stop and looks both ways before crossing (as a pedestrian would do), it is preferable to waiting for the light to turn green.
I cannot disagree more. He goes on to justify that position, but it's a weak argument. If you want to be treated like a valid road user, you act like a valid road user. I don't blow red lights on a motorcycle. I don't do it in a car. Why should I be allowed to do it on a bicycle? I'm in traffic, expecting respect from the other road users, aren't I?
One of his supporting arguments is that if he waits for the light to turn green, he's going to slow down other drivers, or get dangerously passed. Well, you probably have other choices. Maybe a different road would be better? Perhaps a different commute time? Just because I can legally ride on the nearly-freeway road that's a straight shot from my house to my work doesn't mean that I do. I pick the road with considerably less traffic, and a bike lane. Don't have bike lanes? Maybe you should be lobbying your town/city council about that.
The bottom line is that, until there are traffic laws which apply only to bicyclists, people on bikes have to follow the laws of regular traffic, or they have to follow the laws of pedestrians. New laws which apply specifically to bicycles (and are sensible) need to be made, particularly as the new awareness of foreign oil dependency and climate change from fossil fuels grows. There are going to be more bicyclists on the road, and if they all learn from the lawless ones, it's going to be a problem sooner rather than later.
It's something of a topic switch, but I'll get us started. Here are some suggestions for laws we might make to apply to bicyclists.
So, that's a start. Am I wrong about some of them? Probably. I'm not offering this as anything other than a seed of discussion. Tell me why I'm right or wrong. I welcome any feedback at reaper at obairlann dot net.
Posted at 13:31 permanent link category: /bicycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater