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there are cyclists and "cyclists"
On Tue, 4 Aug 2009 09:17:06 -0700 (PDT), ComandanteBanana
wrote: (Someone argues for sidewalk cycling and then I answer at bottom. Everybody should be happy with it) Originally Posted by JRA According to John Forester, "Motorist propaganda, continued for sixty years, is what has put cyclists on sidewalks..." If you believe that, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. Forester's patented nutjob conspiracy theories notwithstanding, people ride on sidewalks for a variety of reasons. One reason I sometimes ride on the sidewalk is that bike racks are often on sidewalks and the only curb cut is a long way away. What am I supposed to do, stop a half a block away, dismount and walk my bike to its parking space? It ain't going to happen although it is often the only strictly legal way to get to a bike rack. I'll start walking to bike racks when motorists are required to stop and push their cars 50 yards to their parking space. ... I mean those fast ones wearing lycra can never speak for the mundane cyclists (we the people) who use the bike for practical reasons. The elite ones probably fear that bike facilities will take away their right to ride on the road, which I can relate to, but they must understand the needs of others. And to accommodate both, the elite and the mundane, I propose... "Cyclists shall TAKE THE LANE as law-abiding vehicles, with colorful clothing, and all other vehicles shall leave the lane 30' before and after the bicycle." What do you think? There are sidewalks and there are "sidewalks". In NYC I hardly ever ride on the sidewalk but if road conditions are really awful and the sidewalk is empty, I do. However I was just in a suburb of Chicago, and while it is very bike friendly, there are some roads where bikes are not allowed because the roadway is just too narrow. There people ride on the sidewalk. Which is fine because I hardly saw anyone walking on the sidewalk, and the bikes and pedestrians seem to have some curtesy for each other. As for taking the lane, cars go 40mph on the road that is too narrow to share with bikes. I can't bike much over 15 for any length of time. Should I make everyone slow to 15? No, because I'm not a selfish prick. |
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