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Bicyclists seem to want their cake and eat it too. They want equal respect on the roads from cars, but they don't seem to want to give equal respect to pedestrians on the sidewalks.

In my view, we are still in an auto-centric society, and so cyclists should whenever possible ride in designated bike lanes and/or trails, and then on sidewalks. Only when neither of those options is available should a cyclist use the roadway. When using the roadway, cyclists need to recognize that they are not equal to the vehicles, and thus take care to stay out of the way and allow vehicular traffic to proceed appropriately. No- I am not saying that drivers of cars get to ignore cyclists.

Another problem is, cyclists don't want to slow down and share the sidewalks safely with pedestrians. Using a bell or even calling out "on your left" should be used only to alert the pedestrian that the cyclist is approaching, however most cyclists seem to think that their warning is a call for the pedestrian to get out of the way. When I approach a cyclist in my car, I always give a short toot of my horn, but only just to let them know that I am passing. Of course, I always get a scowl from the cyclist, as if I am expected to ride along behind them for as long we are on the same road.

Until there is political consensus to build cycling infrastructure that allows for safe and speedy cycling all around town(which consensus does not exist at this time), cycling is not the alternative to driving that some of you wish it to be. Meanwhile cyclists must learn to slow down, share the sidewalks safely with pedestrians whenever possible, and quit whining.

by KevinM on Jan 6, 2011 7:33 am • link • report