Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Schwan
I think that a part of the road should be visibly marked for bicycles only, and in places where the road is not wide enough for that, there should be allowed to use the sidewalks.
|
This is not the way that most laws related to cycling on the road are written. I agree that more cycling specific lanes are needed. But a cyclist should not be on a sidewalk. Note that I say "cyclist", a term that I consider as applying to someone on a bike for the purpose of moving at a pace greater than 5 MPH, who is obeying traffic laws, not weaving in traffic, etc. There is a lot of difference in my mind between a cyclist and 'some guy on a bike'. Right now, the way laws are currently written in most states, if the road is not wide enough for a cyclist and a car to ride abreast safely, the
whole lane can be used by the cyclist. Additionally, if there is not sufficient room for a motorist to safely pass a cyclist within a lane, it is incumbent upon the motorist to wait until a break in traffic allows them to pass in the oncoming lane of traffic, just like they would for a slower moving car.
It is very unfortunate that most states do not educate their drivers about cyclists rights and responsibilities on the road. I have been involved in this issue for some time. As a long-time cyclist, I have had my share of encounters with motorists. I have also attended numerous public safety and MTPO (Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization) meetings that address the issue of cycling as a means of transport. Unfortunately, the prevailing interest of these meetings, is how to keep the cyclists properly aware of their responsibilities on the road. Believe me, if someone spends more than 1 hour a week on a bike, they know the drill. They have to if they want to survive. What is desparately needed is more driver education about how to behave around cyclists. If you were to give a little impromptu quiz to 10 motorists and 10 cyclists on various situations where a bike and a car might encounter on the road, I would suggest that the cyclists would score much better.
Some of the above posts are very encouraging. People suggesting that they give cyclists as wide berth as they can. Or posters who say they are glad to see cyclists making the environmentally sound transportation choice. Of course, I don't know if our shared microcosm here is in any way reflective of the sentiments of the population at large.
My two cents of rambling...