If I Owned the Road
Recently I found myself in this situation:
And I wished I could show this dude what would happen if I really did own the road. Things would be very different.
I wouldn’t have to take the lane ever again. People would have their roads back, and they’d be safer because…
Bad behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.
And parking wouldn’t be so free and flowing.
And that’s just the beginning.
No, drivers don’t realize how easy they have it. But, how about we make it a little easier for people?
For years, I used to get all bothered when the cars honked at me. Then I had a simple realization: honking means they’ve seen me. A motorist failing to see a cyclists is the single greatest cause of car-bike collisions. So, just try to remember that the honking horn is a sign that you are significantly safer.
This post was a sad premonition–just today a cyclist was killed in Sullivan Sq. by a garbage truck, might have been saved by sideguards.
http://www.boston.com/2014/04/03/bdc-fatal-bike-acciden/GROpbbzwYSHNXWtvV46OPM/story.html
Just because I *am* superior as a bicyclist doesn’t mean I’m on some campaign to rub it in everyone else’s face. I appreciate the anti-thesis presented here, but if you want a dialectic to form, I’d caution that this post is very polar: it presents much of the same uni-polar “why don’t you see it my way” view that the very first block kicked off with.
I agree with a lot of what you said, particularly in cities with dedicated bike lanes etc. but as I commute by car (2 hours by bicycle) in a rural area, I dont agree with things like heavy taxation on road users.
My car cost £200 a year to tax, over 60% of my fuel price is tax… that is £60 per tank for me going straight to the govenment and any repairs have VAT added at 20%
Cars in cities should be heavily regulated as most things are only a mile or two away, so cycling is fine, also it is easier to arrange public transport…
I live 35 miles away from work (forced to due to high house prices near the coast) and public transport would take me 2-3hours as would cycling… I also often work long hours including 12 hour night shifts…
put simply, although your ideas would work in urban areas, us country folk would struggle!
Bill: In the US, cars are not taxed as heavily. Fuel costs are often governmentally subsidized. In most urban US cities, people on bikes are only paying about 5% less in road-related taxes than those driving cars. This is taking into consideration the cost of vehicle registration, licenses and gas taxes.
Having friends who live in areas that are not very well developed, I understand where you’re coming from. Many of them, however, opt to drive to a ride-share location and either carpool to work or their ride-share is located at a major transit hub allowing them to take transit into the city proper. Often there are options, but people are sometimes not completely aware of them, and I know some bus systems can be insanely daunting.
If I owned the road…I would make exhaust pipes enter the inside of the car, because the fumes are oh so safe.