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?
After today’s sad news of a cyclist’s death in Charlestown, I feel the weight of your post heavily. I wish you did own the road, then I wouldn’t feel so unsafe on it.
If I owned the road, it would be downhill in both directions.
If I owned the roads?
I would seek funding to increase the cycling infrastructure within all cities. I would not promise “two-way separated bikeways across the city”, because some cities do not have the road-space to accommodate it.
I could agree to the division of trucking within cities and outside of it, 24′ maximum length within cities makes sense. All trucks within cities require side-guards or side-skirts. I’m okay with this.
I would see cyclists have unique license plates for every road going bicycle, so that they can be called to task on their illegal cycling actions; riding on sidewalks, running red lights, riding recklessly, illegal lane changes, improper signalling, riding while using a cell phone, riding at night without lights, etc. Cause simply put? The average cyclist breaks traffic laws more frequently than drivers, and can never be caught because there is no way to identify them. Equality is only fair, right?
On-bike child carriers would be banned, unless using a cargo bike with a low-load floor. Otherwise? Get a child bike trailer.
To be perfectly honest, I would be disgusted if most “cycling advocates” were in charge of road laws, because I am disgusted by the mentality of cyclist elitism, and yes, I used to live by bike: commuting to work, groceries, laundry, everything.