This is an excerpt from of an email from a member of my cycling group in reponse to a local article suggesting bicycles are best used on sidewalks for the cyclist safety. I think it is rather funny, and in many instances true.
You live in a nation populated by the subspecies Homo Automobilus. Members of this particular subspecies are characterized by the inability to conceive of any mode of personal transport other than private automobile, or to a much lesser extent such mechanized conveyances as airplanes or trains. Traveling the way humanity did for 99.999% of its existence - by foot - simply does not occur to Homo Automobilus. People on foot or bicycle are regarded by Homo Automobilus as recreating, ("outdoor exercise activities"), and as such have a lesser right to the public roads. Further these users, by their very presence, are an inconvenience to Homo Automobilus. And this, I believe, is the heart of the issue. Public safety is a red herring thrown up to mask the displeasure of Homo Automobilus at having to: 1) scan the road looking for cyclists or pedestrians, 2) rotate the steering wheel a few degrees to avoid them, or 3) (God forbid) remove his foot from the accelerator pedal.From the League of Illinois Bicyclists:
...bikes getting hit from behind...are a small fraction of urban car-bike crashes - most crashes occur at intersections due to turning motions and lack of visibility. In fact, two often cited studies show that riding on sidewalks in places where there are side streets, driveways,entrances, etc. is considerably more dangerous than riding on the right side of the road (the side which the law prescribes). Check out the "SidepathBicycling" panel of http://bikelib.org/guides/illinoisbicyclistguide.pdf, or page 7 of http://bikelib.org/enforcement/policetrainingppt.pdf, for illustrations of the visibility problems of riding on sidewalks.
2 comments:
Prior to my own interest in cycling I was always annoyed by bikers. Once I became one, I became sympathetic to them and do my best to make safe choices around them now.
The scariest moment I've had on my bike came in Dinkytown a car came out of an alleyway and nearly nailed me. I'm rarely nervous on the road, as that is when I'm most visible. Intersections do make me nervous though--especially downtown.
Glad to hear you are still riding. My recent bike accident was from a motorist (uninsured) taking a left turn into an alleyway. I was northbound and the turning vehicle was travelling southbound. I think that is called a "left-hook" in cycling car contact lingo.
Drives so rarely see pedestrians on sidewalks that they stop at the edge of curb and nowhere near the side-walk. That makes riding on the road that much safer like you mention.
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