> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Charlie Bell > Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 4:01 AM > To: Killer Bs Discussion > Subject: Re: bikes v. cars > > > Most roads in Australia are what you'd call "low traffic", and > anyway, there's absolutely no choice about which way you go for much > of it. But when I had a choice, I'd take the route that trucks were > less likely to take.
I thought that might be the case. > > them. > > If they were to intentionally make it impossible to pass, but really > it wouldn't, because like every other slow vehicle, cyclists will > pull over and let a line of traffic through when it's safe to do so. Well, in the cases I'm thinking of, traffic is so heavy they would end up going 1-5 mph if they pulled over every time 20 cars got stuck behind them, and then only got back on the road when it was clear behind them. Plus, it would be dangerous to pull into traffic going 60 mph, even if there is an opening long enough to ride for 30 seconds before the next car has to slow behind you. Most cyclists simply avoid roads like that. I see occasional exceptions, as when a few cyclists went on a freeway frontage road, causing the traffic to snarl. IIRC, there was some politics behind it, because they believed everyone should use bikes. I remember one cyclist at work who strongly supported the action. The way I think this should be handled is to make this type of action (refusing to pull over when one is causing a massive backup by going slow) a ticketable offense. I think we agree that any group of people have a certain percentage of offensive idiots among them....and laws like this should have no effect on the average, reasonable cyclist. > > Sure. But cyclists tend to not want to cause undue irritation to > motorists, and with the exception of one couple I met as a result of > touring who seemed to rub everyone they meet the wrong way, all the > cyclists I've met out on the open road have been well aware of how to > ride sensibly. I agree with that statement, I've just been irritated by the exception who insist that, since bikes were better for the environment, rude actions like snarling traffic are justified. One of the reasons I asked is that I wanted to see the limits on how far folks here think cars drivers should go to accommodate cyclists. As far as I can tell, we seem to be in agreement on that (to within a quibble or two). Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l