You are absolutely correct, Michael. well said!
________________________________ From: Michael Richters <michael.richt...@gmail.com> To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com Sent: Wed, January 26, 2011 9:28:03 PM Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Rivbike Editorial of Jan. 18 Perhaps it isn't fair to nitpick Grant Peterson on this, given that I'm generally with him on the spirit of his message, but I seem to have a disagreement with one detail or another of almost all of his points in that post. First -- The Idaho Vehicle Code does not permit cyclists to treat red lights as stop signs. The "rolling stop" is only allowed with stop signs, not traffic signals. At a red light, cyclists are required to stop, then yield to all other traffic before proceeding through the intersection (unless turning right, in which case they aren't required to stop). See: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title49/T49CH7SECT49-720.htm I think his comparison to the Netherlands is apt (bikes given priority at intersections), but only as a government policy matter. Watching quite a few videos from David Hembrow and others, it seems that it's the cycle path that's given priority, rather than the cyclist. This is just my perception, but I really think it's an important distinction -- the cyclist isn't sharing the road with the motorist (or the pedestrian), so the question of "fairness" is quite different. Second -- On the issue of cyclists complaining about scofflaw cyclists ruining the reputation of the group, I think he hasn't (or hadn't) really thought it through completely. Motorists do complain about the stupid/unlawful things that other motorists do, but they don't often follow up with the "you'll spoil it for the rest of us" argument -- because they are not a group struggling for acceptance. They don't really see themselves as a group at all. But some of them see cyclists as a group, all alike, all miscreants. And some of them get road rage, and take it out on the nearest offender, even if that "offender" is not violating any laws. Grant argues that since motorists can distinguish between good and bad motorists, they should be able to do the same for cyclists. This is the wrong comparison, though -- even disregarding the differences between majority and minority groups, we should compare motorists' ideas about cyclists to cyclists' views about motorists. I've heard plenty of improper generalizations in both directions. Only a few really believe those generalizations, but only one of those two groups is operating a deadly weapon. (Also, in North America, the percentage of cyclists who are not motorists is vanishingly small, whereas the percentage of motorists who aren't cyclists is huge. Particularly if you count only those who ride on streets with cars.) Third -- At least a few people do, in fact, give up their cars "because they're green". That may not be the only reason, but that's the number one reason that my family did so. It's certainly not guilt-avoidance, either (though I think he's splitting hairs with that argument; it can be both guilt-avoidance and "greenness"). We've made a lot of changes to our lives with the goal of minimizing our negative impact on the planet, but only if those things also improve our lives in some way. Riding bicycles instead of driving has had a host of benefits for us, but that doesn't mean that those benefits were the "real reason" we stopped using the car. It certainly saves us money, but we've made other changes for the "green" reason which have increased our costs (though startlingly few). In spirit, I think it's a good argument, though. Certainly where I live right now, it would be silly to try to convince people to give up their cars. But I do try to convince people that riding a bike for transportation and errands is safe enough, and more fun and more healthy than driving a car. I doubt I've gotten very far, though -- taking the kids to school/daycare in a bakfiets in the dead of winter in Winnipeg probably ruins my credibility when I tell them it's fun. --Mike -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
