From that piece...
The FTR law needs to be repealed in order to once again give bicyclists the same rights and duties as other drivers. Unfortunately, since that law has been on the books longer than most of the readers of this article have been alive, most people see the law as normal and reasonable. But it is not. It is the result of the mistaken idea that bicyclists cannot control travel lanes. Not only is the idea that bicyclists cannot or should not control travel lanes responsible for the FTR law, it is also responsible for low mode share. FTR thinking leads to the belief that bicyclists controlling travel lanes is somehow rude or more dangerous than riding at the edge of the road or on the sidewalk.
This is all well and good and of course Forester constantly chants this... But bear in mind that the piece also points out that drivers, LEOs and judges don't understand the existing laws... and I contend that most motorists have no idea of the laws and that many LEOs try to enforce their own view of what the laws should be... so deleting the FTR law isn't going to mean a thing to a driving pubic that essentially has no clue anyway.
But let's go on. The biggest irony is that the piece points out that cyclists once rode along just as motorists, and shared the road completely... before lane lines existed. And before cars had the performance they have today, and the roads were as crowded as today, and before surface arterial road speed limits were and are approaching 55MPH... But, OK, I'll accept that before lane lines, cyclists were equals on the road... so all we have to do is implement the ideas of Hans Monderman and stop coddling motorists with "slot car" designed roads with helpful signs every 10 feet.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-448747.html
It may sound like chaos, but it's only the lesson drawn from one of the insights of traffic psychology: Drivers will force the accelerator down ruthlessly only in situations where everything has been fully regulated. Where the situation is unclear, they're forced to drive more carefully and cautiously.
When we have to tell motorists to watch out for pedestrians at street corners... well frankly something is terribly wrong...
There really is no reason for that sign to exist... drivers that have passed a test and hold a license should be well aware of their responsibilities... but if they have to be told to watch for peds... do you really think they have a clue as to FTR laws? NOT HARDLY.