I-Like-To-Bike

Please explain what your driving encounters with other motorists, without any bicycling content, have to do with the thread topic or with bicycling safety or advocacy? Do traffic reports that confirm the existence of ignorant motorists have a point relevant to bicycling A&S?

rumrunn6

the first line in that article talks about traffic violence

genec

There ARE places where they have attempted to make cycling illegal... and these have been discussed here.

But the point you continue to miss is that the laws, designs, and even tax structure all ENCOURAGE driving... thus discourage cycling. People may still choose to cycle, but they are "fighting the system" to do so.

And gee, thanks for including your wife, as an unique example... as if she somehow represents the average commuter... who in fact, statistically commutes only about 10 miles to work. Your anecdotal "evidence" doesn't mean she should get special treatment or encouragement to drive.

DrIsotope

I feel like we live on different planets. No one in my locality (that is, the few hundred square miles I cover on a bike, populated by some 4 million people) is discouraging anyone from riding a bicycle. If anything, California goes out of it's way to discourage the use of automobiles-- we pay more for gas, insurance, and registration than pretty much anyone else in the US.

If you presently feel that you, as a cyclist, are being actively persecuted by "the man," then you should continue to do so. Everyone is absolutely entitled to tilt at windmills.

BTW, encouraging one activity in no way discourages another. Just because the government isn't running ads telling people to "Go get on a bike!" doesn't mean they don't want people on bikes.

Stadjer

@genec

This is just not true. Bicycle traffic was never almost eradicated. There was conflict, it was dangerous and there was little cycling specific infrastructure, but people kept cycling. It never disappeared, there was the continuity Copenhagenize tries to deny and that continuity is important, also for and in relation to culture.

The toddler next door here is only just three years old but last week I saw him cycling on the patio, without training wheels. That's culture too, get them cycling as soon as they can. His parents are Chinese btw, only moved here about 7 years ago, it's not necessarily the kind of culture that goes centuries back but it is important as from now on the bike will be part of his life, it will be his independence for the next 15 years which will give him the necessary cycling and traffic skills. At the turning point in the 70's those skills were very much alive, and the mass cycling since has shaped other parts of culture but also cities and villages. But there are also other cultural influences, which might explain why it is Denmark and the Netherlands and not many others.

You can't just ignore those things. It might work for the message, but when it comes to result it's better to acknowledge all relevant factors and come up with a suitable plan to increase cycling in a specific location.

MikeyMK

You still reacted. Else you wouldn't have changed lanes..

rumrunn6

I was referring to "flips me off & continues w/ another hand gesture I won't mention"