Originally Posted by
MikeyMK
The more people ride bikes, the better it will be for everyone.
Meh, if they were actually acting like bikes, you'd have a point.
What really happens is folks have taken over the the bike lanes as a way to ride their electric motorcycles faster than conditions allow and not infrequently faster than the car traffic speed limit, generally without lights, too. And if the lane doesn't go where they want, they ride the wrong way. About six months ago they started all but universally using the sidewalk in my neighbourhood instead of the extremely quiet street.
They do it in the name of being economically competitive - but they're just competing with other people doing the same thing, which has all the elements of a race to the bottom. Unrestrained competition is actually not a pretty thing.
Actually doing something for the workers would be implementing a minimum wage by both time and distance, so that moderate speed assist bikes would fit the need without terrifying the walking public in a way that creates a backlash against all cycling. And if higher prices mean more folks walk a few blocks to pick up their own fatty dinners, that's hardly a bad thing either.