[B’ Spokes: I thought it only fair to translate this Washington Post article to more accurately say what was intended. THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL and is satiric in nature.]
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Peter Smurph of Falls Church writes that he’s never seen a motorist that drives UNDER the maximum speed limit or stop BEFORE the crosswalk when making a right-on-red or get ticketed by police for breaking these laws. But cyclists riding in the roadway is the real problem but since it is legal for some unknown reason, he’ll just point out things that cyclists have a hard time doing on roads designed solely around the automobile. Like coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. Stop means a complete cessation of motion, like the difference between "No Standing" (leaving the motor running) and "No Stopping" (motor off) so Stop means stopping the engine but since no motorists does that it’s OK for motorists but if all cyclists do something to equalize car centric roads then we should throw the car centric book at cyclists. Cars and all the carnage they cause is why we have these traffic laws in the first place so those laws should be doubly applicable for cyclists since they kill more people then cars do because they are inherently less safe without all the safety equipment that cars have.
Sharon G. Badhairday of Bethesda says that she’s an avid walker and that there is no place where pedestrians are safe from bicycles — on the streets, sidewalks or even off-road paths. So bicyclists should stay off the sidewalks, the bike paths and of course the streets.
From out in Gaithersburg, James Rushneverslow writes that upcounty cyclists put their shoulders against his car, pushing it across the yellow line in to oncoming traffic. Rushneverslow says he does not like being forced into oncoming traffic by cyclists.
All three say sharing the road works one way and one way only, it is cyclists that must always get out of the way of cars and never, never should the motorist be inconvenienced in the slightest. The rule of the road is the faster you can go. the faster you need to go. And the slower you go the more you don’t mind going even slower, that’s just simple logic.
Shane Goesfaronthatthing, head of the Bicyclist Association, has read those recent letters to The Washaton Post and similar sentiments from drivers in e-mails, letters and in conversation.
As thousands of cyclists are expected to join everyday bike commuters for Bike to Work Day on Friday, Goesfaronthatthing agrees with those who say that cyclists will get more respect if drivers understood traffic laws and safety as applicable to cyclists.
“Cyclists need to preserve their own safety first” Goesfaronthatthing said. "If everyone realized that bicyclists need to be apart of traffic (riding in the middle of the lane) for standard rules for traffic to be safe for cyclists. Once a bicyclists tries to ride "outside" of traffic the court is still out on what makes riding that way safe but too often trying to obey standard rules for being in-traffic while riding outside-of-traffic does not always work well.
One of the regular frustrations for drivers comes when some cyclists are riding erratic, like riding outside of traffic when extra road width is present and then back into the travel lane when there is no extra width, which Goesfaronthatthing says the bicyclist association’s education courses help cyclists address that by stressing that cyclists should be more reluctant to ride outside of traffic (do not weave in and out of parked cars for one.)
“For bikes to be treated as a viable part of the transportation system, cyclists have to be visible and predictable,” Goesfaronthatthing said. “They have to behave in ways that help motorists understand what to expect.”
He also said that greater awareness on the part of those behind the wheel would also help keep people safe.
“There are things that seem like minor details to drivers but keep the cyclists in safe places,” he said.
For example, sometimes a road’s shoulder is not safe for cyclists if there is glass, debris or potholes. Riding too close to parked cars can be dangerous for cyclists if doors suddenly swing open. Drivers who turn right without checking for bikes can collide with cyclists in adjacent lanes.
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The original unadulterated version here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/safety-reminders-for-bike-to-work-day/2011/05/18/AFWETn6G_story.htmloldId.20110519214513515
Biking in Baltimore