I take exception to Bob's assertion that it is the responsibility of bicyclists to "stay out of the way" of automobiles. When the entire street is clogged with auto traffic at all times - as most Minneapolis streets are during rush hours - the only option would be not to bicycle at all. Given that our city does not provide bike lanes on every major commuting route, much less every street, this rule would effectively end bike commuting in our city. The only safe option would be to surround oneself in a protective, heavy layer of steel and glass and burn fossil fuels to move it around. Let me clarify something here: it is not the responsibility of the vulnerable to avoid the strong or be destroyed. It is the responsibility of the strong to realize the power they possess and use it intelligently, safely, and with a degree of forethought. Another clarification: though we are the minority, bike commuters are modeling the best behavior for the whole of society. Automobile drivers are not. I have nothing against you all as people (some of my best friends are drivers...) but your behavior is terribly expensive to our society, bad for your health and mine, horrible for the natural environment on which life relies, and quite often deadly. I try to avoid zero-sum games when possible, but when it comes to a conflict over limited resources - space, for example - bicyclists should take precedence. A reasonably effective analogy is smoking. A few decades ago the government sided with a minority (or at least not a solid majority) in a zero-sum game for the right to use public places, because non-smokers are modeling a healthier, cheaper, less deadly behavior. I have very little reason to think that twenty years from now car-driving will be reduced to the irregular, frowned-upon habit that smoking has become but hey, dreamin' is free. One last thing. The accident I suffered on my way to work occurred because I was exactly where Ms. Harley and Mr. Gustafson seem to want me: within a foot of the parked cars to my right, making room for other drivers to get around me on the left. The only safe behavior for a bicyclist is to be assertive, and very openly claim the space that you're due. (By the way, to anyone who was concerned about my well-being... no broken bones, no tendon issues, no concussion, just bruises I'll be feeling for weeks. And my bike must have been made from an alloy found in meteorites. I can't find a scratch on it. Perhaps I should pitch the brand [Specialized!])
Robin Garwood Seward _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
