It is discouraging to see sentiments like this one even among people with good intentions regarding bikers and drivers.
Cyclists must realize that that the road belongs to the driver and they are merely borrowing it.My father was a lawyer and had a saying "Right of way is something you NEVER have, but are often required to yield." This is a good concept for all of your time on the road. No one "owns" the road, but very often we are required to give up our position on it out of consideration for others. It shouldn't matter if the "others" are a truck, an SUV, a car, a bike, or someone on rollerskates. Our job as road-dwellers is to keep the road safe for everyone.
What do Mod-Bloggers think? Am I right here, or is the road for automobiles and to heck with everyone else?
At least in California, I believe, the road belongs to cyclists just as much as it does to cars. Doesn't mean drivers won't be rude about it, but such is life.
YanıtlaSilPeople are self centered anyway, so if anyone requires them to yield anything, they will complain and moan and try to justify not having to do it. I think your dad was very right... good concept.
YanıtlaSilFunny, I don't think the guy thought it through. If the road belongs to the driver, why is the driver at fault if he hits a pedestrian or cyclist? We could quote Spiderman here...
I thought that the road belonged to the people regardless of vehicle. After all, it was my tax dollars that paid for it.
YanıtlaSilSince I am a cyclist that HAS been hit before by a careless driver, I am concerned for the lack of respect for human life as long as that human is not in a car. An education program would be great, but bike lanes would be even better.
Fortunately I live in an area where there are a good number of streets with bike lanes so this isn't so much a problem for me.
YanıtlaSilI remember my driving tester asking me - during my driving test at 16 years old - what are the two times you have to stop for a pedestrian. I could only think of one - when they're in the crosswalk. The other one - any time they're in the street. Point being that the road belongs to the weaker of any two objects and the stronger needs to yield and/or be cautious around them.
Good point, Sean. This last weekend we had an unexpected example of "stronger yielding to the weaker."
YanıtlaSilWe were riding on the Larkin Bridle Trail when we came across several groups of horse-riders coming in the other direction. Now, the horse is FAR stronger than us or our bikes, but the rule of the trail is that when bikers meet horses, the bikers must pull over and dismount. We did so (being rule-followers) and it was amazing to see how thankful the horse riders were. The horses spook easily, and this simple act made the trail safer for us all. Without having to claim that "the trail belongs to the horse."