vehicular cycling

At some point, I promised to comment more about my observations on vehicular cycling (and cyclists), as well as my ride in Boston with John Allen, a strong proponent of vehicular cycling and author of Bicycling Street Smarts.

For now, I amgoing to focus on the argument of bikeways versus non-bikeways (the side that many vehicular cyclists take—like John Forester here).

Over the course of this project, I have seen a wide variety of riding styles—from the breakneck maneuvering of bicycle messengers to the ultra-timid riders who choose only to cycle on sidewalks (and perhaps the greenway). Of course, most cyclists in NYC  fall somewhere in between, and can get about just fine. A majority choose to use safer avenues such as 8th or 9th,  stay off avenues like 7th and Broadway, and enjoy riding on narrow, slow-moving side streets.

Because of this, I have to agree with those who call for more cycletracks to be built, especially on fast-moving avenues. The difference in body language and cycling style, not to mention the sheer number (and range of demographic) of cyclists on 8th and 9th Avenues is astonishing. People are enjoying themselves—males, females, young, and old—and can focus on things that have nothing to do with being hit by a car. You just don’t see this on other streets.

To me, this should be the ultimate goal:  to get more people on bikes. An increase in cyclists will do more for our  safety than almost anything else. Whenever I have been part of a bike flock (which, sadly, has been rare), the way that other members of the street community treated us completely changed.  We demanded respect and attention, making everybody safer.

Riding with Mr. Allen in Boston, I felt safe, but only because I was following a rider who knew exactly what he was doing (and am pretty confident on a bike myself). If we would have asked a first-time urban cyclist to join us, he or she would have likely been much too timid to merge into moving traffic to avoid the right turn lane. This is not good.

I do agree with the opponents of cycletracks who say that they don’t eliminate the dangers of the intersection, where most collisions take place. It’s true—the danger will be reduced by the increased amount of riders. This is the problem with their argument: they look at bikeways and traffic as individual pieces  instead of a system. With more riders on the road, drivers will be forced to be more cautious and respect the presence of another form of transport.  (Don’t believe me? Read this book for real-life examples)

Listen, I understand that vehicular cyclists want riders to be smarter and more skilled—it is a good goal that will also increase safety. We just have to go about things in a logical order. Once more cyclists are on the road,  it will be easier to implement safe driving/cycling educational programs that cover many of the concepts found in vehicular cycling handbooks.

We just have to get there first.

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