I was in a big city recently and I noticed that the traffic was congested during non-rush hours. It took a while to understand the problem, and when I did it was with a sense of foreboding because there were entire lanes that had been removed from vehicular use and turned over to bicycles. With all the save-the-Earth hysterics running loose this trend will only accelerate unless something is done to control it.
There were also lanes that were restricted for the exclusive use of transit busses; since these were largely curb lanes they were easy enough to deal with. It was the bicycles that were causing several problems. For some reason, it seems to be the universal prerogative of bicyclists to instantly and arbitrarily change from being a vehicle to being a pedestrian, and vice versa. They cut into and out of street traffic from sidewalks, and crosswalks, as well as from between cars– parked and moving. They almost always run stop signs, or join foot traffic to evade them. Why is this allowed? This is not only dangerous and inconsiderate, it is causing, I believe, more pollution from motor vehicles.
One only need observe areas without bike traffic to see a smooth, flowing stream of cars and trucks. As soon as bikes are added to the mix everything slows noticeably. This is because we all know that a bike cannot win in a collision with a motor vehicle. The drivers of the motor vehicles, for the most part, will defer to a bike because they do not want to be responsible for injuring a cyclist. This makes them drive more slowly, and stop sooner than they would otherwise. They bunch up at intersections because a bike, having the use of the full lane, moves at the speed of pedal-power, and no car wants to be left blocking the box when the lights change. Add in using a cell phone, wearing earbuds, or worse still– headphones, and it is a wonder that more bikes are not run over. Maybe if they were they would change their behavior, and be good road-citizens.
All of that low-speed, creeping-along driving is inefficient as far as an engine is concerned. The additional time spent idling at traffic lights adds up too. There are those insist that all the tiny changes we can all make can make a big difference in our shared environment. The bikers, especially the smug ones, need to realize this, too. As their numbers increase they will add to the problem, not help solve it.
This does not even take into account the other non-cars that are using the roads by figuratively and literally riding on the coattails of the cyclists. We now have several different types of skateboards, roller skates, inline skates, Segways, scooters, electric scooters, electric bikes… the list of what one finds in a bike lane– and acting just as inconsiderately– goes on. Many of these people behave with impunity because they know that they probably will not be cited for breaking traffic laws. Maybe if it were required that anyone using the public streets and roads take a basic safety class, be registered, and pay a fee to do so– or face a fine or confiscation of the device if not– things would be taken more seriously by these rude, dangerous people.
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