Pedestrians shouldn't have to worry about sharing the road with vehicles. Period. It's just a recipe for disaster. A young mother should be able to take her baby out in a stroller and not worry about being run over by a cyclist doing 25mph.
Keep in mind that bicyckes are vehicles. I give myself 40 minutes to make my 11 commute to work. I can't afford to crawl along the sidewalk at pedestrian speeds.
I’m am unabashedly pro-motorist and would rather let the pedestrians and cyclists hash out any lawsuits instead of having to worry about a clumsy cyclist getting in the way of busy traffic, on a busy road, with no bike lanes .
Which is the point. A bicycle is a vehicle. It's how I get around 90% of the time. What you call pro-motorist would be a defacto prohibition on using a bicycle as a vehicle since there would be no utility if a bicycle had to travel at sidewalk speeds. I shouldn't be forced to take my car or ride my motorcycle.
I’m am unabashedly pro-motorist and would rather let the pedestrians and cyclists hash out any lawsuits instead of having to worry about a clumsy cyclist getting in the way of busy traffic, on a busy road, with no bike lanes .
Here in DFW, most of the posted bike routes don't use bike lanes. If you stick to the bike routes as much as possible, you shouldn't slow down traffic as they run on side streets parallel to major thoroughfares.
It’s not fair to motorists where the roads are designed for cars and trucks with no bike lanes . It’s insane to think that accidents won’t happen and then hold motorists responsible .
What's not fair? That a motorist my lose a whole 20 seconds until it's safe to pass me? That's not fair? Give me a break.
As for safety, if a motorist obeys the traffic laws, he/she should never hit a bicycle. Almost all bicycle/car accidents occur when a motorist fails to give the bicyclist the legally mandated amount of space when passing.
I'm a motorist as well, and bikes on the road have never, ever, not even once bothered me. But then again, I'm not so impatient that I can't wait 20 seconds to pass.
Your area is obviously different than mine . Sometimes you can’t see the cyclists until it’s almost too late. Bike lanes should be everywhere , but they are not, so it should be law that cyclists use the sidewalk when no bike lanes are available .
Many roads are not wide enough to accomodate bust traffic and pesky cyclists . Maybe you have very wide roadways and perfect drivers in your area , good for you . End of story .