I'm one of those drivers who hates sharing roadways with bikers. It's not that I have to share, but between slowing traffic down, pure safety concerns for the biker (who I as the automobile driver am responsible for in the case of an accident) and the generally shitty entitled attitude lots of bike riders seem to have (probably earned from dealing with irritated drivers like me) I get my hackles raised every time I s…
> Bikes aren't automobiles no matter how much we debate about it. They shouldn't be sharing the road with cars. While I understand the sentiment you need to understand that cyclists are put in a pretty awkward legal situation themselves. They exist in a no-mans-land between pedestrians and vehicles. Sidewalks are often too narrow, too close to blind corners, etc for safety. They're often VERY bumpy. At 2mph a sidewal…
I absolutely agree with this general sentiment. Bikes aren't vehicles and can't perform like a motorized vehicle along virtually any parameter. They shouldn't be regulated like a vehicle and they shouldn't be sharing space with vehicles.
They also clearly aren't pedestrians since sharing space between bikes and pedestrians is usually a bad experience for everybody (I've been hit by numerous bike riders while out jogging or walking on local trails. They usually yell at me for blocking their path if the collision causes them to have to stop or fall). However, because they move at much higher speeds than pedestrians, they're dangerous in mixed spaces.
But they're a valid form of transport. But clearly distinct from both other modes. So I fully support bikes having distinct travelways. I'm even delighted that my tax dollars might help pay for it.