Hello Anthony!



 AW>> Perhaps they figure that they'll obey "bikeway only"
signs the day

 AW>> that bike riders obey red lights.



 AM> Well, seeming as you mention it, that would be nice.  But what pisses

 AM> me off more about mike riders,



                       ^^^^^^^^^^^

 I think you're calling me a POOF...riding Mike???? ;-)



 AM>  is the ones that take a whole left hand

 AM> lane to themselves in peak hour, forcing everyone to change lanes

 AM> around them.  THey may be allowed to do so, buy what do you guys want

 AM> to be: correct or alive?  It's just an unworkable situation to have

 AM> bike riders doing that sort of thing during peak hour.



I agree that the situation is pretty unworkable at the moment. However,

my view is that in blaming the bike riders, you're blaming the wrong

party. I thought I would import a copy of a letter to the editor I've

just faxed off, which goes some way in explaining my viewpoint.



-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Editor

Manly Daily

26 Sydney Rd

MANLY, 2095





Dear Sir/Madam,



Being a keen bicycle commuter, I feel compelled to respond to Mrs J

Dranes' anti-bike rider diatribe (MD Oct 2). Her suggestion that

bicycle riders don't have a legal right to use the road is utterly mad.

Whilst her statement that other road users pay hundreds of dollars a

year in registration and insurance fees is superficially correct, I'm

sure even she realises that this sum does not come close to fully

covering the real cost of car usage. Costs in areas such as air

pollution, noise pollution, medical care for road trauma victims,

encouraging unfitness, and usage of non-renewable energy sources.



Cycling should not be regarded as a problem when in fact it easily

provides many solutions to the modern dilemma of a degraded environment

and poor community health. Cycling for transportation can contribute to

the quality of life in cities if conditions are improved, and decades

of neglect properly addressed. If just 1% of road funds were directed

towards improving cycling facilities, we would be immeasurably better

off. Simple and inexpensive measures such as painted bike lanes on

arterial roads and declaring bicycle clearways during busy periods

would help reduce our reliance on petrol and private cars.



Her other point that riders exhibit reckless behaviour may be explained

by the fact that bicycle riders are treated with utter contempt by many

car drivers. There is no incentive for bike riders to afford any

consideration to four wheeled road users, when we are so accustomed to

being cut-off, or seeing cars overtake with only millimetres to

spare.



And by the way Mrs Drane, you will be pleased to know that I do pay

registration and insurance fees for my car.

--------------------------------------------------------------------



Note the Speedism in the letter.



I actually don't feel quite this extreme over the issue, but GAF.

For example I commute at the same time every day, and generally see the

same cars on the road. I'm hardly going to anger these car drivers by

going to the front of a lane of traffic banked up at a red light. If I

did that, then they may well decide to give me a bit of a fright a day,

or a week later, the next time they have cause to pass me. I

occasionally chip other bike riders I see on the road for what I

consider is anti-social behaviour as well. The most anti-social bunch

of bike riders in the world is the bunch that rides from bar coluzzi to

Waterfall (your end of town?) on a Sunday morning. The behaviour of

that pack towards other road users was so appalling that I stopped

riding with them.





Regards, Alan



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