Monday, June 14, 2010

Michael Dresser in the Baltimore Sun

This is an unusually balanced piece by a mainstream newspaper columnist about urban bicycle safety. Dresser rode an electrically assisted bicycle around the city, so he knows a bit about what he speaks.... Please read this article all the way through; its conclusions surprised me with their reasonableness.

1 comment:

James Thurber said...

It's an excellent article - well thought out.

License bicycle riders? Insurance? I've got a motorcycle license, actually STOP at signs and red lights and carry $5 million worth of insurance.

Seriously. My auto / motorcycle policy covers me while I'm riding a bicycle - liability wise. So if you want to get hit by a biker . . . I'm your guy!

But on another note: In California (and probably elsewhere in America) bikers who actually stay on the road and ride with traffic are frequently a minority. Huge numbers of us ride on sidewalks and against traffic.

During the occasional times I've actually driven, over the last year alone I've come within inches of striking a biker, always riding on a sidewalk, against traffic. I didn't expect to see them and suddenly . . . whack!

And they weren't teeny tiny guys either. In every case they were adults, some obviously over 50 years of age, too.

At least we need to RIDE where we're supposed to be RIDING . . . on the road . . . with traffic.