[SDCBC] "No space for cyclists"? - a reminder/request to all advocates

[Serge Issakov]

Hi folks,

This is a reminder/request to all cycling advocates to think, write and say
"No space for motorists to safely pass cyclists" rather than "no space for
cyclists" or "no space for bikes".  The distinction might seem subtle, but I
think it's very important, especially for statements made by cyclists and
especially cycling advocates in writing and/or in public.

I bring this up because at this week's board meeting the statement was made
without objection with respect to El Camino Real between San Dieguito Road
and Via de la Valle.  The full statement was something like, "The road is 22
feet wide, no shoulders, and no place for cyclists to ride", or something to
that effect.

I take objection to the assertion that there is "no space for cyclists" to
ride on that stretch of El Camino Real, because there is plenty of space for
cyclists: about 11 feet of width in each direction.  California's "keep to
the right law", VC 21202, does not apply when the lane is "too narrow for a
bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane".  See:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21202.htm.  So, cyclists can use and
control the full 11 foot wide lane there.  In fact, this is what we teach
cyclists to do on these types of roads in our classes.

That some or even possibly most cyclists are not comfortable choosing to
assert their right to control the full lane in those types of situations I
understand, and partially why I support widening of that road (the other
reasons are so that motorists don't have to be held up by cyclists who are
controlling the full lane, and so that cyclists have space to use to pass
stopped motorists when it is congested).  But to conclude that there is no
space for (all) cyclists is misleading, and arguably counter-productive to
our advocacy interests.

After all, if there is truly "no space for bikes", then, it's logical to
conclude that bikes don't belong there.  I don't think it's a good idea for
cyclists and cycling advocates to be on the record making statements that
imply that cyclists do not belong on certain roads simply because there is
no space specifically designated for cycling.  In fact, I'm sure it's a bad
idea to be doing that.

So, let's remember to think and always say that the problem with busy/fast
narrow roads is that there is "no space for MOTORISTs to safely pass
cyclists (which causes them to have to slow down and be slightly delayed by
us)", and NOT that "there is no space for cyclists".

Thank you for taking this under consideration,
Serge
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.bikesandiego.org/pipermail/sdcbc/attachments/20070126/e6328b24/attachment.html