[SDCBC] What were they thinking?

[John Eldon]

[rant on] I get a little tired of being told that the problem is somehow with me, and not with the design of certain roads and the behavior of certain motorists. [rant off]

Whether or not we concur that a particular road or intersection is inherently "dangerous," I think we can objectively note that some intersections are inherently far safer for bicyclists than others, and that a worthwhile goal is to get bicycle- and/or pedestrian-hostile intersections modified to accommodate all road users. To me, this is by far the most important aspect of "complete the streets."

Serge Issakov <serge at issakov.org> wrote:
With all due respect to Mike and John, I think such language ("always risky business", "combat zones", "can survive", "need to be demilitarized") greatly overstates the dangers of cycling in such areas, and exaggerates ("only the alert, hardened and trained can survive") how difficult it is to obtain and develop the skills, knowledge and confidence required to ride through "intersections like this one" safely, and reflects a cycling-discouraging attitude.  One might argue (but I won't) that such fear mongering language has no place on the list of an organization that promotes cycling, including, presumably, the notion that cycling in traffic is (given roads and motorist behavior as they currently are) a reasonably safe activity.
 
Having said that, yes, the average cyclist whose traffic cycling safety beliefs rest on the premise that the primary rules are to assume you're invisible and stay out of the way of cars is going to find such intersections to be challenging and uncomfortable to navigate.  And, yes, you do have to be alert - but that should go without saying.   But the solution is not to feed the monster by reinforcing false notions of exaggerated dangers, but by spreading within the cycling culture the knowledge and skills required to slay this imaginary monster.  It's just not very difficult to achieve the necessary level of traffic cycling skill and knowledge, and the rewards are enormous.  That's what I would like to see at least one cycling advocacy group focus on, and this San Diego organization seems to me to be an excellent choice for that.


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