Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive
I ask myself the same question. I often walk the stretch of path from Botello Avenue to Buenos Aires--paved the entire way, with fresh median lines--and will see packs of bicyclists tooling along, taking up a lane of traffic, when they could just as easily take the MMP. I know they have the right. But having the right to do something doesn't always make it the smart thing to do. In car vs. bicycle, bicycle loses every time.
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You are right, but the MMPs require a lot more stops and turns and detours from the desired direction. By contrast, a flock of cyclists can ride at 10 MPH the entire length of Sierra Vista virtually without stopping. They slow traffic, but it’s their legal right, even though there are alternative routes. If they had to use the MMPs, their transit time north to south would be at least fifteen minutes longer, and perhaps thirty. Imagine if all golf carts were allowed to drive on Sierra Vista, as well.
When I worked in Beijing for a year, in the early 80s, I enjoyed riding around the city on my one speed bike—on the bike lanes, which were sometimes two car lanes wide. When you are riding a bike, it is easy to come to see yourself as readily visible and safe, but that isn’t true. Once, I was on a tour bus when the driver ran over a bicycle and rider. A bus wheel ran over the rider’s head. The body lay on the street right below my window as we waited for the traffic police to arrive. The squashed head on its side was like a sagging balloon four inches thick. Remember that as you ride by yourself on Sierra Vista enjoying your rights. Ride safely! Be visible!