Comment 71346

By roadrash (registered) - website | Posted November 17, 2011 at 11:33:19

I have ridden the roads of Hamilton and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years now - competitively, recreationally, and as a commuter. I speak as a cyclist first and a driver a distant second.

And I am sorry, but this is CRAP. If cyclists want to be treated with the same respect on the road as every other vehicle - both by drivers and by legislators - they they need to obey the traffic laws. Period. You don't see an "idaho stop" by bike commuters in European cities, and you don't see cars running those same cyclists off the road either. The two go hand in hand. Cyclists plan their route to take advantage of roundabouts and flyovers where possible and otherwise obey the rules.

North American cyclists need to stop looking for legislators to treat them as a special case, and need to start fighting for equal treatment instead. We don't need to be marginalized nor pandered to - we need to be elevated to EQUALS.

There should be zero tolerance for drivers who do not share the road properly and give cyclists the same space and respect as any other vehicle. And there should also be zero tolerance for cyclists who disobey the laws that govern everyone - especailly the big three sins in Hamilton: Riding the wrong way on one-way streets, riding on the sidewalk, and rolling through stop signs.

Cyclists have the same rights on the road by law. If we want that to be respected and supported, we need to play by the rules.

(edited to correct a couple of horrid typos)

Comment edited by roadrash on 2011-11-17 12:04:57

Standing up for cycling in the best part of Ontario!

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