[Cyclelicious] New comment on A United Front.

MikeOnBike has left a new comment on your post "A United Front":

Anon asks: "How do VCs explain to a young one that his 60 lb body on a bike has the same rights to use the road as a 60,000 lb semi?"

By that logic, how do we explain that a driver in a 4000 lb sedan has the same rights to use the road as a 60,000 lb semi?

As a practical matter, not many 6-year-olds are cycling on roads with semi truck traffic. But you could ask the same question about 200 lb adults, motorcycles, Mini Coopers, or even 6,000 lb SUVs. None of them are a match against a 60,000 lb semi. Or against each other.

But they all DO have the same right to the road. What's the alternative, physically separate lanes for every weight class of vehicle? Requiring all vehicles to weigh no less than 60,000 lbs? Road rights are proportional to vehicle weight?

Equal rights doesn't mean you HAVE to ride on the same roads as 60,000 lb semi trucks. You could ride on a different road or on the sidewalk. But some cyclists are very concerned about giving up our rights. As Ben Franklin put it: "If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both."



Posted by MikeOnBike to Cyclelicious at 11/13/2008 11:25:00 AM