Re:The New York Times attacks e-bikes while ignoring the rea...
by dobs on Monday July 31, 2023 @03:01PM
(#36947289)
> If you are worried about safety, ride your e-bike/bike in the middle of the lane.
I'm the sort of person who "takes the lane" when necessary but it doesn't work great in practice: Many drivers will aggressively tailgate and I've even been "bonked" by one who thought it was a totally normal and acceptable thing to do.
I even live in an area where cyclists are recommended (by the police) to ride ~3 feet from the curb and we require drivers (by law) to give cyclists ~3 feet of clearance. If cyclists were to follow those rules they'd be taking the full lane almost everywhere. But likely due to a combination of it not being common in practice and motorists being generally impatient it ends up being a dangerous set of guidelines to follow.
In the greater context of this and the NYT article: The answer is probably better bike infrastructure.
I'm the sort of person who "takes the lane" when necessary but it doesn't work great in practice: Many drivers will aggressively tailgate and I've even been "bonked" by one who thought it was a totally normal and acceptable thing to do.
I even live in an area where cyclists are recommended (by the police) to ride ~3 feet from the curb and we require drivers (by law) to give cyclists ~3 feet of clearance. If cyclists were to follow those rules they'd be taking the full lane almost everywhere. But likely due to a combination of it not being common in practice and motorists being generally impatient it ends up being a dangerous set of guidelines to follow.
In the greater context of this and the NYT article: The answer is probably better bike infrastructure.