tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405603826695409904.post5960018179020100162..comments2022-11-07T10:01:07.222-05:00Comments on Lane Change: Kate Ryan Reports: Riding Responsibly in the Frosty Air...Kate Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946094900514854827noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405603826695409904.post-63187825650507262462011-01-10T20:08:16.936-05:002011-01-10T20:08:16.936-05:00Interesting take and I understand your viewpoint--...Interesting take and I understand your viewpoint--and your frustration. I guess my point is: I have no problem with making the statement that riding responsibly is something I take seriously. I don't see myself as giving ground by taking a pledge to do so. It's not a request for permission to road access, it's just a statement, that yes, this is what I try to do. I also try to obey the laws as a motorist and as a pedestrian. <br /><br />But like you, I also get very tired of being painted as either a nutcase or a scofflaw simply because I hop on a bike to get around. I get tired of the rap that cyclists are 'taking' something away from motorists when we are simply making use of the roads that we pay for too. But then again, I get tired any time someone wants to paint with a broad brush and make snap judgments based on one piece of information about me. <br /><br />And yes, I'd like those same motorists who go on rants about scofflaw cyclists to do a self-check. How many times to they speed, make illegal U-turns, change lanes without signalling, double-park, roll right past a stop-line at a red light? (Doesn't this get covered in driver's ed? Do drivers not know what a stop line is vs the crosswalk?)But I think we can get mired in the "Yeah, but he broke the law first..." kind of arguments. <br /><br />To be fair, AAA Potomac has indeed launched a number of public safety campaigns over the years. Back in 1996, they commissioned a study on aggressive driving, and launched a public education campaign on the issue. AAA Potomac also lobbied for tougher laws in Maryland including those aimed at protecting pedestrians(most notably the campaign to change Maryland's vehicular manslaughter laws). And no, this isn't a commercial for the organization, it's just that I've covered these issues myself, locally and in Annapolis.Kate Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14946094900514854827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405603826695409904.post-201394497776819462011-01-10T12:06:13.077-05:002011-01-10T12:06:13.077-05:00No actually there were two components to the dista...No actually there were two components to the distaste (backlash is too strong a word).<br /><br />One was the "I pledge to stop beating my wife" aspect of the pledge. The second was the fact that it sent the wrong message to government, law enforcement, and non-cyclists. Secondly, it failed to address the larger problem, which is that one of the prejudices that WABA should be combatting is that cycling "scofflawism" is some sort of significant problem. Everyone agrees that the *perception* of cyclists as scofflaws is a problem. But the answer to this is an education campaign as to why cyclists behave in such a way. Because a non-trivial number of cyclists will *always* slow-roll stop-signs. Or proceed through red-lights when no traffic is coming. This is for the same reason that pedestrians jaywalk when there's no traffic in sight. And cars drive 5 mph over the speed limit.<br /><br />If the predominant sentiment of the age was to deny drivers the right to the road because 99.999% of them exceed the speed limit, you can bet that AAA wouldn't be conceding the point that such behavior is intolerable, and distributing a pledge to its members asking them to always drive below the posted speed limits. First of all, it would be counter-productive, since they'd be reinforcing the negative framing. Secondly, they'd lose a massive number of members--because generally drivers don't engage in a whole lot of self-flagellation.<br /><br />It certainly has nothing to do with cyclists refusing to behave "admirably" out of some sort of gratuitous mulishness.<br /><br />Richard Layman has an extended (and more coherent) take on it here:<br /><br />http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2010/12/advocacy-process-bicyclists-and-road.htmlIBChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03168045003339877570noreply@blogger.com