This reminds me of my thoughts on Marx, via The Communist Manifesto: Very insightful economic history, horrible prescription.
As someone who grew up in Manhattan without ever thinking I’d need to drive to a Chicagoan who was frustrated with its public transit (I went from growing up with three supermarkets within 500 feet of our home to needing to take two buses to get to one in Chicago) and eventually got a driver’s license at the age of 32, I’ve seen this relationship from multiple ends, so this analysis appeals to me.
The one area that, to me, becomes the nub of the problem is red lights and stop signs. As a driver and a pedestrian, I’m fine with trusting pedestrians crossing on a Don’t Walk signal if they see a clear path (although even there, if there’s a left turn arrow for cars this can become dangerous quickly), but cyclists doing this bother me a great deal: They can’t course-correct easily, so when they’re wrong it can go very bad. On top of that, I can’t trust a cyclist I see speeding towards a red light where I have the green, and that makes me take my attention off the road in front of me, possibly leading to an accident.
So, I feel these are reasonable points, but I have to also admit that I simply think cyclists blowing red lights and stop signs is just *unfair*. Articles like this one help to keep that impulse in check (as much as one can; hey, it’s complicated!)
This reminds me of my thoughts on Marx, via The Communist Manifesto: Very insightful economic history, horrible prescription.
As someone who grew up in Manhattan without ever thinking I’d need to drive to a Chicagoan who was frustrated with its public transit (I went from growing up with three supermarkets within 500 feet of our home to needing to take two buses to get to one in Chicago) and eventually got a driver’s license at the age of 32, I’ve seen this relationship from multiple ends, so this analysis appeals to me.
The one area that, to me, becomes the nub of the problem is red lights and stop signs. As a driver and a pedestrian, I’m fine with trusting pedestrians crossing on a Don’t Walk signal if they see a clear path (although even there, if there’s a left turn arrow for cars this can become dangerous quickly), but cyclists doing this bother me a great deal: They can’t course-correct easily, so when they’re wrong it can go very bad. On top of that, I can’t trust a cyclist I see speeding towards a red light where I have the green, and that makes me take my attention off the road in front of me, possibly leading to an accident.
So, I feel these are reasonable points, but I have to also admit that I simply think cyclists blowing red lights and stop signs is just *unfair*. Articles like this one help to keep that impulse in check (as much as one can; hey, it’s complicated!)
My goodness, what an informative article. Thank you, Mr. Del Mastro for giving me so much to ponder.