Here we go again. This time, a question from the UK:
Why is it that some cyclist choose to cycle on the road when there is a cycle lane available for them?
"I am not anti-cyclist as I myself often use a bike as well as car but I cannot fathom why it is some cyclists choose to ride on the road when there is a cycle path made for them. Can anyone think of what their reasons for this might be?"
My answer:
"The road is wider, better maintained and the cyclist is in the general traffic lane, meaning that he's less prone to intersection collisions and passing collisions and has safer and faster access to right turns (left turns outside the UK). I've never understood why so many cyclists prefer a bike lane or a bike path when the option of using the road is more efficient and shown in around 85% of studies to be safer.
Also, you say you're not anti-cyclist, but why would anyone who's "not anti-cyclist" be urging cyclists to use a less safe choice of road position?"
Interestingly, cycling questions on Yahoo Answers are usually asked in one of two categories: 'cycling' or 'cars and transportation'. When the questions are asked in the latter category, the answers are often ignorant, anti-cyclist rants. When they're placed in the 'cycling' category, the answers are often more knowledgeable.
For those who don't cycle as vehicular cyclists, its an honest enough question. Most folks think of bicycles and bicyclists as fragile things that go slow and should be kept, like pedestrians, out of the way of "traffic". Sigh.
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