[*BCM*] Re: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 34, Issue 17

[Rob Arnold]

We don't know what his intentions were at the time of the accident,
obviously. It's entirely possible that he was attempting to position himself
for a left turn and got trapped between lanes. More information about the
specifics of the accident would help alleviate these kinds of questions, of
course, but until we have that information we can't presume he was riding
irresponsibly. Like I've said elsewhere, it's very easy to blame the victim
in these circumstances, especially when there aren't laws (to my knowledge)
that protect a cyclist's right of way through traffic, and there are no
questions on the driver's exam on how to safely pass a bicycle. The
simplistic designation of bicycles as vehicles seems lazy and inadequate
and, ultimately, leads to tragedies of this nature. Instead, there should be
a separate class of laws and regulations aimed specifically at bicycles and
other non-motorized vehicles, along with specific protections for right of
way, minimum distances to be given, etc.

On 4/6/07, ian schwartz <hankpiece at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This is probably going to get taken out of context, so I apologize
> about pissing people off. But I don't think Huntington Ave is that
> dangerous. Wasn't this guy splitting lanes when he got killed? And
> last I checked splitting lanes is a pretty awful idea on a bad road,
> not to mention illegal.
>
> Bike paths are not the answer to making things safe for cyclists. In
> fact they are counter-productive. Bike paths on the roadside become
> full of debris, cars double-park in them and they often aren't outside
> the door zone. Segregated cycle paths become full of joggers and
> pedestrians. The biggest problem with any kind of bicycle path is that
> it's impossible to have them everywhere and you're eventually going to
> wind up on an actual road, only now it's with drivers who don't expect
> you to be there. Why spend a ton of money on segregated roads for
> cyclists when there are perfectly usable roads?
>
> "Bicycle safety is not as simple or easy as following a few road
> rules." I really beg to differ. Ask yourself if the tragedy that
> sparked this discussion would have occurred if the cyclist hadn't been
> riding dangerously on a major Boston roadway? When I ride on
> Huntington, I have no qualms about taking the lane and forcing
> motorists to either wait behind me or pass in the way that they would
> a car. It's the safest way to make sure you don't get clipped and the
> law is on your side when you ride that way.
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