There was an interesting op-ed piece by Graham Cornes in the Adelaide Advertiser over the weekend. In it, Graham argues that Adelaide has the topography, climate, and city infrastructure to become a "cyclist's haven":
Mainly flat roads, mild weather, and one of the world's best-planned cities, are all conducive to enjoyable cycling.
Unfortunately, we are wasting an opportunity to make Adelaide, the world's best cycling city.
He favours more and better bike lanes:
The typical bike line in Adelaide is one of life's great mysteries.
It starts from nowhere, emerging mysteriously from the bitumen and then ends nowhere, when somewhere down the road the line disappears back into the bitumen.
It endangers cyclists' lives rather than protects them, and thrusts the cyclists back into proximity of, and conflict with, the motorist, who, more often than not, doesn't even see them.
OK, he's entitled to argue for dedicated bike lanes if he likes. I'm not convinced that it's the whole solution. It might be part of the solution but other things are also likely to be required (some of that "invisible infrastructure" perhaps).
But I can't come at the line of argument that he concludes on:
We need better bicycle transport systems, but there is one proviso – Adelaide's cyclists have to learn to obey even the most basic of traffic rules.
Some of us are a disgrace in the way we deliberately ignore the laws. It's a fair trade – give us some safe, dedicated, efficient bike lanes and we'll stop putting our lives, and the lives of others, in jeopardy.
Complete and utter bollocks.
How many billions of dollars worth of motor-vehicle only roadway are extended, expanded and upgraded each year (e.g. [Monash-CityLink-West upgrade][]) without any requirement that all and every motorist will "have to learn to obey even the most basic of traffic rules" in order to gain that benefit?
I am occasionally a motorist and some of us are a disgrace in the way we deliberately ignore the laws. Yet we get safe, dedicated, efficient car lanes without making a fair trade—to stop putting our lives, and the lives of others, in jeopardy.
While I applaud his speaking out on behalf of cyclists, this is sloppy and dangerous thinking by Graham. Clearly the provision of safe and efficient infrastructure (whatever that may be) is not contingent on the good behaviour of all the intended users.
Comments
O-kay, let's call an end to that particular line of discussion. You've each had a shot and if you want to take it further, take it somewhere else.
For what it's worth, I suggest you two go and have a beer together—you'll probably find you've got more in common than you think. (And yes, I do recall the particular aus.bicycle thread…)
It's actually physically impossible for ladies to be cockheads and Mark Horner, in retrospect, you did dig a hole for yourself on aus.bicycle. No one else put you up to posting the sheer amount of silliness you did, so consider it a own goal of your own creation.
And if you're still stewing in your own bile over a newgroup discussion from over two years ago, maybe you should really consider a referral to a specialist?
Cardigan-wearing? Think more Goodies, Mountain Goat Beer or Muse t-shirt with a Sugoi jacket and a nice pair of cycling shoes.
Have a nice day. ;)
I got my head bitten off a few years ago on aus.bicycle by scared little tweed cardigan-wearing 'don't rock the boat or we'll all fall in' types (cfsmtb - are you listening? you are still a c*ckhead IMHO) for suggesting that, as most road infrastructure is built to regulate car traffic, a substantial part of it has no relevance to bike traffic, and were it not for legal strictures, could be usefully and safely ignored, much as happens in Asian countries. Bikes rule, and cars kill - here and over there. What about, as the extended comment first up suggested, bikes be acknowledged as vehicles, have primacy on the roads along with pedestrians, roller bladers and skateboarders (any self-propelled means of transport, much like 'Steam gives way to sail' on the seas) and cars, buses, trucks trams and motorbikes/scooters all have to wait for us and for our little bike signal to go red before they get a go? Hello Copenhagen - for real, not just some token, poxy, dangerous bike 'lanes' (read 'drains') and a better city for all, and not just motor industry apparatchiks.
In fairness, he's not actually a car salesman but even if he were, that wouldn't prevent him also being a cyclist.
Equality before the law is exactly what I'm about here. Different cyclists have different views on what is "good" infrastructure for cyclists, but providing that infrastructure does not and should not depend on cyclists being good little girls and boys. Apart from anything else, that's an unrealistic expectation of any group of road users.
It is a great positive that a car salesman is speaking on behalf of cyclists.
However, I would have thought that it is assumed that all road users obey the rules of the road. If and when they don't however, we already have mechanisms in place for dealing with them in the form of fines and/or demerit points.
I would love to see, in the way of balance, an opinion piece that suggests the removal of a freeway because a select few have been speeding or drink driving.
Yep, typical lazy journalism. They call it balance but it's anything but.
I've got a Theory!
My one bob's worth to Graham Cornes
I am a father and grandfather who choses a bicycle for personal mobility, recreation and sport. I consider I fare best when riding a bicycle when I act as a vehicle and I am treated as vehicle on the roadway. I consider bicycle paths unsafe at anyspeed. I consider dedicated bicycle lanes marked on roadways an irrational and hysteric concession to cars only and serve no safe purpose for me, or cars. They create unsafe situations particularly when intersecting with paths and other road ways , round abouts and harbour dangerously and errantly parked cars , opening car doors, , broken glass, ruts, road repair scars from builersd road openings, drainage ruts and grills. As John Forrester , respected Traffic Engineer and Consulting Expert in Traffic Issues states "Bicyclists fare best when acting and treated as vehicles."
In all states of Australia a bicycle is a vehicle under the law... end of story... Save money SA , you want to make SA the best State in the country for cycling, well forget bicycle lanes, they will kill more riders than they seek to save...instead spend the money on driver education of the road laws, ( all drivers, that includes riders of bicycles, they are " drivers'.. )but more importantly, reform the liability laws...create a hierarchy of liability under the law, those who can do the most harm on the roadway by the mass and power of their vehicle should bear prima facie liability towards all other road users of a lessser mass or power capacity. Easy to enforce, easy for courts to interpret, easy to teach. This is the only way attitudes to share roads will be changed. Roads are NOT the sole exclusive domain of powerful motorised vehicles, all road users are equal under the law... but some due to their mass and power can cause massive damage and thus their liability under the law is disproportionate to the harm they can and do cause. A driver in charge of a killing machine of two tonnes or more of steel is a recipe for death... it happens every day... and such drivers get off scot free with a "who me, I was just driving and I didnt see them"... rubbish, they were not looking and didnt give a hoot because they were cocooned on a steel cage that allowed them to elevate their level of risk to an unacceptable level for other road users... enough is enough!...change the law...that is what is needed... forget this bollocks about bicycle lanes bringing about change... no more rhubarb from journalists or governments...save lives, change the law on liability and get a healthier happier population in a society that can afford its health bills, infrastructure bills and be a guiding light to forward thinking communities who want to live free from the tyrrany of the motor car for personal mobility... we cannot afford it, the dinosaur fossil fuelled motorised car is about to go extinct, lets get ready.!