This article on The Chainlink hits all the points. THIS is what anti-bike civic planners need to read.
Most of All, Cyclists Want a Safe Place to Ride
Rest assured we don’t like cars barreling down on us any more than drivers want cyclists slowing them down. All we ask for is a situation where motorists and cyclists can peacefully coexist, and arrive at our respective destinations without getting in each other’s way.Bike Paths Don’t Cut It for Practical Transportation
Imagine if your roads went like two miles and then just abruptly ended at some random grassy field. It would be hard to get to where you’re going, right? The problem with most bike paths is that they were designed for recreation and don’t generally connect to anything. I’m guessing they stop at wherever the budget or grant money happened to run out. So if you want us to stay off the roads and stick to the bike paths, give us bike paths that actually get us to places.Cyclists Don’t Want to Be Subject to Laws Written by People with No Experience, Knowledge or Understanding of Bikes
If it seems like cyclists are resistant to some laws and some forms of bike infrastructure, it’s usually because they don’t actually make sense for cyclists. And you wouldn’t understand why if you don’t ride a bike. It’d be like me getting elected to office and proposing a bunch of…I don’t know…hunting and fishing laws when I’ve never hunted and I’ve fished like maybe twice. So please, do us all a favor and before you start dreaming up a bunch of laws, or cracking down on old, out-of-date laws, get on a damn bike and ride around a little bit. This video is a great example of how powerful it can be to experience what it’s actually like to ride a bicycle in traffic. If you’re not willing to do that, at the very least consult some avid cyclists before you start spewing out misguided legislation.
Source: 9 Things Cyclists Wish Anti-Bicycle Politicians Understood
