In my opposition to this blog’s recent attack on bicyclists, I should probably muscle up and address the most sensitive point of attack: illegal behavior by cyclists.
I am guilty of such behavior. I blow through stop signs, run red lights, and gleefully take part in Critical Mass as often as possible (and, like many of us, I’m particularly excited about the 15th anniversary ride coming up on Sept. 28). And you know what, I don’t apologize for the vast majority of my behavior because, like many of us, I ride according to a morally defensible code of conduct.
I try to never take the right of way from another vehicle, which means I’ll stop at stop signs when another vehicle arrives first in order to let it proceed, but not at signs where my ignoring the sign doesn’t impede anyone’s flow or usurp their rights. On a bike, where momentum is important, that’s a logical way to behave and how most bicyclist behave every day in this city and others. It’s so logical that Idaho has laws that reflect that reality (bicyclists there must treat stop signs as yield signs and stop lights as stop signs). We should adopt that law in California (along with drug law reform and other changes that comport with common, victimless practices) if we are ever going to foster a healthy respect for the law and convince motorists that they must share the road.