Cycling in America is sheer insanity. Drivers have generally passed a rudimentary test, when they were 15, which consists of correctly inscribing their name. They are also asked "Do you know what a cyclist is?", and apparently only pass the test if they answer 'no'. To add to the fun, police will stop you if you cycle on the sidewalk, so you have no choice but to cast yourself invisibly into the road and wish yourself luck. I have a fine solution for this situation.
The reason cyclists aren't allowed on the sidewalk is that they might injure pedestrians. Of course, nobody in their right mind will choose to cycle in the road, which leaves everyone driving, which is bad for the environment. The obvious solution is cycle-paths, but government-people aren't willing to do that. The less obvious solution is to allow cycling on the sidewalk on the condition that the cyclist is *not* wearing a helmet. At that point, hitting a pedestrian is as dangerous to the cyclist as it is to the pedestrian - a balance not conferred on the cyclist-in-the-road. As soon as it's in one's own interest not to hit people, the act of not hitting people will become far more commonplace.
An alternative would be to declare open season on any driver who triggers a cyclist's computerised proximity alarm. The instant a driver goes within half a metre of a bicycle, they are considered renegades and outlaws - all cyclists may henceforth shoot the car with whatever weapons they might have to hand, and any other drivers with bumper mounted weaponry can also make use of them.
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