[lbo-talk] cars

[James Heartfield]

I cycle all over London, which does have quite a few cycle lanes and bus/cycle lanes.
They don’t really confer any advantage on us cyclists, but they are a big nuisance to car drivers (because our roads are narrower, taking a lane out of commission seriously impedes traffic).
Cyclists for the most part ignore the dedicated cycle lanes, and weave in and out of traffic, which irritates drivers but seems fair enough to me – the risk is ours to take. We manoeuvre ahead of drivers at traffic lights so that we can be seen – not really to steal a march.
Drivers on the whole are very protective of cyclists, and usually give them a wide berth – which is a good thing. I have seen many more cyclists rant at motorists (and I’ve done it myself), than I’ve seen motorists rant at cyclists.
On the whole, I would say that the less regulation of the relationship between cyclists, motorists - and pedestrians – the better. Motorists take a lot more care of others if there are no special cycle lanes, or crossings (as recent semi-pedestrianisation measures in Holland and London have shown).