Bicycles are doing more harm than good

[fiamme red]

So says this letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/letters/cst-edt-vox14a.html


Bike riders do more harm than good

August 14, 2006

The proliferation of bicycles on public roads is damaging the quality of life, and it's time we all faced some realities on the subject.

First, people need their motor vehicles and aren't going to give them up. It is simply not practical to flood our streets with bicycles while it remains vital to society that people and goods get where they're going with the speed, efficiency and comparative safety that motor vehicles provide.

Second, bicycles are not going to stop global warming. What today's cars and bicycles have in common is that they are both outmoded technologies. Part of the answer to global warming is clean automotive technology -- not, as Seinfeld told Kramer, ''Just what the city needs -- more cumbersome, slow-moving vehicles,'' which in this case save less than a drop in the bucket's worth of pollution.

It is true that cycling is good exercise. So are walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, working out at the health club and any number of sports activities that don't block traffic or expose the exerciser to broken limbs. Given the options, bicycling is one of the poorest choices possible.

Driving a motor vehicle requires maximum attention at all times. The more bikes are on the street that motorists have to defer to, the more attention is taken from everything else they have to watch for. The more cyclists take to the streets, therefore, the more accidents they are going to cause.

The amount of unnecessary stress this causes motorists, who more often than not are just trying to get to or from work or get their errands done, is unconscionable. But if motorists must put up with bicycles on the road, would it be too much to ask that cyclists take some responsibility for their own safety? Requiring cyclists who want to use the same roads as motor vehicles to carry insurance the same as motor vehicles would be a good start.

Ultimately, there is not one valid argument in favor of increased bicycle activity, and plenty of arguments against it. Please leave the bicycles at home. They are doing more harm than good.

C.R. Green, Albany Park

[pjm]

The more bikes are on the street that motorists have to defer to, the more attention is taken from everything else they have to watch for.

Yeah, like their cell phones, french fries, big gulps, whining kids etc.

The writer is a moron. :butt:

[GoJavs]

The amount of dense people in the world is really something quite scary. :crap:

[znfdl]

What a myopic view.

[JohnS]

Well, he is from the "Windy" city. I haven't heard that much wasted breath (or is it flatulence?) in awhile.

[swoop]

the most frequently scored iq on an iq test is 100. when you've had the chance to give a few of these tests you come away realizing just how low that number is and what it means. there are a lot of folks out there that just aren't very bright.
we are a couple of generations in to a culture that's been told from day one that it's their right to 'have it your way'... so we do have a country full of entitled folks that have a limited capacity to understand and develop the sense of 'other' and limited internal resources to self sooth. what that means is that when one approaches an obstacle the only way to cope with it is to demonize the obstacle and then remove it.
there is no capacity to look at the gestalt or to develop empathy.
and this is the typical view. the view of the mean, median and mode.
this is why you need to be out there on your bike and in the way.. so that at least someone has to deal with you. we are outnumbered. every single person that rides is important.

[sspielman]

I for one, am thankful for the insight that this letter provides. I often wonder what thought processes are occurring inside the heads of the people who seem to be so exorcised by my mere existence on a bike. I thought that the situation was grave, but this letter proves that the situation is even worse than I expected. Thankfully, one of the most easily identified distinguishing characteristics of a moron is his incredible need to publicly identify himself as one through his speech, writing and actions...It is one of the few things impeding our progress in quickly reaching hell in a handbasket....

[Big Dan]

Nice, really nice................. ;)

[72gmc]

what's sad to me is that this person thinks the world we've trapped ourselves in is the natural way to live. "need" is misapplied from the start. take a bike ride, c.r. green! ride to a cabin with no phone or tv and drink some wine.

[Chad Engle]

I'm not as eloquent as most of those that post here, so I'll use words I understand. He's a moron.

Now I prepare to be flamed. I live in suburb, if you will, and work downtown. Not a big city but big enough to have the distinction. I ride to work when I can and do my best to stay out of traffic's way until I have to, for my safety mainly. When I drive home there is always someone riding down one of the busiest of streets, which I agree they have the legal right to do, but there are much less busy streets one block in either direction. Safer for cyclist and out of the way of fine folks like the writer of this letter to the editor.

I agree that we have the right and should exercise it but do we really need to be so in your face when at times there are safer options?

[bcm119]

I'm optimistic that people like this tend to be older. The good thing about old people is that they will be replaced by young people, and I think the younger generation has a less myopic world view.

[Fixed]

maybe I should buy a car .......nah they make my back hurt
cheers

[swoop]

i never expect any car to be happy about me being there on the road. nor do i care.

[Ozz]

i never expect any car to be happy about me being there on the road. nor do i care.
to expand on this....people in cars are not happy other people in cars on on the road.

As Miller, from the cult classic "Repo Man" said: "The more you drive, the less intelligent you are."

[yeehawfactor]

eh, whatever. it's someone writing into the letters to the editor. it's like when this guy jason lewis had one day of his radio show in charlotte dedicated to how much cyclists suck. not very cool, but it was am radio. kind of like putting an ad in the classifieds about how much cyclists suck.

[Ken Robb]

I've written this before but it's still true: my experience has been that the more I look like a guy out to play on his bike or train for racing the more venom I get from drivers. I assume it's because they think that my play shouldn't interfere with their need to get to work, shopping, etc.

OTOH, when I look, alright fred-like, wearing a T-shirt and hiking shorts I get a lot more consideration from drivers as it looks like I'm just trying to get around rather than playing in traffic. They probably think "the poor old geezer can't even afford a car."

I'm not saying that they are right to treat us poorly but I can sort of "get it".

[EnduroFit]

"Requiring cyclists who want to use the same roads as motor vehicles to carry insurance the same as motor vehicles would be a good start."

Funny most of us carry the same insurance, as well as pay taxes to use the roads!?! I'm in a medium size city, live 6 miles from work and only commute once in a while, usually when it's cooler. The sad thing is the city has taken wide, two lane roads and made them narrower to add a turn lane. Great, it speeds the flow of traffic but makes all the nice commuter roads even more dangerous. By the way, there is an initiative to make bike lanes, but not until they put in more sidewalks, grassy medians on wide roads to beautify the city. Oh yea, bike lanes to be built in 2020 or so. ***! I wish I had a new bike for every time I heard to ride that on the sidewalk where you belong...

Brent

[znfdl]

with people like the author in the world, iam thrilled that only 2 miles of my 20 mile commute is on a street, the res is a bike path. My greatest worry is the dumba$$ joggers with IPODs.

[SoCalSteve]

maybe I should buy a car .......nah they make my back hurt
cheers

Post of the day!

Thanks for making me laugh!!!

Steve

PS: From someone who has put less than 500 miles on their car since April. And, the real kicker is, I get all my gas paid for through my company. I'd still rather ride to work.

[Ken Robb]

see: zinfandel thinks of joggers on the path like drivers think of us on the road. :)

[Avispa]

I agree that we have the right and should exercise it but do we really need to be so in your face when at times there are safer options?

EDIT: Chad, I understand what you mean, I do this all the time, but....

I just have to wonder: Is it a safer option for our governments to invest in a better infrastructure, such as building more/better bike lanes, more rail systems, or do research on alternative fuels. Or to start super expensive wars to fight for resources that have have been proven to be in short supply in the near future?

I'm optimistic that people like this tend to be older. The good thing about old people is that they will be replaced by young people, and I think the younger generation has a less myopic world view.

Not so fast, bro. I agree. Younger people may be open to new ideas and would not want wars. But I have seen too many college kids around here driving SUVs and refusing to ride a bike or smaller car to school.

In my convesations with them, some seem to follow Britney Spears*, more than they follow their professor's advise.



*Britney thinks our current adminsitration is doing a great job!!!

[Grant McLean]

So says this letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times:



thanks for posting! best laugh i've had in a while!

g

[Fat Robert]

goody


i needed something new to use for teaching how to identify logical fallacies

[znfdl]

see: zinfandel thinks of joggers on the path like drivers think of us on the road. :)

The joggers that I worry about are the ones that I am two feet behind them and am saying "passing on your left" and they can not hear me. If I saw a cyclist on the street with an IPOD I would have the same reaction. IMHO I think that IPODs make people more dangerous.

Also I worry about joggers that can not run in a straight line.

I am sure all members of this forum can ride in a straight line ;)

[Louis]

i never expect any car to be happy about me being there on the road. nor do i care.

The reason to care is that half a second's distraction on the driver's part (or worse, evil intent) and you can end up dead.

We are not negotiating from a position of strength here.

Louis

[dbrk]

...snip... I think the younger generation has a less myopic world view.

As a professor in research university with a significant undergraduate college, I think that bcm119 is not only overly optimistic but likely dead wrong about our future. We have fewer people than ever willing to think that the way it is isn't the way it needs to be, likely a reflection of their upbringing, their society's consistent messages, and a commensurate lack of imagination.

I moved far into the country because I rarely have to leave home in comparison to most people so while my automotive commute to work is relatively far (about 40 miles), I make it only twice a week and less still from May to September. Every time I see a cyclist in the City I think, "one less car," which I am happy to dismiss (and be dismissed) as just another Sisyphsian hope, just another dreamer dreamin' 'bout Everyman. Someone has to dream for something better than what we are doing.

dbrk

[Too Tall]

Wondering if this is carried by Clear Channel et al?

Mans entitled to his opinion and I'd esp. encourage all to praise him for speaking out loud...where everyone can hear ;)

[Lincoln]

Sorry I didn't find an e-mail, but....

Green, C R
4401 N Mozart St
Chicago, IL 60625

773-583-6463

[Bud]

What a well developed argument Mr. Green has made. :confused: I need to find a much safer type of exercise that does not interfere with the efficient transportation of people and goods.


not!

FATMO is correct- this is a nice piece for teaching about poor argument and logical fallacy.

[Chad Engle]

I just have to wonder: Is it a safer option for our governments to invest in a better infrastructure, such as building more/better bike lanes, more rail systems, or do research on alternative fuels. Or to start super expensive wars to fight for resources that have have been proven to be in short supply in the near future?

But just a hair OT.

[joeconn4]

That letter has got to be satire.

[gone]

Usually when there's a letter to the editor it's in response to either an article the paper ran or a specific event. Any idea what prompted the letter?

For example, when a cyclist (father of 4) was killed by a truck that turned right directly into him the local rag had a bunch of letters about how "dangerous" cyclists were.

It's also the case that when the paper does articles about cycling and health e.g., training for the MS 150, there are usually letters to the editor about how cyclists shouldn't be on the road.

Just curious if you know what prompted it.

[victoryfactory]

This letter was planted by a monkey wrench type
critical mass dude to incite a flood of pro cycing letters to the
editor.

Very clever


VF

[martianbait]

So says this letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/letters/cst-edt-vox14a.html


Bike riders do more harm than good

August 14, 2006

The proliferation of bicycles on public roads is damaging the quality of life, and it's time we all faced some realities on the subject.

First, people need their motor vehicles and aren't going to give them up. It is simply not practical to flood our streets with bicycles while it remains vital to society that people and goods get where they're going with the speed, efficiency and comparative safety that motor vehicles provide.

Second, bicycles are not going to stop global warming. What today's cars and bicycles have in common is that they are both outmoded technologies. Part of the answer to global warming is clean automotive technology -- not, as Seinfeld told Kramer, ''Just what the city needs -- more cumbersome, slow-moving vehicles,'' which in this case save less than a drop in the bucket's worth of pollution.

It is true that cycling is good exercise. So are walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, working out at the health club and any number of sports activities that don't block traffic or expose the exerciser to broken limbs. Given the options, bicycling is one of the poorest choices possible.

Driving a motor vehicle requires maximum attention at all times. The more bikes are on the street that motorists have to defer to, the more attention is taken from everything else they have to watch for. The more cyclists take to the streets, therefore, the more accidents they are going to cause.

The amount of unnecessary stress this causes motorists, who more often than not are just trying to get to or from work or get their errands done, is unconscionable. But if motorists must put up with bicycles on the road, would it be too much to ask that cyclists take some responsibility for their own safety? Requiring cyclists who want to use the same roads as motor vehicles to carry insurance the same as motor vehicles would be a good start.

Ultimately, there is not one valid argument in favor of increased bicycle activity, and plenty of arguments against it. Please leave the bicycles at home. They are doing more harm than good.

C.R. Green, Albany Park

Mr. Green has voiced an opinion that many of us on this board have experienced first hand....whether it's someone who intentionally runs a cyclist off the road or someone throwing pizza at you. What is frightening is that a letter like this provides a "justification" of sorts that other people will use to behave poorly, and continue to traumatize cyclists since they don't "belong" on the road.

I've read the posts in this thread. There's a lot of recognition that Mr. Green is somewhat moronic and myopic in his view. But outside of Avispa, there are essentially no arguments presented to rebutt this.

Some may take the position that this is such a ridiculous letter that it requires no rebuttal. I feel differently. It is unlikely that the violence against cyclists will end.

If we as cyclists would be willing to come up with a full rebuttal, I would be glad to prepare a letter to the editor to address these concerns. My biggest difficulty is that I don't live in the Chicago area, and a letter from outside the area may not be accepted by the paper's editorial board. If someone else is willing to submit a response, I'm willing to draft one.

[bcm119]

As a professor in research university with a significant undergraduate college, I think that bcm119 is not only overly optimistic but likely dead wrong about our future. We have fewer people than ever willing to think that the way it is isn't the way it needs to be, likely a reflection of their upbringing, their society's consistent messages, and a commensurate lack of imagination.
dbrk
I'm often overly optimistic, its one of my downfalls, but it keeps me sane. You are right, as usual, dbrk. I don't have as much exposure to the typical under-20 kid these days, even though I'm only 30, but I have a sense there is a complacency amongst them that, in light of the current state of affairs, is frightening. I guess my comment was optimistic only regarding attitudes towards bicycles, rather than society in general, because I do think that younger people are growing up with more bikes on the road and show slightly more tolerance for them, at least around here. But my perspective is from a small, progressive town, and I have a tendency to live in such places and surround myself with such people, so my sense of reality is surely skewed. Still, I would rather feel optimistic while working to change some small part of the world within my reach than feel the full weight of reality and be too depressed to do anything about it.

[CNY rider]

And besides, I've heard that bike riders are a bunch of pinko commies too!

[Too Tall]

M.Bait - there is no "bad" advertising...hint hint. Write the piece, you will have your desired impact regardless. The community is at large and that's the point of much outrage expressed here....eg you heard about this alllll the waaaay out in west nowhere and you ain't no stranger to intolerance of productive, socially responsible activities conducted on venues sanctioned for such....ooops hehe. Go for it.

[m_moses]

That letter has got to be satire.
I don't think so . . . it seems to me that as much as the popularity of cycling has grown in recent years so has anger and resentment towards it by a certain part of the population.

To wit, the town of Anna, Texas, has banned bikes!

Where I live, many of the city's recreational cyclists head out to the more rural areas west of town on the weekend, flooding the two lane farm roads with group after group of cyclists. As you pass cars going in the opposite direction, you can often see the frustration on the driver's faces as they wait behind double pacelines for a chance to pass. Sometimes you can also see certain gestures and hear interesting words when their frustrations start to boil over.

I think Ken Robb has it right. Many see us as folks out playing on our bikes. And it doesn't help when we (guilty!) openly disregard the traffic laws that we expect drivers to follow. I certainly don't agree with Mr. Green but I can understand some of his frustration.

How far will this go? Here in Texas, many cycling advocates are concerned that more towns will pass laws banning bicycles.

[texbike]

Usually when there's a letter to the editor it's in response to either an article the paper ran or a specific event. Any idea what prompted the letter?

For example, when a cyclist (father of 4) was killed by a truck that turned right directly into him the local rag had a bunch of letters about how "dangerous" cyclists were.

It's also the case that when the paper does articles about cycling and health e.g., training for the MS 150, there are usually letters to the editor about how cyclists shouldn't be on the road.

Just curious if you know what prompted it.

The letter seems to be a back-lash to Chicago's push for a more "cycle-friendly" city. Mayor Daley has really pushed the development of bicycle related conveniences such as racks, lanes, showers, and storage facilities to promote the use of the bike as a commuting device. I believe the city council has planned as many as 500 miles of bike lanes by 2015. The mayor has also talked about closing certain roads around Chicago during certain hours on the weekend for riding, walking, jogging, etc. In addition, Bicycling Magazine has ranked it the #2 most bike-friendly city.

These letters are going to happen. Car-centric individuals are going to see these efforts as a waste of tax dollars that could be used to create more roads or subsidize the development of new, car-centric strip centers.

This individual does have valid points, but they're made at the expense of the full picture. Either the writer is not aware or has ignored the fact that Chicago is trying to encourage more cycling by moving it OUT OF THE WAY of traffic by creating bike lanes, etc.

There should be a response to the letter, but it should be measured and each point addressed.

Other than that, I'd like to applaud Chicago for taking the steps that it has to create a cycling-friendly city. I'd like to see more major cities do the same.

Cheers,

TexBike

[Ahneida Ride]

The Authors supposition is false.

Roads are not just built for cars.

[Grant McLean]

I say we show up at his house and bumper sticker his car....

g

[texbike]

www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=900_0_16_0_C

WORD!

Texbike

[m_moses]

stick one of these on there also.

[Satellite]

Here is another supporting study for the Author:

http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~ulrich/documents/ulrich-cycling-enviro-jul06.pdf

I think I will take the 10 years.

Satellite

[fiamme red]

Here is another supporting study for the Author:

http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~ulrich/documents/ulrich-cycling-enviro-jul06.pdf

I think I will take the 10 years.

SatelliteI strongly disagree with that article. We all know that cycling causes impotence in men, so cyclists don't have children. Don't blame overpopulation on us. ;)

[Skrawny]

Maybe it was denial, but the first time I read that, I thought it had to be sarcasm...
-s

[Avispa]

But just a hair OT.

Agree, therefore the correction to my original reply!

[Lincoln]

Here is another supporting study for the Author:

http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~ulrich/documents/ulrich-cycling-enviro-jul06.pdf

I think I will take the 10 years.

Satellite

I never did like the Whartonians when I was there.

[znfdl]

Here is another supporting study for the Author:

http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~ulrich/documents/ulrich-cycling-enviro-jul06.pdf

I think I will take the 10 years.

Satellite

Study is flawed. The article totally ignores the power consumption of producing the automobile versus the energy consumption of producing the bicycle. Additionally, the article misses the point that the driver of the automobile also has to eat to live. The author shoud focus on the net food to get the cyclist from point A to point B. There are other shortcomings in the article as well. This is typical B-School drecht, which falls well short of a true economic analysis.

I also wonder what the effect of bling wheels would be :D

[shinomaster]

Lots of "retards" back east.

[znfdl]

Lots of "retards" back east.

Shino-san: a sweeping generalization as I am an east coaster :D

[Chad Engle]

I don't disagree with your point regarding our current administration. Trying to steer clear of politics here. But, going from one moronic anti-cycling post to the war in Iraq is more than a stretch. Comparing the fact that my city doesn't have bike lanes to the President sending us to Iraq...not much of a connection. Maybe a poor analogy, but I still don't see the relationship.

I've ridden in a town with no bike lanes and d!ckhead drivers and driven in Baghdad where the streets explode under your convoy. I don't get the connection.

Not trying to start a fight...I'm pretty sure we are on the same side of this topic. :beer:

[Grant McLean]

Study is flawed. The article totally ignores the power consumption of producing the automobile versus the energy consumption of producing the bicycle. Additionally, the article misses the point that the driver of the automobile also has to eat to live. The author shoud focus on the net food to get the cyclist from point A to point B. There are other shortcomings in the article as well. This is typical B-School drecht, which falls well short of a true economic analysis.


Am I missing something? It looks like his basic point is that if you ride
your bike, you won't die from being so fat and young, so as you continue to live,
you'll consume more energy than a dead-guy?

Sheesh, lets get it over with now, and just 'off them all?

g

[stevep]

maybe I should buy a car .......nah they make my back hurt
cheers

fixed. ill give you $500 for your merckx and $250 for the miele...
you can pick up a nice car for $750.
what do you say?