On Friday, MSNBC featured a story on the increased number of
cyclists in the wake of skyrocketing gas prices. While Bikes or Cars? Who Rules the Road?
focuses more on the cost-savings and safety issues associated with cycling, the
heated
discussion surrounding the article on Newsvine really gets into why
motorists hate cyclists, and vice versa. It seems that, if these commenters are
a fair representation of America’s roadways, a truly shared road, one of grace
and caution, is unlikely (see another MSNBC article - 1 Dead as Car Plows Into Bike Race
– for further reading on how cars and bikes don’t always mix well). It’s unfortunate
that auto drivers see bicycles as the enemy on the road, and at the same time,
it’s also unfortunate that cyclists seem to lump all drivers into one single
category of monsters.

One of the driving forces (no pun intended!) behind Bicycle
City’s development is the issue of safety. Safe
Kids Worldwide tells us that in 2002, 460 kids were killed by cars, and 90%
of bicycle deaths are due to cars. We hope that Bicycle City will serve as a
model for future community development, to show that communities need to be
developed so that our reliance on cars is minimized. But we also recognize that
the entire world isn’t likely to become a Bicycle City any time soon, and that
communities need to keep the needs of motorists and cyclists in mind and make
their roadways as safe as possible for everyone.