The Latest Salvo in the Bicycling Wars

It's well-treaded territory, and the issue of bicycling in New York City remains a hot topic.  Just take a look at the NYPD ticket blitz targeting bicyclists who run red lights in Central Park.

Bicycling Magazine blogger Bob Mionske joins the fray, dissecting the arguments -- from politicians, drivers, pedestrians -- made against dedicating road space for cyclists in New York City. He asks:

What is it about cycling that engenders such animosity in New York? The usual angry rhetoric accuses New York’s cyclists of ignoring the laws. But here’s the thing: ALL New Yorkers, pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists alike, disregard the traffic laws.

So if New York cyclists disregard the traffic laws, how does that make them any different from any other New Yorker?

And when it comes to the most serious consequence of breaking traffic laws -- deaths -- cyclists, Mionske argues, bear hardly any responsibility. While 18 of the 269 people killed in crashes in New York City last year were cyclists, no figure could be provided on how many of the total deaths could actually be blamed on cyclists because they were "so insignificant a factor."

He continues:

Everyone has a duty to observe the traffic laws. They are an essential component of public safety and should be enforced. But what’s happening in New York is different—the traffic laws are being strictly enforced against cyclists, while pedestrians and motorists get a pass to continue to ignore the traffic laws.

Read the rest of Mionske's entry at Bicycling.com.

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