🚀 go-pugleaf

waters@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Jim Waters) writes: 

>fred_s@netcom.com (Frederick Scott) writes:
>>                         This seems to contradict what I've been reading here
>>lately about a bike being permitted to ride in a lane, but in any case, #2
>>strikes me as being kind of an asinine thing for a bicyclist to do.  People
>>who say #2 is the only safe thing to do seem to be forgetting that you're
>>in danger riding a bike ANY time motorists don't see you.  
>
>I'm not sure I follow you here.  Are you arguing that since there are
>other situations in which cyclists are likely to go unnoticed, they
>shouldn't worry about this one?

I'm saying they shouldn't worry about this one MORE than any other situation.
Should bicyclists always respond to the fear of being unseen by riding in the
middle of the road?  I don't think so, personally.  If this situation (the
controlled left turn) is somehow special, I'd like to know why.

>I've always made it a policy to try
>and be visible to motorists _whenever_ possible, and I believe that
>dictates method #2.  Why do you find it assinine?

Depending on how fast you ride, you may be a terrible obstacle to cars
trying to get through the intersection.  Maybe I'm not making my point very
well because I'm posting to a bunch of stud hombre decicated bicyclists who
figure they can dash out of sight of the car behind them faster than he can
get it into first gear.  And maybe you can.  But I see bicyclists riding
around all the time that I'd never want to follow through a left turn light.
By the time they arrived at the intersection from five cars back, the light
will have turned red!  I saw an old guy putzing around today on his circa
1978 three-speed.  I CRINGE thinking of him peddling in front of my car down
Sunnyvale-Saratoga.  Does that make my position a little clearer?

Fred