@Crickey7 192076 wrote:
I’ve seen no evidence that cyclists’ judgment in assessing traffic situations is any better than any other modal users. I think any notion that situation X will be okay if we just have more education is simply not realistic. People are people. You need clear, simple, and sometimes bright line rules to follow to ensure smooth flow and protect people. Again, the argument that cyclists should be entitled to an exemption from those rules rests on unsupported and unsupportable assumptions–or apply equally to all modes.
I’d agree with the need for “clear, simple, and sometimes bright line rules”, but that requires incentives for complying. In the case of traffic enforcement, that is generally absent (USPP and Hains Point stop signs being an occasional exception). Nobody gets pulled over for traffic offenses because that sort of law enforcement has be de-prioritized. The police departments generally establish their priorities and most have concluded that everything else is more appropriate. The excuses include short staff, traffic tie-ups, other higher priorities. Granted, we have all used similar lines with our bosses, probably with mixed success.
Any traffic safety initiative needs to provide great assurance that violators will be identified and recognized with fines and points.
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