More cyclists on the road mean fewer accidents

I can see the truth to this.

On a bike you can't just use autopilot, like a majority of motorists do.

Awareness of your surroundings is paramount when riding a bike.

A heightened state of awareness allows you to be two pedal strokes ahead of the rest.

Ride on!

the best cyclists are the ones that have driven in traffic.
the best drivers are the ones that have bicycled in traffic.
- cant be possible with every person, but knowing both ends makes it better to coexist and understand both parties efforts & errors.

let's coexist

But what about the increased danger to pedestrians. I have never been hit by a car. But in the past two years, with the increasing bicycle traffice in New York City, I have been knocked down three times by bicyclists. Once I was on the sidewalk. The other times I was in a crosswalk, crossing with the walk light, and was knocked down by bicyclists going the wrong way on one-way streets.

If we're gong to encourage bicycles in metropolitan areas, they should be treated like other vehicles, and made to be licensed and take road tests.

Is it just because drivers get more used to seeing cyclists on the road, or because they have less space to build up speed?!

Sillies, if more people ride bikes, there will be more bike collisions.

"Dude, holding your hand out means left turn! Not high five!"

Bikes are associated with danger. It's true that riders are more exposed but at least they don't impose danger on others like cars and SUV's do.

Atleast in big american cities, we need to encourage people to move towards cycling. Fewer subway trains also means lesser fossil fuels used.

god i hate it when im struggling to get up a hill puffin 'n' panting and the motorist behind me is in a rush and theyre virtually pushing me up the hill.

or when they open the door without checking the mirrors that hurts.

food for thought: more bikes also means less drivers. less driving seems to benefit at all times... take for instance the increased traffic deaths after 9/11 when we were too afriad to fly. the more morons on the road the more wrecks period. another interesting note is that 2/3 of motorcycle-vehicle accidents are the vehicles fault (and im thinking its probably higher for bike-vehicle accidents). Smaller is better... out with SUVS and in with bikes, cycles and scooters.

hells yes.
- physical movements beat obesity.
bikes beats traffic.
bikes rock

The phrase "No sh#t, Sherlock springs to mind here. Let's face it, a tonne or so of car does a lot more damage than a bike ever will. And you can avoid a bike by stepping to the side, doing that with a car just forces you to chose between your left and right leg.

I think some of the cyclists out there need to stop making it more unsafe by breaking the road rules. If we want to be looked out for by the motorists we all need to make an effort not to go through red lights and just be safer. It goes both ways.

I think every driver should be made to ride a bike around the city, It might open their eyes to how dangerous it can be being on a bike.

I heard an interesting factoid that bikers wearing helmets are more likely to be hit by motorists because said motorists feel they can take more chances around 'safer' bikers.

I personally love riding my bike and don't want a motorized car again until it is made with 60-90% hemp composites and fueled with some such bio-fuel !! I wish more people in smaller [more condensed] cities understood the perks of riding a bike - I wait for the day that these wide-paved roads are used more by bicyclists than drivers and cars will be restricted to a single out-of-the-way lane that bikers are currently confined to. ahh, the future, I can smell it now - easy to breathe air with much fewer pollutants spewed by millions of cars per hour.

Bike Safely Everyone - MASS UP!!!!!!

There certainly needs to be a level of investment in the infrastructure to allow cycling to continue to become a viable alternative to cars and public transport.

London is a city that lends itself to the cyclist in many ways (it is quite a small city).

This is true - but I agree that we need bigger bike lanes in London and better roads. I cant tell you how many punctures I get ridign to and from work - due to the unswept roads. Mondays are the worst in the West End - after all the weekend drinking and the smashed bottles everywhere!

Well that makes a lot of sense and surely another reason for people to cycle.

Although having said that I saw a taxi driver smash a cyclist this morning (nothing more than a damaged wheel thankfully). I'd like to think that all cyclists ride with a little bit of caution but some of them are maniacs.