What does it mean to "Share the Road" - long

[Eden]

The "Hogging the Road" thread got me a bit wound up....I'm pretty willing to express what it doesn't mean - it doesn't mean "get out of my way", but it also got me thinking, what exactly does "Share the Road" mean to me....

Here's my thoughts - sharing the road is not about any individual getting to his or her destination as fast as possible, nor is it about anyone feeling that someone has been impolite to them by being "in their way". It is about using roads that contain a multitude of means of transportation in, first and foremost, the safest manner possible, and civility should follow.

Sharing the road isn't about who has more "right" to be there.... we all have the right to be there - whether we're commuting, running errands or even recreating. I hear a lot of people who complain that cyclists are just 'playing' and that we should be out of their way because they are trying to get to work, etc... Well, even forgetting that many of do use alternate commutes, recreation is a valid use of the roads... if you believe you have more right to be there to go to work or make your delivery, then perhaps the next time you decide to go to the movies, pop to the store just to get a pint of ice cream in your car, or just go for a drive somewhere pretty, you should be sure to move over for everyone who has a serious and valid reason for being there.... just saying....

anyway

as a cyclist

I will ride predictably and follow the rules of the road.

I won't block your way without reason. I will ride to the right when it is safe for me to do so. I'll use a bike lane or shoulder if it is contiguous, free of parked cars, copious pot holes, gravel or debris or other obstacles. I may choose to not use these areas if the above conditions apply. I may choose to occupy an entire lane of travel if I feel it is necessary.

I get to determine what is safe and what is not safe. I may be able to see things that you may not. I may have different tolerances for different situations than you do. I know the limitations of my equipment and physiology better than you do.

I will use lights and reflectors - lots of them. I want you to see me.

I will be respectful of pedestrians.

what I expect from motorists (and how I behave when driving)

I will drive predictably and follow the rules of the road.

I won't harass other road users - if they are going more slowly than I would like to go, I will wait until it is safe to pass and then I will do so. Even if annoyed, I will not tailgate, honk, yell, flash lights etc. I will not pass recklessly. I will wait until I can see far enough and until I have enough space to go all of the way around you. I will not attempt to pass you at all if your speed is reasonable for the conditions - regardless of the speed limit.

I won't take your turn at a 4 way intersection, just because I think I can accelerate faster than you....

I will be respectful of pedestrians.

I will remember that some road users are more vulnerable than I am and that I should exercise extra caution around them. I will not be upset at them for existing, nor will I call for their banishment from "my" roads for simply because I do not wish to be inconvenienced or to have to be properly careful.

I will freely admit I put more onus on drivers - because they have the bigger, more dangerous vehicle and therefore the greater responsibility. The bigger the vehicle the bigger the onus. Were it not this way we'd have dedicated super, super highways for big trucks, that wouldn't allow little cars and on other roads call for them to all move out of the way when a big truck wanted to get through... Of course not... we put more restrictions on big trucks to make them safer - in this state at least, they often have a lower speed limit and have to stay in the right most lane(s) on many highways, they have safety checks and have to be weighed - they have a lot more burden to operate safely.

I think that if drivers could be counted on to operate like this reliably, that in turn you'd find more cyclists would be more willing to give more too.... I know that I personally take more space on a road the more I am buzzed... on a shoulder-less road I may start out fairly near the fog line. If people are polite and passing safely I'll likely stay there. If I find motorists are buzzing by me because they can, I'll likely take up more of the lane to prevent that behavior, not because I want to punish them, but because I want to save my own skin...

feel free to agree/disagree, add....