Bicyclists deserve equal rights, especially in poor conditions

It doesn't surprise me anymore when drivers of two-ton automobiles drive within the prohibited 3-feet of clearance they are required to give me under Wisconsin state law.  But when they think that poor driving conditions give me even fewer rights to 'share the road' I simply don't know what to think.  As the individual in the article cited below complains about a 'Bike Reich' and a lack of common sense among cyclists who enjoy biking in snow and ice, I am struck by his lack of understanding that staying active and reducing the impact and dependence on transportation infrastructure is somehow a bad thing.  It is not.  Bicycling is good for health, it is good for the environment, it is good for building community, it is good for pretty much everything.  The only harm a bicyclist poses is to a driver of a car who seeks to shorten his or her commute by a matter of 20 or 30 seconds - the time it would take to safely pass or give a cyclist the right of way.  Safety was also brought up by this driver, particularly the assumption that being present on a bicycle 'causes' automobile collisions.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It is unsafe auto driving that puts us all at risk - as evidenced by the thousands killed by cars every year and the lack of any deaths caused by bicyclists. My advice to drivers who don't like to share the road with bikes:  they should take the bus, and give us a break.

Link:  http://host.madison.com/news/local/writers/steven_elbow/story-on-icy-streets-dredges-up-driver-cyclist-animosities/article_770b4c9a-7547-11e2-8a4d-001a4bcf887a.html

Link: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and bicycling

I sure don't know if MLK was into bikes, but I know he supported public transportation!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and bicycling: How do we build a coalition for bike justice?: