In Which "Bikeyface" Puts it Well

Another good post today from Boston’s leading biker-illustrator, Bikeyface.

She writes about how our structure of roads is very car centric, and, while it’s generally a good idea to obey rules of the road when you’re on a bicycle, self-preservation trumps the rules. A bicycle rider, on a small metal thing, has to avoid the Big Metal Things.

For example, I ride on the sidewalk on C Avenue for the first 4-blocks or so of my ride. I shouldn’t—the sidewalk is for pedestrians, the street for vehicles, including bikes—but the volume of traffic and the 35 mph speed limit on C Avenue prompts me to stick to the sidewalk.

I am aware that I’m encroaching on foot traffic turf, and try to respect that pedestrians are the ones who have the right of way here. But I’m not going to do much riding on C Avenue itself because I love life too much.