Michael Graff asked the following questions:

1: "Is a "rolling pedestrian" the same thing as an "incompetent cyclist" or
is there a difference?"

A "rolling pedestrian" is a cyclist who operates in the pedestrian manner,
which typically means on pedestrian or pedestrian-like facilities but
without the care that most pedestrians exercise. "Incompetent cyclists" are
a much broader class of cyclists, those who fail to obey the rules of the
road for drivers of vehicle.

2: Is "in the pedestrian manner" the same thing as "incompetent cycling on
bikeways" or is there a difference?"

Operating in the pedestrian manner is operating somewhat in the pedestrian
manner, typically on pedestrian or pedestrian-like facilities, but, also
typically, without the care that most pedestrians exercise. "Incompetent
cycling on bikeways" refers to both a manner of operating and the
governmental policy for bicycle transportation. The governmental policy is
that of providing bikeways, which might be bike paths or bike lanes, for
cyclists to use on the grounds that the American cycling population is
incapable of operating on roadways in accordance with the rules of the road
for drivers of vehicles. The operating procedure is that which results from
that policy.

3: "I noticed that the first few paragraphs below used "pedestrian"
exclusively to describe non-vehicular cyclists, but that the last paragraph
switched to using "incompetent" to describe the same group. Was there a
change in meaning in the final paragraph, or just a change in connotation?"

In the final paragraph I refer to correcting the whole range of incompetent
cycling behavior, not just the rolling pedestrian type.



> > This is the classic issue. Should bicycle facilities be designed for
> operation by those bicycle riders who do not obey the rules of the road
> for drivers of vehicles, or for those cyclists who do obey the rules of
> the road for drivers of vehicles. The former require facilities which
> have to be operated in the pedestrian manner, even though some of the
> users are on bicycles and may be called rolling pedestrians. The latter
> require facilities which are well-designed roadways. We do not know of a
> highway system that is operable in some third manner, suited to bicycle
> speeds but non-vehicular movements. If it is argued that the Dutch system
> does this, that argument is false. The Dutch system has not been
> developed beyond the rolling pedestrian system and fails to allow
> operation either at normal bicycling speeds or with only normal roadway
delays.
>
> > If some bicycle riders wish to ride as rolling pedestrians, our system
> lets them do that on pedestrian facilities. As we know, such persons have
> a high accident rate because they generally choose to ride too fast and
> too carelessly. I certainly care for their welfare, but they don't care.
> The strength of the political powers that have been trying to force us
> to ride in their manner on facilities for rolling pedestrians have led me
> to conclude that we must protect our rights as drivers of vehicles even
> though this means leaving those who choose not to operate as drivers of
> vehicles to the fates that they have chosen for themselves. We vehicular
> cyclists have to insist on the validity of the criterion that to operate
> on the roadways one must operate as a driver of a vehicle, and that any
> other operating mode is both dangerous and inefficient.
> >
> > Certainly, we should care for these rolling pedestrians. However, the
> best way to care for them involves two distinct actions. One is to oppose
> with whatever organized power we can muster the government's program of
> incompetent cycling on bikeways. That will reduce the power of
> the organized forces, both governmental and private, now urging people
> to ride incompetently on bikeways. The other is to attract the
> incompetent, one by one, into learning lawful, competent cycling as
> drivers of vehicles. That's the best that we can do for the larger
> proportion of American bicyclists.

John Forester, MS, PE
Bicycle Transportation Engineer
7585 Church St.
Lemon Grove, CA 91945-2306
619-644-5481 www.johnforester.com