you never know....

my oldest younger brother is a cyclist. i absolutely love my brother and would never say anything to hurt him, never try to start a fight or be hateful, etc., but i am one of the people who think bicycles don't belong in the street. i think they should have to be on sidewalks and have to yield to people. if the only place available is a country road, i think they should have to ride on the shoulder facing the oncoming traffic, not on the same side of the flow.

for one thing, there's no way a bicycle can win against a vehicle -- not the same size, not the same weight, not the same anything. in addition, bicyclists don't pay taxes on their bikes, don't take driving tests, and majorly do not follow the rules. to say nothing of riding two abreast, or wandering into the middle of a lane when there's a bunch of traffic. lots of room for road rage with bicycles.

this morning i saw this article: "City cyclists know a few things about car drivers. They know, for instance, that a car will turn right the moment you decide to cut up the inside in stopped traffic. They know that a car will desperately try to overtake you and then pull over 50 yards later, cutting you off. And above all, they know that you never, ever ride too close to a row of parked cars. The moment you forget, a door will open in your path. Boffins at BMW and Technical University of Munich want to fix this last one. They are developing a haptic feedback system for doors, which works like this: An accelerometer in the door detects when a passenger tries to open it. Sensors on the car detects the proximity of things outside — lampposts, cyclist, other cars. If there is something out there, the car door becomes stiffer to open (there is an extra metal bar inside the door with a linear motor to stop it moving). Right now the project is using ultrasound sensors to detect oncoming cyclists and the like. V2.0 will use cameras instead, giving better coverage and adding the ability to detect cyclists from further away. Now all we need is a speed controller so cars can’t break the limits and cities will be almost perfect. In fact, should cars be banned from cities altogether?"

i thought the last sentence was funny until i wondered if they were serious. it wouldn't surprise me. the way things are going in this country, things are getting all crazy twisted from the way they used to be. (but that's another blog, another time i guess.)