Excellent new video out from Not Just Bikes this week on the fraught history of John Forester and the pitfalls of ‘vehicular cycling’ strategies. Designing for people on bikes to just share the road and be more like cars everywhere have been undermining and compromising better cycling conditions in America (and Aotearoa) for decades.
I haven’t watched the video, but I’m not sure of the point of demonising this guy. The fact is that only a tiny percentage of roads on this planet have or (spoiler alert) ever will have dedicated bike infrastructure. Where there isn’t any, I have found value in the advice to confidently assert my legal right to use the road (a right that the Dunedin police don’t seem entirely aware of) and take the lane.
If we’re going to lay blame, let’s lay it at the feet of those who apparently believe that cars have rights that trump those of human beings, and politicians who try to hijack infrastructure funding to benefit the motor vehicle industry.
Maybe watch the video? There are useful lessons from this to ensure we don’t continue making the same mistakes here.
Alex Dyer
+64 21 296 2173
Let’s unite against car dependency!
I haven’t watched the video either, but have heard a discussion about him.
He is a large part of why only a tiny percentage of US roads which should have cycle infrastructure actually have any. For decades it was impossible to get federal US funding if a roading project had allowance for safe separated cycling. And that was because it wouldn’t meet the design code that Forrester was responsible for.
I am a big fan of taking the lane where it’s needed. This guy actively and often successfully opposed cyclists having any other option though.
Great video. Thanks for sharing @AxleRyde
As Brent Toderian, global advisor on cities, mentioned (which has small cameo in the video):
This really is an exceptional video and provides a huge service to the urban biking conversation around the world, and particularly here in North America and places like Australia/New Zealand.
