Dancing with Velomobiles
Laws governing cyclists are sometimes loosely imposed. We see a lot of cyclists riding in the dark with no reflectors or lights. We see well dressed cyclists with headphones or riding against the flow of traffic or both! These are just some examples where a cyclist is being inconsiderate of the law and safety. When a cyclist does follow the law, occasionally, a law enforcement officer questions the interpretation of the law. This leads to unnecessary agony and irritation on the part of the cyclist.
For example, Fredrick Ungewitter (link), has a very well documented saga of mishaps faced due to police officers misinterpreting the law. He was riding his velomobile on a road of substandard width and was pulled over for impeding traffic. He was controlling the lane.
Read the excruciating debate that followed the traffic stop here: http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2009/02/17/impeding-traffic-the-audio/
Further,
In February, Fred was pulled over in Port Orange for controlling a narrow lane on a multi-lane road. He was informed by 2 officers that he was required to ride on the far right edge of the lane. The officers were not interested in actually reading the WHOLE statute which gives Fred the right to use the full lane. Instead they told him they would ticket him if they saw him controlling the lane again. They made good on the promise. Twice. And basically promised to continue citing him if he continued “testing” them. And it wasn’t just cops in the field, the impetus for this harassment was coming straight from the chief of police.
After consulting with Lawyers, the citation was eventually dismissed. See post here: http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2009/04/05/citation-dismissed/
When Fred is not being cited, he has to deal with impatient motorists on the road. I am sure all us bicyclists have seen this behavior.
Must Pass Cyclist, chapter 2 from fred_dot_u on Vimeo.
When parked, his velomobile deals with members of his ‘fan club’!
Where’s his license? from fred_dot_u on Vimeo.
I solemnly thank Fred for standing up for bicyclists. His videos and detailed records of encounters continue to advocate.
Fred’s story intrigues me and begs to ask if the above reactions are towards velomobiles specifically? They look like cars and the name sounds like what someone with a cape rides. I looked across the Atlantic to see what those Europeans do when they see a velomobile.
Here is a video of David Hembrow riding a velomobile through the streets of Assen.
Notice how motor vehicles stop for any one on the segregated bike path. It is a culture and a law that is enforced. The funny thing is, there is no misinterpreted language, no lost exceptions to rules [exception 3 to statuette 316.2065(5)], no gray areas (riding two abreast laws) and no doubts if a bicycle is a vehicle and has the same rights and responsibilities as other vehicles on the road. One rule: yield to bikes. The segregated path keeps motorists out of cyclists way and vice versa. I am sure daily life in The Netherlands on a bicycle is not entirely friction-free but situations like the ones Fred was in never arise.
Moreover, there is a much higher quality of life when one can ride without having to carry laminated copies of official court documents (link). This logic isn’t rocket science.
Some people like to hypothesize that segregation implies motorist superiority. Repeated examples like priority to bikes at traffic lights prove the converse. I think they assume that once segregated paths are built, the city walks away. There is more science involved. For a detailed explanation, visit here: PDF link to Bicycle Policy, Cycling in The Netherlands 2009
Given a velomobile, where would you rather dance?