I ride a bike around town on a regular basis, so yesterday’s news that a cyclist was killed in an accident involving a driver who opened her car door forcing a the rider into the path of an oncoming AC Transit bus hit me pretty hard. I recognize the reality of riding a bike on the streets in the United States: bicycles are not the primary users of the roadway.
One can dream. Here’s a short time lapse video clip of rush hour in Utrecht, Netherlands. This is the reality I long for. I hope some day that Oakland, (and all of California and the U.S.) sees the value of putting human powered transportation at the top of the heap in terms of access to roads. I dream of a future where our massive, interconnected bicycle and public transit network of roads provides a few car lanes for those people who need to drive in the urban center.
I beg you to watch this video.