Your cycling fallacy is…
“If everyone just shared the road nicely, there wouldn’t be a problem”
The response
This appeal to better nature has been tried again and again, without any sign of success. For over 100 years there have been attempts to encourage considerate behaviour on the road – and nothing has changed.
From John Burns MP suggesting in 1913 that people should “show, in the most sportsmanlike way, the spirit of the road,” to the 1950s film Don't be Rude on the Road, which suggested “how nice it would be if people showed a little more courtesy,” to Scotland's 2013 Nice Way Code advertisements and beyond, such campaigns have a long history of failure.
Even if, by some miracle, we managed to get everyone to behave perfectly, cycling on busy roads will be still be an unappealing prospect for most people, due to the noise and delays inherent to motor vehicles. And “sharing the road” could never be a realistic option for many in society, such as children and people with mobility difficulties.
The only proven method to make cycling safe and attractive is by separating motor traffic from other modes of transport, by way of cycleways along main roads, and filtering minor roads to restrict through-motor-traffic.
Related fallacies
Further reading
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Is the three-foot bicycle passing law working in Baltimore, Maryland? — ScienceDirect
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Cycling near misses: Their frequency, impact, and prevention — ScienceDirect
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Cars, bicycles and the fatal myth of equal reciprocity — The Conversation
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Motor traffic volumes: When do cyclists need protected space? — Rachel Aldred
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‘Nice Way Code’ – our response — Pedal on Parliament
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Sharing — Bikeyface
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Perfect driving will never happen — A View From The Cycle Path
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The troubling attitude behind the “Nice Way Code” — As Easy as Riding a Bike
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More on the Nice Way Code – research — As Easy as Riding a Bike
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A Zoo — Bikeyface
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What won't bring about mass cycling - shared space — Crap Cycling & Walking in Waltham Forest
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Don’t be rude on the road (or, how Governments have very short memories) — Roads Were Not Built For Cars
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The Definition of Madness — At War With The Motorist
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Sharing the road — As Easy as Riding a Bike
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Vehicular Cycling Propaganda of the Week #2: "Give Me Cycle Space" — The Alternative Department for Transport
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Don't be rude on the road, 1959-61 on YouTube Show video Hide video
Deutsch
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Bestände Bild, Film und Video, Plakate: Audiovisuelle Quellen zur Verkehrserziehung in den 1950-1990er Jahren (PDF) — Archive in Nordrhein-Westfalen
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