05-24-2018, 11:31 AM
(05-24-2018, 11:13 AM)ijmorlan Wrote:(05-24-2018, 10:30 AM)tomh009 Wrote: Yes, with multiple cars it's a different picture. But with a single car, she only delayed herself to allow a cyclist to cross first, and there was no safety risk. Maybe not necessary, but it's certainly still courteous.
It’s trying to be courteous, but not actually courteous.
However, with a safety island, it would actually work for drivers to yield. Similar to a roundabout, safety islands on two-lane roads set up the environment so people can successfully co-operate.
The problem, even with a traffic island is that as a cyclist, I cannot anticipate driver behaviour. If drivers were required to yield, and almost always did, I could expect them to yield and proceed with caution, but because they are not required to stop (I am) and usually don't (even if it's "barely" usually in some cases) I have to stop and wait. Even if I wanted to proceed if they stopped, I'd still have to wait and see what they do.
It's far far far far better for safety and also better for convenience and time efficiency when people act in a reliable expectable way, regardless of who has to yield.
That was the thing that shocked me about biking in the Netherlands, not that I had the right of way, but that eventually, I could just assume that the drivers will yield.
The system we have is pretty much the worst possible case.