THE BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION CONTROVERSY

Over the past 20 years, there has been a great deal of controversy about bicycle transportation in the U.S. Bicyclists, for the most part, believe in the vehicular-cycling principle which implies that cyclists should be treated as drivers of vehicles. Bikeway advocates, on the other hand, believe that bicyclists belong on separated bikeways rather than on the roadway. This article examines both sides of this controversy and provides an overview of the related policy and safety concerns, concluding that bicycle riding in traffic is no more difficult than motoring in the same traffic. Empirical evidence is provided to support this viewpoint.