http://www.commutebybike.com/2006/05/23/isnt-that-illegal/ Tips, Hints, Reviews and Safety for Bike Commuters Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:00:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.commutebybike.com/2006/05/23/isnt-that-illegal/comment-page-1/#comment-85046 MGPSMITH Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:38:56 +0000 http://commutebybike.com/?p=770#comment-85046 In this small city outside of Milano in northern Italy, bicycling is the normal way to get around, probably more common than cars judging by my impression of relative numbers of each I see. I don't know the actual laws, but rather than argue about whether cyclists are modified pedestrians or modified cars, they seem to have their own status. Stay to the right, be observant, use the sidewalks and pedestrian zones when necessary (and available), and one-ways don't count; STOP signs and red lights do, at least if you have any expectation of survival; streets are very crowded with all sorts of traffic. Nobody wears a helmet except for a small proportion of the road-riders/racers in training one sees in the countryside (and most of them are unhelmeted). On a similar theme, nearly all riders are in ordinary street clothes, not Lycra monkeysuits. The majority of bicycles one sees have a more upright riding position so being observant is easier than from drops. Despite aggressive drivers, there just don't seem to be many crashes. Why is this? It could be driver/cultural awareness. It could also be extremely punitive fines for automobile drivers who hit pedestrians/cyclists (I personally know one driver who paid a 12,000 Euro fine for hitting a pedestrian, with no significant injury resulting), and it could be just the sheer number of bicycles on the roads forces a degree of respect on everybody's part. I think the fines and the sheer numbers are the reasons for evident successful road co-habitation...I don't hold much hope for the concept of driver awareness (nor cyclist awareness for that matter...). In this small city outside of Milano in northern Italy, bicycling is the normal way to get around, probably more common than cars judging by my impression of relative numbers of each I see. I don’t know the actual laws, but rather than argue about whether cyclists are modified pedestrians or modified cars, they seem to have their own status. Stay to the right, be observant, use the sidewalks and pedestrian zones when necessary (and available), and one-ways don’t count; STOP signs and red lights do, at least if you have any expectation of survival; streets are very crowded with all sorts of traffic. Nobody wears a helmet except for a small proportion of the road-riders/racers in training one sees in the countryside (and most of them are unhelmeted). On a similar theme, nearly all riders are in ordinary street clothes, not Lycra monkeysuits. The majority of bicycles one sees have a more upright riding position so being observant is easier than from drops.
Despite aggressive drivers, there just don’t seem to be many crashes. Why is this? It could be driver/cultural awareness. It could also be extremely punitive fines for automobile drivers who hit pedestrians/cyclists (I personally know one driver who paid a 12,000 Euro fine for hitting a pedestrian, with no significant injury resulting), and it could be just the sheer number of bicycles on the roads forces a degree of respect on everybody’s part. I think the fines and the sheer numbers are the reasons for evident successful road co-habitation…I don’t hold much hope for the concept of driver awareness (nor cyclist awareness for that matter…).

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