🦄 3 Myths and Misconceptions About Biking
Taking on some of the untruths about getting around town
We have been hearing some of the usual chatter about “bikes are bad” and “cars are good,” so we thought we’d take on these tired old tropes.
These anti-mobility attacks have been disproven and debunked time and time again. Just to be sure, we thought we’d do a round-up of three common (and damaging) bike myths.
MYTH #1 → BIKES BREAK TRAFFIC LAWS MORE THAN CARS
FALSE! Bikes break traffic laws less often than cars.
And on the off chance that a biker does roll a stop sign? The kinetic energy of a cyclist is nothing compared to that Ram Truck charging through the stop sign at 10 MPH, meaning they are less likely to cause injury or damage.
Want some proof? Forbes reported on this study:
A new study from the Danish Road Directorate shows that less than 5% of cyclists break traffic laws while riding yet 66% of motorists do so when driving. The Danish Cycling Embassy, a privately-funded NGO, puts this down to visibility: law breaking by cyclists is “easy to notice for everyone” but transgressions by motorists, such as speeding, are harder to spot.
MYTH #2 → PEOPLE WHO BIKE DO NOT HELP PAY FOR ROADS
FALSE! Much of Miami Beach’s roadway improvements are funded by general tax revenues that we all pay.
A lot of the recent re-pavements that you see on the streets? They are paid for by General Obligation bonds funded through our property taxes, which have nothing to do with cars.
Bicycles do essentially zero damage to roadways when compared to far heavier cars, SUVs, and trucks. Ever heard of the fourth power rule? It states that the stress on the road increases proportionally to the fourth power of the axle load of the vehicle traveling on it, meaning that heavier vehicles such as cars and SUVs cause proportionally MUCH more damage on the road than, say, scooters and bikes.
Perhaps it’s time to raise taxes on the cars to make sure they pay their fair share? Just saying…
MYTH #3 → HELMET LAWS MAKE CYCLISTS SAFE
FALSE! Helmet laws are counterproductive and make riding a bike less safe.
Cars are the major killer of people on bikes. Styrofoam bike helmets are not designed, nor capable, of substantially protecting a rider from being steamrolled by a multi-ton car or truck. Research backs this up.
What do bike helmet mandates do? They decrease ridership.
By mandating that a cyclist wear a helmet you are signaling to the community that biking is not safe there, thus making people less likely to hop on their bikes. This decrease in ridership means drivers are less familiar with other users of the road and more deadly. Helmet laws also increase police interactions with residents on bikes, which can have severely unequal outcomes. Helmet law advocacy is almost always done in bad faith.
WHAT WE ARE READING
The Electric Vehicles We Need Now Are E-Bikes [Bloomberg]
As gas prices surge, electric bikes — especially cargo models that can carry kids and groceries — could be replacing car trips and saving fuel. Why won’t federal officials promote them?