Thing of note

There was some kind of bike ride today to draw attention to bicyclists who have been hit by cars. The thing I thought was kind of silly was a bicyclist who said that, "drivers need to know that we have a right to be here too." (I paraphrase)
I thought this was kind of a dumb statement. No shit, buddy. I doubt that drivers would deny that you have a right to be on the road. And I have no doubt that if you didn't sidle up to them in their blind spot in traffic, during rush hour, before they've had their coffee, on Monday morning, they wouldn't run your ass over, either. (there are some incredibly stupid cyclists out there- who don't seem to have much of a concept for the laws of physics. Or of visiblity- not all of them- but a choice few...)
That was a little hostile. I don't think that it's an issue that cyclists should be able to ride safely in traffic. I think it's an issue that roads in this town aren't actually constructed with the kind of visiblity or width to accomodate both cars and bikes. So someone loses. And it ain't the car. Solution- ride on the damned sidewalk. But don't run over the old ladies. They have a right to be there too. (God knows we don't need a silent march of old ladies protesting getting run over by cyclists)
And then there are the idiots who I have seen who are driving whilst reading. No lie. A book on the steering wheel. Betcha they aren't looking for those cyclists with rights. Betcha if they find one, they'll be in for a surprising day.