Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith P.
That is similar to suggesting that we build more cancer wards to treat the victims of smoking instead of going after the root cause of the problem.
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Not really a good analogy, actually. Smoking is an addiction that will eventually cause disease in most of its users. Non-smokers nearby also are exposed to that risk, against their will, and therefore smoking laws and dedicated areas for smokers were created. Smoking has never been banned, just attempts to separate them from non-smokers to protect the non-smokers.
Cycling is an activity that involves exercise, and is therefore a healthy activity. However, the major risk to cyclists is a collision with a motor vehicle, which are much heavier and move at much higher speeds than a bicycle. Cycling lanes are being made to separate the cyclists from traffic, thereby protecting the cyclists, not the motor vehicle drivers.
Your scenario of building cancer wards would be analogous to creating more hospital beds to treat cyclists injured in traffic accidents due to
not creating cycling lanes...