WashCycle: Is it time to retire "Share the Road"?

Cross-posted from WashCycle –

Kate Ryan reports from the Montgomery College cycling conference that Chief of the Maryland National Capital Park Police Darien Manley said he’d like to see a shift away from the “Share the Road” mentality.
“The share the road/share the trail concept implies that every user is an owner, and that they’re having to give something up,” Manley says.

Instead, Manley would like to see the thinking change from “What am I giving up?” to “What do we need to do to reduce conflicts and improve safety,” with an emphasis on the “we.”

I have to say that I agree 100%. “Share the road” is a vague phrase that encourages everyone to decide what it means to them, and as we’ve seen countless times before, some drivers don’t read it the same way we do. Some, for example, think it means cyclists shouldn’t impede traffic; while cyclists think it means “don’t buzz me bro.”

I much prefer the “Cyclist may use full lane” signs. Tell us – all of us – exactly what is expected, and, as long as it’s reasonable, we’ll do it. [Article with comments]