There would be little need for courses in cycling and its associated disciplines if most people had the proper theory of cycling traffic operation.
That is, cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of
vehicles. For one who understands this vehicular-cycling principle, the
proper way to cycle and the proper way to design facilities and programs for
safe and effective cycling transportation come rather naturally; in our
motoring society, they appear to be merely extensions of the existing, well-understood technology. However, most people not only are ignorant of this
principle, they believe in a diametrically opposed superstition, the
cyclist-inferiority superstition. That says that the cyclist who rides in
traffic must delay the cars and, if the cars do not choose to slow down,
will be crushed. The first is Sin, the second is Death, and the Wages of Sin
is Death. People who believe this superstition practically cannot make correct decisions about how to ride or how to design facilities or programs for
cyclists. The governmental programs that exist, being based on
political considerations instead of engineering ones, are based
on this popular belief. Instead of improving the road system for
better use by both cyclists and motorists, they concentrate on
separating cyclists from motor traffic. Unfortunately, no satisfactory techniques for doing his have ever been devised; those
that exist endanger cyclists, require higher skill of cyclists,
and lengthen the trip. Therefore, existing governmental programs
should not be used as a guide by those with cycling responsibilities, because they rarely specify actions that are good for
cyclists. The cycling transportation engineer or administrator
must understand what should be done and has to figure out how to
take proper actions within the existing programs, or outside them
if he strongly decides to do good for cyclists and for cycling
transportation.
It is for this reason that complete and definitive courses in
cycling and in its associated disciplines are required. Once the
system has been changed so that most people understand and believe
the vehicular-cycling principle, then there will be much less
need for such detailed courses and their subject matter will naturally be taught within other disciplines.