City Cycling Reading

b) Furth describes the influence of Vehicular Cycling on American practice. Look up a web site promoting the VC philosophy. Describe how what it calls for is contrary to the philosophy that guides practice in the Netherlands.

When finding a website that promotes vehicular safety, I mostly found sites that stated arguments for and against. Given that, I will just focus on the provided apparent positives. 

The main tenets that vehicular cycling is claimed to provide are increased safety, more efficient, encouraged respect, cost effective, and empowered cyclists. I find a lot of these to be empty promises, particularly when compared to what is described in Furth's book about the Netherlands. 

The safety claims are made because one is putting themselves in a position where a car driver is more likely to see them. They are also putting themselves directly into the path of the car at the same time. Furth describes roads in the Netherlands where cyclists are not only separated from cars, but with a physical barrier as well. How can one get hurt when they are physically protected in the first place?

This also relates to empowered cyclists as well. Vehicular cyclists would state that be taking a lane, a cyclists is more empowered as they are now in charge of their own safety (nevermind a distracted driver texting and not looking up). Furth describes a world built that encourages riders of differing abilities taking their bikes, rather than just cyclists who are courageous, skilled, or dumb enough.