EPISODE 131: John Forester and Vehicular Cycling

Hello Patreon supporters!

"Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles."

That quote is the core philosophy of a man named John Forester, the father of vehicular cycling. Forester, who died in 2020, was a major figure in the the world of cycling advocacy and transportation policy, and his influence shaped street design and bicycle safety in the United States for decades. In fact, even with all the progress made over the past ten to twenty years in terms of building protected bike lanes and cycling facilities for all ages and abilities, in many ways we are still pedaling in the world John Forester created.

In this episode, we dive deep into Forester's seminal book, Effective Cycling, which was first published in 1976. Part guidebook, part encyclopedia, part polemic, Effective Cycling explains why cyclists should not be afraid to ride not just in traffic, but as traffic. Throughout the book, Forester dismisses anyone who might be afraid of taking the lane with fast-moving cars and trucks as suffering from what he calls the "cyclist inferiority complex" and asserts that only a strict adherence to the rules of the road and the principles of vehicular cycling can keep everyone safe. While many people tend to think of the book as a not much more than a guide for how to "take the lane," there's so much more to unpack, from Forester's obsessive attention to minutiae to his outright disdain for "bike advocates" and complete dismissal of those who think cyclists actually fare best when they are protected and separated from cars via high-quality infrastructure.

Who was John Forester? What is vehicular cycling? Why are we talking about a book that was published almost fifty years ago? It's all here in this mega episode.

A quick note: As thanks for your support, we're releasing the full, 2+ hour, ad-free episode for Patreon subscribers of The War on Cars. You can listen to the entire thing via your private RSS feed. Listeners who access the podcast via the general feed will get the episode in two parts with ads, with the second part coming in a couple of weeks.

Thanks as always for your support,

Aaron, Sarah and Doug

LINKS/SOURCES

Read Peter Flax in conversation with John Forester, via Bicycling Magazine.

Northeastern University's Peter Furth takes on John Forester.

STUDY: "Risk of injury for bicycling on cycle tracks versus in the street," by Lusk, Furth, et. al.

PAPER: "A Historical Perspective on the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities and the Impact of the Vehicular Cycling Movement," Schultheiss, Sanders, and Toole, 2018

AASHTO’s Draft Bikeway Guide Includes Protected Bike Lanes and More, Streetsblog 2016

Key Design Guide to Finally Include Protected Bike Lanes, Streetsblog 2018

'Death Of A ‘Dinosaur:’ Anti-Cycleway Campaigner John Forester Dies, Aged 90, by Carlton Reid in Forbes

Read Bike Boom: The Unexpected Resurgence of Cycling, by Carlton Reid.

Read Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road, by James Longhurst.

How the former Dallas bicycle coordinator held back cycling infrastructure for years, via the Texas Observer.

Dallas' Former Bike Czar Tells Newbie Riders to Go Play in Traffic, via the Dallas Observer

Access John Forester's website via the Wayback Machine.

If you're a glutton for punishment, pick up a copy of John Forester's Effective Cycling.