It's already been said, but I'll say it again. The majority of people see travel in the same light as a visit to the dentist. Unpleasant, but necessary and something to get done as quickly as possible. For some fear plays a part. Roads should be perfectly level and straright. Cars should be the size of a battleship and have every safety and comfort amenity known to man. They feel that two wheels and open is incredibly dangerous and those who ride will die. For both groups it isn't the journey, it's the destination. For those of us that ride, it isn't the destination, it's the journey
Well put.
Putting it to extremes is the hysteria we see here over 'killer roads', and the huge lobby put on the politicos to have said roads straightened and sanitised. Nobody stops to ask whether it is the standard of driving or riding that may be at fault. Example: Highway 99 north out of Vancouver, to Squamish and Whistler (aka the Sea to Sky Highway) is a road labelled as a 'killer highway' because it demands respect to drive/ride it. Because the winter Olympics will be in Whistler in 2010 there has been huge construction work to make it 'safer'. All that will happen is that people will treat the road with less respect (drving with distractions, under the influence etc) and we'll see the same number of accidents.
Cynical git, aren't I.....?
You aren't cynical, you see reality as it is, and your point about people showing less respect for a 'safe' highway than an 'unsafe' highway is accurate. What bothers them is the fact that they can't just doze through their drive. Years ago I led a caravan to Kalispell from Central Montnana, and chose to take the Swan Valley. Two-lane, twisty, wooded; alongside a couple lakes, a gorgeous drive. When we got to Kalispell I caught all kinds of flack from the other drivers for taking that road. It was terrible, there were curves, there were hills, it followed a lake shore. My goodness, we had to watch what we were doing!! Had we gone to Missoula and up Highway 93 it would have been straight, level and wide most of the way. We could have daydreamed our way to Kalispell. Well, except for the last twenty-five miles or so. That was two-lane, twisty, hilly, etc. By they way, a common bumper sticker there in the '70s was "I Drive 93, Pray for Me". The road was labeled a killer road.
Now 93 south of Kalispell and south of Polson is being turned into a fourlane, straightened out, flattened road. A totally boring drive, but one the average driver can handle. It takes very little thought compared to the old stretch. It is grudgingly admintted that the work was needed. Highway 93 is a major route to Glacier Park, and the traffic during tourist season is incredible. My last ride up that way, a year ago, was in a line of traffic that extended from Kalispell to approximately 25 miles south before it began to break up. As for accidents - I'd guess they are the same or increasing. An informal study thirty years ago showed the vast majority of accidents in the area happened between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM on weekends. It's doubtful that drivers at that time are any less incapacitated now than they were then.
