Newspaperguy

Yesterday evening, as I was coming home from work, there was a cyclist riding against traffic and without a light. This morning, I watched traffic dodge another wrong-way cyclist, this one not wearing a helmet (which is required here.) I've seen far too many unsafe cycling practices including sidewalk cycling, wrong-way riding and disregard for stop signs and traffic lights. There are plenty of other illegal and unsafe practices we see regularly.

My concern is for the safety of the cyclists and for the effect they will have on the reputation of cyclists as a whole.

Perhaps my rant is an overreaction. The majority of cyclists are safe and responsible, but the careless cyclists tarnish our image. Cyclists are still in a minority and that means everyone who rides becomes a bicycling ambassador. So how do we help the careless and irresponsible riders to improve?

newsun

Heh, I saw this lady riding down the wrong way today, same side of the street I was on and she was in the far left lane. At first I thought she was just going to cut across since there was a break in the median. Nope she kept on at a slow pace, not sure what was going on there. Also no helmet.

Best thing I think one can do is to lead by example.

gwd

Last week a cager through a half brick at me from behind. I can understand someone's urge to ride facing the traffic after an incident like that. You have a chance to dodge the brick when you see it coming.

oldfool

Here in Bayou Blue I have about 1/4 mile in which I must ride against the traffic if I am to ride or walk at all.
The other side of the road is a struggle even when walking. There is an 18 inch strip of asphalt on one side of the road littered with trash that carries all foot and bike traffic. Taking the lane is legal but the result would be the same if you put a gun to you head.
The traffic is high speed and passes within inches. Even the sheriff gives you no slack. The only alternative is have a car or stay home. Each time I go out I wonder if it is my last. It is a wealth challenged area and life is cheap.

Nightshade

You have a very valid concern that needs to be addressed at state/province level of gov't due to
the increasing numbers of cyclist.

In most states bicycles are classed as "vehicles" in laws that cover the rules of the road. However,
there is no testing ,or other driver/rider abilities, done to certify the driver/riders readyness to
operate on the roads they share with motorized vehicles.

Bicycles are , for the large part, thought of as "toys" that both kids and adults ride for fun. The
very idea of testing for safety is alien to the everyday joe at all levels. Imagine the chaos if
cars were allowed to operated with no testing of the operator! Testing came into being in
the early part of the 20th century because of unsafe untrained drivers. Now it's bicycles turn.

zeppinger

On the one hand bike training would be great all around. On the other that would mean i would have to pay to keep up a bike license, probably pay for registration, have to wait in line at some sort of gov agency like a dmv but probably worse, have to have insurance, and on and on. Still with all those problems i would still like to see bike riding better regulated. Just not sure what a good approach would be...

Nightshade

The free ride for road using cyclist has to end sometime to elevate the bicycle to the road worthy
vehicles that they are. Until that happens bikes will remain "toys".

uke

That won't make people take bikes more seriously. It will just result in fewer bicycles on the road, as many will (rightly) return to driving rather than wasting time and money on bicycle beauracracy.

Motorcycles get taken seriously not because they're licensed, but because they're noisy (louder than cars), they're well lit, and they can easily maintain city and highway speeds. Many drivers are intimidated by motorcyclists as a result, and most of the rest are willing to tolerate them.

Bicycles are much slower, dead silent, and virtually unlit in comparison. We can't intimidate car drivers, and we'll never get them to respect us by making it harder for ourselves to even get on the road. Our safety will only come through legislation, riders, and infrastructure.

zeppinger

+1 WOOT!

wahoonc

We used to have basic pedestrian and cyclist training...in elementary school back in the 60's and early 70's but it has been done away with. I can still remember the elementary school play ground blacktop pad with streets and markings laid out on it. We rode tricycles and bicycles, learned to STOP at stop signs, signal and all that cool stuff From what I can recall the education reinforcement continued up through the Jr High level. In High School everything changed to Driver's Education.

Aaron

Newspaperguy

Our schools here have cycle safety training in Grade 3 only. It's a good idea and the program is run well, but it's only for a segment of one year. By the time these same children reach middle school or high school, they've either forgotten or started to ignore what they had learned during the safety course.

We need a refresher course and we need something for adults who are returning to cycling after an absence. Some people are careless while others simply don't know any better. Both groups would benefit from a little instruction.

Nightshade

My point exactly. Folks ride a bike as a crazy kid and do all kinds of kid stuff that becomes
the only memory of how to ride a bike for adults when they go back to cycling. A grown up
kid on a bike! Shudder! Now that something to look forward to. NOT!!

A simple rider proficiency course/test should be required to ride on public hi ways if you're an adult
rider. A code on your drivers card would be added to show that you passed the test.
$10 please!

But you'd be legal and certified to ride on public hi ways having paid for the right to do so.

TuckertonRR

Another 'bikes/bikers should be licenced/certified/etc thread. Can we dump all these threads into one?

It is NOT a "privelidge" to use a public highway. (at least in the USA). It is a RIGHT. Having "paid my fee" wont make us more legitimate, in the eyes of "others" (cagers). All it will end up being is a revenue & beauracracy generating scheme for local or state government & a "gotcha" in case a cop decides to try and stop you and you don't have the govt's id of approval on you.

oldfool

No! I will not buy permission to ride a bike nor will I buy permission to walk when the bureaucrats get around to that.
The line has to be drawn somewhere.

Nightshade

"But you'd be legal and certified to ride on public hi ways having paid for the right to do so."

There was a good deal of tongue in cheek in that remark fellas.

Until gov't sees bikes as a legitimate way to travel there will be no concessions to ,or accomodations for, bikes.

Elkhound

Today I saw a guy on a trike go out into the middle lane, right through an intersection. When the lane stopped, he kept on going down the middle of the street until he was out of sight.

I hope he was OK, although a part of me thought, "Serve him right if he gets creamed!"

chephy

Huh? Could you be any less clear, please? What's "when the lane stopped" supposed to mean?

Newspaperguy

Basic bicycle safety isn't nebulous and complex. Bicycles aren't all that hard to operate. The rules of the road are easy to understand. Hand signals are simple to learn. Common courtesy is something we should have all learned at a young age.

Why then do we see countless examples of inept cyclists on our streets? Each of us has seen examples of cyclists who have done something dangerous and possibly life threatening on the roads. In some cases, ignorance or carelessness have been responsible for cyclist deaths or permanent and debilitating injuries.

We may all have the right to be on the roads, but a bad cyclist is still a menace to himself and to others. In a collision with a motor vehicle, the cyclist will likely be injured or killed while the car may receive scratches or dents. A cyclist running a stop sign or riding against traffic could easily collide with another cyclist, injuring both. And a sidewalk cyclist puts pedestrians at risk.

chephy

Most dangerous and life-threatening actions on the roads are taken by motorists. Your spiel sounds like a speech by a chief of police department talking about a serious problem of men being ***** by women, and how this is terrible and should stop. Yes, such rapes can and does happen, and they shouldn't. But are they really the place to concentrate your efforts when trying to solve the problem of ****?

Newspaperguy

I see your point, chephy. But in a collision between a motor vehicle and a bicycle, the cyclist will be the one hurt or killed, no matter who is at fault. For that reason alone, it makes sense for us as cyclists to ride as safely as possible and to learn some defensive cycling skills.

Elkhound

On one side of the intersection it was a three lane road; on the other, it was a two lane. He kept right on going where the middle lane would have been if there had been a middle lane; which, by that point, there wasn't.

bmclaughlin807

The other day I saw numerous cars speeding, running stop signs, making right turns on red without stopping, tailgating and passing cyclists WAY too close. I even saw one pass a cyclist who was in the lane by using the shoulder to the cyclist's right!

My concern is for the safety of the motorists and the effect they will have on the reputation of motorists as a whole.

Perhaps my rant is an overreaction. The majority of motorists are safe and responsible, but the careless motorists tarnish their image. So how do we help the careless and irresponsible drivers to improve?