Minesbroken

I cant speak for other people...
as for me? I have never hit a car
I have been hit by a car that swerved around a puddle
I have run into a car door that someone opened while they werent looking and it was too late for me to do anything
I have been nearly missed by cars making right turns when I have the right of way
I am pretty aware of my surroundings
but I have no radio on my bike...
no blind spots
dont drink coffee while I'm riding
dont talk on the phone while I'm riding
dont read the paper while I'm riding
not putting on makeup in the rearview mirror while I'm riding
not sucking down a bagel
not cutting people off trying to get to the light first
no bike road rage
not really stuck in rush hour
there are just a few differences
I use discretion when I ride
traffic laws dont always apply to every situation on a bike.

tjspiel

As if on cue somebody posts in classic and vintage how they smacked into a stopped car while they were trying to run a red light.

All kinds of people are allowed to ride bikes and drive cars, - not just the careful ones. Even the careful ones can make mistakes. If you leave too much up to discretion, sh*t will happen.

Minesbroken

yeah yeah and you could get hit by a bus walking on a sidewalk...be realistic...Sh*t is going to happen anyway nomatter how many rules and regulations you set up...it all boils down to discretion and paying attention.

e0richt

dude, put a sock in it...

lil brown bat

And platitudes are platitudes.

The day that the "rules of the road", the signs, the signals, and the infrastructure are designed with all road users in mind, not just cars and trucks, that statement will make sense.

Tsuru

Hey-o... nice retort, I agree that when there are cars there, stop sign, stop light, whatever.... STOP. Just to be safe. Too many idiots out there.


One thing.... Is there a link to the original article somewhere??? I'd like to read it.

Mr. Underbridge

If I have to swerve to avoid you because you pull a stupid on your bike, you can absolutely cause a dangerous situation that can result in motorists being killed.

We need to put this whole 'bikes don't have to obey laws because bikes can't hurt drivers' thing to death, because it's just not true.

That's not to say that cyclists need to obey the strict letter of dumb laws. For instance, I pretty much never, ever do a complete stop at a stop sign, prefering to maintain about 1-2 mph of speed, timing it so I can accelerate after cars that had the right of way. I do that because it's safer for all involved, as a cyclist dismounted isn't very maneuverable. But I never blast through intersections at speed because it's not very bright.

That's the only issue I take with the letter - she seems to justify lots of things based on inconveniences and personal choices rather than safety. She doesn't like to stop because it kills momentum? Drivers don't like stopping either, and it's not like accelerating from a stop back to 10mph is hard. Don't like stopping because you have clipless? Like I mentioned above, learning to keep a bike upright at 1-2 mph isn't that hard either. Or don't use clipless, that's a personal choice. As to almost causing accidents because left-turning drivers (who have the right of way) didn't use their turn signal...well, trusting turn signals (or lack thereof) is a really good way to end up dead.

Again, I'm not advocating obeying the law over being safe, but I do take issue with the notion that being safe is too invonvenient.

FredOak

It's called minimal risk...bat, I couldn't agree more...when it's a level playing field then we'll talk about differences.

I think the smart ones take the chances that are going to get them there in one piece, not because they want to flaunt their disregard of the law, but to simply survive.

srmatte

I drive my bike like I ride my car. I stop at lights, but I cut line with the bike, no guilt, if it is safe. I signal turns if another vehicle is around. Stop signs are the only difference, I slow to look and only stop if there is a car. If the lane is narrow and I feel threatened I take the whole lane.

littlewaywelt

https://washcycle.typepad.com/home/20...th-of-the.html
the myth of the scofflaw cyclist

Pig_Chaser

I ride my bike like i drive my car (truck) too! But i roll stop signs when i can plainly see it's clear and safe to do so wether i'm on my bike or in my truck. Although i suppose i tend to 'take the lane' more often when i'm in my truck. Other than that it's pretty much the same.

wgaynor

Rude cyclists? Just last Friday, my letter to the local paper was published:

I have been commuting by bicycle around Owensboro for more than a year and a half. I commute by bicycle because I enjoy it. I do drive occasionally, but only if the distance is too great. During this time, I have had experiences that are very disappointing.

While riding a bicycle, I am frequently cussed out, ran off the road, and have had people try to assault me. Perhaps the problem is a general misconception about bicycles not belonging on the road. If that is the case, please let me clarify.

According to the state and local laws, bicycles are not to be ridden on sidewalks, but on the road or street. When they are doing so, they are considered a vehicle and must observe the same rules of the road as a motor vehicle. Motor vehicles are to act in such a manner as to allow bicycles tobe on the road with the same rights as they have.

I can understand that when you see a bicycle, you may think that they are going slow. Believe it or not, many of us can travel fairly quickly and with the speed limit in town being only 30-35mph in most areas, a cyclist going 20-25mph is not going to slow you down that much.

So please stop honking, quit hitting me with your mirrors, stop throwing your cigarette butts and soda cans at me, and passing me on a double yellow line.

There is no reason for treating people in such a negative and aggressive manner simply because a person is on two wheels instead of four.



So far, I have noticed a slight difference in the numbers of cagers who act horribly. Plus, many of my colleagues have been enlightened.

Tsuru

damn... Kentucky seems harsh!

One thing to note, I believe cars can legally pass you in a double yellow line situation if it's clear. There was a thread somewhere about that.

Tsuru

nice write up! thanks for the link...

ItsJustMe

I would have thought that was pretty obvious; it's basic traffic law. Whether car drivers follow the law is a whole different question.

wgaynor

I should clarify...

When those blind curves are ahead and/or those hills that you cannot see over and there are cars behind me, I take the lane to discourage people to pass me...they tend to push me off to the side and there is nowhere to ride there. That is when they tend to pass me. Several times I have seen near misses. Thing is, if I move all the way over to the right, I have tree limbs in my path (limbs, not twigs), and the roads are so narrow, there is no way they can pass me without crossing the yellow line.

Usually, I just shake my head, pray my thanks to the Lord for seeing me through it safely, and swallow the words I want to yell at them for putting my life at risk. I often wonder, when the pass me like this, when will they get too close to the car in the other lane and instinctively swerve to the right, thus leaving me as a red smear on the road.

crazybikerchick

Well if a car doesn't signal its intentions I'm not going to feel bad about inconveniencing them. If they couldn't turn left at a four way stop because I'm coming straight on opposite them, but they didn't signal then not my problem. Similarly I always ride with a rearview mirror and find the safest place in a narrow lane is the middle. Cars get annoyed they can't turn right at a red light. But if they are signalling and I can do safely, I'll move left to let them by.

wgaynor

I just found out that cars can pass on the double yellow line only when you are making a left turn into a business or home driveway. That is for Kentucky not sure about other states.

Source - KY DMV

MrRamonG

What's wrong with you? When auto drivers signal they afford cyclists the opportunity to act accordingly; to do the courteous thing and move over to the left if a driver signals their intention to turn right, to get out of someone's way if their intention is to turn left, to slow and let them pass if they signal they would like to change lanes. 90% of near misses I have had are a result of a driver failing to signal.

wahoonc

Depends on the state. In NC you are not to cross the double yellow except to make a left hand turn into a driveway. At all intersections the double yellow is broken. I ride and drive narrow 2 lane country roads on a regular basis. I am always amazed at the number of complete idiots that are loose on our roadways that will pass regardless of whether they can see ahead, and whether it is legal or not. I get passed in one section regularly when driving, I am doing the posted speed limit but that isn't good enough, so around they go. I have had to slam on brakes several times to allow the passing asshat clearance to get back in to avoid a head on with the oncoming car that came around the curve and over the hill

Aaron

Tsuru

Damn, seems like KY is out to get you.... What's going on, are you wearing a giant "F-CK YOU KENTUCKY" shirt when you ride??

In all my years, I've never experienced, neither in FL or in OH the animosity you are experiencing....

vaticdart

Dude, don't complain about people getting annoyed with you for being disrespectful, regardless of what kind of vehicle you're on or in.

Laws are an abstraction of respect and consideration for other people, and it is that respect and consideration that must be honored, not the law.

Tsuru

I'm not sure what you are saying, but when it comes to bicycles & cars sharing the road, I don't think there are any obvious & basic traffic laws. If there were, we could probably eliminate half this board and BikeSnobNYC would certainly be out of a blog.

lil brown bat

Really? Would you include Jim Crow laws in that? How about the Nuremburg laws?

I think that if you want to call yourself intelligent and civilized, you need to be a wee bit more discriminating than that.

e0richt

I use the approach cited in "urban cycling" by hurst and find it works out fine...
if there is one car at a 4 way stop then slow down as you approach it... normally I will get waived on through which allows both of us to get through it faster than if I stopped...

if there are more than one car stopped at the light then stop and take your turn...