McBTC

Little known fact: bicyclists are entitled to use the drive-thru at McDonald's if they are blind.

Seattle Forrest

It's always been a weak idea. Perfectly legal to ride a bike while you're drunk in Washington state, if you try to drive a car that way you'll wind up in jail.

indyfabz

They shoot horses, don't they?

Clyde1820

Yes, a hypersensitive venue. Though, for insurance/liability reasons I can see why a shop might be a bit of a stickler for the policy impacts. After all, they're only losing out on a couple dollars' worth of "food" sales. Probably won't even be noticed.

I much prefer some decades ago, when service wasn't a four-letter word, when it was assumed that reasonable accommodation and going with the flow was part of what made the sale and kept customers coming back. *sigh*

Miele Man

Here's a thought. Ride an adult tricycle or quadricycle to the McDonnalds drive thru and see if you're still refused service. After all with either of those you're not a bicyclist any more. How about e-bikes or mopeds?

Cheers

kevindsingleton 

Couple of days ago:

Customer in McDonald's drive-thru gets run over by own car - CBS News

Will they be banning cars in the drive-thru, now? I've found many more drive-thru automobile injuries and deaths than bicycle injuries and deaths. Risk doesn't seem to be the motivating factor, at all.

Seattle Forrest

This thread is real world proof: "There are none so blind as he who will not see."

BlazingPedals

I'm amazed that this thread is now on its eleventh page. After all, suing McDonalds will probably only cost, what -- $20,000 or $30,000? Peanuts considering the payoff: getting to order a Diet Coke while standing in the sun.

jefnvk

Maybe that is because they have a policy prohibiting it. I've been hit in a drive thru, two bumpers running into each other is far less damaging than a cyclist pinned between two bumpers.

In any case, that story merely proves exactly the risk a car can present to a pedestrian.

jefnvk

I've been denied service on a motorcycle.

bruce19

My feeling as well EXCEPT McDonald's is private property. Go elsewhere. I'd also tell them that I belong to a cycling club of 150 members (I do) and that I would be putting out an email about my experience.

ptempel

I'd like to see them ride the bike at all let alone go though a drive-thru.

Edit: They could be the stoker on a tandem: Bicycling Blind | Connecting blind cyclists with sighted pilots. . But I meant cycling by themselves in the sentence above...

kevindsingleton 

Maybe.

It kinda doesn't, and pedestrians have never been the topic.

Still, this is another example that proves that risk isn't what's driving the policy.

jefnvk

For all intents and purposes of this discussion, cyclists are effectively pedestrians.

And you are operating under the impression that McDonald's has to justify anything to you. Maybe they simply don't want pompous cyclists in their line who are there trying to prove a point, it really wouldn't matter as they have no obligation to serve you. The rule is there, well known, and fairly universal amongst all fast food chains and location.

As you can probably tell, I'm back to work and still bored....

kevindsingleton 

If you like. I have no interest in pursuing that trajectory, though. The post to which you couldn't restrain yourself from responding was about injuries that occurred to a motorist in a drive-thru, not pedestrians, or even cyclists.

No, I'm not.

That's about as far from truth as you can get. The original post indicated that the OP was surprised by the refusal of service, as am I. It makes no sense, when you consider the actual facts. Regardless, my only position, throughout this discussion, has been to question why the store manager lied about the reason for the policy.

How was the vacation?

jefnvk

The injury occurred to a body outside of a vehicle being contacted by a vehicle, even if it was in a vehicle to begin with. Pretty analogous to what would occur if a pedestrian was hit.

Again, there are many reasons one may want to limit non-vehicle access to the drive thru, liability and safety to both customer and employee foremost.Whether it is reasons you do or do not find acceptable, or agree with, is as irrelevant as me disagreeing that not wearing a shirt should not limit me from the dining room.

As to the trip, awesome, the first half of the ride report is going up in the Touring section this afternoon!

kevindsingleton 

You've just equated a single-vehicle accident with a multi-vehicle accident in a discussion about liability.

The policy doesn't limit non-vehicle access to the drive-thru. It only denies service to the occupants of certain vehicles already in the drive-thru lane. We've proven that bicycles in the drive-thru present far less risk than motor vehicles.

My opinion about the policy has never been in contention. I'm pretty sure it's never even been revealed. What we've discovered, through these eleven pages of discussion, is that the reason for the policy, if there is one, is not related to liability.

Cool.

Clyde1820

They're not serving folks outside of vehicles, in a vehicle lane. Seems squarely in the arena of risk, or rather risk avoidance. Simple enough, it's hard to run over folks if folks aren't outside of vehicles in vehicle lanes. Same as, say, on highways, which is also a simple question of risk.

kevindsingleton 

How does refusing service to someone on a bicycle who is already in the drive-thru lane avoid risk? Risk of what?

Miele Man

Fact. Most fast food places will not serve bicyclists in the drive thru lane(s).
Fact. This is company policy.
Fact. The company does not have to explain their policy.
Fact. Next time bring a lock and use the counter inside the store.
Fact. This is much ado about very little.

Cheers

ModeratedUser

Fact. This all has very little to do with being denied service late at night.

Cheers


No car, no service.

FullGas

if McD's refused someone service, they did them a favor.

they should consider themselves lucky instead of whining about it.

ModeratedUser

Yes and that's been discussed here. Pretty much no one disputes that. What gets some people PO'd, including me is being denied service cause of traveling in another mode of legal transportation that is other than a car. Furthermore I get PO'd cause I'm paying for this discriminating! Hell it's a good place for me personally to meet people. I have to have an agreed upon meet up point for unloading parts from CL.

No car, no service.

Miele Man

Just like at some service stations there's a lan that's clearly marked TRUCKS ONLY. take your car in there and see what happens.

Just like places that have signs NO SHOES, NO SERVICE or NO SHIRT, NO SERVICE.

If bicyclist feel so discriminated against by McDonald's maybe those bicyclists should contact the American Civil Liberties Union? LOL VBEG

Or bicyclists could carry a thin cable lock and lock their bicycle and go inside? Even more so if the McDonald's is a meeting up point.

Cheers

Stucky

Dear goodness! That's more calories than I eat in two entire days!!!! Ronald McDonald must be spinning in his grave!