nixternal

I was coming back from the Menards in Hanover Park (Irving and Barrington) and was heading south on Barrington. Right across the street from the new FD there was a person who was riding a bike splayed out in the street, face eating pavement. At first I was pissed, but looking and listening I found out that this person on a bike was heading the wrong way in the first place. My thoughts are this is like removing the warning label from a mattress and letting the dumb ones weed themselves out. I don't wish nothing bad on the person and I hope they are alright. Do people who ride stupid deserve this stuff? I never once referred to this person as a cyclist as I would consider a cyclist to at least realise when they are doing something stupid.

Am I really that mean and insensitive?

nixternal

OK, more info. This person was only tapped by a car pulling out onto Barrington road, turning right. So, typically what people do is look to the left when turning right. If this person on the bike was on the right side of the road, this would have never happened. Witnesses said the person fell off of the bike and then rolled like they were on fire into the middle of Barrington road and played dead. I was told that the person driving the car was in worse condition than the person hit, as the driver was a mess, totally freaked out and scared to death. Thank God people are blowing off Fireworks in the hood, because it brought the cops through and I flagged them down. Luckily it was a friend of mine. They ticketed the person on the bike.

ilmooz

You're absolutely right about the dumb ones weeding themselves out. Riding on the wrong side of the street through intersections with right turning vehicles is an obvious recipe for disaster and among the more foolish things to do on a bicycle, yet surprisingly I see it happening quite often.

jwa

Wait... those labels on mattresses come off **********

nixternal

HAHA, ya they do I guess. And if you read the label, it is against the law to do so.

So this person on the bike had zero safety equipment. No helmet or nothing. I can't stand that when people are heading into traffic, even runners. I have almost hit a runner before pulling out of the neighborhood when turning right. I just glanced to the left to make sure it was clean and started to go. Luckily the runner realized my mistake and stopped before crossing, otherwise they would have been a pancake.

one_beatnik

Read one again. You can take it off after you buy the mattress...it's yours.

Once in a while, people gets what they deserve. Sounds like the case here. I can understand freaking out in the car though. Even when you're 100% in the right, it would be a little freaky hitting someone.l

nixternal

You are 100% correct. I had to go read my label Actually the first time I have ever read it I believe.

Mr IGH

Who knows why the cyclist was riding in this manner...we all have bad days, maybe you're next. No matter who's at fault, the thought of a fellow cyclist lying on the pavement bleeding always makes me pause and hope the best for them. Someone who fits into your "non-cyclist" catagory died on Roselle just north of I-90 last fall, I was saddened by the event.

kendall

I see that happening a lot too, but it's a compound error. The Bike rider shouldn't be on the wrong side, and the driver should check forward as well as to the left and right.
I understand it to be law that you're supposed to walk facing traffic, so the driver should also be on the lookout for pedestrians, who never seem to be where they're 'supposed' to be.

Ken.

nixternal

Luckily in this case, there was no bleeding out, just a fake death, you know one of those events where people try to find the easy way out to make some money. Don't get me wrong, it upsets me as well, but I understand the driver's accident in this case, as I have almost done the same thing. One of the first things my parents taught me in 1978 when teaching me to ride, was ride on the right side of the street.

I know the accident you are talking about on Roselle Rd. It is sad when this stuff happens, but it wouldn't happen, or the chances would be better of it not happening if people followed the rules, drivers included. One complaint many drivers have is that cyclists do not obey the laws, and it is an every day occurance that I see cyclists behaving idiotically and not following the laws, me included. I tend to just slow down and make sure the coast is clear at stop signs. At a red light, if all is clear, sometimes I will go. I mean when there isn't a car coming, no button to press to let the light know I am there, and waiting for a car to come along and trigger the lights.

Mr IGH

It's the "weeding them out" thing that got to me. There's a few lights on my commute that don't react to bikes, I look both ways a try to be careful...Teenagers are notorious for doing dumb things, one bad day and they don't make it to adulthood. IMHO, advocating injury/death with a Darwinism reference is a little harsh.

nixternal

Sorry for upsetting you. In no way do I really advocate it, but I do say it quite a bit jokingly, and really didn't mean any harm in it.

Mr IGH

I'm not upset, you asked for feedback, I gave you some. I completely missed the part where you're joking....

jc33

Yes that is an awful stretch of road to be on a bike, that curve where everyone flies around after getting off of the expressway. I always get on the new bike trail there now.

I almost had a head on with a dumb**s on a bike going the wrong way who decided to go full speed around a parked car, would've taken me out if i would have been going a little faster. (which is what i would have liked to been doing, going a little faster, that is)