Mini-Rant: Bicyclists who go through traffic signals

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

Here in the Nation's Capital I see far too many instances of this, both as a pedestrian and as a motorist. I like bicycles - I still wish I rode, and probably I should start again. And yes, I know in some places there are probably more drivers who run red lights than bicyclists who do. I don't like drivers who do it very much, either.

However: given a choice between seeing a car in a hurry get dented at an intersection and seeing a bicyclist in a hurry get T-Boned at an intersection, I personally would choose the former. Seems to me the cyclist has a helluva lot more to lose.

[onehandle]

1. It's illegal...

Bikers who do that give us a bad name. I will often get off and walk my bike across with pedestians. Or just wait for the light.

If there is no traffic...well...

But still, It's Illegal.

[RobertSeattle]

2. Are bikes still prohibited on sidewalks in downtown DC??

Seattle allows bikes on sidewalks in the downtown area and that pisses me off - I can't stand someone whizzing by me at 20 miles an hour of the sideWALK.

(No big deal on residential sidewalks, but not busy downtown ones)

[dani]

18. yes,

I believe it's still prohibited in parts of DC to ride on the sidewalk. Especially Capitol Hill.

But in Seattle, if you look at the traffic codes that pertain to bicycles you'll see that when they are on sidewalks they are required to go a reasonable speed similar to a pedestrian's speed. So it's definitely illegal for them to go 20 mph. That's unsafe.

BTW, I've worked as a bicycle messenger in both Seattle and Wash DC. Seattle police are quite diligent about giving tickets to bicyclists who break the laws (I once got a $60 ticket for whitelining). But DC cops tend to be much more lax about bicyclists, which is probably why almost no messengers bother to stop for red lights in that city.

[Fovea]

3. I agree

and I am a cyclist who uses my bike for my primary transportation.
I do sometimes roll stop through a sign when no one is around, and I will ride through a light where I cannot trip the sensor.
But my 12 years of working Trauma make me a more than normally cautious road user.

Having said that. I must admit to being far more concerned about the cars running lights, for the same reason. I don't want to get tboned at a stoplight.

Also, in my neck of the woods lately, a lot of hostile drivers are assaulting cyclists. I know of several incidents this summer. The frequency and hostility level is higher. At the same time, I note a lot more 'thumbs up' signs from drivers. I suspect those drivers are considering bikes, even if only with your nostalgia.
Get your bike out of the attic. Get out on the street. It is not perfectly safe or friendly right now to be honest, but it is friendlier than an oil war, and safer than a global meltdown.

[VelmaD]

4. Some do this in Austin...

and every time I see it it scares me to death. Partly because I'm afraid for their lives and partly because I'm terrified that one day I'll be the unlucky motorist who hits one of them.

Austin is a very bike friendly town and I admire the folks who ride around here (given all the hills it's gotta be tought). I just wish some of them would pay a little more attention to the traffic around them and ride with a little more consideration for their own safety.

Darth Velma

[JHB]

5. Some really take the cake...

...like the ones who not only go through traffic signals, but do it in a pedestrian-heavy zone (like, say...IN FRONT OF NEW YORK PENN STATION DURING RUSH HOUR!!!!!!!!! (/end shouting)) -- and expect the pedestrians to get out of their way!

I swear, some are so bad I've wished for a pole to jame between their spokes... :mad:

[cmf]

6. I totally agree.

In Seattle, it seems like the cyclists have no regard for the traffic laws. As a pedestrian, I have about one close call a month with a bicycle. Many times I'm crossing the street, after seeing the cars have stopped, only to be nearly mowed down by a bicycle from out of nowhere. It really pisses me off.

[TrogL]

7. I go through lights and signs all the time

I can see better.

I've got better acceleration.

I've got better braking.

[Robb]

9. Weeeelll....

That may be. Although, for me the point of how much you can damage a pedestrian has been driven home by how quickly I've worn out brakes.

Of course, I have an 80-pound bike....

[Fovea]

21. And of course

as someone with good dense leg bones, you will heal faster, but that is not the point. The point is using the bike as a vehicle.
The point is working with, not against other traffic and pedestrians.

I am not trying to flame you, just trying to get you to consider the rest of us when you ride in traffic. If the road is empty, ride naked if you like.

I am disabled, and ride a bike for transportation.
I can't see as well as you. I cannot accelerate as well as you, about all I think I can do as well is brake.

I know that unclipping is a hassle, but I do it with a bad leg on a recumbent.

Please TrogL, you seem like a good person. Consider giving the rest of us a break, at least in the presence of other traffic.

[TrogL]

25. Riding naked

Done that, but how do you avoid getting saddles sores between your thighs?

As for the rest of it, I do slow down if I can't see far enough up the street due to bushes and whatnot. A lot of my bicycle driving is on the sidewalk (yes, I dodge pedestrians) and on streets that have secondary alleys for the local traffic (it's kinda hard to explain), I drive through the alleys, which are usually deserted, and across the streets before the actual stopsigns.

In a car vs me collision, I'm going to come out for the worse, so I'm careful. But if I have to stop every damn intersection when there's no traffic, there's no point in riding the bike.

[Fovea]

28. Three choices on the thigh problem

1. On a recumbent the sores will be on your cheeks.

2. Unlike itchy Orthopedic casts, here talcum is recommended.

3. Pedro's makes something called 'Ice Lube', but I have not
tried it for the suggested problem. I cannot recommend it, therefore.

[Philosophy]

8. Heck even motorcyclists do that here in Tennessee

They just squeeze in between two cars stopped at a red light, pause for half a second to look both ways, and then take off straight through. Another thing they do is if they are turning right and a car is ahead of them in the turn lane, they just go around them on the sidewalk.

[newyawker99]

39. Congrats Philosophy!! 200 posts

:toast:

[Tyler Durden]

10. Think of it as "Evolution in Action."

That's what the wife and I call it when a cyclist drives like a drunk in a '67 Cadillac.

We also use the term "Low survival instinct."

I don't trust other drivers while I'm in my CAR, let alone while riding my 16 pound GITANE INTERCLUB.

[BiggJawn]

11. Signals or stop signs?

I blow through stops signs, unless the intersection is contested, then the Right of Way rules come into play, but the SUV cargo usually just TAKES the R of W anyway....So, I deferr to "Mr. Teenie-Peenie"...

Signal lights is a different matter. I WAIT. and I wait IN THE LANE, not over in the gutter where I can get run over by the right-turn artistes.

I'd like to CLOTHESLINE every asshole I see riding on the sidewalk!

[Kolesar]

12. but riding on the sidewalk is legal

It is even "encouraged" for children (who are not going to go on 15 mile rides after work).

[Logansquare]

17. Legal...Where?!

It's illegal here in Chicago for anyone over 13 to ride on the sidewalk. Needless to say, it's one of the most poorly enforced laws in the books. Ditto for idiots riding against the traffic--and forcing law-abiding cyclists to veer into traffic to avoid them.

[Kolesar]

20. Ohio. But I could see how it would be a big problem in the big city

If people are using the sidewalks, the bicycles would be a problem. In suburbia, nobody even walks or bikes, so they are wide open. Personally, I hate the way the cracks every 3 feet feel on the sidewalk so I take the street.

[cmf]

27. It's legal in Seattle, too.

And as someone who spends a lot of time walking on sidewalks, I hate it.

[Fovea]

22. In specific in Missouri

Riding on the sidewalk is illegal in a shopping district, by which they also mean downtown.

[WoodrowFan]

13. I was just thinking the same thing

This am in Falls Church, I almost got t-boned by a bike while driving my car to work. I turned in front of him because it looked like we both had plenty of room. But he had to end up swerving because a) he ran the stop sign and B.) he was speeding! (assuming the 25 mph applies to bikes as well.) The biker gave me a really dirly look too. Hey buddy, I give bikes a break, I am careful around them, but OBEY THE FREEKIN LAWS, OK!?

[comradebillyboy]

14. darwin award candidates

they will soon be eliminated from the gene pool

[Kellanved]

15. They're suicidal here as well

There are few weeks without a dead bicyclist.

They ignore the traffic lights and/or drive on the wrong bicycle lane.
I don't get it - when I go bicycling I am very catious and don't presume that the car drivers will see me coming from an forbidden direction.

[Fovea]

23. a forbidden direction?

Please explain...
Do you mean that you ride contra flow?
That is such a poor idea.
If that is what you are doing, buy a mirror for your bike or helmet and ride on the right.
Really, it is much safer.

[Kellanved]

37. There are lanes for bicycles

On the major streets half a lane is reserved for bicycles in each direction. This is usually either half the sidewalk or the rightmost lane.
The bicycle lanes have their own traffic signs/lights.

Many think that those lanes can be used in both directions (never mind that all signs are one-sided) - when a car turns, the sidewalk-lanes are especially dangerous for people riding against the flow.
(I wouldn't do such a thing).

[XNASA]

16. I hit a cyclist who ran a Stop Sign.

I was making a left hand turn from a One-Way street on to another One-Way street. I had a Stop Sign, so I put my turn signal on and stopped. I panned the intersection and there was no other traffic, so I proceded with my turn.

A cyclist passing me on the left, ignored the Stop Sign, and I clipped them. They went flying off of their bike and nearly hit a parked car. Of course I stopped and helped them. I put their bike in my trunk and drove them home. We exchanged phone numbers, etc. I immediately contacted my attorney.

A few days later, I was contacted by their attorney. And even though they were at fault (they ran the Stop Sign) I ended up buying them a brand new bike on the advice of my attorney (who's also a trusted friend). It cost me $500.

But they signed a waiver saying they would never press charges.

[Nikia]

19. I have before

I did so safely and out of concern for my safety. In some areas, motorists are not very bicycle friendly. An area with no shoulder and motorists coming unto a road from the highway and the street speed posted at 45 mph makes one want to get a head start on traffic if nothing is coming from the other way. This was the way I had to get to work for a while when I had a different job and didn't have a license yet.

[Braden]

24. I am way more concerned about

morons who try to run me off the road, or pretend they dont see me and cut me off .

I sometimes cut across lights when they are red all around but never would put my life in the hands of soccer moms/nascar dads.

[Coffee Coyote]

26. I run 'em over myself

They need to keep their toys at home.

[dani]

29. I'm sure you run them over.

Bicycles and human powered vehicles have the same rights to use the road as any other vehicle.
If you don't like that you should probably stay home.

[Coffee Coyote]

31. they do not have the same rights

You don't see states issuing photo ID's for bikes, lol. That is why bicycles have their own lanes in designated areas, and why they stay on the shoulder on the interstates. Mass and size win.

I knew my sarcasm would run headlong into a humorless liberal scold. I was expecting it, in fact.

I don't like it, and not only will I be out there driving, I will be sure to hit a bicyclist in your honor. :-)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

30. I once saw a DC cyclist run the red and flip everybody the bird

at the same time.

I guess he had a death-wish.

[Darth_Kitten]

32. I think most people know my sentiments.....

regarding bicycles and the bad way they are used by some dolts. :) Like, one of my biggest pet peeves. :evilfrown:

I'm still not over that bag on a bicycle calling me fat. I am not fat and I was not the one breaking the law. ;)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

34. We've got plenty of entitled cyclists here in Boston

we've got shitloads of rude, entitled people in general.

I can't believe you didn't go after that chick on the bicycle and get in her face!

[Darth_Kitten]

35. After I shouted an insult at her.....

I actually ran down the sidewalk to see if I could catch up with her. To really let her know that she had no right trying to run people down.

I'm feisty. And for a little porker like me, I can run pretty fast. ;)
Too bad I couldn't locate the idiot. :)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

33. Boston Cyclists ride like Boston Drivers drive

A few years ago I was driving and a cyclist who ran a light on Mass Ave went over the hood of the car in front of me (we had the green light). He wasn't killed, but he had head injuries. The driver of the car felt terrible-she didn't hit the bicyclist, he hit her.

At least one cyclist is killed every few months in Mass. A famous case here from a few years ago: a bike messenger hit a pedestrian and killed him. He ran a red light and rode into a busy downtown crosswalk.

With all due respect, many cyclists are killed because of the poor road engineering in Boston and Cambridge and not flagrant disregard for traffic laws (though there's plenty of those riders around, too). The bike lanes are a joke-they run down narrow streets with parking on both sides and pose the potential threat of getting 'doored' by someone in a parking space.

The sick part is I've seen so many close calls and every time the cyclists weren't wearing helmets.

[Darth_Kitten]

36. I respect the cyclists who do use the road.....

They deserve to be treated respectfully by drivers, and vice versa.

[FlaGranny]

38. Cyclists -

I nearly hit one who came barreling down a sidewalk where my view was blocked by bushes.

I actually did tap another one hard enough to knock his bike over, but he kept his feet. Sort of the same scenario. He was hidden behind some bushes and came tearing around the corner, just as I started to pull out. The worst thing was, he was turning into the street I was coming out out. Instead of going in front of the car, he could have gone behind it.

In both these cases the guy on the bike could see me long before I saw him.

Some cyclists just do not think. If they are going to ride illegally on the sidewalk, they better make the necessary adjustments for their own safety.