There are idiot cyclists out there, yes. Idiot cyclist annoy drivers (they also annoy other cyclists).
There are idiot drivers out there. Idiot drivers endanger cyclists (and other motorists).
Annoy vs. endanger, that's the key difference here. The point is harassment, if someone uses a car (which makes for a very effective and dangerous weapon) to harass or intimidate a cyclist, should that be expressly against the law?
Watching some cyclist sneak through a red light may be maddening, but does not compare to someone giving your elbow a "close shave" at 50 mph with a 4000-lb hunk of steel.
Bill - 15 years ago
No one should be intimidated or feel that there life is in jeopardy, but that is already against the law. I agree with the first poster. The vast majority of cyclists I see on the road ignore the rules of the road. When I bike I stop at the stop signs, signal turns, etc.
CPArch - 15 years ago
I think cars are generally ignorant of the mortal nature of their actions. I personally have been swerved *at* while doing nothing against the law. If I had been a less experienced rider or had there not been space for me to get out of the way (on to a sidewalk, which is illegal) I could have easily been seriously injured or killed. I don't think if thought through the extra couple of seconds that driver earned in her commute was worth my life.
Also, I want to say I don't disagree with the first poster. I think both cars and bikers need to be respectful of each other for any progress to be made. But I also think that there should be clear laws set out for both cars and bikes, separately, rather than lumping them together as most cities do.
As a biker I do my best to follow the automobile laws but there comes a point when that is just not possible. For example, when a car gives me 18" to ride in and there are massive pot holes in that space sometimes there is no choice but for me to ride on the sidewalk (illegal in my city) or risk serious injury or death. That car is required, by law, to give me a "safe riding distance". We were both breaking the law, but who should really get the ticket?
Bikersshouldobeylawstoo - 15 years ago
I think that bikers should also be cited for the zillions of times I see them running through stop lights and stop signs; weaving through stopped traffic to get to the front of the lines; moving back and forth between the sidewalk and road, depending on what they deem as quicker.
If drivers are supposed to treat bicyclists like automobiles on the road, bicyclists should have to obey the laws and act like one. But I never see bicyclists getting tickets or fined for the ridiculous way in which they flout the law.
(Obviously not all bikers do the behaviors I describe. But I would say 98% of them do.)
There are idiot cyclists out there, yes. Idiot cyclist annoy drivers (they also annoy other cyclists).
There are idiot drivers out there. Idiot drivers endanger cyclists (and other motorists).
Annoy vs. endanger, that's the key difference here. The point is harassment, if someone uses a car (which makes for a very effective and dangerous weapon) to harass or intimidate a cyclist, should that be expressly against the law?
Watching some cyclist sneak through a red light may be maddening, but does not compare to someone giving your elbow a "close shave" at 50 mph with a 4000-lb hunk of steel.
No one should be intimidated or feel that there life is in jeopardy, but that is already against the law. I agree with the first poster. The vast majority of cyclists I see on the road ignore the rules of the road. When I bike I stop at the stop signs, signal turns, etc.
I think cars are generally ignorant of the mortal nature of their actions. I personally have been swerved *at* while doing nothing against the law. If I had been a less experienced rider or had there not been space for me to get out of the way (on to a sidewalk, which is illegal) I could have easily been seriously injured or killed. I don't think if thought through the extra couple of seconds that driver earned in her commute was worth my life.
Also, I want to say I don't disagree with the first poster. I think both cars and bikers need to be respectful of each other for any progress to be made. But I also think that there should be clear laws set out for both cars and bikes, separately, rather than lumping them together as most cities do.
As a biker I do my best to follow the automobile laws but there comes a point when that is just not possible. For example, when a car gives me 18" to ride in and there are massive pot holes in that space sometimes there is no choice but for me to ride on the sidewalk (illegal in my city) or risk serious injury or death. That car is required, by law, to give me a "safe riding distance". We were both breaking the law, but who should really get the ticket?
I think that bikers should also be cited for the zillions of times I see them running through stop lights and stop signs; weaving through stopped traffic to get to the front of the lines; moving back and forth between the sidewalk and road, depending on what they deem as quicker.
If drivers are supposed to treat bicyclists like automobiles on the road, bicyclists should have to obey the laws and act like one. But I never see bicyclists getting tickets or fined for the ridiculous way in which they flout the law.
(Obviously not all bikers do the behaviors I describe. But I would say 98% of them do.)