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I respect bike riders right to be on the roads until I see them breaking traffic LAWS. Going between cars, passing on the right and not stopping at lights and signs is against the law. Bikers are required to follow all of the traffic laws that car drivers are.
Yes, I fully agree. Cops should bust these idiots using "extreme prejudice" then maybe other cyclist will get the drift that they, too, are piloting a "vehicle" no different than a car/truck.
There is absolutely no justifcation for anyone to feel this way or say this since in 100% state vehicle definitions BICYCLES ARE VEHICLES TOO!
They have every bit of the same level of right to the road as any other state qualified vehicle so suck it up and give way!
Then they need to follow the same traffic laws cars adhere to. If I were to drive down the street in my car going 10mph in a 45mph zone I WILL get pulled over for impeding traffic. So what gives them the right to do it? There is nothing you can say because you know I am right here.
The hatred that motorists have for bicyclists in this country is the most irrational and disturbing thing. Half the folks here focus on the lone bicyclist doing absolutely nothing to impede their way to vent all their frustrations about everyday driving towards.
"They should behave and follow all the rules just like cars!" from one side of the mouth "I hate it when bicyclists use lanes and signals to legally maneuver to where they need to go!" out the other.
Yeah, and you NEVER exceed the speed limit by one mile an hour or roll through the stop sign on your car!
I have to pass bicyclists every day when driving, it doesn't bother me one bit- I yield to them, give them a wide berth when passing and ALWAYS signal and use the correct lanes, and I have never been flipped off by a bicyclist, and, get this, I STILL ACTUALLY MAKE IT TO MY DESTINATION!
Why would I care if a bicyclist who came to a 4-way stop ahead of me rolls through slowly? I still have to yield to him or her, and it doesn't take any effort for me to stop but the minor violation of a bike rolling through keeps up the momentum for the cyclist. I'm not talking about a bike blasting through a light or sign not looking nor yielding to the flow of traffic, that's stupid and should be ticketed. But a bicyclist who always yields and signals correctly even if they roll through does not in any way affect me (or you) nor anger me. If a bike can get ahead of me at a long line of cars at a stop light- that should infuriate me!? Thats the point.
Get your fat ass out of your car and take a walk or ride a bike once in a while and enjoy life instead of trying to kill people just because you have to share the road with others.
Cyclists as with drivers come in different categories. Some are poor at it, some don't care, some follow every rule to a T and some worry more about surviving. Put me in the survival category. It's too bad most drivers remember the kitted out racer running the red light as most riders can't stand those idjuts either. I'll make a concerted effort to run down and pass any rider that does that at a light I'm waiting at.
You really have to ride for a while to get to see every category of driver. When you are driving for the most part it won't bother you but the driver that is talking, eating, puting on makeup etc can kill you. Plus, some people get really tough behind the wheel who would normally be caring and timid.
Exactly. It's a small percentage of hyper aggressive bicyclists who disregard traffic laws that get on my nerves. I'm in the category of a survivalist bicyclist too -- though I'm a recreational cyclist and try to stay off main roads for self-preservation.
It's the aggressive breed who attempt to do things that are reckless that can be trying. And, to be clear, I am not talking about people rolling through stop signs on residential streets, I am speaking to a cyclist who runs at full speed into a busy city intersection through a red light, or up onto a busy sidewalk with little regard for pedestrians. That's a reckless driver, no matter how one tries to say that it's justified because they are on two wheels. And, I encounter such cyclists almost daily, both as a driver, and as a pedestrian. And, face it, there are limited repercussions for such actions, since traffic enforcement on a bicycle is an extremely rare thing.
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I have no problem with bicyclists sharing the road and even once and I while I personally like to go out for a ride. However on several occasions I find that bicyclists lack common sense or that they feel the need to clearly exert their right to use the road.
There are just some roads out there that cyclists should not be on. Such as roads in industrial/commercial areas where the traffic is 45-50mph and there is a large percentage of tractor trailers, dumptrucks and other types of work vehicles combined with loads of passenger cars.... just dense, naturally unyielding traffic. Today for instance, traveling on one of these roads I see a cyclist causing all sorts of scare for people. The shoulder of the road is about 1.5' and there is a very lightly used sidewalk not 4 ft from him. However the cyclist continues to endanger his life and put everyone driving on the road in a very scary position. There were a few trucks that had to make rather sketchy lane changes to avoid this person.
This is not an isolated incident... I see this everywhere quite often. I understand it is the law for a cyclist to travel on the road however it is completely insane and selfish to put yourself in that sort of danger and make yourself a huge liability for drivers.
I am not bashing cyclists at all but I really think that they need to exert more common sense and hide their pride away in situations like this. No police officer in their right mind would fault a cyclist for using sidewalks in the areas I am describing.
What does everyone think?
I believe that it is against the law to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. I seriously doubt if a police officer would permit a law to be broken with impunity simply because the bicyclist had the poor judgment to pick a dangerous route.
There is no law against lack of common sense, which these stubborn bicyclists unfortunately take advantage of. I certainly feel very sorry for the innocent automobile driver who ends up killing or mangling someone as a result of their own stupidity. But what can you do? It's a free country.
I love the idiots who ride two or three abreast and expect cars to swerve into oncoming lanes of traffic to avoid hitting them. I figure sooner or later someone comes along who refuses to play their little games. You read about them in the obits once in a while.
I believe that it is against the law to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. I seriously doubt if a police officer would permit a law to be broken with impunity simply because the bicyclist had the poor judgment to pick a dangerous route.
There is no law against lack of common sense, which these stubborn bicyclists unfortunately take advantage of. I certainly feel very sorry for the innocent automobile driver who ends up killing or mangling someone as a result of their own stupidity. But what can you do? It's a free country.
I love the idiots who ride two or three abreast and expect cars to swerve into oncoming lanes of traffic to avoid hitting them. I figure sooner or later someone comes along who refuses to play their little games. You read about them in the obits once in a while.
20yrsinBranson
I see them getting killed all the time in Vegas, especially with all the drunks on the roads out here. It is bad enough for me to drive my little Ford Escort since it is small, but anyone out here riding a bicycle out here on the city streets has a serious death wish.
I see them getting killed all the time in Vegas, especially with all the drunks on the roads out here. It is bad enough for me to drive my little Ford Escort since it is small, but anyone out here riding a bicycle out here on the city streets has a serious death wish.
It's the same around here because we have no shoulders on our roads.
It's unfortunate that bicyclists cannot safely share the road with cars. But the laws of physics is just against them. And as far as my statement about the ones that ride two or three abreast, these certainly are not common. I am not saying that ALL bicyclists have attitude. I wanted to clarify that remark. Some of them are very good "drivers". They are just at a HUGE, HUGE disadvantage, as you point out Las Vegas Drunk.
Then they need to follow the same traffic laws cars adhere to. If I were to drive down the street in my car going 10mph in a 45mph zone I WILL get pulled over for impeding traffic. So what gives them the right to do it? There is nothing you can say because you know I am right here.
I will be the first to agree that most of the time cyclist are their own worst enemy when it comes to observing the rules of the road. However, that does not give motorist the right to take the right of way just because they are bigger or have a engine under the hood! For any motorist to complain about having to share the road with cyclist is just to damn bad. The people that ride bicycles are tax paying people too so all I can say to motorist is suck it up and share!
If you hit a cyclist for any reason then it is YOU who are going to have the legal grief and rightly so.
I will be the first to agree that most of the time cyclist are their own worst enemy when it comes to observing the rules of the road. However, that does not give motorist the right to take the right of way just because they are bigger or have a engine under the hood!
If you hit a cyclist for any reason then it is YOU who are going to have the legal grief and rightly so.
That is true only if they are following the law. I have seen MANY, MANY bicyclists cross against a light because "no one was coming". If they were to be struck at the intersection by a car that was turning or one that they "didn't see", certainly it would not be the automobile driver fault.
As for the Las Vegas Drunk's comment about impeding traffic, that is a very valid point, especially in large cities where commute time is always a huge consideration.
20yrsinBranson
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Especially if they are taking up a traffic lane.
There is nothing you can say because you know I am right here.
