Who is the real danger on the Texas roads? (Houston: transplants, home)

[ReppingDFW]

Personally, I think cyclists should ride on shoulders of the roads that have them and try and stay off the busy roads that don't. I support bike lanes on major streets to keep them separate from traffic (seen them in cities all over, but very few here in Texas), but until those are built, cyclists will continue to be a pain in the ass.

Honestly, until then, I'd support a ban of cyclists on major streets during rush hour. Nothing's more frustrating than getting stuck behind a slow moving cyclist and you can't pass because of the heavy traffic around you.

[DanielWayne]

Agreed 1000% with the 2 posts above me. Houston, Dallas, and SA are spread out to accommodate a car culture. Now I am all for bikes and less reliance on gas, etc. Lots of new development in houston includes bike paths, which may even encourage me to get a bike. But bicyclists on busy highways are a danger, and there is absolutely no way you can rationalize that. Maybe in 10 years Houston will have more bike lanes. I support this wholeheartedly. Bit until then this is not Amsterdam and injecting yourself into a 45mph highway on a 10mph bike is only going to cause problems. Please please ban cyclists on busy rush hour highways.

Also there are specific laws about when a cyclist can and cannot occupy an entire lane. Just look it up. In a similar thread somebody mentioned cyclists should have to pass drivers exams. I think this is a Great idea!

[TheOverdog]

and our highways and byways are some of the safest and best kept up in the nation

The highways are safe maybe, but they are not among the safest in the nation and DFW & Houston both are very high on the list of metros where the most pedestrians are killed by cars. I think Dallas is #10 and Houston is around #3. Texas cities are built for cars only - at the detriment of all other modes of transportation. Yet everyone whines when gas rises by a quarter when you have destroyed all alternatives for transportation, but that's Texas for you.

[blkgiraffe]

It's more of the lack of proper infrastructure than the drivers and cyclist. Our roads and cities aren't built for cyclist. Many roads don't have sidewalks or bike lanes which leads to people biking in the streets.

[88txaggie]

It appears from this thread that there is a huge need for driver's education to address cyclists on Texas roads. However the subject is broached, the fact that driver's ed is discussing the LAWS surrounding cyclists is a good thing.

There is no encroachment onto Texas culture of cyclists, at least legally. It is already the LAW that cyclists ride as far to the right as practicable. That means that if it is unsafe for cars to pass cyclists without moving into opposing traffic that cyclists do indeed have the right to move over and take the lane. This signals to the driver that there is no room to pass unless the car moves into the other lane. This avoids situations where the car tries to unsafely squeeze by. It also means that if there is debris in the bike lane or side of the road, the cyclist is allowed by law to move over. Many times, drivers cannot see the obstructions that cause a cyclist to ride farther left.

If you find the above untenable and awful, then advocate to change the law. Blowing exhaust onto cyclists, cursing, honking, throwing things at them or forcing them off the road does nothing but create a larger divide between cyclists and drivers. Slow down and drive safely. If you imagine that the cyclist that is causing you delay might be someone you know or are related to - a daughter, son, mom, sister, father....maybe that will allow you to cool your jets and be safe.

[TexasHorseLady]

88txaggie, while I agree with many things in your post, I find it interesting that it does not in any way, shape or form address responsibilities of cyclists.

By the way, my husband commuted to work via bicycle for some time, and I raised children who rode bicycles. There was little that made me angrier than for my children, riding in the car with me, to see an adult bicyclist blatantly ignoring any rules of the road, blowing through stop signs in front of us so that we had to slam on our brakes, hogging lanes, and generally riding like an a**, because it was such a bad example for them. (Yes, there are a lot of those out there, still.)

I still hold that if adult bicyclists want the privileges that go along with sharing the roadways with motorists and motorcyclists, they should be held to the same responsibilities as far as being licensed. You'd have fits at a motorist driving on the roadways without training and a license; why should a bicyclist be any different?

[88txaggie]

Horselady: I would support the push for registration and license plates of cyclists (or rather, I would not oppose such a push) - although that would add layers of bureaucracy and government that I am not entirely comfortable with. Registration of bikes is something that comes up often in these discussions, and while I see the logic in the argument I think the implementation would be difficult. However, licensing of the riders themselves begs the question of childhood riders and whether they would qualify for a 'license'. For instance, my 12 year old has ridden charity rides and trained on the road with us - does the license preclude him from riding until a certain age? I would be against that. We have no sidewalks in the town in which we live; my 12 year old rides alone to the pool (2 miles away) and to friend's houses. My 8 year old rides to friend's houses. I would not have that taken away from them.

I ride within the law, and I get pissed when I see irresponsibility too. I fully support cyclists receiving tickets for irresponsible behavior.

But I was addressing the OP and the need for motorists to become educated about the laws surrounding cyclists, which is why I did not discuss cyclists' responsibilities.

[TexasHorseLady]

There's a reason I said "adult cyclists", because I'm aware of those problems. Perhaps something like a learner's permit for youngsters, with appropriate to their age training, that would allow them to ride the way you say they do and still help keep them safe? And imagine how grown-up they'd feel! As for licensing bicycles, I can see that as a way to be able to definitely identify those who break the law (and for them knowing it), but it's not something that I'm particularly concerned about one way or the other. Insurance, now, that's something that needs to be thought about, because whether some want to acknowledge it or not, a bicyclist can definitely cause an accident even if they're not directly involved in it. But having been a personal injury legal assistant and knowing how insurance companies love to settle no matter the validity of the case one way or the other, if it's cheaper not to fight it, I'm not sure that would help much.

I think that education is essential for ALL parties using vehicles of ANY kind on the public roadways, for the safety of all concerned. Perhaps the OP would feel more comfortable if the driver's education that she mentioned specified bicyclists that are ignorant of or ignore the rules of the road are a hazard?

[Sunderpig2]

So much here is the view through the eyes of the south. "Hey, he ain't in a good ol boy pickup truck, so hes one of them sissy no good liberuls". It doesn't help either that the temps are so much like an inferno, and most Texans have a perpetual gripe on the mind, and chip on their shoulders, to stir the brains up.

Anyway, in other more advanced areas, cars and bikes and their inhabitants get along just fine. You just can't expect too much around here, or set the bar very high.

As in all other areas, those with the biggest vehicle, or biggest pocketbook, or most insider friends, get the advantage and are able to run the show.

[TexasHorseLady]

Sunderpig, I do drive a pickup now, as I need it for hauling hay, grain, etc. In times past, I've driven everything from a panel truck to a Camry to a station wagon to an MGB convertible and spent more than a little time on the back of various motorcycles, depending on stage of life and need. I even rode a bicycle when I was younger! None of it has had anything to do with "biggest" (well, except that I do need a big truck bed to haul the things I need to haul these days, but that, again, has to do with function). As a woman, I'm more than aware that bigger is not necessarily better (nor do I have any envy in that regard, as is often evidenced here by people denigrating Texas and anything big). Also, "most Texans" are used to the heat; we're not the ones with chips on our shoulders as a result of it, because we don't suffer from it so much as some who aren't acclimated.

Nor am I liberal or conservative, come to that. Got more sense than to be either exclusively, would rather engage my brain than turn it over to a political party, ANY political party.

Your post, though, does not address the very serious issues that are being addressed in this thread regarding mutually safe use of the roadways.