Reminder - look out for people on bikes

[PepperElf]

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/0...-all-time.html

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2009

All Questions, All the Time
POSTED BY NEIL AT 5:30 PM

The excitement at this end, if that's the right word for it, is all about my son Mike, who was on his bike when a car decided to occupy the same space he was in, and who now has a cleanly broken leg and a destroyed bike (and semi-destroyed bike helmet, and glad I am it was his helmet and not his head). His mum has gone to San Francisco to help him and bring him back. Seeing that he's going to have to work from home, we figured it would be easier for that home to be here, rather than an apartment up many stairs. He'll arrive on Monday, and I've made up a bed for him on the ground floor.

(Wear your bike helmet, he said to the world, making a mental note to buy himself a bike helmet.)

...

This probably could go in check it out, but I figured it's also about traffic...


and basically.... look out for bikers especially as the weather gets really good

[Buglady]

Yes, please watch out for us! In most cities, traffic laws REQUIRE adult cyclists to ride on the road, not sidewalk, and to obey the same traffic laws and signals as motorized vehicles. Unfortunately few drivers seem to be aware of this... please don't yell "you're not a car" (we knwo, that's the point) or "get off the road!" at us because that just makes everyone's day a little more negative and who needs that?

San Francisco is a weird place for cyclists, apparently - there's half the city that's very supportive, a bunch of neutrals, and some batshit crazy drivers who actively target bikes.

Sure, we're slower, but it will take you 3 seconds to move over and pass us safely. And just think, we aren't going to be competing with you for a parking spot

(My bike is my main transportation from April to October, maybe through the winter this year if I get brave enough)

((I always wear my helmet even though it is not a legal requirement for adults in my province. But I'm a klutz and I've also spent wayyyy too long in university to risk brain damage and ending up on the hook for student loan payments for a degree I can no longer remember... ))

[PepperElf]

I will never forget one morning in Hawaii on Pearl Harbor base.

My division was out at the end of the pier doing a workout and... only one of the guys saw it, but we all heard it. "UGH!!!" and <breaks squeal> and THUMP.

One of the cars had made a right hand turn into the parking lot without paying attention to the bike lane to his right.

Someone ran to the gate-guard and he called the ship and the corpsman came running out to attend to the biker. We posted someone at the parking lot entrance to stop traffic from coming in cos we werent' going to move the guy... then the police & ambulance showed up.


What a way for that poor guy to start the day. Knocked off of his bike by someone who didn't pay attention while driving. Typical of Hawaii though... the base speed limit was usually broken and drivers ignored laws regarding pedestrians in crosswalks.

After watching that... i make a point that when i see bikes around, i keep a close eye on them.

[Kogarashi]

I don't know if bike helmets were required in Utah or not, but I still wore mine religiously when I rode the bike to work at the craft store. I didn't want to take chances either, especially with some people's penchant for running red lights.

Only time I've ever ridden my bike on the sidewalks instead of the road was for one stretch of road on that particular commute, too. While I was still in the residential streets, I'd ride on the road and follow traffic laws just like if I were in a car. However, when I got to the main thoroughfare through the city, I'd switch to the sidewalks. That road was five lanes across, counting the central turn lane, and speedy-busy with big rigs and people not bothering to pay attention to anything but themselves.

To get to my workplace while staying on the road, I'd have to cross those five lanes and make a left-hand turn to ride on the far edge of the road. Then I'd have to cross a steep bridge with no shoulder (gah!), merge into the central turn lane from the far right, and cross the other two lanes of traffic to get to my workplace. I'd gladly do that in a car, since people would actually see me, but on the bike I preferred to switch to the sidewalk (which was nice and wide) right as I got to that super-busy road. Instead of crossing that bridge (which also had no pedestrian-safe place to walk), from the side with the sidewalk I could get to a minor street under the bridge and cross the railroad tracks there before continuing on more sidewalk until I got to the side street that had access to the craft store. Much safer, in my opinion. Going home I'd do the same in reverse.

Around here, I get pretty sick and tired of the cyclists who either take up the already narrow sidewalks and ignore pedestrian signals in favor of running red lights/DON'T WALK signs, or ride on the streets but ignore the traffic signals in favor of running red lights/STOP signs. Some look before they run the lights. Some don't. And some like to ride the wrong direction down the street because they seem to think that since you're supposed to walk against traffic when you're a pedestrian, you're also supposed to ride against traffic when you're a cyclist.

[blas]

I don't have a problem with cyclists as long as they stay off of the highway and do not attempt to ride on busy roads or roads with higher speed limits if there is no bike lane. One bicycle trying to join 3 or more lanes on a busy highway is NO fun. Everyone in a car is then scrambling about to get around the Lance Armstrong wannabe without hitting one another OR the Lance Armstrong wannabe, and while waiting to be able to pass the Armstrong wannabe, they are stuck going 20 mph or less in a 45+ mph zone.

I live in a very bike friendly city. There are bike lanes on almost every road. Use them. As mean as this sounds, you are NOT a car, and yes I will yell that at you if you decide you are too good for the bike lane and get into traffic and slow us down. Stay in the bike lane, and everything will be just fine.

I definetly have more patience for cyclists downtown who use their bikes to go to school, run their errands, and just to get around moreso than the yuppie morons who don't know what the bike lane is and ride all over town in the middle of the road for their little weekend toodles, annoying everyone and holding us all behind.

[LillFilly]

My boyfriend was riding his bike home from work when he crossed a driveway out of a shopping center. A female driver exiting the lot never saw him and hit him in the middle of the crosswalk! It pushed him into the middle of a 2-lane road. She got out and asked if he was ok. He said he thought so. He went to retrieve his banged-up bike from the other lane of traffic and she hopped-back in her car and drove-off! He was too dazed to get her plate number, but no permanant damage...

She might have some if I ever find her though...

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

This is why there should be separate bike lanes, though those often get ignored, too. And there aren't nearly enough around.

One benefit to living in a city where most people drive: the sidewalk is usually clear for bikers.

[Buglady]

Doesn't matter if the sidewalk is clear; in most areas it's illegal for bikes to use the sidewalks, pedestrian presence or not, and I wish to heaven they'd put this on the driver exams because nobody including the cops knows this half the time.

It's state highway code virtually everywhere that bicycles must be on the roadway proper, as close to the right as practicable - meaning if there are big potholes, road debris, gravel etc, that cyclist is going to be 2-3 feet out into the lane. The only exceptions are interstate highways where there are restrictions on ALL slow moving vehicles including tractors and horses.

Some cities have individual road bylaws that override the highway code and require cyclists to use sidewalks, but that's unusual. Most cities have the opposite law, that cyclists can't be on the sidewalk - and by the way, you can get a ticket and a fine on a bike if you break traffic laws, and points can go on your driver's license!

There are NO laws that restrict cyclists to designated bike lanes, which is good because there aren't nearly enough such lanes or paths to do anything remotely useful.

Common sense and the fear of distracted or hurrying drivers means that most cyclists do take the secondary roads and paths when we can. That's not always possible.

My bike isn't a toy. It's my vehicle. I'm out there doing my thing and living my life, not interfering with anyone else, and as I mentioned before, I'm not competing with anyone for a parking spot! Sure, you may need to slow down by a few seconds to get by me, but think how much time you could save looking for a parking spot if there were more bikes and fewer cars on the roads. I didn't lose my driver's license for drinking and driving, and I am a competent, employed, educated adult human being. I just choose not to spend half of my disposable income on a car when I can bike for free and get lots of great fresh air and exercise.

Your car (generic your, not anyone here personally) is not a toy, personal bubble, or weapon. It is a means of transportation that takes you on roads that lots of other people use too, and that lots of other people helped pay for (contrary to popular belief, roads aren't paid for out of gasoline taxes. It's property and state taxes that go to roadworks, and that means the non-drivers are helpng to pay too). Getting into a car and starting the engine does not turn you into a demigod and does not require the rest of the world to bend to your wishes and your timetable. Oh, and it doesn't make you invisible either. We can see you when you do idiotic things and we notice - hence this very subforum!

[Broomjockey]

This probably could go in check it out, but I figured it's also about traffic...

Doesn't matter. Links still go in check it out. Same as links about sucky customers went in Check it out, not sightings.

[PepperElf]

hey you moved my thread?
okie

This is why there should be separate bike lanes, though those often get ignored, too. And there aren't nearly enough around.

they have that in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The bike lanes even have their own street lights. and it's easier to find bike parking than it is to find car parks.

of course that's also because gas is more expensive there than it is here. i suspect as our prices rise... you'll see more biking within smaller cities though

[Broomjockey]

they have that in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The bike lanes even have their own street lights. and it's easier to find bike parking than it is to find car parks.

...That...is so COOL. The biggest barrier to my getting a bike is there's very few places to safely put it around this city, second biggest is drivers are freaking insane, and don't watch, so it's dangerous. o_O

[lordlundar]

...That...is so COOL. The biggest barrier to my getting a bike is there's very few places to safely put it around this city, second biggest is drivers are freaking insane, and don't watch, so it's dangerous. o_O

Which is why I ride on the sidewalk and watch what I'm doing.

Besides, I hit a pedestrian by accident, which is a pretty low chance, we both stand a good chance of getting away with at most a few scrapes and bruises. Riding on the road, all it takes is someone not paying attention for a split second and it's a trip in an ambulance at least.

[Broomjockey]

Which is why I ride on the sidewalk and watch what I'm doing.

Yeah, but I don't trust most cyclists out there who do that. You'd not believe how many of them I see pull crap like they'll hop up on the sidewalk to take advantage of the walk sign, ride across, then jump back down on to the road, or vice versa, whatever works better for them. And a number of cyclists have come flying past me with no warning. The best guy ever, though, shouted "On your left!" behind me, on a narrow walkway. If more cyclists did that, I'd not mind sharing the sidewalk.

[BlaqueKatt]

It is a means of transportation that takes you on roads that lots of other people use too, and that lots of other people helped pay for (contrary to popular belief, roads aren't paid for out of gasoline taxes. It's property and state taxes that go to roadworks, and that means the non-drivers are helpng to pay too).

and for the record-thank a cyclist that you even HAVE roads-good roads movement



yes the movement for paved roads started BEFORE cars, 1880 to be exact.

"I often hear now-a-days, the automobile instigated good roads; that the automobile is the parent of good roads.Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country." "The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle paths along the side of public highways." "The League fought for equal privileges with horse-drawn vehicles. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets."-Horatio Earle