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Living in philly, as I have said many times over already, one gets around easily on a bike. some cyclists are worse than others obviously, but there are events hipster cyclists (fixie junkies as I like to call them, or finkies) where they organize a ride through the city. sometimes its to draw awarness to city cyclist rights... by breaking the law.... or it's just something silly like halloween for example. which just nearly hurt several people outside my work.
I work on walnut, one of the main shopping and business area's in philly and just a few minutes about 6 or more dozen cyclists came barreling down the road, going right through red lights and nearly hitting pedestrians crossing the road, or nearly being hit by cars going on their green and not expecting cyclists to ninja the intersection.
I hate this, I hate this because they "woo" and "jeer" all down the road having fun as everyones saftey is at expense. I saw 3 people, one old woman and two business men, caught in the cross walk as cyclists flew through them. they were trapped there until the wave was gone, then they scurried to the sidewalk as more came by to claim the intersection once more.
at one opening, cars began crossing the intersection when more cyclists appeared and nearly hit 2 cars. did they stop? did they let the cars go since they had the right of way? no... not at all. they surrounded the cars in another wave of bikes, stranding both of them in the middle of the intersection until the cyclists wave was over.
this all took place in 5-7 minutes, but it caused so much chaos at one intersection, i can only imagine what broad and walnut was like (its a 4 lane main street in philly, crossing walnut, a main shopping road with 2 lanes... lots of traffic at 6pm especially).
I can understand having fun, I can understand showing awarness or making a parade. but organize it with the city, get police cyclists to go ahead of you and block traffic and pedestrians so you can cruise with safety in your and their minds. grrrr
I work on walnut, one of the main shopping and business area's in philly and just a few minutes about 6 or more dozen cyclists came barreling down the road, going right through red lights and nearly hitting pedestrians crossing the road, or nearly being hit by cars going on their green and not expecting cyclists to ninja the intersection.
I hate this, I hate this because they "woo" and "jeer" all down the road having fun as everyones saftey is at expense. I saw 3 people, one old woman and two business men, caught in the cross walk as cyclists flew through them. they were trapped there until the wave was gone, then they scurried to the sidewalk as more came by to claim the intersection once more.
at one opening, cars began crossing the intersection when more cyclists appeared and nearly hit 2 cars. did they stop? did they let the cars go since they had the right of way? no... not at all. they surrounded the cars in another wave of bikes, stranding both of them in the middle of the intersection until the cyclists wave was over.
this all took place in 5-7 minutes, but it caused so much chaos at one intersection, i can only imagine what broad and walnut was like (its a 4 lane main street in philly, crossing walnut, a main shopping road with 2 lanes... lots of traffic at 6pm especially).
I can understand having fun, I can understand showing awarness or making a parade. but organize it with the city, get police cyclists to go ahead of you and block traffic and pedestrians so you can cruise with safety in your and their minds. grrrr
My city just started this weird ad campaign designed to instruct bicyclists to "stop at stop signs" and "don't ride in the middle of the road." Like people don't know these things...
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