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get rearended, hope for a new car.
hit the bike, have to clean all the guts off the front of the car, and deal with lots of paperwork.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I do understand the concept of sharing the road, however this idea needs to go BOTH ways. Unfortunately it seems that cyclists demand that motorists share the road, while they do whatever they please.
Thats some generalization there. Most serious bikers do their best to share the road.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I think cyclists are like cops - most are good, but there are some really jerky ones out there who don't seem to get enough castigation from their peers.
Don't know what "serious" means. See too many inconsiderate bicyclists on 55mph rural back roads, State highways and US highways. They do not belong there.
We need state laws that limit bicyclists to lightly travelled city, suburb side streets where speed limits are 20, 25 or 30 mph. If bicyclists are to be allowed on higher speed roads, perhaps they should have license plate and pay same yearly fee as say a compact car (civic) for PRIVILEDGE of using public road.
Guard has a July 6 arraignment date for a gross misdemeanor charge of criminal impersonation in the second degree of a law-enforcement officer, said Delaura Wirkkala, a Cowlitz County court administrator.
Gross misdemeanors carry maximum penalties of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
A Washington state trooper stopped Guard Dec. 24 after allegedly witnessing him flashing emergency lights on I-5 near Kelso to urge slower-moving vehicles into the right lane. The Washington State Patrol forwarded the trooper's report to the Cowlitz County's Prosecutor's Office for further review.
Very true as most law enforcement personnel use common sense and most of us tried to be a human being and not a ticket machine. Yeh there are jerky ones but for each jerk I had towork with on the midnight shift, there were were 9 more that were professional and excellent to work with on evening/midnight shift.
I watched a cyclist get the book thrown at him for not stopping at stop lights and also cutting off vehciles in the process. The judge assessed three points for the recklessness of the cyclist. And that is heavy stuff!!
One big issue was that when the (law enforcement) got tenure, they were difficult to fire. Regardless of the righteousness of some, at least jmo, we did the best we could in conditions that many times were difficult. Glad to be retired.
As I just returned with my bride of 47 years from our driving trip to Illinois and back, we got to see many beautiful places and meet many many wonderful people of this great country, the USA.
We drove through 9 different states and meet many wonderful people. And we got to see our grandchildren play in baseball games and enjoyed the majestic Zion and the Grand Canyon. Wow what a wonderful time to be alive.
Good luck to all and stay safe. Oh, we met very few inconsiderate drivers/people.
jensad
I have only seen at most 3 bicyclists stop for a red light or stop sign. Drive in NYC and I guarantee you will see dozens of incompetent bicyclists, and very few that are obeying the rules. On an 8 lane road through Manhattan (4 each way) 3 of us traveling side by side through the intersection had to slam our brakes on to avoid this person who decided that cutting in front of all of us was the best option. I think what shocked me the most was the taxi driver hitting the brakes as well!
The best cyclists I have seen were out in the country, mainly kept on the shoulder when possible, or to the right most of the lane if one wasn't available. The worst ones tend to be in the city from what I see.
Now what is being done on those 55 MPH rural roads that is inconsiderate?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Something like 57 million adults bike at least once a week; probably more since that's a 2002 number back in the days of cheap gas. (link). Changing behavior is fine, but cyclists have a right to the roads (and don't get me going on the right vs privilege to drive argument
If you want blanket assertions, take a scroll back through a few hundred posts in this board. I'm sure the percentage of idiot drivers equals those of bikers or pedestrians; likely higher since the auto idiots think they are invincible since they are surrounded by sheet metal.
I would have to agree. When was the last time that you saw a bicyclist texting, eating a Big Mac, reading, applying makeup, or smoking? :confuse:
(I must admit that I once saw a cyclist smoking, but I don't think that he was what S-weasel would call a "serious biker")
There's a reason they are padding sign poles in parts of London.
Allowing California stops would save a lot of gas.
Some places are finding that happy medium for cyclists, where they are expected to regard a stop sign the same as a yield sign, and a red light the same as cars are expected to regard a stop sign. And that's what I do. The laws here don't specifically say I can or should, but I don't get in anyone's way either.
The cyclists that get out in the rural back roads are usually the serious ones, and will ride smart and courteously. Depending on where you encounter them, you may still be delayed a few seconds. We'll ride as far to the right as it is safe to do so, and all we ask in return is 3 feet of clearance when you pass. That's sharing the road.
A couple weekends ago I did 160+ miles on the NC back roads between Cary and Pinehurst and didn't really have any close calls with motorists.
Oh, and you can make fun of the colorful jerseys all you want... but you can't use the excuse that you didn't see me!
A local Seattle biker trait that bugs me - when there's a bike lane, some of these posers in funny tight unflattering gear refuse to ride in it, instead sticking to the motor vehicle lane. Maybe I should pass in the bike lane...
And on a related note, roads were paved and made widespread for cars. If who comes first matters, then pedestrians should be able to amble down the middle of any street...
Different vehicle, different rules. When you're commuting on a bike and hitting red lights, you have more visibility than someone in a car (unless you're pedaling a recumbent perhaps), and it's easy to slow and scope out the intersection without losing all your momentum. And if you screw up, you may kill a pedestrian, but you're more likely to be creamed yourself.
In a car you don't have any personal effort at stake and no personal energy to conserve. If you get t-boned, at least you have seat belts, crumple zones and air bags on your side.
Long lights just give you opportunity to grab the other make-up case and put some more ketchup on those McDonald's fries.
Long lights increase gas tax proceeds and the overpaid "traffic engineers" who plan them likely believe they encourage people to stop and shop in their locales, as well.
Sounds like a scam to me.
Very inconsiderate of the taxpayers.
Well, here in the suburbs of Suwon, South Korea... the pedestrians actually *DO* that. And there are sidewalks for them to use, but the pedestrians completely ignore them, favoring the center of the road.
It's really, REALLY annoying, to say the least.
I'm not in Seattle, but....
1. The spandex, however unflattering, is functional.
2. What you call funny is also highly visible. My neighbor may want to look like Lance (hell, he named his kid Lance) but I don't give a damn... I just want motorists to be able to see me, so they don't run me over.
3. Sometimes I will move over into the vehicle lane (on the order of *inches* from the white line) to avoid some kind of hazard in the bike lane. If you want cyclists to stay in the bike lane all the time, stop throwing your trash there. If you want cyclists to pay license/registration fees, that money should go to regularly clearing the sand/gravel/debris out of the bike lanes.
I have seen very little consideration overall. Percentage wise, I'd say cyclists are more inconsiderate than motorists. Rarely have I ever seen a cyclist using hand signals which would be nice to know that you are planning to turn in front of me, but then again, people aren't much better using signals in a car either...
Different vehicle, different rules.
After spending nearly a week in NYC, I can say I saw my share of inconsiderate pedestrians...however, they were always menaced by the vehicle they offended, and rightfully so.
It's amusing how "share the road" seems to be a one way street.
Same road, same rules.
I'd have no problem in the world with bike fees being used to maintain said lanes - with an expectation that the riders are required to use said lanes when available, and will be penalized if they do not, just like I would be if I drove my car in that lane. What I see isn't riders avoiding hazards, but simply ignoring the existence of the bike lane altogether.
Spandex might not be really necessary for a 2 mile jaunt from the tract house to the office, but that's what it is used for in my area :shades:
And if that argument doesn't hold water for a car, it doesn't hold water for anything on the road. Period.
It is here.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Are you saying "screw the cross traffic", I'm going through regardless and they must stop/swerve to avoid hitting you?
Here's how Idaho does it.
Now, I don't think a bike should have to come to a complete stop at every stop sign and stop light. But they'd better slow down, look VERY carefully in all directions, and be prepared to stop, and yield right of way to other traffic. Given that a bike is at a disadvantage in any collision, that is only prudent.
Thinking back, I really can't recall sitting at a light without cross traffic at all in the recent past, so I'm under the impression that they should stop and wait their turn with the rest of us. I guess I need to travel out further in the country where you may sit at a light with nothing coming for miles from either direction
And I am in IL.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Did a 30 mile RT jaunt this morning with just one flashing caution to go through. That light is probably unnecessary; more of a beacon to get people to realize there's shopping just off the main road.
In another couple of years I won't be fit to drive in Seattle.
And if that argument doesn't hold water for a car, it doesn't hold water for anything on the road. Period.
But if a light is on a demand sensor, and a cyclist is the only cross traffic, it's not going to change. That's when I just look for a break in traffic that is big enough for me to cross without getting in anyone's way.
Long story short, there are things that cyclists have to avoid that motorists wouldn't even think about. If I stray over the line, I have a good reason. And that's a good reason for the 3-foot rule.
The only place I truly play fast and loose with a bike lane is a lightly traveled 25 mph residential thoroughfare in a nearby beach town... because if the wind is favorable I can easily pull 25-30mph.