My case against cyclists

[Snotnarok]

Actually as I recall it's illegal for people to ride bikes on a sidewalk. I mean it's not something that's actively acted on but maybe that's just the suburbs.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Stop having inferior infrastructure and get some bike lanes, most problems solved!

 

[GoldenFish]

I hate people in cars who think they own the road. Yeah the Sidewalk is there for a reason walking! Sure that guy was in the wrong but I see guys in bug cars that cant be driven around unlike a small bike texting all the time. Most people that bike are very careful about abiding by the road code considering they are the ones in danger while it's very often safe distracted car drivers that get in the way and cause accidents.

 

[The Lugz]

Would it have made any difference if the jerk was in a car and texting at the light?

this is exactly my thought, it seems the op doesn't have a problem with 'cyclists' at all he just has a problem with jerks

Do you think people should be allowed to ride bikes on any road they want, or should it be isolated to less busy residential streets and sidewalks?

ban everyone!
ban everything!!!
BAN BAN BAN!!!!!

you realize, of-course with your intimate knowledge of the queen's highway that if you ban cyclists from roads you've banned cycling, right?
do you actually bother to read any of the so called road laws you proclaim to understand?
the answer is no. because if you did you could never come out with such rubbish
that sir is called being a hypocrite

several common misconceptions that the users of cars that think they own the world forget:

there's a standing fine for riding on the pavement,
you can KILL small children if you hit them with a bike, just as you'd crush anyone with a car.
riding in residential areas is at best foolish, and worst criminally negligent.
you are obliged to avoid car doors lest you cause an accident
( this means riding 3-5 feet around a parked car )

lastly
this isnt a problem with cyclists, it's a problem with morons.
people are drooling iddiots, it happens get used to it.

 

[Wuggy]

Yeah, well, douchebags are douchebags. There's nothing more to it, really. I don't drive a car or cycle myself. I do, however, use the longboard and I vary on whether I ride on the road or on the sidewalk. I respect the drivers, and if one is coming from behind me, I roll to the side of the road so they are able to pass me or I move over to the sidewalk completely, given that it's not too narrow and doesn't have too much crowd in it.

 

[Eddy Cowdrey]

Stop having inferior infrastructure and get some bike lanes, most problems solved!

Unfortunately, this doesn't always work. I worked with a couple of 'hardcore' cyclists (needless to say they didn't like me), a lot of cyclists won't use cycleways if there are driveways around as they consider them to be more dangerous than the road.

My problem with cyclists stems from 2 things:

1) The inability to stick to basic road rules (such as actually stopping at a stop sign).

2) The complete lack of respect given to cars. I get that you like biking and, it's great that you're out riding instead of polluting the planet or whatever i'm doing, but riding 2 or 3-abreast on an already narrow road is just plain rude. The same thing goes for cyclists weaving in and out of parked cars while not allowing cars to pass.

To be honest, 'proper' cyclists, the ones with road bikes and fluro pink pants don't tend to be a problem, usually because their bikes are made for the road and they have spent so much time nearly getting hit that they have a healthy respect for other vehicles. It's the teenager or middle-aged woman on a mountain bike that is the problem. They are not made for road riding and you cannot maintain a straight line on them (they weave a lot more than a road bike), road cyclists should have to at least pass a written test and should be required to ride a proper road bike.

I live in New Zealand, and a particularly 'green' city at that, so in my short couple of years of driving, needless to say i've nearly killed a lot of people on bikes.

 

[Vrach]

Would it have made any difference if the jerk was in a car and texting at the light?

^This really. Morons be morons. To your question, yeah, I think cyclists should have the choice of road if there's no designated bike track (which there really should be, but :\ )

 

[Thedutchjelle]

In the Netherlands, lanes for bicycles are virtually everywhere. Cycling on sidewalks will get you loads of hate of pedestrians when there is a cycling lane nearby, and possibly a fine as well if you get caught by the police. People only cycle on the car-raods when there are no cycle lanes nearby (obviously not on the highway). I can get around on my bicycle so I didn't see the need for a drivers license.

Most bicyclist here know the rules as well. The only thing I tend to find annoying is when cyclist don't use hand signals to indicate if they're going to make a turn, of car drivers not understand them. Look sir, very nice you stopped your car so I can pass the lane, but I'm not going that way, I'm taking this turn as I indicated the previous 5 seconds by stretching my arm in that direction.

So, as for the question put forward by the topic starter, I'm fine with cyclists cycling on the road when there is no lane nearby. This doesn't go for 'big" roads obviously, where cars are allowed to drive >100 km/h. It depends on the circumstances really. However, I believe that one should never cycle on the sidewalk - that is reserved for pedestrians.
However, people texting while in traffic should face serious fines, wether they are drivers or cyclist or pilots, I don't care. When I receive a text message on my cellphone, I park my bicycle on a pedestrian lane (if one is nearby) and read the text, before continuing my travel.

 

[bauke67]

In my country, there are separate roads for bicycles in most places, and where there aren't, it's usually not necessary. People do ride bicycles a lot more here, so let's only call people on racing bikes, who think they are riding the Tour de France or something, and that that gives them the right to ride their bikes wherever they want, in their special bicycle-riding suits, doucebags.

 

[Alleged_Alec]

In my country, there are separate roads for bicycles in most places, and where there aren't, it's usually not necessary. People do ride bicycles a lot more here, so let's only call people on racing bikes, who think they are riding the Tour de France or something, and that that gives them the right to ride their bikes wherever they want, in their special bicycle-riding suits, doucebags.

Oh, boy...

So people should not be allowed to have a faster mode of transportation? Because yes: racing bikes are a lot faster. The clothing is also quite handy if you don't want your crotch to be demolished if you're going for a long ride. And not just that: but mountainbiking and bicycle racing are sports.
I'd also like to point of that these people know where they should be, in my experience, in contradiction with what you're saying.

The real douchebag here is you, wanting to stop people from doing their hobby.

 

[Esotera]

This isn't an isolated incident either, this happens all the time. I hate all the bicyclists who whine about sharing the road and don't even take the time to learn the rules of it. If you want to bike on the street it's your responsibility to know the rules, and follow them like any other vehicle on the road. I honestly don't think that any schmo with a bike should be able to go out riding in the middle of busy streets with cars, trucks, and semis. There are sidewalks for a reason. If I'm driving a 2 ton metal deathtrap on wheels, I don't want to drive around with it a couple of feet away from some guy on a 10 pound bike.

I don't particularly want to ride next to cars. Unfortunately it is illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk (in the UK at least), and cycle lanes are very rare.

I cycle to uni every day, and probably about 100 cars overtake me. About 10% of them will pull out to the other side of the road in the face of incoming traffic. You wouldn't do it with a tractor or bus, so why a bike? People will pull out when they don't have right of way, and will even try to overtake you on roundabouts.

The same sort of thing happens to pedestrians. Walk across a zebra crossing and more often than not you'll get evils from a driver, or they won't make it certain that they're stopping.

Not to mention the fact that cycling is healthier & effectively carbon neutral. Most people living in or near a city simply don't need a car (commuters are an obvious exception); I think the case against motorists is far stronger.

 

[bauke67]

Oh, boy...

So people should not be allowed to have a faster mode of transportation? Because yes: racing bikes are a lot faster. The clothing is also quite handy if you don't want your crotch to be demolished if you're going for a long ride. And not just that: but mountainbiking and bicycle racing are sports.
I'd also like to point of that these people know where they should be, in my experience, in contradiction with what you're saying.

The real douchebag here is you, wanting to stop people from doing their hobby.[/quote]

Wow, I don't think you really get my point here, I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed to where clothes or have have those bikes(that part was just description). Also, I never said they weren't real sports, but I don't play soccer on a road where everyone else is doing 80 km/h, when there are plenty of better places for it. And yes, douchebag sounds a bit harsh, but that's what the first post said, sorry.

 

[Acier]

Do you think people should be allowed to ride bikes on any road they want, or should it be isolated to less busy residential streets and sidewalks?

There's actually quite a debate about that. Bikes are vehicles, and it's technically illegal for them to be on sidewalks. However, like you say it appears that they can be safer on sidewalks. Unfortunately this isn't usually the case. By isolating the bikers from the flow of traffic, it can cause more injuries than those who stay in the flow of traffic consistently (granted they're following the rules of the road). Think about it, when you're driving, are you actually watching what's going on along sidewalks and bike lanes? If a biker needs to get over you probably won't see him transition onto the road, as opposed to him just being on the road the whole time. Leading to the possibility of an accident.

Road psychology is just weird in general, but basically, it's *more* dangerous to encourage bikes off the roads in the long run. The optimal solution is for bikers to be properly educated how to handle a road and drivers to respect them.

 

[JYzer]

Do you think people should be allowed to ride bikes on any road they want, or should it be isolated to less busy residential streets and sidewalks?

There's actually quite a debate about that. Bikes are vehicles, and it's technically illegal for them to be on sidewalks. However, like you say it appears that they can be safer on sidewalks. Unfortunately this isn't usually the case. By isolating the bikers from the flow of traffic, it can cause more injuries than those who stay in the flow of traffic consistently (granted they're following the rules of the road). Think about it, when you're driving, are you actually watching what's going on along sidewalks and bike lanes? If a biker needs to get over you probably won't see him transition onto the road, as opposed to him just being on the road the whole time. Leading to the possibility of an accident.

Road psychology is just weird in general, but basically, it's *more* dangerous to encourage bikes off the roads in the long run. The optimal solution is for bikers to be properly educated how to handle a road and drivers to respect them.

The possibility of an accident goes up when traffic flows intersect. But the answer to that isn't to force everyone onto the same road, it's to make it abundantly clear what the situation is and who has the right of way. It's not just about proper education, even though knowing and following the rules of the road is a vital part, it's about properly built infrastructure.

What you're describing doesn't sound like properly isolating bike traffic to me. Bikes don't belong directly on a busy road any more than they belong on the sidewalk. They should be in bike lanes, either as a distinct section of a road or physically separate from it. Unless it's a residential street or city centre, where you're talking about low-speed areas which work fine as a shared space for both cars and bikes.

I can only echo what Jelle and Bauke said. The idea of not properly separating traffic is alien to me.

 

[Acier]

Do you think people should be allowed to ride bikes on any road they want, or should it be isolated to less busy residential streets and sidewalks?

There's actually quite a debate about that. Bikes are vehicles, and it's technically illegal for them to be on sidewalks. However, like you say it appears that they can be safer on sidewalks. Unfortunately this isn't usually the case. By isolating the bikers from the flow of traffic, it can cause more injuries than those who stay in the flow of traffic consistently (granted they're following the rules of the road). Think about it, when you're driving, are you actually watching what's going on along sidewalks and bike lanes? If a biker needs to get over you probably won't see him transition onto the road, as opposed to him just being on the road the whole time. Leading to the possibility of an accident.

Road psychology is just weird in general, but basically, it's *more* dangerous to encourage bikes off the roads in the long run. The optimal solution is for bikers to be properly educated how to handle a road and drivers to respect them.

The possibility of an accident goes up when traffic flows intersect. But the answer to that isn't to force everyone onto the same road, it's to make it abundantly clear what the situation is and who has the right of way. It's not just about proper education, even though knowing and following the rules of the road is a vital part, it's about properly built infrastructure.

What you're describing doesn't sound like properly isolating bike traffic to me. Bikes don't belong directly on a busy road any more than they belong on the sidewalk. They should be in bike lanes, either as a distinct section of a road or physically separate from it. Unless it's a residential street or city centre, where you're talking about low-speed areas which work fine as a shared space for both cars and bikes.

I can only echo what Jelle and Bauke said. The idea of not properly separating traffic is alien to me.

The bike lanes don't solve the problem I was talking about. And yes, separate bike infrastructure is nice. But there are times where it is completely impractical.

 

[Hitokiri_Gensai]

My parents (as well as George Carlin's) always told me to keep my toys in the yard.

In all seriousness though, I've always thought that bicyclists should keep to the side-walks especially if there's one available. I understand that rural roads don't have sidewalks but where there is a sidewalk, there is an area for a bicyclist. Some roads have designated areas for bicyclists which are also fine since that's a section specifically for those people. I can't stand assholes on the road though, no matter what they're driving. Speaking of assholes on the road, an asshole in a semi won't stop for an asshole on a bike texting at a green light. It won't take many of those scenarios to keep cyclists on their own area.

some places dont allow you to ride on the sidewalk. Alot of towns require that you ride in the road.

 

[GundamSentinel]

If I'm driving a 2 ton metal deathtrap on wheels, I don't want to drive around with it a couple of feet away from some guy on a 10 pound bike.

You should come to the Netherlands, that'll make your day.

Seriously, cars and bikes can easily share the same road, but you'll have douchebags everywhere. When people don't learn how to behave on the road, it doesn't matter which vehicle, you'll get those kinds of situations.
And bikes on the sidewalk? I don't know the traffic situation there, but around here cycling on the sidewalk is a very bad idea.

 

[evilengine]

speaking as a regular cyclist I like to think I set a decent example. I don't kit myself out with the whole flashing warning lights or spandex shorts/trousers and whatnot, but nor do I fiddle about with my phone/ipod in the middle of the road. In fact crossroads and intersections are when I'm at my most on-edge, the fact that right behind my is some asshole in a 2-ton box on wheels and if I'm not fast enough on the go I'm getting either knocked off or flattened. Whoever the cyclist guy was just sounds like your dime-a-dozen douchebag, had it been me I'd have quickly hurried off the road onto the pavement to use my phone, not right when there's a line of impatient pricks revving their 4x4s behind me. It's a scary experience is city cycling, while I might be trying my best to stay alive, drivers aren't so thoughtful.