I was taught defensive driving, seems like this debate could be settled by people remembering they need to be defensive when on the roads, regardless of mode of transport.
Bikers on Roads
- Thread starter SplitIdentity
- Start date
It would help thaw motorist/bicyclist relations a ton if those riding bikes would do one thing - stop at stop signs, red lights, and when they must yield to right of way. Most do not.
I do think that bikers should all obey the rules of the road. That's part of sharing. Everyone has to share and obey the rules. Seems kind of kindergarten like huh?
It would also help if motor vehicles would stop at stop signs:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn_YRX0x1Pg]YouTube - Who Stops At Stop Signs?[/ame]
The real question is what would actually fix this problem?
I don't think bikes head out intending to get in the way of car traffic. I don't think car drivers set out to hit bikers. There isn't a feasible way to keep commercial traffic, private vehicles, bicycles, and motorcycles all in separate traffic lanes.
I would love a real fix so I can go back to biking or motorcycling, but some kind of 5 foot rule isn't going to make me feel safe enough to do either. Thus far we can't even make driving cars safe.
I don't think bikes head out intending to get in the way of car traffic. I don't think car drivers set out to hit bikers. There isn't a feasible way to keep commercial traffic, private vehicles, bicycles, and motorcycles all in separate traffic lanes.
I would love a real fix so I can go back to biking or motorcycling, but some kind of 5 foot rule isn't going to make me feel safe enough to do either. Thus far we can't even make driving cars safe.
Somebody already mentioned that bikes do the same at stop signs that cars do - slow to a speed where one can slow down in a safe distance and roll on through.
Dude, it has nothing to do with right of way. It has everything to do with a 2000 LBS vehical vs 23 pounds of carbon fiber. Who dies?
Um really, maybe, just maybe this should tell you something, Like get off the freakin road.
Props to you for a good post followed by a lighthearted one. This thread is brutal every time it gets recycled.
Re: the video. I fully understand that the proper procedure is to first stop at the stop sign, and not block the crosswalk or creep up. While it doesn't justify for a minute the roll throughs, it does appear that at the intersection in the video, a driver in a vehicle needs to be further out to safely see what's coming in the main road to be entered. I say "appear", because from the camera angle, you really can't see what the driver sees. There are far too many intersections with a light pole, business sign, something that blocks vision of the driver if they're stopped where they're supposed to stop. Sometimes there not much choice but to creep out so you can see before entering.
The comment a few posts back about practicing common courtesy seems so obvious. If only we would all practice that. Drivers, bikers, and yes - pedestrians as well. There's more than a few people in the lovely town of Ames that don't seem to understand that when the sign reads "Don't Walk" or shows a red hand, that maybe they shouldn't try to cross the street at that time! Now those are some of the folks I want to mow over. :smile:
If you don't understand the analogy that Brianhos was making, then who is the you know what?
Not all of them do. When i lived in ames, I definitely had several times a biker came flying through an intersection (after i stopped and they didnt) and i came damn close to hitting a few. Not only that, but a few of them had the audacity to yell some **** at me i couldnt hear. Typical of the bikers that think they just own the roads.
I havent had time to read the whole thing, but what bugs me is places where there is a very wide sidewalk or bike path, built for those bikers, and they use the road anyways. Sometimes they'll give the excuse that its a problem combining bike and walking traffic. That seems to be a similar problem to bikes vs cars (slow vs fast) except if a bike cant stop in time to avoid a pedestrian, theres a lot less chance someones gonna die than if a car hits a bike.
You must be kidding. Most of the bikers I notice will dart their heads both ways while approaching an intersection, and if no vehicle is approaching, they never even slow down - just whiz right on through. At four way stops, they don't even look.
See, it takes too much work (i.e. pedal power) to slow down, and then get back up to speed afterwards.
Really, WOW, spare me.
Im not debating rights. I'm not judging right or wrong etc. It has nothing to do with me condoning anyone (car VS bike). It has everything to do with people on bikes can continue to debate about biker rights all they want but in the end it matters little.
It's pretty simple: A 2000 lbs vehical will kill you on a 23 lbs piece of carbon fiber. Why put yourself in that situation. When your head gets squished like a mellon, does having the same"rights" matter?
If I had a 23lb carbon fiber bike - it better be a mountain bike. If a cf road bike weighed that much, somebody got taken. :wink:
i totally agree! to even this out, anytime a car buzz's a cyclist the cyclist should be able to pull out an AR and unload on the car until it is out of sight. that would make things 'fair'! i love this idea! a few dead motorists would make this thing a lot more 'fair'.
Yeah, to carry through the analogy why put yourself in the situation of driving in an auto? When a semi-tractor squishes your auto and you like a mellon, does having the same "rights" matter?