# Attention dipsticks: Bicycles can go damn fast. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 7, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002 "2012-10-07T17:27:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/1 "2012-10-07T17:27:06Z")
I am going down a single lane, one way street that has the right of way. My Sigma BC906 says I am going at 35km/h. This is 5km/h over the posted speed limit and what most cars usually do on that particular road. There are two women on the sidewalk ready to cross the road. They see me coming and yet they start crossing the road while I’m just 20 meters away. Same with cars. They see me coming at them full speed yet they pull in front of me from a side road while I am just a few meters away. They wouldn’t pull that shit on another car, why do they do it for bicycles? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/2 "2012-10-07T17:34:50Z")
They do that to cars also. As do other cars. But I assume they do it more often with bicyclists because the guys who ride them are whiny little bitches. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/3 "2012-10-07T17:36:25Z")
Because they don’t see you. You’re not as big as a car so you don’t register. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/4 "2012-10-07T17:37:55Z")
My working assumption when riding the bike is that I’m invisible to everyone except other bike riders. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/5 "2012-10-07T17:40:53Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > My working assumption when riding the bike is that I’m invisible to everyone except other bike riders. Unless your gear/bike don’t meet their criteria of a serious cyclist. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/6 "2012-10-07T18:42:54Z")
They can ignore me at their own risk. I don’t actually own a bike, you see; instead, I’m an enthusiastic user of my city’s bike sharing service. When a big heavy guy like me on a big, heavy municipal bike comes bearing down on them at 25 km/h, they better be faster than me, because they won’t come out the crash looking that good, stupid helmet or no stupid helmet. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/7 "2012-10-07T18:53:21Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > I am going at 35km/h. This is 5km/h over the posted speed limit they pull in front of me from a side road while I am just a few meters away, why do they do it for bicycles? I blame the metric sysyem ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/8 "2012-10-07T19:01:02Z")
A person in/on a vehicle, (car, bicycle, heck, Conestoga wagon) has the responsibility to be careful of pedestrians. Of course, pedestrians should be careful, too. It’s possible they don’t realize how fast you’re moving. Also, they may (rightly or wrongly) think you can swerve/brake to avoid hitting them more easily than a car could. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/9 "2012-10-07T19:43:35Z")
If you were driving a car you’d brake, let them cross, and then go. When you are on a bicycle you think you should never have to stop for anyone because starting again from a dead stop is difficult. If you are one of those annoying fixie riders then it’s even harder because you don’t have enough torque because in order to have a decent cruising speed you are over-geared for slow speeds. Suck it up and don’t think the world owes you the right of way just because you aren’t driving a car. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/10 "2012-10-07T20:07:18Z")
Seems kind of hypocritical to complain about cars trying to run you down while you’re trying to run down pedestrians. It reminds me of this short guy who I used to play hockey with that’d try to fight everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/11 "2012-10-07T20:46:07Z")
Drivers are exceptionally poor at judging the speed of anything that is not another car (or truck). Pedestrians can be very poor at seeing bicycles at an intersection they are about to jaywalk across. They are looking for the shape of the car. It is all about the unfamiliar and human difficulty in dealing with things they are not expecting. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/12 "2012-10-07T20:47:23Z")
If you can’t swerve a couple of inches to avoid pedestrians you shouldn’t be riding in the city. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/13 "2012-10-07T20:48:48Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > Seems kind of hypocritical to complain about cars trying to run you down while you’re trying to run down pedestrians. It reminds me of this short guy who I used to play hockey with that’d try to fight everyone. I don’t know what the traffic laws are like at your village, but around here if there’s no zebra lines or a traffic lights, the pedestrians have to yield to other vehicles. So fuck you 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/14 "2012-10-07T20:50:59Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > I don’t know what the traffic laws are like at your village, but around here if there’s no zebra lines or a traffic lights, the pedestrians have to yield to other vehicles. > > So fuck you 😃 You probably should have qualified that in the OP, but yes I do note how some automatically assume the cyclist is blowing a stop sign or red light. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/15 "2012-10-07T21:02:00Z")
Aren’t bikes also subject to the speed limit? ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/16 "2012-10-07T21:03:39Z")
No one can see my 500+ lb motorcycle, why should they see your tiny bike? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/17 "2012-10-07T21:19:19Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Aren’t bikes also subject to the speed limit? The day I get a speeding ticket on my bike I will immediately pay the fine and put the ticket in a frame. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/18 "2012-10-07T21:24:23Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If you can’t swerve a couple of inches to avoid pedestrians you shouldn’t be riding in the city. So which should I do, broadside/get broadsided by a car if I swerve left (since I have perhaps a couple feet at most of the rightmost part of the lane), or hit a parked car or the curb and fall onto the sidewalk/get taken out by a pole or parking meter if I swerve right? ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/19 "2012-10-07T21:34:14Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > There are two women on the sidewalk ready to cross the road. They see me coming and yet they start crossing the road while I’m just 20 meters away. You should ring your little bell at them. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002/20 "2012-10-07T21:44:31Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > The day I get a speeding ticket on my bike I will immediately pay the fine and put the ticket in a frame. Same here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-dipsticks-bicycles-can-go-damn-fast/637002.md?page=2)