I can’t speak definitively about where you live and drive, I’ve only ever driven on four continents and probably not in your neighbourhood. However, everywhere I’ve ever driven, without exception:
(a) motorists who drive at or below the speed limit most of the time are so rare they are a statistical anomaly;
(b) indicator usage is a joke;
(c) the only limit on the number of motorists a traffic cop can book by staking out a stop sign is how fast the cop can write and how long before he goes elsewhere;
(d) red lights not much different;
(d) ditto drink driving.
Every single one of these examples is more dangerous than anything a cyclist can do, simply because there is no comparison at all between the damage a rider plus 15kg of bike at 20mpg and the damage 1500+kg of car at 35+mph can do.
If you want to be so dumbass as to keep attempting to argue as you are, you go right ahead. It’s been a year or two since I’ve last amused myself by wiping the floor with someone who tried.
The speciality in the US right now is cell phone usage or outright distracting the driver (iPad or DVD player on the steering wheel).
Unsafe passing is also fun on my present bike route. Why wait 4 whole long seconds to pass a cyclist safely when you can dive over the double-yellow line and try to pass on a blind curve?
I see that a lot in the suburb I live in from both cars and bikes. It’s a fairly well-to-do suburb and a lot of people seem to think that stuff like that is an annoyance they shouldn’t have to be bothered with, but everyone else should. Cars love treating the one-way street near my house as being their personal “special” short-cut. :smack:
I’ve got a mate that got ticketed for going through a red light on his bike. At least he could see the funny side of it, despite costing him around 1000 SEK.
The funny side of it being… what, exactly? That a car driver lawfully going through a green light probably wouldn’t also have been killed in the event of a collision, but only emotionally scarred for life after having turned an idiot bicyclist into a grease stain in the intersection?
Obviously, if there’s no light at the crosswalk, then the pedestrians have the right-of-way. If there’s a light controlling the crosswalk, then, no, the pedestrian does not automatically have the right of way. The pedestrian must wait for the cute little green man or green arrow, or whatever it is in that jurisdiction.
But, of course, when the pedestrian does have the right-of-way, all vehicles, including, of course, bicycles, are to yield to the pedestrians.
Since Canvas Shoes (I don’t know why I thought it was Cat Whisperer earlier, apologies all around.) in literally the last line before that paragraph demonstrated a clear understanding of how traffic lights work, I don’t know how you could read that paragraph and assume she suddenly forgot all about them. Your obviously is her explanation. Wherever she is, it’s not obvious to cars and cyclists that pedestrians have the right of way at non-lit crosswalks and that’s what she’s trying to emphasize. I really don’t think this is difficult to understand.
I’m sure having experienced driving everywhere except my neighborhood has given you exceptional insight into the relative behavior of drivers and cyclists in Portland. I’ve only driven on three continents so I’m only 75% certain about how people drive where you live, though from your attitude I can guess. I have to say that I am surprised that you manage to ride at all in places that routinely have drivers going the wrong way down one-way streets with no lights on and no brakes and deciding to turn left from the far right lane while cutting the corner. But please, when people from places that drive like assholes move to Portland don’t think that the fact that you are an eco-warrior on a bicycle lets you continue to do so.
Your lesson in physics pretty much tells the whole story. You think because you are on a bike and not a car you can do what ever the fuck you want. But if you run down an old woman on a sidewalk don’t be surprised if your 15kg bicycle is used by bystanders to beat you senseless.
Here in DC it seems like hurling myself into traffic is the only way to get cars to stop at an uncontrolled crosswalk. Maybe I should start carrying flags with me.
St. Paul had the same sticks, though they had high-vis yellow flags. I liked them, because it took less effort to attract attention than frantically waving my arms as I legally crossed a street. Sadly, the intersection that had them near my office now has a button that turns on flashing yellow lights, which still require me to frantically wave my arms to get the attention of distracted motorists.
I’ve seen enough bicycle vs. automobile accidents that I’d have to use both hands to count them. In every case, the bicyclist was at fault, and in most of those cases it went beyond a simple mistake into downright aggressive and reckless riding. I think a typical bicyclist might be more irresponsible and dangerous than the average driver.
Not sure what you mean, Alessan. Fairly big guy myself, riding a nice heavy hybrid, went around a bend in the park trail pretty fast, head-on into a ‘silly little’ golf-cart that the police use to patrol the area – golf-cart won. Big time! I shattered my left wrist, tore half my right ear from the lobe, and broke the back of my helmet* in two. TBH, I can’t tell you what they looked like afterwards, since I woke up in the ER some thirty minutes later. But I’m betting they did fine – they make off with my watch.
That was three years ago, don’t ride much anymore…but still, wouldn’t recommend head-on collisions with any type of vehicle. Or anything else for that matter. On a bike, you are the bodywork. If “they ignore you” bet your ass it’s at your own risk.
*Helmet was key to surviving. Good Giro model. If it wasn’t for that, well, splat! don’t pass Go and head to hell.
Wheras I have been in my share of bike accidents and in each case it was the driver who was at fault. In most cases it was ludicrously ignorant or aggressive driving that caused the accident. Except for the case that was outright vehicular assault, that is.
I’ll put it another way. More than a few of the bicycling commuters I know have added helmet cams to their gear. I doubt they are doing this to show how they are irresponsible riders.
No doubt there are bad cyclists. But the idea that the ‘typical’ bicyclist is automatically more irresponsible and dangerous than ‘typical’ driver has me shaking my head.
