My problem is with bicyclists obeying the law. I’m very happy that you’re using the road and not the sidewalk as the law states. But for the love of God, you are creating a traffic hazard. You’re bicycling at 15-20km/h while vehicular traffic is going 50-60km/h (posted limit 50km/h). This makes people go nuts and weave in and out of traffic quickly to get around the slow cyclist.
Like I said, it’s legal and the only solution is dedicated lanes, but it does irritate me. I would never complain about this to a cyclist or anything, but this is the Pit and I’m allowed to say it here.
Yeah, this is more of an infrastructure than a bicycle problem. If there were more dedicated bike lanes, there would be fewer cars on the road and everyone would benefit.
As a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian, depending on the day, my biggest complaint about other cyclists is how frequently they run red lights and stop signs. If my chubby ass can afford to lose the momentum by stopping at the sign or light, anyone can. The closest calls I’ve had as a pedestrian and driver have all been from bikes zipping through red lights and almost clipping me.
I am usually alone when I am out and about. When I am walking, my mind is thinking about other things (like job worries, the latest movie, what am I going to have to eat today, whatever). It doesn’t take much of my mental attention to walk down the sidewalk. I pay attention when I have to cross streets.
Since I live in a subburb of San Diego, with about 100,000 people in it, there is always people chatting, cars honking, dogs barking, planes and helicopters over head, whatever.
Someone yelling at me is going to be unexpected. Assuming that I actually hear you over the background noise, it will take me two or three seconds to mentally switch gears, and realise that this noise is directed at me. In the mean time, a biker or skateboarder can cover 15-25 feet in that time. Then it may take me another second or two to come up with an action plan.
Not all pedestrians are going to be able to react in time to your satisfaction.
(I know bikes aren’t supposed to be on the sidewalks, but there they are. Were’s a German cop when you need one?)
As I was driving through a quiet neighbourhood just north of the downtown core in Calgary on Sunday, I came up to a 4-way stop. Noticing two cyclists approaching the intersection as well (on my right), I made a point of very clearly and deliberate stopping my car before proceeding through. Sure enough, both bikes rode right through their stop sign and both had to brake hard to avoid ramming me. Credit where credit is due, however: the male cyclist yelled “Sorry” at me as we continued through the intersection, so he at least had the decency to concede that he was totally in the wrong. On the other hand, if the two of them hadn’t been acting like a couple shitheads, no apology would have been necessary.
ETA: In Calgary, the Streets bylaw (26M96) specifically prohibits bicycles from riding on the sidewalks, unless that bike is ridden by a newspaper delivery person (sec 41, 42). But more often than not, the bikes these days are on the sidewalks instead of the street, endangering the pedestrians. Assholes.
That is why, when you are on a multi-use path, you should keep to the right. You don’t need an action plan if you are already where you’re supposed to be.
Keep to the right.
Don’t walk more than two abreast.
Traffic coming up behind you will pass on your left, using the oncoming lane if it’s clear.
As a Calgarian, and as both a cyclist and a pedestrian, I have to disagree. I notice far more good cyclists on the path then bad on my way to work, or if I’m walking near Eau Claire / Prince’s Island Park. The only horrible cyclist I run in to are the on or off duty couriers in or near downtown. They are horrible, but not representative of the cycling population in Calgary.
Also, the reason you sometimes see cyclist on the sidewalks downtown is because this city, especially downtown, is very unfriendly for cycling. Riding in traffic down town terrifies me, but I do it since I’m supposed to. I totally understand why some folks choose to ride on the sidewalks to the pathways though.
Yeah, nothing makes me want to pee my pants and go hide in a corner than seeing a woman on a bike. :rolleyes:
The soccer moms thing is weird though. Why the hell are they driving minivans? They should be on bikes intimidating men into not honking at retards on bikes.
I generally do, but the sidewalk narrows around hydrants and light poles in my neighborhood.
My only point (to the OP) was that my reaction time would be slow, and I may not realise that I am being yelled at in time for him to not have to brake.
I am curious, are pedestrians usually banned from bike paths?
I’m not talking about hypotheticals - I’m talking about what I actually see regularly. I walk around my local neighbourhood which is a residential area, and I walk around Eau Claire and downtown as well, and I stand by my first post. Cyclists are almost exclusively on the sidewalk in my residential area, and they are speeding and generally endangering pedestrians on the multi-use paths close to downtown (there are actually speed limits on the multi-use paths - at Prince’s Island, they are very low due to the congestion of the area, and cyclists normally just disregard speed limits and go as fast as they can).
As for not wanting to bike on the streets downtown - so don’t! I hate driving downtown, so I don’t. I’m not sure why you think cyclists have to bike downtown. You can take bikes on the C-Train, or you can park your bike and walk into downtown like I do with my car. Cycling on crowded sidewalks isn’t the solution.
Most of the paths here that people bike on are **multi-use ** paths (which I think cyclists tend to forget). Some are indeed bike paths, though, and are signed as such and pedestrians are supposed to stay off of those.
You guys should just make the cars culpable for any thing that goes wrong, that way the bikers can do what they want and the car drivers know they should watch out
But joking aside, this is pretty much how things are regulated here in Holland. It is pretty helpful that every - except maybe some expats - person in a car once was a bicyclists. This means that everyone on the roads knows that cyclists would rather not stop and what their next move might be, simply because evry car driver was on a bike not too long ago. When biking - in a city I know pretty well - I personally break the laws pretty often and can always be confident that cars will slow down a bit if I’m in the way. When I drive every cyclist I see gets tagged (in my mind) and I’ll make sure to know where he or she is. When driving in the city I’m looking out for cyclists more than anything else.
Well that guy just sounds suicidal…I would sincerely hope the vast majority of cyclists wherever you are are not that idiotic.
That is also ridiculous.
It seems as if the first few posters missed this, but I also intended this to be a pitting of cyclists who ride like assholes…so as a cyclist I am agreeing**** that there are some people who ride like morons and make the rest of us look bad, as Aanamika**** stated.
Was this guy on the sidewalk? Then he was violating the law. I don’t know about Oregon, but in New York if a road is too narrow for cars and bikes to ride side by side, then the bike may ride in front of the car (and as a courtesy try to match the speed. Another poster mentioned bikes going 25 mph next to cars going 50…in New York no one’s going that fast so it’s a different situation). Anyway, if this guy was legitimately exercising his right to take the lane then what is the issue? Was he actually riding like an asshole or was he just unaware that you did not want him there?
Anyway, for those who do see cyclists on the sidewalk, can you phone in a tip to the police that there are a number of cyclists violating sidewalk laws in a specific area so they can have a patrol there to stop them?
This could go on and on…clearly there are lots of bikers that ride like assholes. That does not negate the fact that there are drivers/pedestrians who do act dangerously around bikes. My primary complaints were regarding the multi use path which has signs going all the way down it saying KEEP RIGHT if you are a pedestrian, yet many disregard this. I understand how someone walking down the sidewalk may not be prepared for someone yelling at them, but if you’re walking on a path with tons of bikes passing you, shouldn’t you be aware? Especially if you’re with children?
And I suppose to go back to this…I’m not really sure how anyone could come up with the idea that people who ride bikes/know bike messengers do not have a legitimate occupation (bike messenger being a legitimate job in itself). Not entirely sure what his hypothetical occupations have anything to do with bikes anyway, aside from bike thief. I work in catering and messengers deliver our products if anyone is seriously interested in what I do for a living.
I probably wasn’t clear. He had a sticker on his bike citing the law that bikes may occupy a full lane. Good law. The problem is that bikes do not extend the same courtesies to cars. Bikes will ride right beside my car, on both sides, in my lane. If you are not in a bike lane and try and pass me on the right there is a good chance you will be hit when I turn right. Ditto on the left. And double ditto if you decide to wind through traffic and cut in front of cars.
Bicyclists: if you are losing me, who commuted on a bike in fucking Boston 30 years ago, you sure aren’t going to have the support of most anyone else. Is it too much to ask you to obey the law, ride sensibly, and demonstrate courtesy?
Exactly my thoughts in relation to bicyclists as a pedestrian. People who have the audacity to not rock their fixie not only are menaced by cars, but cyclists. Neither groups are cool. Yes, I drive, and I ride as well, but walking is more inherently chilled than having your nut busted over petty ideological disputes. Shame these people won’t leave me alone and shut up when I tell them.
Well, that’s one possible interpretation of what Anaamika wrote. Much more likely is that she meant that the guys are trying to intimidate her by honking their horns. Which one do you think makes more sense?
Oh I see. All I can say is that I try to ride as consistently as possible- I stay on one side of the street and pay attention to what the car behind me/in front of me is doing…if they’ve got their blinker on indicating they’re turning in front of me, I slow down, not try to pass them. Or if circumstances permit, I’ll be in front of them where another car would be, so it’s a non-issue. Weaving in an out is usually unnecessary and dangerous. I think bike messengers do it because they’re under pressure to go as fast as possible and can be under ridiculous time constraints. That’s certainly not an excuse for riding like an asshole and putting people’s lives in danger, just a reason why they do that.
I notice far more good cyclists on the path then bad on my way to work, or if I’m walking near Eau Claire / Prince’s Island Park. The only horrible cyclist I run in to are the on or off duty couriers in or near downtown. They are horrible, but not representative of the cycling population in Calgary.