Thank you! I actually heard a local (in Anchorage before I left) talk show host complaining about this, he stated “why do bikes have to walk their bike through a cross walk? That doesn’t make any sense”.
Because you IDIOT, bikes can go a pretty good clip, I’m guessing 30mph? (but I’m a super slow not very talented rider so I’m sure I’m much slower) and a car turning at that light won’t know a bike is approaching and crossing the way he/she would a pedestrian moving at a normal pedestrian speed.
Sheesh. Yes bikes, you can be either a bike or a pedestrian, you don’t get to cherry pick which. And stop “mid-crossing” (or whatever it’s called) intersections too! As a pedestrian, (again, still in Anchorage) bike/pedestrian near misses were very common on sidewalks, and like other places, they’re not supposed to even be on the sidewalks downtown.
Sorry. Outside of busy downtown areas where it makes sense to ride on the street my happy ass is up on the sidewalk. People drive like maniacs in south Florida, and I’m not placing myself in the road when there are miles and miles of endless uninhabited sidewalk to safely traverse. It only takes a second to detour into the grass for a moment when you meet the rare pedestrian.
We actually haven’t had one in a while. We used to get one every year sometime in April and another one in the Fall. I’m betting there is a lot of pent up cager rage at cyclists for this one. I’m actually surprised the invariable ‘guy-who-threatens-to-run-down-cyclists-for-daring-to-be-in-his-way’ or something similar (Mr. Bikes-don’t-belong-one-the-road is a popular one) hasn’t shown up yet.
I wouldn’t be too sure of that. I use vehicular cycling on a regular basis somebody honks at me because I am on their road and not riding inches away from the parked cars so they can pass on that hilly curve up ahead.
That being said, my riding style may piss people off but I am much safer for using it.
I once did an experiment where I rode in a non-vehicular cycling style - riding way over on the side of the lane and other things. I cut it short of blowing lights but I did treat the quieter lights like stop signs.
I was honked at much, much less but I was in about 10x as much danger*.
So when people say they want cyclists to obey the traffic laws, I have raise an eyebrow and say ‘do you? really’?
Where is the instinct of self-preservation? On the instances where I do ride, I follow every law, stop or slow at every crosswalk, and always look both ways.
You’re on a vehicle that can instantly become paste under the wheels of a 2000lb+ moving box of metal. Even if you don’t have to follow traffic laws, you DO IT because it’s safer that way. Hell, I even slow down at green lights when crossing major roads because if I don’t do that, and a car doesn’t do that, I’m the one that will be hurt, not the other guy
Cool, can I decide what laws to follow in my car too as long as I subjectively think it makes me safer? Cause I think I’d be safer in those bike lanes then being nearer to oncoming traffic.