# Some irritating cycling habits are good **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949 "2014-07-24T17:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/41 "2014-07-25T11:16:27Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > I’d rather explain myself to a judge (or, realistically, pay a small fine) than be carried in a box or crippled for life. I wouldn’t even consider obeying the traffic laws if doing so meant risking my life unless the punishment for disobeying was long term imprisonment or execution.\ And I rather have you being crippled because you were riding on the street than having myself being crippled because you were riding on the sidewalk, thank you. :mad: There are numerous accidents caused by bikes riding on sidewalks. Rarely lethal, certainly, but still. A fall can have dramatic consequences for instance for elderly people. There was also this kid who was sent right into the traffic and under a car by a cyclist hiting him. So, if you insist to take a bike, ride it _where you’re supposed to ride it_. I shouldn’t have to be made unsafe because you’d rather be safe. If you’re not happy with that, just walk. And for the record, as a pedestrian living in a city, I find cyclists more obnoxious than motorists, on average, with their habbits of crossing at red lights, not respecting crosswalks, riding around you, riding in the wrong direction in a one-way street…in fact generally ignoring road rules and not paying attention for a number of them…and riding on sidewalks. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/42 "2014-07-25T12:06:11Z")
Claire, Cyclists aren’t passing on the right; we are legally riding where the law says we are to ride. Cyclists must ride as far as practical to the rightmost shoulder. When a cyclist is riding to the right and passing cars, that is what we are supposed to do. When you are driving and there are multiple lanes, do you stop because cars to the left of you are stopped? As far as dooring the cyclist, I can see that two ways. First, the door opener is responsible to ensure that opening the door does not create a hazard. At the same time, it isn’t like you have a mirror to see. Sometimes, there just isn’t a great solution. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/43 "2014-07-25T12:29:53Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Cyclists aren’t passing on the right; we are legally riding where the law says we are to ride. Cyclists must ride as far as practical to the rightmost shoulder. When a cyclist is riding to the right and passing cars, that is what we are supposed to do. In what jurisdiction? Further, on what planet is it a good idea to pass a **stopped fuckin’ taxi** on the curb side? I’m a bike commuter in Chicago (where there are plenty of taxis) and I have literally never done this; in fact, I will take the lane and give the taxi a wide berth in case someone decides to open a door on the street side without looking. This is perfectly legal, by the way, in all 50 states. “Ride to the right” does not mean “ride **around obstacles** to the right”; in fact, you want to pass to the left if at all possible. I’d also like to take this opportunity to gripe about the **five** people who were illegally blocking bike lanes on my commute home yesterday. **Five**. It’s not a loading zone, assholes. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/44 "2014-07-25T12:41:17Z")
I made the assumption that the cab was stopped amongst traffic and not obviously pulled over for disembarking passengers. My bad in that case. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/45 "2014-07-25T12:46:03Z")
Well, taxis should generally pull over and put their hazards on when they’re picking up or dropping off a fare, and most taxis in Chicago do at least one of these. I don’t think I’ve ever been surprised by seeing someone suddenly pop out of a stopped taxi in a regular traffic lane, although I’m sure it does happen. In that case, yeah, the person getting out definitely needs to look behind before they open a door. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/46 "2014-07-25T12:56:08Z")
Honestly, when I am commuting, I strive to be on streets that are safe enough to do so and I strive to obey the law. I have made it a point to actually read some of the cycle commuting books so I know what I am doing. I do not generally fear drivers and rarely have any kind of confrontation. The ones that I do fear are the cell phone texters, drunks and the drivers intent on my demise for their pleasure. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/47 "2014-07-25T14:09:32Z")
So, in the interest of moving along with the premise that we don’t all have a 100% grasp of all the laws involving cyclists and interactions with automobiles, maybe a LEO or someone able to quote reliable sources could answer this: Is filtering legally required as some have intimated, or is it legal but not required, or is it illegal but ignored? I know there are variances from state to state but we should be able to figure this out. As an example, I ride a motorcycle and I live in GA. I know that filtering through traffic is expressly illegal for me to do in this state. Even though I’ve never ridden in CA, I know that filtering is allowed under CA law in certain circumstances. AFAIK, CA is the only state that has this law specifically allowed in their traffic code/law for motorcycles. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/48 "2014-07-25T14:19:35Z")
Sorry if I am misunderstood. Filtering is by no means required. There are situations where filtering is a poor choice. At the same time, while annoying to drivers, filtering can lead to greater safety for the cyclist with no detriment to drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Mithras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/49 "2014-07-25T16:09:20Z")
I was looking at [my state’s bicycle manual](http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/Bureaus/pdbikeped.nsf/infoChapterNine?OpenForm), and it has this to say about filtering: > [@](#): > > When you reach an intersection, wait behind the first car at the traffic light. Don’t move up next to that car; drivers don’t always use their turn signals, so you don’t know for sure which way the car will turn when the light turns green. I think it doesn’t even consider getting ahead of the first car because that technically puts you into the intersection, which is unsafe and illegal. But filtering, at least in Pennsylvania, is legal. Though the state believes moving all the way to the front of the line is unsafe. Also legal is running a red light whose sensor doesn’t detect bikes. The light is treated as defective and you can go through it as long as it’s safe. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/50 "2014-07-25T16:39:35Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > I made the assumption that the cab was stopped amongst traffic and not obviously pulled over for disembarking passengers. My bad in that case. It wasn’t obviously pulled over, as far as I remember. I believe it was stopped at a red light behind other vehicles on the right lane along the sidewalk, and I disembarked there. But I still don’t see how this would give the right to pass on the right. I strongly doubt that “you must ride on the right” means “ride between the rightmost lane and the sidewalk when passing”. And regarding pulling over : it would have been at the exact same place if it had pulled over, since, again, he was driving in the rightmost lane. Now I remember there were parked cars. So, the cyclist rode in the small space between the parked cars and the vehicles in the rightmost lane stopped at the traffic light. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/51 "2014-07-25T16:41:47Z")
Here in London, most traffic-light-controlled junctions have special boxed areas (“advanced stop lines” or “bike boxes”) at the front for cyclists to take the position at the head of the queue. [Example](https://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=51.509868,-0.075115&spn=0.000266,0.000691&t=h&z=21&layer=c&cbll=51.509868,-0.075115&panoid=yz929dfgyFrJOU-RJZzFBg&cbp=12,48.38,,1,9.09) That’s the theory, at least. In practice, cars usually drive right up to the second line anyway, as you will see if you click out of Street View to the aerial photo there… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/52 "2014-07-25T16:53:15Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > I ride on sidewalks whenever possible. When I am forced into the street, if a car is stopped at a stop sign and there are no other cars in the intersection, I will turn and ride BEHIND that car in order instead of passing in front of them in order to deny them a chance to ram me. > > Whenever possible, I try to put my bike in places that cars do not have even the option of running me over. Yeah thanks, you’d rather ride over pedestrians, kids and dogs, just to make your little trip safer. How selfish. See, this is why pedestrians hate cyclists. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/53 "2014-07-25T16:54:47Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > You’re [much more likely](http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/Moritz2.htm) to be injured or killed riding on the sidewalk, than you are riding on the road. The sidewalk is by far the most dangerous place to ride a bicycle. He’s convinced himself like those drivers that won;t fasten their seat belts as they’d “rather be thrown free” than be “trapped”.:rolleyes::dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/54 "2014-07-25T17:38:46Z")
[http://peninsulapress.com/2013/01/07/san-jose-sidewalks-become-places-of-contention-for-bicyclists-and-pedestrians/](http://peninsulapress.com/2013/01/07/san-jose-sidewalks-become-places-of-contention-for-bicyclists-and-pedestrians/) \*On what was supposed to be a routine walk to a work meeting, Jack Wimberly found himself tangled up with a bicycle and its rider in the middle of a downtown San Jose crosswalk. When Wimberly saw the cyclist crossing from the opposite sidewalk on San Fernando Street, he dodged other pedestrians to avoid him. Still, the bicyclist ended up plowing into Wimberly’s rib cage. “He literally runs straight on into me,” Wimberly, a downtown resident, said. Although the collision didn’t cause Wimberly to fall, it did “knock me off balance.” He recalled how the cyclist defended the right to ride on a sidewalk because the traffic lane didn’t sufficiently accommodate bicycles.\* > **[San Jose State: Woman, 89, dies after getting hit by bicyclist on campus](https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/03/26/san-jose-state-woman-89-dies-after-getting-hit-by-bicyclist-on-campus/)** > > San Jose State: Woman, 89, dies after getting hit by bicyclist on campus _SAN JOSE – An 89-year-old woman died over the weekend after being hit by a bicyclist as she walked on a pathway at San Jose State University campus last week, according to campus police._ > **[ItemFix - Social Video Factory](https://www.itemfix.com/?r=ll)** > > Social Video Factory [http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2012/04/05/was-cyclist-who-killed-pedestrian-reckless](http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2012/04/05/was-cyclist-who-killed-pedestrian-reckless) ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/55 "2014-07-25T23:42:33Z")
Yup, those are some pretty good reasons why cyclists should usually avoid sidewalks. At the very least, in mixed-use situations, the onus is on the cyclist to slow down and yield when pedestrians are present. When I ride, I almost exclusively use the road. When a bike lane is present I will generally use it, though I like to ride fast so I often end up merging with traffic to pass other cyclists anyway. Very occasionally I will use a sidewalk, sometimes to cut around obstacles, or stay out of the way of cars in places where it would otherwise be difficult. This is actually perfectly legal here (in Seattle, WA), so long as cyclists proceed at slower speeds and yield to pedestrians. As for the OP’s point about filtering on the right – I will assume you mean in cases where there is not a dedicated bike lane. I do this, but generally only in heavy traffic. If it’s just an ordinary stoplight without congestion, I prefer to simply occupy the lane and keep my place in line. For that matter, I’m not sure where **MostlyUseless** is, but here, cyclists are not required to ride to the right. They may legally occupy the full lane of traffic. If I’m on a stretch of road without a bike lane, I’ll do my best to allow motorists to pass me, but only if I can do this safely. Otherwise I will take the lane. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/56 "2014-07-26T03:04:50Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > If you are on a bicycle on the sidewalk, you are sitting precisely where drivers ARE NOT looking. Exactly this. Most serious sidewalk cycling accidents happen at intersections. Drivers look for traffic on the roads and pedestrians on sidewalks when they’re turning. They’re not looking for relatively fast moving bicycles on sidewalks. Driveways are the other obvious hazards. Riding on the sidewalk puts you in more intersections with traffic, and in a position that makes you harder to see. Add to that pedestrians, dogs etc, and it’s not hard to understand why it’s so dangerous. There are circumstances where it’s probably ok - avoiding a hazard or blind spot - but those are rare exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/57 "2014-07-26T06:22:12Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > Driveways are the other obvious hazards. Riding on the sidewalk puts you in more intersections with traffic, and in a position that makes you harder to see. Again, the sidewalks I am thinking of do not have more than a handful of traffic crossings. At those crossings I stop and ensure that no cars are coming at all (I do not walk in front of a stopped car as I trust no one). No one walks in this city so they are generally deserted. If I do encounter someone I just ride around them in the dirt. I don’t ride at street bike speeds, this is a mountain bike. “statistics” are just averages. They do not always reflect real world risks. I am not at increased risk for getting run over because I am not in their driving path at all. I don’t cross streets from the sidewalk on the bike if any cars are there. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/58 "2014-07-26T13:25:25Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > I don’t ride at street bike speeds, this is a mountain bike. Which can still reach speeds far in excess of what’s safe. Why not just walk where you’re going? ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/59 "2014-07-27T21:54:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I have no problems with these, as a driver. What does make me annoyed is when a cyclist goes to the front, then _doesnt_ make a right turn, instead waits for the light so as to proceed straight ahead. This blocks those car which want to make a right turn on red- OK in CA. > > _Rolling_ stop signs? OK. Blasting thru stop signs like they don’t exist? Bad. I cycle commuted for years. There is usually room at the front of the intersection (at least in Calgary) to move over and allow cars that want to turn right to do so. I got a lot of friendly waves from drivers over what I thought was an expected courtesy so I’m guessing a lot of cyclists don’t do this. The traffic law here is that cyclists and drivers are expected to share lanes and let each other pass. The behaviour that gets me is novice cyclists riding on the sidewalk (that’s for pedestrians you Assholes) and cruising across parking lot exits or driveways without even looking. What an excellent suicide strategy. We are expecting pedestrian speeds on the sidewalk, and we can’t see you behind that hedge as we are trying to safely pull up to where we can see traffic. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949/60 "2014-07-27T22:00:16Z")
Oh I see I missed the post where someone actually announces they ride on the sidewalk. :smack: Good lord dude if you have that poor an understanding of the vehicle you should not be riding it. You are a hazard to yourself and others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-irritating-cycling-habits-are-good/693949.md?page=2)