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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Designated Bicyclist

Hey greenies, haven't you ever heard that you shouldn't drink and bike?! What the hell kind of tagline is this? As if we didn't have enough trouble with crazy-ass bicyclists who think the rules of the road don't apply to them.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well for your information, technically speaking, the rules of the road do not fully apply to a cyclist. They, under the hi-way traffic act, are not considered a vehicle, or a pedestrian. So the next time you see a cyclist fly by you in your gas guzzling car maybe spend less time thinking what an a@@hole and maybe more about how much money he is saving and how maybe, just maybe, he is not one of your eco-zombies, and is actually making a difference on our lonely planet. Maybe you could try commuting on a bike for a while, I bet you could afford to drop a couple pounds yourself, but I guess saving the environment, saving money, and increasing personal health aren't the best reasons for cycling but what do i no? Just like how cities such as Copenhagen and Stockholm have over 50% of their entire work force cycling to work every morning, compared to north Americas meager 5%. Wow, and you wonder why cyclist doesn’t obey the rules of the road. Maybe if we had some lanes to be safe in from you speeding 4000lbs vehicles we could, considering it’s a $120.00 fine to ride on the side walk in many cities, we are left with little choice. Alas, why am I defensive? I’m the one saving thousands a year on gas, insurance, and vehicle maintenance, after which I can bring my family on a wonderful vacation. Essentially, free of charge. So have fun on the roads with your rush hour traffic.

Sam said...

Um, hi.

I don't drive. I take the CTA. Thanks for asking. I used to bike, but now I live too far from work to do that. But I would happily go back to it (and actually, I'm trying to get myself in a position to do so again).

And actually, yes, technically speaking, the rules of the road DO apply to bikes. They are supposed to follow those rules by stopping at red lights and stop signs. Here in Chicago, bicyclists over the age of 12 are not allowed on sidewalks where they, say, run the risk of running over my toddler when he runs around a corner (almost happened the other day, without so much as an apology from the cyclist!). Nor are they allowed to bike drunk, which is dangerous for everyone, especially the bicyclist.

When I biked, I wore a helmet and following the rules of the road. It's not hard.

I think it would be great if more people used bikes. But I don't think biking gives you the right to be a jerk. You have responsibilities too -- including to respect the rights of pedestrians to walk safely on the sidewalk.

Anyway, despite the fact that you sound kind of argumentative, I suspect we agree on quite a bit. Stick around. Trying posting with a username, even. :-)

Ben Collins-Sussman said...

I'm in Chicago too, commute by bike all the time, except in the dead of winter (in which case I take the subway.)

In case Mr.Anonymous wasn't aware, Chicago is *exceedingly* bike friendly -- hundreds of miles of bike lanes, and hundreds of bikers streaming downtown every morning, almost as numerous as the cars.

Seriously, though, I think I'm the only bike who stops at stop-signs and red lights. I've though I consider myself a biker, I think the whole 'biker' community is a bunch of hypocrites who simultaneously demand "equal respect on the road", and then don't behave like equals. Guess what: if you want to be respected like a vehicle, you have to *act* like a vehicle, and not like some spoiled kid who can randomly ignore traffic rules. Cars honk at bikes because they act stupid and unpredictable.

Anonymous said...

i agree, cyclists dont obey the rules of the road. im from calgary, canada, and under the hiway traffic act and city by-laws cyclists are not cars nor pedestrians, and while the law does state the rules of the road are applicable to cyclists they are not enforced. yet to my knowledge have i heard of a cyclist getting a $300 fine for blowin a stop sign. for me, really it depends on my schedual, if im not pressed for time i will obey all the rules, if im in a hurry ill break them all to. mostly just cus i can consequence free. but no i dont ride on the sidewalks cus its dangerous with all the people on them (not to menction much slower cus of that) but can you really blame people for being on them, at least in calgary motorists do not yield to cyclists, for an inexperienced cyclist its guite dangerous to ride along in the shoulder of a major street.

In saying this i did spend sometime in europe this summer, sweeden and denmark mostly; those guys no how to bike. Every road has a grade seperated bike lane and if not grade seperated actually paved with a different material to distiguish it. the commuters paradise.

I am glad to hear so many people in chicago bike, its to bad with our countries obsession with urban sprawl and suburban wastelands people pushed away from places of employment and are forced to resort to other methods of transportaion. Im very sorry for my rant on you, may be a bit of bike-snobbery commin off there, cyclists in calgary are a far minority and defending ones self is quite the task at times.

Sam said...

Hey Justin, welcome!

I totally agree that urban sprawl is a major problem. We chose to live in urban Chicago, near train and bus stops, precisely to not have to rely on a car (we do own one, but I only get it in a few times a month, and it gets 35 mpg). I take the CTA to work, although I work from home much of the time.

Here in Chicago there are laws about the role of bicyclists (this is done by municipality, I think, so this isn't for the US as a whole). Here bicyclists over 12 years have to be on the street (not sidewalks), and cars have to give them 3 feet of clearance. But cars are often annoyed by cyclists. I've been honked at while driving a car for refusing to buzz by bikes on narrow streets.

Also, there have been a number of accidents here (see the link in my post) where bicyclists run red lights or stop signs and get killed. It just seems to me that, like Ben says (he's my neighbor, BTW) -- if you want respect, you have to act predictably so that cars can figure out how not to hit you. :-) Most drivers don't actually want to kill people on their way to work!

And yes, I've seen drunk bicyclists. It's dangerous -- especially for the biker!

Hope to see you back here! :-)

Anonymous said...

I do agree that most of our argument is the same, and yes in calgary too cyclists can actually be given DUI's (driving under the influence) tickets up to $2000.00 While i do no totally agree with cyclist's driving drunk, yes its dumb, but mostly for their own saftey. If a cyclist blows a red light drunk odds are pretty good he's not going to kill a motorist. On the same note, I'd rather have someone driving home from the bar drunk on a bike than in a car. (i've done its lots) saves me the cab fair, gets me some exercise, keeps people out of danger, and i stick to the pathways. As well cyclist tickets for DUI are often at low traffic volume hours. (past 10pm) so while i do agree with you i have mixed feelings on the issue.

Sam said...

Hey Justin!

Maybe this has to do with where with live and how we travel. I am usually walking, and often with a toddler. In Chicago, many bikes ride on sidewalks even though they are not supposed to. Even drunk.

I've also been hit by a bike. It was going quite slowly and still knocked me completely off my feet. People have been hurt (even paralyzed, in one case) when hit by bikes. Bike against car, sure the bicyclist will lose out (although the driver will have to live with the emotional mess, even if not at fault). But bikes against pedestrians is another matter. So I think bicyclists should, like car drivers, drive sober.

There's my two cents!

Anonymous said...

i think you missenterpreted what i meant. i agree with you, people should not cycle drunk it is still dangerous. But how many people have been killed by a drunk driver and a drunk cyclist? I would rather be hit by a cyclist going full speed that a car going that very same speed as the cyclist. Its a simple matter of kenetic energy. A cyclist will never be able to hit a pedestrian with the same amount of force as a car. But yes, cyclists should not use the sidewalk, or bike drunk.