Bicycles Lanes
- Thread starter steve
- Start date
While the video is amusing, it does also serve a larger purpose in that it illustrates the continuing struggle that Bicyclists have when asserting their rights to use the road.
right, bicycle + rider = 180-250 lbs , car/truck/oversized vehicle = 2300 lbs + !!!!! Ohhhh, and thats just weight. What about spacial dimension differences ! Find the speed of the moving vehicles, then plug all that into your calculator to get potential force involved : F= M*A
In the big picture of things, it forces cyclists to live on the edge of life (not to mention the masocistic nature of cycling exemplifies)!
In the big picture of things, it forces cyclists to live on the edge of life (not to mention the masocistic nature of cycling exemplifies)!
Gotta' wonder why you didn't just look up the bicycle laws in your state when you got that ticket. Here in Ohio, I hear all kinds of ignorant whiners screaming for bicycles to "stay on the sidewalk", or get out of their harried way. I downloaded and read Ohio's laws regarding bicycles, and it was very revealing. Most states, regardless of their ignoramuses in uniform, regard bicycles as vehicles, although unmotorized. To summarize: Bicycles must ride as far to the right as practicable, unless doing so exposes the rider to hazards. Bicycles have the same rights to the lane and, therefore, the same responsibilities as a motor vehicle. Motor vehicles do not have any right to turn right or left across the front of you at any intersection. Motor vehicles do not have any right to pull out in front of you anywhere to enter the roadway. This is the number one cause of injury to bicyclers in Ohio. Motor vehicles do not have any right to force you from the road. While bicyclers have a right to use the lane, they must move right and allow other vehicles to pass if there is sufficient room to do so. Local municipalities can allow, but not require you to ride on the sidewalk. Bicycle lanes are only good for staying in that lane. If turning left, you must get in the left-turn lane to do so. The above list is by no means comprehensive, but it gives a good general idea of common-sense traffic laws that pertain to bicycles in Ohio. Statistically, riding in the road lane is safer than riding to the far right, especially at intersections. Bike paths are not as safe as the road for bicycle riders. This is due to the fact that ignorant folks continue to think they have the right to use the whole path, thereby causing accidents and injury to riders and the idiots that insist on blocking the path when the inevitable happens. For those that use bike paths (I do), you must still stay to the right, whether or not you see anyone coming. Just because you don't see or hear someone coming doesn't mean that nobody's coming. Headphones/earphones are also most unwise on bike paths, as they ensure that you won't hear the already-quiet bicycle bearing down on you until it's too late. This is the best reason for staying to the right. Unfortunately, the same stupidity that makes people wear phones on a bike path also causes them to also block as much of the path as possible while doing so. Also, the absolute worst place to stop and take a break is on the path. If you stop for any reason, get off the path!! I can't tell how many idiots I've seen just standing around, blocking the path, even when they plainly see someone coming. The worst place to do this is at the top of any hill or rise. Do the words "blind spot" have any meaning to these jerks? Did I miss something amusing, silly, or just plain mentally arthritic? I certainly didn't mean to. Neither did I mean to offend anyone. Just my own observations here. Your mileage may vary and all that rot. Did I mention you should get a copy of your state's bicycle laws? Paying a fine for a violation that doesn't exist is not the brightest thing. Police officers violate the rights of citizens every day because they are human. Only a very small percentage are dicks, but the ones that are make all the others look like dicks, too, and there are an awful lot of stupid laws on the books as well. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now....
I got a £30.00 on-the-spot fine the other day for cycling 10m on the path near some traffic lights.
Fair enough i shouldn't have gone on the path, but a fine?????
After asking me if i came this way every day i said yes i was on the way to work, a CAUTION would have done the job as i would have thought twice about getting a fine but NO they gave me the fine..
It really annoyed me is the understatement of the year, i am a law abiding citizen and haven't really done anything bad to anyone ever and to be treated this way is a joke. Do you see the tw*ts driving into me and forcing me off the road every morning getting spot fines? No..
I was very tempted to tell the police lady to shove it and cycle off and see if she could catch me but i didn't, instead i asked if there was a pedestrian on the cycle path and i hit them, her answer was 'that's their look out'.
I have cooled down now but on the way home i was tempted to shout at people on the cycle path, gob on or smash into/scratch cars who park across the cycle path and basically get my£30.00 worth.
Looking back that was the wrong idea and i didn't do any of the above but i am gonna write a letter complaining about the second class treatment of cyclists regarding our rights of road use and relationship with other road/pavement users.
In other countries i have been to the cycle paths are huge and coloured differently to the pavement indicating their use, ours are sh**e, (Nottingham).
Soz to rant but i feel better now..
Thanks for the thread.
Whupp
Fair enough i shouldn't have gone on the path, but a fine?????
After asking me if i came this way every day i said yes i was on the way to work, a CAUTION would have done the job as i would have thought twice about getting a fine but NO they gave me the fine..
It really annoyed me is the understatement of the year, i am a law abiding citizen and haven't really done anything bad to anyone ever and to be treated this way is a joke. Do you see the tw*ts driving into me and forcing me off the road every morning getting spot fines? No..
I was very tempted to tell the police lady to shove it and cycle off and see if she could catch me but i didn't, instead i asked if there was a pedestrian on the cycle path and i hit them, her answer was 'that's their look out'.
I have cooled down now but on the way home i was tempted to shout at people on the cycle path, gob on or smash into/scratch cars who park across the cycle path and basically get my£30.00 worth.
Looking back that was the wrong idea and i didn't do any of the above but i am gonna write a letter complaining about the second class treatment of cyclists regarding our rights of road use and relationship with other road/pavement users.
In other countries i have been to the cycle paths are huge and coloured differently to the pavement indicating their use, ours are sh**e, (Nottingham).
Soz to rant but i feel better now..
Thanks for the thread.
Whupp
I live in NYC and I do give NYC a +1 for trying but honestly they do not work. The one on the west side highway is nice and so along the fdr but the one down first and 9th are just annoying at best. They just do not work for most folks. They are terrible for cars as they restrict the number of lanes and make parking even worse as care are now parking a lane into the avenue. Forget about trying to ride up 6th avenue in the bike lane during rush hour.
I actually find riding in NYC not that bad as long as you ride smart and not too defensive or too aggressive. They need to know you are there but you do not want to slow them down. Also cause of all the traffic, NYC drivers really can not go that fast in most cases. I actually get a bit more defensive in rural areas as they really do not expect bikes and I can not predict their actions as well. They also drive much faster. I have had trucks pull me in and out with wind they create with the speeds they were going not thinking at all about me.
If you want to ride a bike in NYC, it can be done but you have to understand the risks. Laws are great and all but it will not do much for you when you are hurt or even in worse case killed. There are those painted white bikes (ghost bikes) throughout the city for a reason. The law did not do much for that rider.
-js
I actually find riding in NYC not that bad as long as you ride smart and not too defensive or too aggressive. They need to know you are there but you do not want to slow them down. Also cause of all the traffic, NYC drivers really can not go that fast in most cases. I actually get a bit more defensive in rural areas as they really do not expect bikes and I can not predict their actions as well. They also drive much faster. I have had trucks pull me in and out with wind they create with the speeds they were going not thinking at all about me.
If you want to ride a bike in NYC, it can be done but you have to understand the risks. Laws are great and all but it will not do much for you when you are hurt or even in worse case killed. There are those painted white bikes (ghost bikes) throughout the city for a reason. The law did not do much for that rider.
-js
