Bicyclist rant # 5

[wart57]

The rules of the road go for you too pal. Just becasue you have cool spandex shorts, a plastic helmet, and a nifty yellow jersey with cool vendor logo's on it does not mean that stop sign does not apply to you.

[omaha_red]

i actually agree.. i almost killed a guy last week cause he blew right through the stop sign..

[cards2468]

The rules of the road go for you too pal. Just becasue you have cool spandex shorts, a plastic helmet, and a nifty yellow jersey with cool vendor logo's on it does not mean that stop sign does not apply to you.

I saw some show where they followed along with a cop and recorded his traffic stops, 1 of them was a bicyclist who ran a stop sign, then it turned out there was a warrant out for his arrest, but yes, if you want to ride on the road, no matter what you're in or on, the rules of the road apply to you.

To turn this rant around, tho, as a bicyclist I rarely ride on the road anymore. Around St. Louis I feel terrified when riding. I've had some close calls (not from my fault at all) and I've seen some pretty terrible stuff (people barely missing bike riders as they pull their gigantic SUV into the bike lane to use it as a turning lane). So instead I slowly pedal on the sidewalks (big no-no, but whenever I see a pedestrian I get off and push my bike) and then ride on actual trails and paths.

[wart57]

The rules of the road go for you too pal. Just becasue you have cool spandex shorts, a plastic helmet, and a nifty yellow jersey with cool vendor logo's on it does not mean that stop sign does not apply to you.

I saw some show where they followed along with a cop and recorded his traffic stops, 1 of them was a bicyclist who ran a stop sign, then it turned out there was a warrant out for his arrest, but yes, if you want to ride on the road, no matter what you're in or on, the rules of the road apply to you.

To turn this rant around, tho, as a bicyclist I rarely ride on the road anymore. Around St. Louis I feel terrified when riding. I've had some close calls (not from my fault at all) and I've seen some pretty terrible stuff (people barely missing bike riders as they pull their gigantic SUV into the bike lane to use it as a turning lane). So instead I slowly pedal on the sidewalks (big no-no, but whenever I see a pedestrian I get off and push my bike) and then ride on actual trails and paths.

I get as far over in my car as I can to give the bike riders as much room as possible.

[Hungary Jack]

I agree that cyclists really need to obey all traffic laws as if they were driving cars. However, in cases where there isn't a car approaching a stop sign, it's OK (IMO) to blow through an intersection provided it is safe and does not impose on other drivers or pedestrians. It is kind of pain to unclip and stop, so you do try to avoid it while cycling.

[wart57]

I agree that cyclists really need to obey all traffic laws as if they were driving cars. However, in cases where there isn't a car approaching a stop sign, it's OK (IMO) to blow through an intersection provided it is safe and does not impose on other drivers or pedestrians. It is kind of pain to unclip and stop, so you do try to avoid it while cycling.

It is kind of a pain for me to hit those breaks too, but the law requires I do.

[Hungary Jack]

I agree that cyclists really need to obey all traffic laws as if they were driving cars. However, in cases where there isn't a car approaching a stop sign, it's OK (IMO) to blow through an intersection provided it is safe and does not impose on other drivers or pedestrians. It is kind of pain to unclip and stop, so you do try to avoid it while cycling.

It is kind of a pain for me to hit those breaks too, but the law requires I do.

True, but a car going at 20 mph does a lot more damage than a cyclist.

[cards2468]

The rules of the road go for you too pal. Just becasue you have cool spandex shorts, a plastic helmet, and a nifty yellow jersey with cool vendor logo's on it does not mean that stop sign does not apply to you.

I saw some show where they followed along with a cop and recorded his traffic stops, 1 of them was a bicyclist who ran a stop sign, then it turned out there was a warrant out for his arrest, but yes, if you want to ride on the road, no matter what you're in or on, the rules of the road apply to you.

To turn this rant around, tho, as a bicyclist I rarely ride on the road anymore. Around St. Louis I feel terrified when riding. I've had some close calls (not from my fault at all) and I've seen some pretty terrible stuff (people barely missing bike riders as they pull their gigantic SUV into the bike lane to use it as a turning lane). So instead I slowly pedal on the sidewalks (big no-no, but whenever I see a pedestrian I get off and push my bike) and then ride on actual trails and paths.

I get as far over in my car as I can to give the bike riders as much room as possible.

and I appreciate that, but it only takes 1 car to crush a rider's skull

[wart57]

I agree that cyclists really need to obey all traffic laws as if they were driving cars. However, in cases where there isn't a car approaching a stop sign, it's OK (IMO) to blow through an intersection provided it is safe and does not impose on other drivers or pedestrians. It is kind of pain to unclip and stop, so you do try to avoid it while cycling.

It is kind of a pain for me to hit those breaks too, but the law requires I do.

True, but a car going at 20 mph does a lot more damage than a cyclist.

I don't know, some of the outfits they wear sure do a lot of damage to my eyes...

[Sutter'sBeard]

I think they like to have it both ways. They like to ride down the middle of the damn street so you can't pass and they also like to blow stop signs. F you and your 135lb body!