So I drove downtown yesterday to kill sometime..couldn't park on the street where I was working

[Mayne]

figured I could kill sometime until 10:00 am when its legal to park on the street where i'm doing a full system job. Hey why not drive downtown on my way to the west end. Is it just me or are bicyclists fricking assholes? there is like barely a foot between me and them and they still try to get by me.

The worst part is, we'll be at a light and traffic starts to move a little bit and they try come zipping by us and the cars start picking up speed..now we all have to slow down because the bike driver is ahead of us and we don't want to kill him.

I just don't get this fucking logic at all. Why can't bicyclists wait like everyone us?

 

[cbrunny]

Its almost like they should have their own lanes, eh?

 

[Mayne]

Its almost like they should have their own lanes, eh?

I'm sure they will eventually. Gotta love congesting the streets even more in winter time when no bikes are about.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I hate the fact that the law actually states they should be on the road and not the sidewalk. That law makes absolutely no sense, it's dangerous for them, and it's annoying for motorists. As a motorist if you were to do bike speed you'd get pulled over for impeding traffic. Most cyclists here do use the sidewalk anyway though and it's a law that's not really enforced. I always see the oddball one that does ride in the road, it's always the ones that wear spandex and think they're in the Tour De France lol. I can't necessarily fault them for following the law though.

 

[cbrunny]

I hate the fact that the law actually states they should be on the road and not the sidewalk. That law makes absolutely no sense, it's dangerous for them, and it's annoying for motorists. As a motorist if you were to do bike speed you'd get pulled over for impeding traffic. Most cyclists here do use the sidewalk anyway though and it's a law that's not really enforced. I always see the oddball one that does ride in the road, it's always the ones that wear spandex and think they're in the Tour De France lol. I can't necessarily fault them for following the law though.

this is both incredibly stupid and wrong. It is absurdly dangerous for bicycles to travel on sidewalks. Beyond stupid. Shit like this really grinds my gears. Posted as if you've never actually ridden a bike before. FFS man use your damn head.

Not only are intersections absurdly dangerous for bicyclists that are dumb enough to ride on the sidewalk, it is also very very very dangerous for the completely unprotected pedestrians who don't have eyes on the back of their heads. One wrong step into a bike and it's game over for both. At least on the road lanes exist. there are no lanes on sidewalks.

I know there are bad cyclists who do stupid things. I'm not excusing them. But putting pedestrians in jeopardy because you've never ridden a bike before makes about as much sense as a poopy flavoured lolly pop. Use your damn head man.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I hate the fact that the law actually states they should be on the road and not the sidewalk. That law makes absolutely no sense, it's dangerous for them, and it's annoying for motorists. As a motorist if you were to do bike speed you'd get pulled over for impeding traffic. Most cyclists here do use the sidewalk anyway though and it's a law that's not really enforced. I always see the oddball one that does ride in the road, it's always the ones that wear spandex and think they're in the Tour De France lol. I can't necessarily fault them for following the law though.

I can't say this enough, having dedicated bike lanes solves all these problems. It gives riders their own lane to ride in and motorists aren't impeded by them at all. We have them on most roads here in San Diego and we just don't have this problem here. Granted, that still doesn't prevent idiots in cars from killing cyclists every year or cyclists from doing some of the dumb shit they do but bike lanes definitely help create some separation between motorists and cyclists and that's a good thing.

 

[Red Squirrel]

this is both incredibly stupid and wrong. It is absurdly dangerous for bicycles to travel on sidewalks. Beyond stupid. Shit like this really grinds my gears. Posted as if you've never actually ridden a bike before. FFS man use your damn head.

Not only are intersections absurdly dangerous for bicyclists that are dumb enough to ride on the sidewalk, it is also very very very dangerous for the completely unprotected pedestrians who don't have eyes on the back of their heads. One wrong step into a bike and it's game over for both. At least on the road lanes exist. there are no lanes on sidewalks.

I know there are bad cyclists who do stupid things. I'm not excusing them. But putting pedestrians in jeopardy because you've never ridden a bike before makes about as much sense as a poopy flavoured lolly pop. Use your damn head man.

Obviously as a cyclist you'd move over when there is a pedestrian and not just drive straight into them. I used to ride a lot and always rode on the sidewalk. In fact when I was a kid and new to cycling it was fairly customary to be told to stay off the street, in safety related talks in school etc... "Stay off the street, always wear your helmet, look both ways at intersections, obey stop signs" etc... standard stuff. I care for my safety I'm not going to ride among vehicles that are 2000+ pounds going 10x faster than me and having to drive around me missing me by inches. It just makes no sense.

Whether you're on the road or sidewalk you still need to go through intersections too, not sure what difference that even makes. you're still suppose to obey stop signs and stop lights etc obviously.

Of course having actual bike lanes would be even better but most roads don't have that. There is sometimes a small paved section between the road and the sidewalk where the utility poles are, that sorta works as a bike lane but often there are too many obstructions including guy wires and recessed drains. Side walks don't have lanes, but it is typical to walk closer to the right so as a cyclist you would just slow down and pass any pedestrians there may be. If running into parents with kids and a dog etc or other groups you can pretty much just slow down to pedestrian speed or even check for cars and go in the road for that short section to give them more room.

Just staying in the road the full time while traffic is trying to swerve around me is not my idea of safety.

 

[nerp]

Red. Pedestrians can't be trusted. The lady at the supermarket that veers into you because she isn't looking. The guy who starts walking in your direction while looking the other way. People make sudden changes of movement. Kids are unpredictable.

Bikes do not belong on sidewalks. Your ideas are invalid. Stop trying to argue the point. Your childhood is anecdotes, not research.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Red. Pedestrians can't be trusted. The lady at the supermarket that veers into you because she isn't looking. The guy who starts walking in your direction while looking the other way. People make sudden changes of movement. Kids are unpredictable.

Bikes do not belong on sidewalks. Your ideas are invalid. Stop trying to argue the point. Your childhood is anecdotes, not research.

So bikes should be riding along with transport trucks, cars, and other vehicles and risk getting killed if they get hit? Or risk causing vehicles to have to swerve into oncoming traffic if a cyclist randomly pops out from between a parked car? It's about risk assessment. A cyclist hitting a pedestrian is a "oh sorry" situation, a motor vehicle hitting a cyclist is a life ending situation. There are way more cars than there are pedestrians, so the risk of a cyclist hitting one is very low to begin with.

 

[cbrunny]

So bikes should be riding along with transport trucks, cars, and other vehicles and risk getting killed if they get hit?

Yuuup. Absolutely I am. And it is correct, unless there is a bike lane which is even better.

Or risk causing vehicles to have to swerve into oncoming traffic if a cyclist randomly pops out from between a parked car?

I'm not defending idiots.

It's about risk assessment. A cyclist hitting a pedestrian is a "oh sorry" situation, a motor vehicle hitting a cyclist is a life ending situation. There are way more cars than there are pedestrians, so the risk of a cyclist hitting one is very low to begin with.

Bahaha you have no fucking clue what you're talking about. Your wrongness is laughable.

I can ride my bike at ~34km/hr for ~3 hours. First, point at a sidewalk that would be appropriate for me to use.

Second, stand in front of my bike while I ride into you at 34 km/hr and tell me that you're sorry. Don't worry. I'll drive you to the hospital, but you're paying to fix my bike. Once you've regained consciousness, you'll be in casts for the broken bones, assuming that none of the components on my carbon bike snapped off and impaled you - a very real possibility. "Oh sorry"

 

[Red Squirrel]

Second, stand in front of my bike while I ride into you at 34 km/hr and tell me that you're sorry. Don't worry. I'll drive you to the hospital, but you're paying to fix my bike. Once you've regained consciousness, you'll be in casts for the broken bones, assuming that none of the components on my carbon bike snapped off and impaled you - a very real possibility. "Oh sorry"

Ok if your booting it that's a different story but even then, look for a clear in traffic so you can move to the road to pass a pedestrian, or slow down when there is a one. I'm talking about someone casually cycling not someone peddling like their life depends on it. In that case then yeah you should probably go on the road but even then, if the limit is 50-60 which is typical of a normal road, you're still not keeping up with traffic, and causing cars to have to keep swerving around you. Basically use common sense is all I'm saying. For the few pedestrians you might run into move around to give them room.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Yuuup. Absolutely I am. And it is correct, unless there is a bike lane which is even better. I'm not defending idiots.
Bahaha you have no fucking clue what you're talking about. Your wrongness is laughable.

I can ride my bike at ~34km/hr for ~3 hours. First, point at a sidewalk that would be appropriate for me to use.

Second, stand in front of my bike while I ride into you at 34 km/hr and tell me that you're sorry. Don't worry. I'll drive you to the hospital, but you're paying to fix my bike. Once you've regained consciousness, you'll be in casts for the broken bones, assuming that none of the components on my carbon bike snapped off and impaled you - a very real possibility. "Oh sorry"

Realistically, you'd probably kill him if you hit him going that fast.

FTR-I've seen 48mph downhill on my cycle computer on my road bike.

 

[LikeLinus]

Bikes do not belong on sidewalks, period. But my main problem is that I see a shit ton of cyclist who don't obey the traffic law. It annoys the crap out of me. They will run red lights and don't feel they have to stop. Admittedly I'm probably seeing mostly collage age kids on bikes, but it's stupid. The flip side is there are motorist who don't give a crap about cyclist. So it goes both ways.

 

[cbrunny]

Ok if your booting it that's a different story but even then, look for a clear in traffic so you can move to the road to pass a pedestrian, or slow down when there is a one. I'm talking about someone casually cycling not someone peddling like their life depends on it. In that case then yeah you should probably go on the road but even then, if the limit is 50-60 which is typical of a normal road, you're still not keeping up with traffic, and causing cars to have to keep swerving around you. Basically use common sense is all I'm saying. For the few pedestrians you might run into move around to give them room.

Common sense is they belong on the road. Period. It is simply not debatable.

 

[Red Squirrel]

48mph? That's 77km/h which is actually faster than the speed limit on most roads. We're talking pedal bikes here, not motorcycles. Motorcycles should obviously be on the road. If you can manage to somehow hit that on a pedal bike without some kind of motor or rocket assist then you're way out of the ordinary. I'd hate to see you hit a pot hole or rock at that speed on a pedal bike though. If you can somehow manage to keep up with traffic then great stay on the road just watch for pot holes... Or manhole drains that aren't flush.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Common sense is they belong on the road. Period. It is simply not debatable.

Common sense tells me I don't want to find myself embedded in the grill of a transport truck because the driver didn't see me due to being too low.

 

[JulesMaximus]

48mph? That's 77km/h which is actually faster than the speed limit on most roads. We're talking pedal bikes here, not motorcycles. Motorcycles should obviously be on the road. If you can manage to somehow hit that on a pedal bike without some kind of motor or rocket assist then you're way out of the ordinary. I'd hate to see you hit a pot hole or rock at that speed on a pedal bike though. If you can somehow manage to keep up with traffic then great stay on the road just watch for pot holes... Or manhole drains that aren't flush.

There is a great hill near my house, divided road, two lanes each direction with a dedicated bike lane and the speed limit for cars is 45mph. I would set out and if I could hit that first light green and get a good sprint going at the top before it started down and get in a good tuck... yeah, I saw a top speed of 48mph on a pedal bike. The only motor was me and gravity. It's my personal best.

30ish mph was about the fastest I could pedal a bike on a flat road and that was with no wind but I couldn't sustain it for very long.

The thing you don't understand about riding a bicycle is that you become intimate with the roads you ride regularly. The only thing that surprises you is the stupidity of the people you share the roads with.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Common sense tells me I don't want to find myself embedded in the grill of a transport truck because the driver didn't see me due to being too low.

They make blinky lights that you would have to be blind not to see. I'm a big fan of them personally. I've been focusing on MTB lately though so my road bikes have been sitting unused for a while now.

 

[Red Squirrel]

There is a great hill near my house, divided road, two lanes each direction with a dedicated bike lane and the speed limit for cars is 45mph. I would set out and if I could hit that first light green and get a good sprint going at the top before it started down and get in a good tuck... yeah, I saw a top speed of 48mph on a pedal bike. No motor assist. It's my personal best.

The thing you don't understand about riding a bicycle is that you become intimate with the roads you ride regularly.

That's pretty crazy then, the top speed I ever hit was about 40km/h (24mph) and it felt like I was going to start lifting off the ground like a plane lol. It was a similar situation, going downhill, straight way and wind was on my back and there just happened to be a lot of transports in a row zooming past that gave me extra wind and got me going even faster.

 

[JulesMaximus]

That's pretty crazy then, the top speed I ever hit was about 40km/h (24mph) and it felt like I was going to start lifting off the ground like a plane lol. It was a similar situation, going downhill, straight way and wind was on my back and there just happened to be a lot of transports in a row zooming past that gave me extra wind and got me going even faster.

Road bikes are amazing machines. Very light, very low rolling resistance and if you dress in appropriate clothing you can be quite aerodynamic. All of this helps increase your speed. I once averaged 17mph over a 10 mile commute which was a whopping 3mph less than the average speed my wife's car indicated she was averaging at the time on her daily routine.

 

[Ayrahvon]

Because of bike lanes, it's faster for me to bike to work than it is to drive. Unfortunately, I feel the risk of biking is high enough that I haven't been doing it as often, especially in winter. Even in a bike lane, while keeping with speed of traffic, I've been nearly hit by drivers not paying attention to where they are in the lane.

For bikes - divide bikes from cars as often as possible (while not using a sidewalk).

I now walk most days... and still have close calls at intersections when I have a green walk.

Personally, I'd love it if cities gave pedestrians their own time to walk, no right turns for cars, all reds. Don't allow pedestrians/cars to move at same time.

 

[MrSquished]

I love riding my bike on the greenways of New York City. So refreshing. Greenways are different than bike lanes in that they are separated from traffic by something, whether landscaping, concrete or a row of parked cars. Bike lanes are fine too, but nothing beats a greenway.

Bike's don't belong on sidewalks and it's illegal in many urban areas. A friend got a ticket in NYC for riding on the sidewalk once actually.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Because of bike lanes, it's faster for me to bike to work than it is to drive. Unfortunately, I feel the risk of biking is high enough that I haven't been doing it as often, especially in winter. Even in a bike lane, while keeping with speed of traffic, I've been nearly hit by drivers not paying attention to where they are in the lane.

For bikes - divide bikes from cars as often as possible (while not using a sidewalk).

I now walk most days... and still have close calls at intersections when I have a green walk.

Personally, I'd love it if cities gave pedestrians their own time to walk, no right turns for cars, all reds. Don't allow pedestrians/cars to move at same time.

I feel the same way. Honestly, I feel that cycling is even more dangerous than motorcycling. Mile per mile you are exposed to a far greater number of cars and you are far less protected.

 

[who?]

A cyclist on an upright bicycle is taller than many cars.

 

[Meghan54]

I did approach 60mph once on a bike. I used to do the Jim Kruse Century every year, which included a jaunt over the Talmadge Memorial Bridge in Savannah, crossing over to Hutchinson Island. While not the steepest bridge by any means, it was steep enough and long enough that if you hit the crest with any sort of speed, like above 13mph or so, you could coast down the far side and hit north of 50mph...if you had the nerve, the decent bike and a good tuck.

I saw 58mph and was already dragging my rear brake. But to do it today, never. Too damned old to take that sort of chance...broken hip comes to mind.

Be that as it may, bikes do NOT belong on sidewalks. Notice the word "walk" in sidewalks. Bikes are classed as vehicles in all 50 states and have to follow the rules of the road, just like cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc. Naturally, there are idiots that ride bikes and don't, but there are also idiots that drive and think the bike lanes are quite nice parking spots.

There is a great hill near my house, divided road, two lanes each direction with a dedicated bike lane and the speed limit for cars is 45mph. I would set out and if I could hit that first light green and get a good sprint going at the top before it started down and get in a good tuck... yeah, I saw a top speed of 48mph on a pedal bike. The only motor was me and gravity. It's my personal best.

30ish mph was about the fastest I could pedal a bike on a flat road and that was with no wind but I couldn't sustain it for very long.

The thing you don't understand about riding a bicycle is that you become intimate with the roads you ride regularly. The only thing that surprises you is the stupidity of the people you share the roads with.