Using the street should be illegal...

[xSauronx]

ok, on my way to/home from work, i pass through a residential area that probably takes up about 10 blocks (square)

sidewalks abound, on every street there are sidewalks...so that people can walk on the sidewalks, and not be endangered by cars

nobody uses them. and i am pissed.

ok, some people use them, but enough people dont use them that i could easily run into several on the way home each day if i felt like it. they ride their bikes in the street, stand in it, walk in the middle of it....not sometimes, not when theres no traffic, but constantly. the main street going through the middle of this area is extra wide, to allow for maintenance vehicles and guests when someone doesnt have enough driveway space. so, on the way home, theres several cars parked on the side of the street

no big deal right?
ok, beside one of these cars, are two guys...talking, and looking at me like im crazy for driving in the motherf*cking street

oh, and i dont like being censored, gah

anyway, they look at me like im nuts, how dare i use this road to travel on?

what the hell am i missing? sidewalks all over the damned place and nobody uses them, and im tempted to start running them over and keeping score

so, which is more illegal, them standing like stupid bastards in the middle of the road? or me running them over for it?

 

[ROTC1983]

I think you running over them would be much more illegal

 

[Ryan]

I'll paypal you 10 bucks for every one you hit.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

you should try dealing with the cat lady in my neighborhood..crazy b jumps out into the road screechin' "SlowDown!" ..I downshift..dump the clutch into second and bark the tires and floor it..stay outa the road if you are not wearing a license plate

 

[Yomicron]

OMG!! people riding their bike in the street???

If that wasn't where you are supposed to ride a bike, I might be upset.



as for the people standing in the street, just go the speed limit and when you get close to them slam on your breaks, if you hit one, it will look like they walked in front of you and you tried to stop.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Yomicron
OMG!! people riding their bike in the street???

If that wasn't where you are supposed to ride a bike, I might be upset.



as for the people standing in the street, just go the speed limit and when you get close to them slam on your breaks, if you hit one, it will look like they walked in front of you and you tried to stop.

A pedestrian always has the right-of-way, they may not charge you with murder if you hit one but you will still be responsible for all their medical bills and possibly a wrongfull death suit from the family.

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: Yomicron
OMG!! people riding their bike in the street???

If that wasn't where you are supposed to ride a bike, I might be upset.



as for the people standing in the street, just go the speed limit and when you get close to them slam on your breaks, if you hit one, it will look like they walked in front of you and you tried to stop.

Yeah, you can get a ticket for riding your bicycle on the sidewalk....

amish

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Yomicron
OMG!! people riding their bike in the street???

If that wasn't where a bike is supposed to be, I might be upset.

Yup....it's actually illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk in most places. A common misconception. So common, in fact, that I once had a cop tell me (via the loudspeaker on top of his car) to get my bike off the road and onto the sidewalk.

as for the people standing in the street, just go the speed limit and when you get close to them slam on your breaks, if you hit one, it will look like they walked in front of you and you tried to stop.

An air-horn designed for a big rig might be handy too. It'd be a pain to install the compressor and all the other goodies, but 140 db would sure as hell get people moving a bit faster.

 

[Yomicron]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: Yomicron
OMG!! people riding their bike in the street???

If that wasn't where you are supposed to ride a bike, I might be upset.



as for the people standing in the street, just go the speed limit and when you get close to them slam on your breaks, if you hit one, it will look like they walked in front of you and you tried to stop.

A pedestrian always has the right-of-way, they may not charge you with murder if you hit one but you will still be responsible for all their medical bills and possibly a wrongfull death suit from the family.

Not in Arizona, if a pedestrian is in the street at any other point other than a crosswalk, the drivers must attempt to yeild right of way, if they try and still hit the person (ie not enough space to stop), it is not the drivers fault. Otherwise you could just jump infront of cars and sue the drivers.

 

[Amused]

Everyone is correct that bicycles are not supposed to be operated on the sidewalk in most areas.

I run in the street, simply because the side walks are uneven. But I always stay far to the side and give cars the right-of-way.

As for people standing in the street... don't you wish there was a point system? But to answer your question, BOTH are illegal. It's illegal to stand in the street, but pedestrians always have the right of way, even when they're breaking the law.

Oh, and let me add this: In the winter, it is impossible to use the sidewalks here because some people are too damn lazy to shovel the walks in front of their homes.

 

[everman]

In my neighborhood there are no sidewalks (in a hilly area and lazy city), and lots of people like to walk. On top of that, there are many blind corners which you need to go around very slowly, there's even a guy that carries a golf club and sticks it out so you don't get too close to him!
And bikers, don't get me started on bikers, especially the ones that drive on the wrong side of the road!

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Yomicron

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: Yomicron
OMG!! people riding their bike in the street???

If that wasn't where you are supposed to ride a bike, I might be upset.



as for the people standing in the street, just go the speed limit and when you get close to them slam on your breaks, if you hit one, it will look like they walked in front of you and you tried to stop.

A pedestrian always has the right-of-way, they may not charge you with murder if you hit one but you will still be responsible for all their medical bills and possibly a wrongfull death suit from the family.

Not in Arizona, if a pedestrian is in the street at any other point other than a crosswalk. The drivers must attempt to yeild right of way, if they try and still hit the person, it is not their fault. Otherwise you could just jump infront of cars and sue the drivers.

Yes and jumping in front of cars would be so profitable for those that are lucky enough to survive right? You may not be "at fault" in the insurance world but that still means you pay. Welcome to america.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: everman
In my neighborhood there are no sidewalks (in a hilly area and lazy city), and lots of people like to walk. On top of that, there are many blind corners which you need to go around very slowly, there's even a guy that carries a golf club and sticks it out so you don't get too close to him!
And bikers, don't get me started on bikers, especially the ones that drive on the wrong side of the road!

I know many people will say this is wrong, but I almost always ride my bike and run on the wrong side of the road. I like to see what is coming at me at insane speeds. Having cars suddenly pass me and not seeing them until they do is unnerving.

 

[Yomicron]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: Yomicron

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: Yomicron
OMG!! people riding their bike in the street???

If that wasn't where you are supposed to ride a bike, I might be upset.



as for the people standing in the street, just go the speed limit and when you get close to them slam on your breaks, if you hit one, it will look like they walked in front of you and you tried to stop.

A pedestrian always has the right-of-way, they may not charge you with murder if you hit one but you will still be responsible for all their medical bills and possibly a wrongfull death suit from the family.

Not in Arizona, if a pedestrian is in the street at any other point other than a crosswalk. The drivers must attempt to yeild right of way, if they try and still hit the person, it is not their fault. Otherwise you could just jump infront of cars and sue the drivers.

Yes and jumping in front of cars would be so profitable for those that are lucky enough to survive right? You may not be "at fault" in the insurance world but that still means you pay. Welcome to america.

File a couner suit, for damage to the car and the mental suffering you were caused by seeing some one jump out infront of you.

 

[gentobu]

Yeah, this frequently happens where I live too. There are ample sidewalks and paths for people to go running on, yet some of them choose to run on the street toward oncoming traffic:disgust:.In fact, almost every night when Im driving home I see the same idiots running out on the street forcing traffic to go around them:|

edit: /B

 

[CraigRT]

what a bunch of f-tards.. i'd drive through in a Hummer and throw stale bagels at them...

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: gentobu
Yeah, this frequently happens where I live too. There are ample sidewalks and paths for people to go running on, yet some of them choose to run on the street toward oncoming traffic:disgust:.In fact, almost every night when Im driving home I see the same idiots running out on the street forcing traffic to go around them:|

edit: /B

You need to be a runner to understand. Many sidewalks and trails are like an obstacle course and an accident waiting to happen for runners. Either the sidewalk is extremely uneven, or people have their yard waste all over it, or worse, it's over grown.

 

[GoodToGo]

Go play Carmageddon(sp?). That will answer all your questions.

 

[gentobu]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: gentobu
Yeah, this frequently happens where I live too. There are ample sidewalks and paths for people to go running on, yet some of them choose to run on the street toward oncoming traffic:disgust:.In fact, almost every night when Im driving home I see the same idiots running out on the street forcing traffic to go around them:|

edit: /B

You need to be a runner to understand. Many sidewalks and trails are like an obstacle course and an accident waiting to happen for runners. Either the sidewalk is extremely uneven, or people have their yard waste all over it, or worse, it's over grown.

heh I actually do go running MWF and that is not the case here. The sidewalks are just fine to run on, and there is enough space to go around other runners/walkers. I understand that sometimes you are forced to run on the street, which is fine by me, but these people choose to run on the street and force traffic around them rather than using the sidewalks and paths.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: everman
In my neighborhood there are no sidewalks (in a hilly area and lazy city), and lots of people like to walk. On top of that, there are many blind corners which you need to go around very slowly, there's even a guy that carries a golf club and sticks it out so you don't get too close to him!
And bikers, don't get me started on bikers, especially the ones that drive on the wrong side of the road!

I know many people will say this is wrong, but I almost always ride my bike and run on the wrong side of the road. I like to see what is coming at me at insane speeds. Having cars suddenly pass me and not seeing them until they do is unnerving.

I see where you're coming from, but in the event you get nailed by a car on your bike (for whatever reason), you won't have the law on your side since you were going the wrong way. Plus people coming out of sidestreets aren't going to be looking for a bike coming from that direction on that side of the road. Just FYI.

One other note along these lines: statistically speaking, only about 5% of car/bike accidents are where the car hits the cyclist from behind. Much more likely for them to pass you and then cut you off by turning right, or to turn left in front of you coming from the other direction. I agree that it is indeed unnerving to have cars coming up on you that you can't see, but maybe you could get one of those tiny rear-view mirrors that clip to your helmet or handlebars. I know several people who have this kind of setup and love it.

 

[AvesPKS]

We have a road back home with no shoulder. People come from miles around to ride their bikes there at the weekend because it's "scenic". How the hell are you supposed to legally pass a bike when there is no possible way for him to ride on the shoulder, and it's a no passing zone?

 

[ddwbi0]

if youre just standing in the middle of the road talking....are you still considered a pedestrian? Or would it be more like...loiterer(is that even a word?)?

 

[her209]

I hate it when stuff gets in my way when I am driving... for example, cars, people, people on bikes, dogs, cats, racoons, cows, Mexican people running across the border, etc., to name a few.

 

It is illegal, and do you have anything else to whine about?

 

[jteef]

There was a fellow at my high school that hit a girl right outside the school. (she was crossing the street, he was making a left) anyways, the police ticketed her for jaywalking and didn't cite him for anything. I dont think anybody was injured, but they put a crosswalk up the next week.

jt