Bicycles on the road.....

[Mermaid02]

I have noticed that people who are riding their bikes tend to be a vehicle when that's convenient and a pedestrian when that is advantageous. Makes it hard because you're never quite sure what they are going to do... had one guy on his bike in a crosswalk yesterday

 

[MIGrandma]

I know I will get flamed for this but until bikes have to have licenses on them, as cars/trucks do, and until they pay road taxes they do not belong on the roads. It is not safe for bike riders to be on busy roads either. When a car or truck hits a bike, it is never good for the rider of the bike.

 

[1stluvispooh]

Are you sure that they cyclist isn't just in the crosswalk, or sidewalk because they feel safer??? I mean a car vs a bike who's gonna win?? Not the bike

 

[ajk912]

I know I will get flamed for this but until bikes have to have licenses on them, as cars/trucks do, and until they pay road taxes they do not belong on the roads. It is not safe for bike riders to be on busy roads either. When a car or truck hits a bike, it is never good for the rider of the bike.

Agreed. I don't mind when people are biking around a subdivision or through the parks obviously..but biking on the main roads that DO NOT have a bike line is dangerous. There is either a huge line of traffic behind you, or people try to pass which is dangerous. If there was an accident, it would be all on the motorist's insurance. Whether the motorist is at fault or not. If you are going to be a vehicle, you need to be covered because what happens if you hit an un-insured motorist? Would normal health insurance cover that? I don't know, I do my exercise safely in a gym. Oh..I also don't mind if people bike on roads that have designated bike lanes. Then they are out of traffic so I don't have to worry about them..I am just worried about hitting people.

 

[Mermaid02]

Are you sure that they cyclist isn't just in the crosswalk, or sidewalk because they feel safer??? I mean a car vs a bike who's gonna win?? Not the bike

If they are on the road, they are a vehicle and are expected to follow the rules of the road. I find they stop at red lights (correctly) but then go through them when nothing is coming (incorrectly) etc.

These are adults, not kids btw.

 

[NMAmy]

Are you sure that they cyclist isn't just in the crosswalk, or sidewalk because they feel safer??? I mean a car vs a bike who's gonna win?? Not the bike

I work in a downtown area and this happens all the time. Here's the scenario--I pass a biker and stop at a redlight to make a right turn. There were no pedestrians on the sidewalk and no cars coming from the other direction so I think it's safe to turn. And woosh--here comes a cyclist on the sidewalk now and he shoots through the crosswalk just blowing off the red light because he doesn't want to stop.

ETA: I'm fine with bikes on the street. But if they are going to use the street, then they need to follow all the rules of the road--not just the ones that don't slow them down.

 

[golfgal]

DRIVES ME NUTS---especially since we have nice WIDE paved bike paths everywhere yet the bikers continue to ride on the road-55 mph roads with very little shoulder. You have to move into the other lane to get by them more often then not and if you get 'too close" they flip you off. It is really sad actually.

 

[Kit'smommy]

DRIVES ME NUTS---especially since we have nice WIDE paved bike paths everywhere yet the bikers continue to ride on the road-55 mph roads with very little shoulder. You have to move into the other lane to get by them more often then not and if you get 'too close" they flip you off. It is really sad actually.

We have wide paved bike paths in a lot of places here too. They are terrible for serious cycling as they are often clogged up with people on rollerblades or on bikes moving very slowly. They are also often ill maintained, not very straight and not suited to cyling 20MHP+ on them. I'll use them for taking my 6 year old son out on them for a casual ride, but I am happy cyclists like my DH and his bike team stay off them.

Most adult cyclists around here obey the traffic laws and trust me, they also wish the counties did a better job of providing bike lanes.

I don't understand why non-cylists are so adament about cyclist not belonging on the roads. The roads around us are heavily used by many very experienced riders. And since the taxes they pay, pay for those roads they very definitely have a right to use them. Give them their three feet, and go on with your day...

 

[pyrxtc]

It is actually against the law in most places fort a bike to ride on the sidewalk. They are considered vehicles and are supposed to ride on the road with cars and going in the same directions as them following the same rules. None of our roads have bike lanes and lots of people here ride bikes around. Most of the roads they are riding on are 50 MPH since the back roads are not paved and make it harder to ride.

Bike laws example from one state.

 

[mhsjax]

We have wide paved bike paths in a lot of places here too. They are terrible for serious cycling as they are often clogged up with people on rollerblades or on bikes moving very slowly. They are also often ill maintained, not very straight and not suited to cyling 20MHP+ on them. I'll use them for taking my 6 year old son out on them for a casual ride, but I am happy cyclists like my DH and his bike team stay off them.

Most adult cyclists around here obey the traffic laws and trust me, they also wish the counties did a better job of providing bike lanes.

I don't understand why non-cylists are so adament about cyclist not belonging on the roads. The roads around us are heavily used by many very experienced riders. And since the taxes they pay, pay for those roads they very definitely have a right to use them. Give them their three feet, and go on with your day...

I am in Florida, and we have the bike lanes. But guess what, they don't stay in those lanes. They ride 3 or 4 across and they always come out of the bike lane. YOu can't get around them because there is traffic in the lane beside you, so you either have to slow down to their speed,(on a road that is 45 mph speed limit) or take a chance and hit one of them. God forbidone of them hits a pot hole or rock or anything, those guys are so close together that 2 or 3 of them would fall into the traffic.

They seem to want special rights, we had on guy get a ticket, he said he wasn't in a car, the cop told him he couldn't have it both ways, hyou want the same rights as a car on the road, then you have to obey the same rules. Biker wasn't very happy, and I think he was really nasty to the cop, IIRC.

 

[escape]

Cyclist here. Many of you have legitimate complaints. If a cyclist is on the road, then all rules should be followed as if he/she were driving a vehicle. I say that with my fingers crossed because if there is no one around and I come up to a stop sign (obviously, not a busy intersection), then I will slow down first, make sure no one is around, and then proceed through the stop sign/light. The local officials are OK with this. However, if just one vehicle is nearby, I stop. NMArmy, what that cyclist did is just dangerous and asking for trouble.

As for riding on the roads with bike lanes, that would be great. I’m all for it. However, there is no such thing around here. Well, I should say for long-distance riders. We do have a park with paved trails for cyclists and walkers but it’s designed for casual riders, not long-distance. On some of the roads I ride, there are shoulders wide enough to ride on but sometimes the shoulders have a lot of debris and other obstacles making it tough to continue on them all the time.

I do try to be a courteous rider. If I find myself in a situation where I’m holding up traffic, which rarely happens, then I will either pull over or get out of the way somehow until traffic clears. I don’t ride in busy cities or areas where there is a lot of traffic so this really isn’t a problem for me.

 

[escape]

I am in Florida, and we have the bike lanes. But guess what, they don't stay in those lanes. They ride 3 or 4 across and they always come out of the bike lane. YOu can't get around them because there is traffic in the lane beside you, so you either have to slow down to their speed,(on a road that is 45 mph speed limit) or take a chance and hit one of them. God forbidone of them hits a pot hole or rock or anything, those guys are so close together that 2 or 3 of them would fall into the traffic.

They seem to want special rights, we had on guy get a ticket, he said he wasn't in a car, the cop told him he couldn't have it both ways, hyou want the same rights as a car on the road, then you have to obey the same rules. Biker wasn't very happy, and I think he was really nasty to the cop, IIRC.

These cyclists were being irresponsible and asking for trouble. We (the group I ride with) ride single-file or double (on wide shoulder). We try to respect others. Unfortunately, it doesn't always go both ways.

 

[Kit'smommy]

I am in Florida, and we have the bike lanes. But guess what, they don't stay in those lanes. They ride 3 or 4 across and they always come out of the bike lane. YOu can't get around them because there is traffic in the lane beside you, so you either have to slow down to their speed,(on a road that is 45 mph speed limit) or take a chance and hit one of them. God forbidone of them hits a pot hole or rock or anything, those guys are so close together that 2 or 3 of them would fall into the traffic.

They seem to want special rights, we had on guy get a ticket, he said he wasn't in a car, the cop told him he couldn't have it both ways, hyou want the same rights as a car on the road, then you have to obey the same rules. Biker wasn't very happy, and I think he was really nasty to the cop, IIRC.

As my signature states, I am in Florida too. We are about 25 miles outside of Tampa. There are no bike lanes on the roads around our house. There are some here and there around the state university in other parts of Tampa, but there is no consistency. If there is a bike lane or shoulder, most riders use it very responsibly.

If they are riding several abreast, they are not following the traffic laws. It they are not stopping at lights/stop signs, they are not following the traffic laws. Personally, I applaud the cops giving them tickets for breaking the laws, but I personally have witnessed more issues with ticked off and impatient drivers than with cyclists doing anything wrong.

If there are regular groups riding together that are breaking the rules consistently, have a chat with your local cops. Usually the riders wear team shirts or regularly wear kits with recognizable logos. If there are a lot of complaints, the cops will show up at the start of rides and have a "conversation" with the bigger groups.

 

[mhsjax]

As my signature states, I am in Florida too. We are about 25 miles outside of Tampa. There are no bike lanes on the roads around our house. There are some here and there around the state university in other parts of Tampa, but there is no consistency. If there is a bike lane or shoulder, most riders use it very responsibly.

If they are riding several abreast, they are not following the traffic laws. It they are not stopping at lights/stop signs, they are not following the traffic laws. Personally, I applaud the cops giving them tickets for breaking the laws, but I personally have witnessed more issues with ticked off and impatient drivers than with cyclists doing anything wrong.

If there are regular groups riding together that are breaking the rules consistently, have a chat with your local cops. Usually the riders wear team shirts or regularly wear kits with recognizable logos. If there are a lot of complaints, the cops will show up at the start of rides and have a "conversation" with the bigger groups.

It's an ongoing problem around here, even one of the wives told her hubby that rides, that she couldn't continue to take up for their group if they kept acting like jerks. I personally saw one get into a very heated argument with a friend of mine, when the biker broke the law and he almost got hit by the car, He cussed my friend out. Nothing will change we have had these problems for years. Actually they seem to have slowed down, maybe when it turns warmer they will pick up again.

For the record, I have no problem with bike riders, I just want them to follow the laws, we don't want to hit any of them, as trust me with this particular group if one of them did get hit, They would swear up and down that the driver did it on purpose.

They also would come through our little neighborhood, flying as fast as they could. They go faster than the cars, we have a very low speed limit.
Too many people walk their dogs and kids playing. They just don't seem to care. It's like they have rights and the rest of us don't. ok Rant over.

 

[harleyquinn]

Sounds like this is a case of bad eggs ruining things for everyone. The real cyclists get mad at drivers who are mad at casual cyclists and lumping everyone together.

I see very, very few 'real' cyclists on the roads. It's almost always a casual idiot with no helmut riding on a narrow densely businessed road.

All I know is that I think it is not safe for any bicycle on any busy roadway. I understand cyclists wanted to use a clean, maintained surface, but I just don't think it's safe.

(We have bike paths along some of the busier roads, but they always seem to have all the road dust debris and I can understand someone not wanting to use them).

 

[FireDancer]

I cycle quite a lot and always on the road. I ride as close to the right side of the road as is safe but on some roads that is a few feet into the lane. I obey traffic laws when I do it. When I am in a car and come up on a cyclist I patiently wait far enough back that I can safely stop if he has a puncture or a fall and when the coast is clear I pass.

If a cyclist breaks a traffic law, like going through a stop sign, and gets hit it is the cyclists fault

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I know I will get flamed for this but until bikes have to have licenses on them, as cars/trucks do, and until they pay road taxes they do not belong on the roads. It is not safe for bike riders to be on busy roads either. When a car or truck hits a bike, it is never good for the rider of the bike.

ARound here, local and federal taxes (property taxes, city taxes) pay for the roads.

Now--by this logic, I shouldn't drive on roads outside of my city/county/state with my car.

As it stands, my registration fees do not pay for any road maintenance.


I don't mind real cyclists on the road as long they mind their own laws of the road.

I get bothered by drivers who like to play chicken with cyclists and with runners and it is just plain wrong. Many years ago, I was running on A1A and someone deliberately swerved their car necessitating me to run into the brush to avoid possibly being hit. It was uncalled for.

And roads that are not highways--there's even further reason that drivers CAN share teh road with cyclists and runners.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Agreed. I don't mind when people are biking around a subdivision or through the parks obviously..but biking on the main roads that DO NOT have a bike line is dangerous. There is either a huge line of traffic behind you, or people try to pass which is dangerous. If there was an accident, it would be all on the motorist's insurance. Whether the motorist is at fault or not. If you are going to be a vehicle, you need to be covered because what happens if you hit an un-insured motorist? Would normal health insurance cover that? I don't know, I do my exercise safely in a gym. Oh..I also don't mind if people bike on roads that have designated bike lanes. Then they are out of traffic so I don't have to worry about them..I am just worried about hitting people.

If a cyclist is obeying the laws a motorists hits them anyway, it is indeed their fault. Much like if they hit a pedestrian in the cross walk and the ped had right of way.

Of course it would be better if they didn't get hit in the first place.

But if a car shoulders the road too much--and then nails a cyclist who has the right to bike and didn't break any laws--it is the driver's fault...in this state.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I agree with the OP. I live near the Ohio State campus and we have a lot of cyclists. I am fine with bicycles as long as they decide if they want to be a car or a pedestrian. I've seen bikes blatantly running red lights (no, its not a right turn on red, just straight through it). Of course there are lots of cyclists out there who obey the laws, but I think there are just as many who don't obey the laws. Seriously, whenever I see a bike lately it freaks me out and causes me to tense up. I have no idea how this person is going to be acting and I feel like I need to be ready for anything.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

As my signature states, I am in Florida too. We are about 25 miles outside of Tampa. There are no bike lanes on the roads around our house. There are some here and there around the state university in other parts of Tampa, but there is no consistency. If there is a bike lane or shoulder, most riders use it very responsibly.

If they are riding several abreast, they are not following the traffic laws. It they are not stopping at lights/stop signs, they are not following the traffic laws. Personally, I applaud the cops giving them tickets for breaking the laws, but I personally have witnessed more issues with ticked off and impatient drivers than with cyclists doing anything wrong.

If there are regular groups riding together that are breaking the rules consistently, have a chat with your local cops. Usually the riders wear team shirts or regularly wear kits with recognizable logos. If there are a lot of complaints, the cops will show up at the start of rides and have a "conversation" with the bigger groups.

Well stated!

I have mostly found cyclists to be courteous and law abiding. On one road here ( a river front road with very low speed limits, no shoulders but used by runners and cyclists)--it is the only place Ihave found rude cyclists. They get in a snit b/c us runners dare use that road to run along. (And "they" is one encounter--most everyone is nice. But it is the only place where I've found cyclist iwth an entitlement complex--and yes, they were riding several abreast and get ticked when cars are coming as well. )