Motorists get torqued by bikes
Many motorisits get real upset by cyclists behaviors. States generally categorize cyclists with motorists, pushing bikers into one-size-fits-all laws. This is easy, but bikes are not cars. I think it is wrong to expect them to play by the same rules.
The cyclist running a red light or stop sign is going about the same speed as most motorists go while they are rolling through stop signs. You may be the exceptional motorist who comes to a complete stop, but think about whether you really come to a complete stop. Chances are, if there’s no traffic coming, your wheels never stop turning. Most motorists do stop and wait for traffic signals.
Cars and bikes are different. Cars approaching a traffic signal are going faster than 25mph, speeds seldom reached by most cyclists who are not in the Tour de France. Beyond speed, think about consequences. The cyclist who screws up in an intersection is going down, will at least bleed, and broken bones or worse are a likely outcome. That’s a powerful incentive for the cyclist to make the right decision when rolling through that traffic signal.
I believe that the best place for a cyclist to be while passing through an intersection is NOT in the intersection. Move on, get out of there. If safely running a red light gets them out of the intersection, they should do it.
Motorists are inconvenienced by cyclists. They may have to lift their foot from the accelerator and tap their brakes. They may have to wait a minute or two until they can pass the bicycle. They find this highly irritating, and then when they watch the cyclist run the red light, their fury rises. We are a very well-off and fortunate people to be able to waste our karmic energy on such minor inconvenience.
~~Chip
Agreed, Chip.
Idaho law makes exceptions for bicycles. They do not necessarily have to follow the same laws as cars. These exceptions take into account the things you listed above. Most car drivers are completely unaware of this fact, and assume that cyclists are flouting the law - when in reality they are not.
Fog line
Is the usually solid white line on the right side of the right lane or the left side of the left lane (for cars). And I agree. More attention should be paid to it by both.
fog line is the same as the shoulder lin
Sometimes the road commissions here overpave to provide a 5' shoulder, and separate it from the lane with a stripe. State law says cars cannot drive in the paved shoulder, so it should be a sanctuary for cyclists (and broken down cars). I always appreciate these paved shoulders when riding, but I often see drivers cutting a curve apex across the line, I'm assuming it's just laziness.
Worse, sometimes it's used to pass a car stopped for a left turn, the driver behind uses it to pass on the right. Very dangerous for cyclists.
good post
In the end it comes down to safety. I'm not rolling through any intersection unless I'm absolutely sure I can make it AND that the drivers can avoid me. Next comes education but we're failing on that score.
You're spot-on regarding the level of aggravation some drivers put THEMSELVES through over bike riders. O the injustice! "I pay taxes for these roads! They're not for bicycles, ride on the sidewalk!" I've heard it all and I'm sure you have also.
Hey Jack! Is your place safe? I hope none of those wildfires are close to you. It was pretty smokey down here in the piedmont yesterday.
(It’s me. Kudzu. This new site wouldn’t accept my old password so I just changed names)
OK I commented on this yesterday and it didn’t bump it up to the top of the list. Let’s try again.
Looks like it worked!
Kudzu and Tea Wrecks are quite different names.
@Yanoer said:
Kudzu and Tea Wrecks are quite different names.
OK, if I click "Quote it shows that I’m replying to you. This is gonna take a little getting used to. It was easy to see who was talking to who on the dot net site.
Yes “Kudzu” was made up. My real name is Rex; or T. Rex.
@Tea Wrecks said:
@Yanoer said:
Kudzu and Tea Wrecks are quite different names.OK, if I click "Quote it shows that I’m replying to you. This is gonna take a little getting used to. It was easy to see who was talking to who on the dot net site.
Yes “Kudzu” was made up. My real name is Rex; or T. Rex.
Now I see the connection.
@“Tea Wrecks”, if you want to reply to someone without quoting, you can type “@” + their username. When you start typing out the name, you should get an autocomplete list of users to choose from.
I’m getting the hang of this new site.