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No, I ride in the center of the right-most lane. I only use the left lane when preparing to make a left turn. I signal, make eye contact with the driver and change lanes. Here is a quick read on vehicular cycling. It works.
Yes, I do. I do it on 40 mph roads also. Most of them have multiple lanes, so the cars just pass on the left like any other slow-moving vehicle. If they have to make a right turn, they just stay behind me and turn when they reach the intersection.
I follow all vehicle traffic laws. I haven't had an impatient motorist run me over yet. This just in... cars don't have the right to run over anything that causes them inconvenience.
Of course, because bikes were meant to be on the street. Hence, road bike. Riding on the sidewalk is suicidal.
You certainly are putting a lot of faith in the competence of those motorists around you.Lets hope that misplaced faith doesnt one day bite you. .I never said anything about driving on sidewalks i said bike paths . and do you really stop at all stop signs and red lights?
Are you saying you take up a whole lane and have cars reduced to bicycle speeds?May work in some residential areas but on main roads you will be ultimately taken out by some impatient motorist accidentally on purpose of course...
As for following rules its the rare bicyclist that i see stopping for stop signs or red lights. in fact all our tax funded bike paths seem to be a waste of money as most biyclists seem to prefer driving on the roads.
If a driver can get a ticket for driving too slow then a cyclist certainly should as well.
You certainly are putting a lot of faith in the competence of those motorists around you.Lets hope that misplaced faith doesnt one day bite you. .I never said anything about driving on sidewalks i said bike paths . and do you really stop at all stop signs and red lights?
You certainly put a lot of faith in the competence of those motorists around you as well.
Anyone leaving their bed is doing so. A motorist can strike a pedestrain. A motorist can strike another motorist. By your logic, I shouldn't leave my house.
Yes, I stop at all stop signs and red lights. I ride in the lane just as any other vehicle, so I why wouldn't I follow the vehicle laws?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ebbe
If a driver can get a ticket for driving too slow then a cyclist certainly should as well.
Drivers can only get tickets for driving too slow on limited access highways. Bicycles are prohibited on such roads. No driver on a surface street can get such a ticket. That would require the citation of bicycles, cars with spare donut tires, horse carriages, antique cars, public buses, or cars in an emergency situation.
You certainly put a lot of faith in the competence of those motorists around you as well.
Yes, I stop at all stop signs and red lights. I ride in the lane just as any other vehicle, so I why wouldn't I follow the vehicle laws?
Drivers can only get tickets for driving too slow on limited access highways. Bicycles are prohibited on such roads. No driver on a surface street can get such a ticket. That would require the citation of bicycles, cars with spare donut tires, horse carriages, antique cars, public buses, or cars in an emergency situation.
Yeah but difference is i'm not out playing on my bicycle in the middle of the road holding up a bunch of impatient drivers,i'm walking on the side walk, i think i can safely assume that as long as i stay on the sidewalk a driver wont mount the sidewalk to take me out.,
As for you complying with stop sign and red lights? youd represent a very small minority of bikers who comply with those rules,
Yeah but difference is i'm not out playing on my bicycle in the middle of the road holding up a bunch of impatient drivers,i'm walking on the side walk, i think i can safely assume that as long as i stay on the sidewalk a driver wont mount the sidewalk to take me out.,
I really don't care about impatient drivers. I don't sacrifice my rights for someone else's convenience.
You really have no idea what you are talking about. Riding in the traffic lane reduces the delay of motorists because they identify the need to change lanes further in advance. Hugging the curb puts the decision in question.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jambo101
As for you complying with stop sign and red lights? youd represent a very small minority of bikers who comply with those rules,
*shrug*
I advocate everyone follow the rules. People who don't make the rest of us look bad. I'd rather not die because I decided a bicycle can "easily" run a red light.
As for following rules its the rare bicyclist that i see stopping for stop signs or red lights. in fact all our tax funded bike paths seem to be a waste of money as most biyclists seem to prefer driving on the roads.
Do those paths go anywhere useful?
The most popular street for bikes in my city doesn't have a lane. It is the most direct north/south route and has lots of destinations on it. Pretty much for its entire 4-5 mile stretch, there is a reason to stop. So cyclists use it, especially if they have destinations on that street.
Bike lanes to nowhere won't be used heavily by cyclists, particularly transportation ones!
I'm going to add my 2 cents here. My normal route to and from work is 1 lane each way with a bike lane. Said bike lane dissappears at intersections. At that point the street widens a little and there are 2 lanes on each side of the intersection plus left turn lanes.
On this route I ride in the bike lane. Obviously I can't do that at the intersections. When I first started commuting this route I hung to the right as far as possible to accommodate traffic passing me.
People wanting to go fast think the right lane isn't for slow vehicles or right turners. They see it as a chance to jump the line. The fact that after passing 3 cars you are still behind 100 cars doesn't enter their minds.
What happened to me is this. Where the 2 lanes merge into 1 the street narrows. I could hear cars speeding up to make it. There were several close calls including a couple of incidents where the passing auto's mirror brushed my sleeves.
After that I started riding in the center of the right most lane. When stopped at the lights I will move over to the left if a car wants to turn right past me. What happened? Nobody comes close to me. People move over to the next lane.
When we are riding as far to the right as possible our body language is saying to the other drivers, "Pass me if you can." Not all drivers are to be trusted making that judgement call. When we ride in the center of the lane our body language is saying, "I am here." They may not like it. They may cuss, yell, honk or do other things but all know there are consequences to just running someone over. They go around.
I'm not telling people what to do. But consider taking a bicycle safety class in your area. Even if you're experienced there's always something new to learn.
I really don't care about impatient drivers. I don't sacrifice my rights for someone else's convenience.
You really have no idea what you are talking about. Riding in the traffic lane reduces the delay of motorists because they identify the need to change lanes further in advance. Hugging the curb puts the decision in question..
The more cyclist ride the road, the more respect we'll get, stop being afraid of the road.
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