Cycling in Wilkes barre

[julian17033]

I've lived in many states in small towns and large cities.
Since I am a distance runner I have seen the good and bad concerning cyclists both from the standpoint of a runner as well as driving a car.

Overall the majority of cyclists who are dedicated road racers that you see training are well behaved and follow the rules of the road both in the city and out in the rural areas.

The overwhelming problem I've witnessed is the 8 to 15 year old inner city kids riding through and against traffic darting in and out of cars that are moving and having little to no regard or their own safety or your driving record.

Four days ago a sixteen year old in center city Allentown was knocked off his bicycle by a car and went airborn.

Teen boy tossed by car, injured in downtown Allentown - mcall.com

I personally have come very close to hitting a kid in downtown St. Louis when he came out of nowhere and began darting in and out of traffic.

In the case of bicycle etiquette and following the rules of the road it seems to really boil down to what level of the socioeconomic scale your on.
This isn't to say I haven't witnessed idiotic behavior before coming from the road racing type but it truly is just a blip compared to the inner city kids on BMX bikes.

[theatergypsy]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Under PA law you must always yield a four-foot "safety buffer zone" around a cyclist. However, you MAY cross a double-yellow line to pass a cyclist if it is safe to do so. Here in Pittsburgh we have tons of cyclists and tons of two-lane roadways with the double-yellow lines. People routinely pass into the opposing lane to safely provide a buffer for cyclists in their path. On a four-lane roadway like Wyoming Avenue I'd just pass the cyclist normally as you would pass a slowpoke in a motor vehicle.

I am aware of the Pa Motor Vehicle Code, Paul. On Wyoming Ave, there isn't a problem. On a two-lane with a yellow line, frequently there are no parked cars. Get on one of our little streets here with cars parked on both sides and there's just about room for one car. Pretty hard to navigate around the cyclist who is enjoying his ride - and his power trip in "controlling the lane".

(And I don't consider the majority of drivers to be psychopaths once they get behind the wheel.)

[dravogadro]

Most cyclists are motorists. They are paying for the roads. The local roads are coming out of your property taxes anyway. If you want roads built by your motoring dollars, drive on the highway. The amount of dollars collected from motoring fees does not adequately cover the cost of wear and tear to the roads from everyone's driving anyway so be thankful your driving is subsidized. As a motorist, I welcome [well-designed] bike lanes because the roads will be in better shape and there is less congestion.

Riding a bike as far to the right as possible is dangerous for several reasons. It puts you in the path of opening car doors from parked cars. It make you less visible to drivers of vehicles. Roads are seldom swept and the right side of the road is usually full of debris, from gravel to glass to broken tree branches. You are then forced to ride in an unpredictable manner, because you will have to swerve around the objects in the roads.

If the road is less than 14 feet wide, the cyclist should take the traffic lane for safety reasons. Taking the lane is riding your bike approximately where the right wheels of a car would ride. It makes you visible, forces cars to slow down and pass safely.

Bike education is deficient and should be taught from a young age. We learn to ride but do not learn that the bicycle is a vehicle for transportation, but just a toy. It comes with rights and responsibilities.

There are plenty of obnoxious motorists and cyclists; I'm sure they are the same people.

[theatergypsy]

Originally Posted by dravogadro

Most cyclists are motorists. They are paying for the roads. The local roads are coming out of your property taxes anyway. If you want roads built by your motoring dollars, drive on the highway. The amount of dollars collected from motoring fees does not adequately cover the cost of wear and tear to the roads from everyone's driving anyway so be thankful your driving is subsidized. As a motorist, I welcome [well-designed] bike lanes because the roads will be in better shape and there is less congestion.

Riding a bike as far to the right as possible is dangerous for several reasons. It puts you in the path of opening car doors from parked cars. It make you less visible to drivers of vehicles. Roads are seldom swept and the right side of the road is usually full of debris, from gravel to glass to broken tree branches. You are then forced to ride in an unpredictable manner, because you will have to swerve around the objects in the roads.

If the road is less than 14 feet wide, the cyclist should take the traffic lane for safety reasons. Taking the lane is riding your bike approximately where the right wheels of a car would ride. It makes you visible, forces cars to slow down and pass safely.

Bike education is deficient and should be taught from a young age. We learn to ride but do not learn that the bicycle is a vehicle for transportation, but just a toy. It comes with rights and responsibilities.

There are plenty of obnoxious motorists and cyclists; I'm sure they are the same people.

Wow! Common sense. Who knew?