Bike Laws in Phoenix? (school, taxes, live)

[fcorrales80]

A blast is not a quick "burst." And either way, it is UNNECESSARY to honk your horn at them before passing. I'm sure they would expect a vehicle to pass them at some point on a road. I am blasting my horn at you for all the back-pedaling! LOL, LOL! We have great discussions on this forum.

–verb
2. the blowing of a trumpet, whistle, etc.: One blast of the siren was enough to clear the street.
3. a loud, sudden sound or noise: The radio let out an awful blast before I could turn it off.
14. to make a loud noise on; blow (a trumpet, automobile horn, etc.): He blasted his horn irritably at every car in his way.
24. to produce a loud, blaring sound: The trumpets blasted as the overture began. His voice blasted until the microphone was turned down.

Back to work I must go! Ciao for now.

[Finger Laker]

sure it is

sudden noise - produce a loud, blaring sound

when you think of a gun blast do think of sustained noise? - no it's quick and sudden

i feel I do need to let them know i'm there - if they did know I was there they would follow their legal obligations and get to the right

enjoy your day, sir

[llowllevellowll]

Please do not honk your horn at ANY bicyclists as you pass. How about that? I'm telling you human-to-human and as a bicyclist, it's dangerous. People do it for sport and depending on if you're in your drop-downs or you're tired - it's very dangerous.

We obviously have no idea if you'll listen or not, but if you do it again, you'll remember this conversation and you'll remember that you just put another human life in danger. Have that on your chest for a while.

And to another previous poster who said that regardless if riding in the street is legal or not, it's dangerous and you should ride on a sidewalk --

you've never traveled on most sidewalks going 20-25mph. Most cyclists travel between 15-27 mph when they're riding. Do you not understand how dangerous that is? What's safe is streets when there is an understanding between cars and bikes.

[AZParents]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

sure it is

sudden noise - produce a loud, blaring sound

when you think of a gun blast do think of sustained noise? - no it's quick and sudden

i feel I do need to let them know i'm there - if they did know I was there they would follow their legal obligations and get to the right

enjoy your day, sir

1. Your name should be MIDDLE Finger Laker, with your attitude.

2. I think you're right - you're within your legal rights to hit/blast/honk/tap your horn just before or as you pass a cyclist. But, you must know that a horn form behind scares the $hit out of most cyclists. Based on your overall tone in this thread, I can only conclude that you're not doing it for the cyclist's safety; rather you're doing it to "get even" in some way.

3. If you hit your horn just because you're pissed at a cyclist who is operating within the law, and then the cyclist (or his attorney) can make a case that the horn caused the cyclist to get in an accident and then injured, then I hope you have good insurance. I handled auto insurance claims for 8 years and saw this kind of thing more than once. Legal statutes aren't the only factor in determining fault.

I ride my bike daily, but I would never use it to commute on busy streets beucause there are too many inattentive and generally ****-poor drivers in Phoenix. I agree that it can be disruptive to traffic and whether bikers like it or not, car-drivers can and do get frustrated. I bike on Cave Creek road near Tatum, in the bike lane, and about every 3rd ride some jet-ski hauling, duallie driving idiot has to get as close to the bike lane as possible and honk their horn, just to be a jerk. So, just like you have your examples to show why bikers are idiots (and some are, especially road bikers) there are plenty to show that regular drivers can be a-holes, too.

I can appreciate your frustration with bikers who ride in the middle of the lane and slow down traffic on busy city streets, but the general tone here seems to be "if I perceive that the biker is inconveniencing me in any way then it is MY RIGHT to be a dick about it."

[Finger Laker]

pst

we've already concluded that per the OPs post - they aren't operating within the law

the law states you cannot drive down the middle of the lane unless you have a good reason

and yes, consideration is a two way street and I never stated that motorists aren't inconsiderate ...... in fact I think most motorists out here have idiotic driving skills ...... tonight 2 lanes of the I-10 were shut down, there were two signs telling us motorists that there were two lanes shut down ...... a cop car was angled to where it was 1/4 of the way into the 2nd lane .... i had these two chicks sitting next to me eating some foil wrapped delicacy, i paced my speed so they could fall behind and to my surprise they accelerated forward, so I backed off my speed giving them room to hop in front of me ....... to my greater surprise they were the only ones not to get over and came real close to rubbing my side door and clipping the cop car ......... i think there are many people who are inattentive, unaware and just dumb regardless of their mode of transport

with that said, i could give a rip about someone who puts themselves in a dangerous and stupid situation

if you're that concerned about motorists then we have miles upon miles of beautiful parks with diverse terrain to go ride your bike on - i'd never take one on a major road out here

[Robert A]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

we've already concluded that per the OPs post - they aren't operating within the law

the law states you cannot drive down the middle of the lane unless you have a good reason

I wouldn't say we've concluded that. The OP said they were riding "nowhere near the curb" and that he couldn't pass without changing lanes. They may have been riding unlawfully, but we don't know if there was debris near the curb. We don't know what the OP's definition of "nowhere near the curb" is. We also don't know if they were riding two-abreast - legal and would likely require a lane change to pass. We don't know the width of the right lane on Camelback Rd where the OP drove. In other words, more information is needed and we're likely unable to draw any conclusions.

At any rate, I'm with you about riding on major streets. I avoid it whenever possible. It's not worth dealing with the masses of uneducated, inconsiderate, and unsafe drivers out there. But in no way do I think any of that is my problem.

[fcorrales80]

Exactly, the OP NEVER stated the bike riders where driving "in the middle of the road" or in an unsafe manner. Too me, it just seems like the OP was unsure if the riders were allowed to be on a street "without a bike lane." To answer that question, yes they can and no you can't endanger them, unnecessarily honk your horn at them, or drive in an unsafe manner by passing them too fast. Bottom line, I wouldn't ride my bike in suburban streets either, but I would and plenty of other do in the central, downtown, and Tempe neighborhoods.

It would be unsafe for people to ride their bikes on sidewalks much of the day in many parts of these areas because of the number of pedestrians on the sidewalks. Just as a bicyclist must be aware of pedestrians and cars, vehicle operators must be aware of bicyclists, pedestrians, and other vehicles. The more deadly the mode of travel, the more responsibility that falls on the operator.

[Finger Laker]

doesn't have to be in an unsafe manner - the fact they are in the middle of the road is unsafe

OP can correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounded like this was a repeated incident, over a wide stretch of the road ...... if there was some reason they couldn't get to the right then that's understandable ....... but it sure didn't read that way

[fcorrales80]

Can you legally ride your bike down a busy street in Phoenix/Scottsdale?

There is this group of guys who ride down Camelback in the mornings, they ride in the right lane, but no where near the curb, you cannot pass them without going into the other lane, they are endangering themselves and other drivers.

Can they legally do this without a bike lane?

Why should I have to slow down to 10-15mph just so some dude in spandex shorts can ride in my lane?

If they want to be treated like a car, then they need to go the same speed and follow the same laws. If not, and they get hit, that's their problem.

These are the statements by the OP. Where does the OP state the rider was in the middle of the road? Also, if the rider was preparing to make a left hand turn, they have the right to be in the appropriate turning lane for whatever road they are on. The OP actually stated they are in the right lane but doesn't say how close to the right isn't close enough in their opinion. Then proceeded to say that if they get hit it is their problem. Absolutely ridiculous statement to make if the riders are in the right hand lane on a road without a bike lane.

[KarmaPhx]

The riders are in the middle of the lane, not the road.

Why can't bike riders just stick to roads with bike lanes, instead of creating traffic congestion and dangerous situations on major roadways such as camelback?