New Bill to Require Drivers to Yield 4-Foot Safety Buffer to Cyclists (Pittsburgh: living, safe)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

I hope every bicyclist who blows through a red finds themselves decorating someone's grill.

No, you don't. I've seen that happen twice while driving. Once, the guy landed on his kneepit, causing his leg to break completely; another time the biker was killed.

[hnsq]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

I hope every bicyclist who blows through a red finds themselves decorating someone's grill. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly been the decorator when one decides that traffic lights are too mainstream.

And I hope every driver who goes over the speed limit or pulls a pittsburgh left crashes and ends up with a few thousand dollars in damages they have to pay. I can't tell you how many a**hole drivers who decided the speed limit was too mainstream for them nearly killed someone.

See what I did there?

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

Originally Posted by hnsq

And I hope every driver who goes over the speed limit or pulls a pittsburgh left crashes and ends up with a few thousand dollars in damages they have to pay. I can't tell you how many a**hole drivers who decided the speed limit was too mainstream for them nearly killed someone.

See what I did there?

Everyone who pulls a "Pittsburgh left" should be drawn and quartered in front of city hall.

[PittsburghLlama]

I am really having trouble comprehending why this law is upsetting anyone. Just because there are cyclists out there who do not obey all traffic laws does not mean that motorists should gripe at a law that keeps them safer.

I mean, honestly. How often do any of you get stuck behind a cyclist (I see some of you answering this part of the question. Please read the rest as well), and really, does it ruin your day so much that safety mandates are something that you are vehemently against because of it?

All cyclists don't break the law. Most cyclists don't break the law. There are a lot of people riding bikes out there, and when you see 1 running a red light, that does not mean that the rest of us are doing the same. Most people don't like putting themselves at risk, believe it or not.

When a cyclist is hit by a car, it doesn't hurt the motorist. It almost always hurts the cyclist. A lot. Come on, really. I've noticed that a lot of what is being said by people who actually ride bikes, and obey the law is being ignored, and the illogical statements akin to, "I'll bet that a billion bikers have run red lights within the last 10 seconds" are being celebrated.

There are usually reasons for why laws are put into play. Cyclists don't now have more space on the road to upset motorists. It is merely to keep everyone (including people who are driving) safe. That's it. It's so easy, so why is it so hard?

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

Originally Posted by PittsburghLlama

I mean, honestly. How often do any of you get stuck behind a cyclist (I see some of you answering this part of the question. Please read the rest as well), and really, does it ruin your day so much that safety mandates are something that you are vehemently against because of it?

All the time; yes.

When a cyclist is hit by a car, it doesn't hurt the motorist.

Wrong.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

Everyone who pulls a "Pittsburgh left" should be drawn and quartered in front of city hall.

I have no qualms with permitting people to make the "Pittsburgh left" in front of me in most circumstances, especially when it would reduce congestion in the opposing lane of traffic by permitting more people behind that motorist to be able to proceed through the green light. What I do get angry about, though, are those who use the first driver as a "shield" and proceed to make a "Pittsburgh left" when they are second in line. I neither waved nor flashed my high beams to extend the courtesy for them to proceed in front of me, so I find it pretty rude that they would "demand" it. I get equally as angry when I pull over to the side of a narrow street to permit an oncoming vehicle to pass only to then have an entire parade of vehicles behind that vehicle also try to proceed through instead of taking "turns." I finally asserted myself last night and pulled back into traffic, causing one of the opposing vehicles to nearly take out someone's side-view mirror.

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I have no qualms with permitting people to make the "Pittsburgh left" in front of me in most circumstances, especially when it would reduce congestion in the opposing lane of traffic by permitting more people behind that motorist to be able to proceed through the green light. What I do get angry about, though...

I know exactly what you mean. Honestly, when I'm driving the "Pittsburgh left" just confuses me on both ends. It makes me hesitant at intersections sometimes.

[soniqV]

10 pages on this? Those people who do not already leave a few feet between themselves and a cyclist are not probably not going to do so now because of this new law. How are they going to enforce it? Send out undercover bike cops with tape measures sticking out the side? LOL. Cycling is a risk, and it's a higher risk around cars, and until there are more bikes than cars, you'll never change mass herd behavior.

I actually saw a lady doing 15 in the school zone in Mt. Lebanon today with a steady stream of 20-30 cars zooming around her at about 30. Kind of made me chuckle, almost looked choreographed.

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

The first snow we got this winter I was coming down Braddock Avenue just before the intersection of Braddock and Penn from Homewood, doing about 5 over since that's my cars natural idling speed so it was that or ride the brakes.

I had a girl about my age in a white sedan behind me right on my bumper, like literally inches off it. We get to the intersection and she comes flying up beside me into the LEFT turn lane and starts glaring daggers at me.

Our light turns green... and she flies out in front of me making a right turn across the straight lane with me going straight. The timing was just perfect enough for me to NOT t-bone her since she spun her tires as she got in front of me.

I swear if it were legal to hunt down and kill other motorists, that would have been the day.

[gg]

This law is good for one thing. If you get hit as a cyclist, you have a much better chance of winning in court. Of course if you get hit and die as that person did on Hart's Run Road this past year and the driver of the car that hit him really had no problems, I am not sure what the help is? I don't think this will change anything at all as far as me and anyone else cycling. I am passed all the time less than 4 feet and I am sure I will see no change in driving by anyone from this law, but if I am hit and survive, that driver could have a problem. It is pretty hard to defend in court about the 4' law and hitting a cyclist. I as a cyclist do ride very far right and try not to deal with cars if at all possible. It is a losing battle. You won't see me riding down Penn Ave between the new Target and Braddock Ave., as you see some do. I would NEVER ride that stretch, nor would I ride 5th Ave, into Oakland through Shadyside as I see some cyclist do. I am on Ellsworth. I don't want to be on streets that are that tough to ride, but I do encounter cars all the time. My side streets and shortcuts are taken by cars as well.

Again, this law will mean nothing unless you are hit, survive and go to court. That is when it might mean something. 4 feet is a plus for my attorney. I hope never to have to use it, but it could happen.