forgive me i step on someones toes ~rant ahead~ (Penn: dangerous, legally) - Lehigh Valley - Pennsylvania (PA) -Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton - City-Data Forum

wowbaby · 10-20-2008, 11:26 AM

i am just SO SICK of taking my life (and my daughters) in my hands when i drive on back roads lately!!!! there just ISNT enough room for bikers and cars on these roads. i think biking is great and i admire those that go out and do it - but when there are 2 and 3 of you on back roads with blind corners - that is just not safe for ANYONE. the shoulders aren't wide enough for the bikers to get over far enough to be safe. cars go around them and end up in the other lane. i witnessed an almost accident of a car that was going around a biker on a corner... very scary stuff.

really what the area needs to do is invest in bike lanes. then everyone is safe. with so many more people out and about on bikes, i think they are becoming a neccesity rather then a luxery.

<~~~~~~~ steps down off soap box.

jimmyrocks · 10-21-2008, 09:36 AM

I must confess that I may be one of those people who you encounter on the roads. I bike to work sometimes, and I need to take some back roads to cut across the area. (can't really bike on 22) I always make sure to pull over to the side or even stop and get off my bike to let a car pass on the narrow roads. It's tough that this area does not have bike lanes, or even crosswalks at a lot of places. It's frustrating to get to an intersection, and see a no pedestrians sign.

If you're on the East side of 512 trying to cross at Bro(a)dhead/Crawford or Southfield, you legally cannot walk across the road. Which is ridiculous being that so many businesses are on the East side, and there's a shopping center just across 512 on Crawford. I guess mcall's road warrior might be a better place for this rant, I've read many similar things in there.

And what's with the spelling of Brodhead? Some street signs say "Brodhead" and others say "Broadhead", even google maps has both.

Summering · 10-21-2008, 11:37 AM

We recently came across a group of bikers and it took them forever to move to the right. Meanwhile we are still going forward, and a bend was coming up. We almost got into a side to side accident ourselves, which a car going in the other direction. We just could not all fit.
The bikers never blinked, not a care in the world.........Yikes!

KristyLiz · 10-21-2008, 11:52 AM

I agree!

There is a very curvy, narrow road by me (Mill Creek) that bikers are always riding down. As far as I'm concerned, bike where you want - I just think they are insane to take their life in their hands on that road.

SteelCityRising · 10-23-2008, 06:11 AM

We have the same problem up here in NEPA. I'm an avid runner, but many roads up here don't have shoulders either so I've had a tremendous number of close-calls. Why can't PA afford to invest in better safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists alike?

jimmyrocks · 10-23-2008, 08:10 AM

PA is not really known for their ability to fix up the roads:
:::Philebrity…media, culture, music and more::: » Blog Archive » PBS: I-95 Could Be The Next Great Bridge Disaster

This is somewhat related I suppose.

nkotb · 10-23-2008, 08:20 AM

Palm Beach County, FL - Route A1A between Palm Beach and Delray Beach bikers have the right of way. And these hotshots don't move over, you have to follow them !!!! Its a beautiful route to drive right next to the ocean, but tooooo much trouble !!!!

KristyLiz · 10-23-2008, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nkotb

Palm Beach County, FL - Route A1A between Palm Beach and Delray Beach bikers have the right of way. And these hotshots don't move over, you have to follow them !!!! Its a beautiful route to drive right next to the ocean, but tooooo much trouble !!!!

That's dangerous! You get some out of towner who doesn't know the rules and he may takeout a few bikers.

hnsq · 10-29-2008, 07:10 AM

I really don't want to be the one to disagree here, but in Pennsylvania, bikes are classified as vehicles and have all of the same rights to the road as cars. If you almost get in an accident passing a bike, maybe you should wait until it is clear before trying to pass? Legally a cyclist can take the whole lane if they want to...

jimmyrocks · 10-29-2008, 08:42 AM

I feel like adding to this rant today

In PA, if a cyclist is going slower than the "prevailing" speed of the roadway, they must limit themselves to the shoulder, unless they are using a turning lane. Cyclists can also use sidewalks, as long as it's not in the business area of the town, they just need to yield to pedestrians.

But the problem is that the roads were not designed to accommodate both automobile and bicycle traffic effectively. Most of the roads were designed for slow moving vehicles, and updated to accommodate cars. The people on bikes have just as much of a right to use the roads as do the people in cars, and there is no reason they cannot share the road effectively.

We can blame PennDOT for building these nice one-purpose roads, the Cyclists for taking these roads (although at an average 15mph, these roads can significantly shorten the ride), or the Automobile drivers for not paying attention or wanting to slow down for these Cyclists.

It's easiest to blame PennDOT, but it really comes down to personal responsibility on both the Drivers and the Cyclists.