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Old 08-14-2013, 06:28 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,616 posts, read 77,600,575 times
Reputation: 19101

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Quote:
Originally Posted by gortonator View Post
I'm afraid every group has its not so good apples. I was riding with a group last night over one of the bridges, and 25-ish of us were in single file on the right, letting traffic past. Suddenly one of the group pulled out from the back to start overtaking, and cut off a car that was very responsibly passing us all. The car honked - rightly - and the dude turned around and abused him. I was embarrassed. Sure I wasn't the only one.
I really don't know what the answer is. Our city's cyclist population is growing. Our city's overall population is growing. Our tourism appeal is growing. Our infrastructure is NOT growing because our city leaders are too afraid to raise taxes to improve our quality-of-life where necessary. If you want to see a fun impending traffic headache in the East End bear in mind that while the South Highland Avenue Bridge in Shadyside will be reopening shortly the South Negley Avenue Bridge (by Market District) is slated to close within the next few years for replacement. South Aiken Avenue will be a road-rage nightmare!

I drove past a fleet of about 30 cyclists heading southbound on South Negley Avenue through Shadyside last night. If you were in that group I may have seen you!
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Old 08-14-2013, 07:26 AM
 
458 posts, read 656,711 times
Reputation: 283
Sorry for the deletion of multiple posts.............I emailed the Borough of West Homestead yesterday in regards to the articles that I read in the Post Gazette and elsewhere. When I go to paste it, I get all sorts of HTML nonsense. In a nutshell, I told them the article was interesting to me as both an automobile driver and cyclist. I agreed that breaking the law was breaking the law, no matter what way you look at it. I also said that I am suprised that a borough is making headlines by handing out 10 dollar citations to cyclists, when there are so many more dangerous violations of the laws on our roads today.
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Old 08-14-2013, 07:35 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,616 posts, read 77,600,575 times
Reputation: 19101
Quote:
Originally Posted by WPANative View Post
I also said that I am suprised that a borough is making headlines by handing out 10 dollar citations to cyclists, when there are so many more dangerous violations of the laws on our roads today.
As I've said (and I'll reiterate, I suppose) cyclists neglecting to observe traffic laws themselves is INDEED "dangerous". I almost hit a cyclist the other day in Shadyside when they ran a 4-way stop sign, and I expected them to---you know---STOP! I almost hit a cyclist a few months ago as they came careening the wrong way down a one-way street in Oakland while I proceeded to cross it at an intersection. I felt road rage growing inside of me the other day on Wilkins Avenue in Squirrel Hill North as two cyclists chose to ride rather slowly side-by-side instead of single-file, preventing me (and everyone behind me) from being able to safely pass them as there was too much oncoming traffic on that very busy road. Yes, believe it or not some people in this city actually DO have places to go and have jobs and don't have time to deal with nonsense associated with cyclists who do nothing all day besides think of new ways to break traffic laws and annoy drivers.

Also, if you wouldn't want to follow a yinzer in a Buick who doesn't use turn signals because "everyone should know where I'm going already", then why do you think anyone would want to follow a cyclist who doesn't use the arm signals to indicate when she or he is turning left or right? Being stuck behind a cyclist at a green light who is in the middle of your lane waiting to turn left without having outstretched their left arm to indicate they were turning annoys me fiercely.

Sorry to vent so much, but I'm starting to really feel annoyed by the sheer volume of cyclists (and drivers, of course, to be fair) who make my job immensely more stressful than it needs to be on a daily basis because they're rude, arrogant, dumb, or some combination of all three factors. This isn't Portland. We don't have good infrastructure here for cycling because our city leaders aren't visionary and are too terrified to raise taxes to improve our infrastructure to adequate levels to make things BETTER for both motorists AND cyclists, lest the yinzers vote them out of office.
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Old 08-14-2013, 07:37 AM
 
1,947 posts, read 2,243,435 times
Reputation: 1292
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising View Post

I drove past a fleet of about 30 cyclists heading southbound on South Negley Avenue through Shadyside last night. If you were in that group I may have seen you!
Around 6.30pm? Most likely.

I was the one behaving perfectly
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Old 08-14-2013, 07:48 AM
 
1,947 posts, read 2,243,435 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising View Post

Sorry to vent so much, but I'm starting to really feel annoyed by the sheer volume of cyclists (and drivers, of course, to be fair) who make my job immensely more stressful than it needs to be on a daily basis because they're rude, arrogant, dumb, or some combination of all three factors. This isn't Portland. We don't have good infrastructure here for cycling because our city leaders aren't visionary and are too terrified to raise taxes to improve our infrastructure to adequate levels to make things BETTER for both motorists AND cyclists, lest the yinzers vote them out of office.
Yep - lets not get 'holier than thou' on this issue. Since this thread started I've been counting how many motorists actually come to a complete stop at stop signs in the back streets of Shadyside/SH where I ride a lot. There's many (IMHO too many) 4-ways on quiet roads, and about 50% of cars do what in WA we called a 'California stop', ie roll up and if its obviously clear, keep rolling. They don't stop.

My sample is still too small and not statistically significant, I'm sure. But its certainly indicative.
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Old 08-14-2013, 08:30 AM
 
831 posts, read 878,693 times
Reputation: 676
I would be happy to pay more taxes in order to create bike-only lanes that allow cars and bikes to share space. But there should be the same level of enforcement of road rules applied to bikes as there are to cars, as well as registration, inspection, etc. to help defray the costs of the bike-only lanes.

Also, the argument of "well I saw some cars break the law, so that invalidates any argument asking for enforcement of bicycle law breakers" is ridiculous. Ticket the cars AND ticket the bikes!
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Old 08-14-2013, 08:34 AM
 
43,011 posts, read 108,030,943 times
Reputation: 30721
Quote:
Originally Posted by tclifton View Post
I would be happy to pay more taxes in order to create bike-only lanes that allow cars and bikes to share space.
Before we spend money on bike lanes, we need to get sidewalks along busy roads.
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Old 08-14-2013, 08:38 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,616 posts, read 77,600,575 times
Reputation: 19101
Quote:
Originally Posted by gortonator View Post
Around 6.30pm? Most likely.

I was the one behaving perfectly
Yes. Around 6:30 PM. Were you the white guy?
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Old 08-14-2013, 08:41 AM
 
1,947 posts, read 2,243,435 times
Reputation: 1292
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising View Post
Yes. Around 6:30 PM. Were you the white guy?
White, as in terrified ....
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Old 08-14-2013, 08:45 AM
 
1,947 posts, read 2,243,435 times
Reputation: 1292
Quote:
Originally Posted by tclifton View Post
Also, the argument of "well I saw some cars break the law, so that invalidates any argument asking for enforcement of bicycle law breakers" is ridiculous. Ticket the cars AND ticket the bikes!
I'm good with that, whether I'm driving or biking. Pays your money, takes your chances ... no ridiculous argument at all.

I trust you never fail to completely stop at a stop sign, of course. Even when you can clearly see no other vehicle within 100's of feet.
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