Comments on Astoria Bike: On why bikers don't obey the law, part I: the Quee...

@PCM it doesn't matter if its more convenient ...

2011-02-16T11:20:37.288-05:00

@PCM it doesn't matter if its more convenient for you as long as you aren't an "asshole" about it. Theres no such thing as asshole laws so in order to create a safer environment for everybody, from motorists to bikers to pedestrians we must enforce traffic laws on bikers. I live in Austin, TX and i couldnt tell you how many times ive come inches from hitting a biker because he felt he was above the law and ran a stop sign. You forget that motorists have less visibility and when you are approaching an intersection with a car about to pull out that you can't see is incredibly dangerous when you want to save yourself 10 seconds and run the stop sign. I also have almost been hit numerous times by bikers while walking on campus, the laws are in place for a reason, because the majority of people ARE assholes.
I hope you learn your lesson one day, I do not wish harm upon you but i am afraid your wreckless behavior will get the best of you eventually. And dont try to argue that disobeying traffic laws isnt wreckless behavior because that logic is horribly flawed.

Boy, Jon, I was with you right till the end.
<...

2008-07-01T19:20:00.000-04:00

Boy, Jon, I was with you right till the end.

If you want to scare people for no reason, then you're an asshole. Why are you different than a car trying to almost hit a bike? You know, just for shits and giggles.

amen yo. I ride everywhere in Seattle... run red ...

2008-07-01T18:55:00.000-04:00

amen yo. I ride everywhere in Seattle... run red lights/ stop signs/ everything -- we think alike -- there is no point in following the law for cars. I may be young and cocky but feel I have good skills. I may push it, but always within reason. My favorite activity: finding that very small gapped-pathway among a super busy crosswalk - scares the shit out of people! ZOOM!

I love riding as much as the next guy, but MY safe...

2008-07-01T17:48:00.000-04:00

I love riding as much as the next guy, but MY safety comes first. A bicycle is a vehicle and therefore MUST obey the same rules as a car. I have almost hit people on bikes while driving my car because they cannot obey simple laws that were put there to protect them. A bike going through a red light might get hit by a motorized vehicle coming through the green light (which has the right of way). It may just be my opinion, but a law is a law, and if it saves my life, then it is worth it.

No, Jamie. Assholes who don't yield to pede...

2008-06-20T19:19:00.000-04:00

No, Jamie. Assholes who don't yield to pedestrians with the right of way pose a serious danger to pedestrians.

Traffic lights are there for motorized vehicles that weigh thousands of pounds and kill pedestrians and bikes.

I must have run more than a dozen red lights today. I also biked the wrong way down a one-way street twice. I scared no pedestrians. I posed no more to risk to myself or anybody than had I been a pedestrian doing the same thing. And I did stop for a school bus with flashing red lights.

What's more, like it or not, I'm not going to stop running red lights. Nor am I going to stop walking against don't walk sign. Condemn me if you want. But them's the facts.

So now, that I've got that out the way, what are we going to do about it? Here's my logic:

The problem isn't bikes running red lights. The problem is bikes going too fast in front of pedestrians crossing with the light. The bike could also have the light, by the way.

What does yield to pedestrians mean? Can I cross the same crosswalk that a pedestrian is in? Of course. But should I zoom right in front of a pedestrian even if there's no contact. No. That makes you an asshole.

In too many bikers' minds, the comfort zone of pedestrians gets no consideration. That's not ride.

Bicyclists need to realize that pedestrians want and deserve more distance than is absolutely necessary for physical safety. It might be safe to zoom one foot in front of a walking person. But it's rude.

We should encourage bicyclists to not be rude. And to not cross right in front of pedestrians no matter what. Right is right. Running red lights has nothing to do with it.

And I just have to mention that pedestrians who run red lights pose serious danger to bicyclists and themselves. But I don't want to start a non-jaywalking campaign. I just want pedestrians to not walk in front of me when I have the green light.

A woman on a bike who didn't stop for a red light ...

2008-06-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

A woman on a bike who didn't stop for a red light almost hit me and my dog while we were crossing the street. We had a walk sign. There was no option for us but to literally jump out of the way because she was going so fast. Bikes that don't obey the traffic laws do pose a serious danger to pedestrians!

There's a sign now on the bridge given a date for ...

2006-10-16T00:05:00.000-04:00

There's a sign now on the bridge given a date for a future closing. But I forget what it is. Maybe November 16-17? I'll assume that it will be open until then.

regarding night closure of the bridge - it's spott...

2006-10-15T18:04:00.000-04:00

regarding night closure of the bridge - it's spotty. I was held up a few times earlier in the summer, because of construction. It's been fine this week, both Friday night and Saturday night (the 13th and 14th) the bridge was clear well after midnight.

Biking in New York has made me very distrustful of bike cops (since their primary job is ticketing bikers). I got a frivolous ticket on one of those days where they're on a mission to ticket bikers. Now, when I see bike cops, I just dismount and wait until they're gone.

I'm yet to find a single place in this city where the rights of a biker come before those of a car. Even the west side bike path is permeated with intersections where we have to wait for traffic. If an old man can be killed by an NYPD tow truck while riding on the bike path, then it's not a very good bike path. Let's hope the upcoming plans for adding bike paths will change some things for the better.

I'll walk my bike as soon as I see signs on Queens...

2006-10-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

I'll walk my bike as soon as I see signs on Queens Blvd (aka: "The Boulevard of Death") telling motorists to push their cars.

Would it be so crazy to actually give bikes the right-of-way somewhere, like on a bike path.

I think the 'dismount' signs at the end of the bri...

2006-10-11T11:59:00.000-04:00

I think the 'dismount' signs at the end of the bridge were put up because a bicyclist _did_ kill a kid coming off the Brooklyn Bridge a while ago.

But I can't find the cite because everything in Google of course references bicyclists getting killed. (AND the drivers of the cars never even getting charged!) Ugh.

I think bicyclists should at least _stop_ at red lights before proceeding. Pedestrians are jumpy, and you never know what cars are going to do.

That said, I did get flagged over (but not ticketed) by a cop for not stopping at a red light once. On a Sunday morning, in the Flatiron District--zero traffic for blocks and blocks. I think the guy just wanted someone to talk to.