bikes

[spookytrees]

First of all, let me just say that I have very strong opinions about cycling and although I think it is one of the most ideal forms of transportation, about 90% of people who ride bikes piss me off in one way or another. That being said, the day before yesterday I was on my lunch break and since I had already had a big snack I decided to go for a

Comments

[not_jason]

Me too. I tend to follow a code of bicycle anarchy. While I do know the rules associated with cycling, I am quick to throw any of them out the moment they fail to apply, which happens a lot. For example, there are lot of traffic lights that have to be triggered by a vehicle before they change. Theoretically, it's possible to trigger them with a bike, but I've only succeeded maybe twice in my life. When those occur, I take in my surroundings and run the light when I perceive a safe opening. And like Mike, I have zero hesitation in hopping up to the sidewalk if it's the safest option, but like him as well, I refuse to impede on pedestrians prioritized right to be there. I basically ride as though every car on the road would kill me without blinking if I gave them the chance. Many cyclists believe in offense: "command the lane!" etc. At best, it's polarizing to anybody who already disrespects cycling, and at worst, you'll get hit by somebody who is really not paying any attention to their surroundings. It's bafflingly easy to get a drivers license, so I take nothing for granted.

The thing that REALLY gets me, however, is wrong side riders. People who ride towards oncoming traffic in the breakdown lane. As a motorist, I feel like I've almost killed so many idiots who came around a blind corner directly at me in my own lane. This is one that I really wish was enforced, or if nothing else, advertised so that people knew it. I think that a lot of people honestly think it's the correct side to ride on. As a kid, I got in a lot of arguments about it.