Posted on 05/11/2010 10:41:01 AM PDT by End Times Sentinel
Professor Peter Furth has ridden his bicycle to work at Northeastern University each day for the past six years. The two-mile trip through the Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts, is usually without incident.
Furth's journey is worlds apart from his former Boston commute, which for 13 years was a battle with drivers who wanted him on the sidewalk.
"I've had motorists that drive a couple of inches from my elbow, trying to scare me," he said.
Furth would catch up with drivers at stoplights and ask them whether they knew how close they'd come to hitting him. Invariably, they would say, "Yes, move over."
It's a cultural thing, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
“It happens. I ride a bicycle to work when I can, and there is always some jerk on the road intent on trying to ruin my day. Unfortunately, a great many FReepers seem to hold anyone who rides a bicycle in utter disdain”
Rightly so. I drive to work on a 2 lane road (speed limit 40) and its common to see some idiot biker riding in the middle of the road doing 15 mph even though there is 10 foot wide bike path that runs parallel to the roadway. Militant bikers suck.
No. You're confusing them with chronic drunks that have lost their drivers licenses.
Much agreed.
I'm sick of idiot bicyclists buzzing down the side walk swerving in and out of pedestrians.
Bikes belong on bike paths/trails. If there isn't one, then too bad. I heard there's a nice one behind Howard Dean's house.
These same folks would go screaming to momma law were a group of cars to surround them and box them in on their ride home.
You will get a ticket in most places for riding a bike on a sidewalk.
Funny, but most people that I ride with or know that ride, also own motor vehicles for which they pay tons of taxes which are ostensibly used to pay for the roads. It is not as if people don’t already contribute to the cost of building and maintaining the roads. There are very few people who only ride a bike and do not pay any sort of taxes towards roads. And as far as the contention made by some here that bicyclists are rude and aggressive, that is an extreme minority. Try not to paint with too broad a brush.
There are drunken bicyclist pub crawls. They can get ticketed but they don’t have licenses to revoke.
If there was a path I’d use it, but there are no back paths between my residence and place of employment.
We have lanes up here in NE Ohio for the Amish horse and buggies. I don’t see why there can’t be a lane for bikes.
Yes there are many people like that in cars. I had one man lean out the window and try to pull me off of my bicycle while the car was going down the road. I was able to get away from him but it also happened to another lady who wasn’t so lucky and was nearly killed by them when they did get her off of her bike and she ended up under the car.
The law says otherwise. According to Texas law, I have a legal right to the road, period, end of discussion. Folks who think they belong on the sidewalk have obviously never lived in a big city with packed sidewalks.
Different experience here. The sidewalks in Dallas are packed with people. Not inches apart like NYC, but full of people none-the-less. Bicycles are legitimately banned from sidewalks here.
Depends on the traffic on the road, and the traffic on the sidewalk. All neighborhoods and times of day are not the same. It's a judgment call.
I do most of my riding on relatively quiet residential streets and avoid major roads whenever possible, even at the price of considerable detours. If foot traffic on the sidewalk is heavy, I stay on the street. I rarely ride in the central business district, however, so I rarely encounter heavy pedestrian traffic.
Any adult cyclist is going to prefer the street unless traffic is really bad, because it's much easier riding. The judgment call comes when you're riding with kids.
You need to check the laws in your city because most cities/states will ticket a bicycle rider for riding on the sidewalk.
“How many cyclists do you observe truly obeying the law as if they are in a motor vehicle?”
Few. In Colorado bikes are everywhere and even in places they are not allowed. I saw a bike on I-25 just yesterday.
So, using your logic; because I put plates on my Accura, my truck should be free? Or, because my car and truck pay several hundred bucks a year for plates - I can buy a semi-truck and drive that free? Or my motorcycle?
While I agree that in *MY* area; bikers are by far among the most courteous people I see on the road. No one is a fan of road rash. However, having commuted in Seattle for a couple years - there are a horde of 'Critical Mass' riders that give everyone a bad name. If I were in charge, I'd quardon off a site, and start passing out $250 tickets to each and every person. No ID? No problem, confiscate the bike, toss it in a waiting semi with an ID sticker applied to it - and as soon as the $250 is paid - the bike will be returned.
Generate some revenue, provide some trouble-makers a 'life lesson' and a nice walk home to get their wallet. Seems like a win-win scenario to me.
I'm not sure of the legality of it, but I sometimes enjoy late night, drunken sprints around my neighborhood.
I’m not a drunk, and I’ve never lost my license, but I ride a bike to work when I can.
And based upon what I've seen on TV; those horse drawn buggies all have plates on them. So, I am going to have to assume that they pay some licensing fee to use the roads, right? I propose the same treatment for bicycles.
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