Ca new law favoring bicycles

[angliagt]

We have a white fog line and about 3 feet of pavement and then the shoulder outside the actual car lane. I don't know what you have or call this but I ride in this area, usually no more than half way between pavement edge and white line and mostly slightly closer to the edge. This is my space and I stick to it yet drivers cut through this on right hand curves and pass left turning cars in this.

 

Hey there are assholes everywhere on two and four wheels, I know that. There are good ones too. I don't want to be a hood ornament.

 

 

              Mike,

 

                   You seem to be the responsible bike rider that we could all

get along with,but to many bikers think that they are "above the law",&

ALWAYS right,because they're riding a bicycle.

 

                                                        - Doug

[angliagt]

              From what I've  seen,is that  all "critical mass" does,is to piss off law-abiding 

people who just want to get where they're going.

 

                                             - Doug

 

 

I have conflicting thoughts about this. On one hand I can see the slippery slope with the imbalance of responsibility and vagueness of this law. I agree however with what is motivating this. I know there is a need to protect the safety of cyclists on the road, promote bicycling as a viable alternative to driving, and promote new ways of thinking. There is no reason why we can't emulate places like Holland that have more cyclists in urban centers than cars. There has been huge political battles in San Francisco over space on the road for all the fucking cars. Many parking meters have two hour time limits, in some highly impacted areas it's $4 an hour for parking on the street, and even then it's not uncommon to drive around for 40 minutes looking for a space. razing the cost is a stupid attempt to push against an equally stupid resistance to change. Obviously our thinking about transportation needs to change in SF, but our geography and infrastructure are huge limiting factors for many people. Municipal public transportation vs private transportation carries social and practical implications of status, safety, reliability, comfort, control, flexibility and the list goes on. This is all a reflection of our culture more than anything else.

For 22 years the SF Critical Mass ride has made a political statement by gathering cyclists together on the last Friday of the month and riding through the city during rush hour. Critical Mass organizers have held fast to the idea this promotes public relations and awareness for cyclists, but during this "celebration" they do not observe the rules of the road such as stopping at lights, or staying on the right side of the street. It doesn't take an undercover detective to see the intent is to shut down traffic by creating gridlock throughout the city. And let me tell you, it's effective. On a C-mass day it could take as long as an hour and a half to get from the down town financial district to a highway onramp. In the beginning there were fights in the street, cyclists getting run over, and there was no way for the police to control this because the route is never published. For many years this created deep animosity between drivers and cyclists, and any bike rider back then can tell you, it created a very dangerous environment. 22 years later though, bikes have their own lanes on many major down town streets, and drivers have become more aware of the cyclist in the city. It's unfortunate, but this is what it takes to change culture.

People know Mcdonald's is unhealthy, cars pollute the air, and riding a bike will improve our fitness, but damn, change is DANGEROUS. Right?

In all reality though, this comes down to a matter of enforcement. As we all know there's a law in California requiring us to register our bikes, but when was the last time you were pulled over for no bike registration? If however this law is enforced and the outcome is improved safety and more cyclists, I'm all fucking for it. Today, would I let my kids 9 and 13 ride their bikes to school? Hell no, but I am getting pretty sick of driving them there because it really cuts into my Micky-D time in the morning.

Here's some questions I still have, why would they pass this in closed door session? What is motivating 22 other states to do this? Could this be a method of avoiding liability of the state's negligence in protecting cyclists thus placing all liability on the individual driver? In other words you can't hold the state responsible if there's a law requiring a 3' buffer, eg if a driver hits a cyclist they in fact broke the law.

[blue72]

If you wanna be pedantic, do it right. Roads were originally built for foot traffic and horses. Bicycles came about later, even after such roads were built.

 

Aha! You are forgetting that these roads built for foot traffic, horses and carts are largely built following trails that animals themselves carved through landscape to access the resources they needed to survive.  Who's the one not being pedantic enough now, huh?  :rofl:

 

Interestingly, it looks as though highway funding in the U.S. comes more from fuel taxes, while the overwhelming majority of funding for local roads comes from general taxes.

[nismosilvia]

My car tags pay for the roads. Bicyclists don't pay road tax or any registration.

Are you a numb nuts or what? How many cyclist have you meet that don't have a car I mean come on, that's such a lame dick argument. I have 3 cars and a motorcycle all have to be registered and what gets used the most my quote Un quote free bicycle. If there was bike lanes in more rural areas of California Oregon etc the increase in revenue from cycling tourist would leave all said bs null and void. I would much rather seeing people cycling then seeing all the fat ass mouth breathers slurping down fast food in said automobile. He'll thanks to Obama we all get to pay for unhealthy individuals, Haha j/p I mean those of us who work for a loving.

[hobospyder]

One car, three trucks two motorcycles. All require tabs. I think my daughter and I are covered. So I'm with this guy

Are you a numb nuts or what? How many cyclist have you meet that don't have a car I mean come on, that's such a lame dick argument. I have 3 cars and a motorcycle all have to be registered and what gets used the most my quote Un quote free bicycle. If there was bike lanes in more rural areas of California Oregon etc the increase in revenue from cycling tourist would leave all said bs null and void. I would much rather seeing people cycling then seeing all the fat ass mouth breathers slurping down fast food in said automobile. He'll thanks to Obama we all get to pay for unhealthy individuals, Haha j/p I mean those of us who work for a loving.

[bananahamuck]

I register 7 cars every year and if i didn't i wouldn't be able to drive them on the street... So how is a bike different?

 

I also have permanent plates on 3 others that i paid one time $70. fee,, but i ain't counting those in this debate.

[datzenmike]

Mike,

 

                   You seem to be the responsible bike rider that we could all

get along with,but to many bikers think that they are "above the law",&

ALWAYS right,because they're riding a bicycle.

 

                                                        - Doug

 

I did say that in town I'm a little looser with the rules. But I wear a helmet and colored jacket and have a back back and am obviously going or coming from work. Just want to get out of the public's way as fast as possible and have never been honked at. It's not like I'm weaving in and out holding people up and being an asshole. I'm just trying to get to the bike path as fast as I can being an asshole. On the highway being an asshole will get you killed.

[hobospyder]

Children ride bikes. You expect then to have them registered and have a license for the things?

 

Yes they should be held accountable but still, wtf? And how do you plan on the state's enforcing them when the laws aren't very clear and vary from city to city and county to county? It basically comes down to proper education and discipline from parents when the kids are learning. Otherwise run their assets over and they'll learn the painful way

[Burabuda]

[Burabuda]

[HRH]

And people wonder why I suggest carrying while biking in city limits.  I tend to avoid major streets as much as possible unless late at night where I can see cars and they can't see me.  If they can't see me, they can't hit me, so long as I'm paying attention.  I still only have front headlights, no rear light.  A rear blinky red or static red light attracts drunks.

 

I don't think it matters if you ride a bike or drive a car, there are good riders just as there are good drivers, and there are just as many bad as both.  Typically, there are just less people riding bikes so the amount of bad riders is less.  Of course in high bike population areas like Oregon I'm sure it's much worse.

[MikeRL411]

God brotects the Irish and the drunks [and for sure there's some redundancy in that!] but who protects the idiots who blast through 3 or 4 way stop signs, ordinary stop signs, while heads down on their helmets with no regard for cross traffic, stop signs, or pedestrians crossing at well marked intersections! Must be the coroner!

[RatVonDude]

If there is more than one sponsorship on their leotard then you are not obligated to report the incident.

 

Same laws apply when hitting a cat.

[Dolomite]

If assholes on bikes want to ride down the middle of the lane they need to pay fucking registration and insurance. Where I live cocksuckers on roadbikes ride down the middle in groups like they think they're the fucking peloton in the goddamn tour de lance, they refuse to get out of the way...bad decision assholes, listen to my horn for a bit. If I'm on my cbr, it's a near shoulder to shoulder pass finished with a clutch in 13k rpm get out of the road. Huge disclaimer, bicyclists not acting like cunts get plenty of room and respect. Asshats can eat a dick. Poor little lance armstrong wannabes get butt hurt like a mofo when you thread the needle at redline. Thing is, I can't see a single local sheriffs deputy enforcing this dumbassed law. Once again, this rant is not for riders that display decency and respect as Mike discussed, but for the yahoos that think they own the road. In California there's a law that states you must pull over if four or more vehicles are backed up behind you, this needs to be enforced against bicyclists as well. Let the flaming proceed.

[MikeRL411]

 

If assholes on bikes want to ride down the middle of the lane they need to pay fucking registration and insurance. Where I live cocksuckers on roadbikes ride down the middle in groups like they think they're the fucking peloton in the goddamn tour de lance, they refuse to get out of the way...bad decision assholes, listen to my horn for a bit. If I'm on my cbr, it's a near shoulder to shoulder pass finished with a clutch in 13k rpm get out of the road. Huge disclaimer, bicyclists not acting like cunts get plenty of room and respect. Asshats can eat a dick. Poor little lance armstrong wannabes get butt hurt like a mofo when you thread the needle at redline. Thing is, I can't see a single local sheriffs deputy enforcing this dumbassed law. Once again, this rant is not for riders that display decency and respect as Mike discussed, but for the yahoos that think they own the road. In California there's a law that states you must pull over if four or more vehicles are backed up behind you, this needs to be enforced against bicyclists as well. Let the flaming proceed.

Amen! The California Vehicle Code is just what it says! Vehicle, not motor vehicle! Goat cart, donkey cart, Dog sled. unicycle, bicycle, Horse, horse drawn anything or in extreme roller skates or skate boards. If it's not on foot it's a vehicle! Stop signs, Yield signs and cross walk regulations DO apply! Keep your heads down and blast through the intersection with no reguard for cross traffic and we will see who pays for your funeral.

[MikeRL411]

 

Amen! The California Vehicle Code is just what it says! Vehicle, not motor vehicle! Goat cart, donkey cart, Dog sled. unicycle, bicycle, Horse, horse drawn anything or in extreme roller skates or skate boards. If it's not on foot it's a vehicle! Stop signs, Yield signs and cross walk regulations DO apply! Keep your heads down and blast through the intersection with no reguard for cross traffic and we will see who pays for your funeral.

By the way the law says "no more than 2 bikes abreast" in a lane of trsffic. Granted this was originally meant to apply to motorcycles, but if the idiots demand equality then shove it up where the sun doesn't shine!

[505plus5]

Great points on both sides of the coin.

 

Love bikes, love cars. Respect both, and hope to receive the same in return.

 

Value life, and hope thy neighbors think the same.

[RatVonDude]

There is certain entitlement that some bicyclists have, like they are so PC and ritious and cars are toxic. Bunch of hypocrites. I'm sure their line of employment isn't far from pulling a dead kid outta a mineral mine for the new I pad.

[datzenmike]

A local was run down last Wed. evening at 7PM. Helmet and front rear flashing lights. Driver just kept going. Has wife and kids and was a well loved schoolteacher. Left to die in the ditch. Found 4 hours later. His wife was on t v pleading for the person to face up. A hotline tip sent the mounties to some 55 year old asshole near me. Guess a neighbor noticed damage on his truck and dropped a dime. Fucker was in court yesterday. His release conditions were no alcohol then more. Bet he was a known drunk and the police will be watching him hoping to throw him in jail through the holiday. How do you hit someone and not know it at the time? or not notice damage to your vehicle later? What person could do this and sit at home for 4 days till the police haul you away?

 

I rely on the fact that I leave for work within a fifteen minute window (in the dark months lights flashing) so the cars over taking me are used to me being there. It's early so unlikely a drunk going to work.

[505plus5]

^ Very sad situation.