Bicycles on the road

Did you not read the article that I linked to above?



M

I still stand by what I said... In my opinion all road users no matter what they drive or ride on should demonstrate they know how to stay safe. To say that it is being oppressive to ensure safety is like saying it is an insult on your personal freedoms to be forced to wear a seatbelt or helmet - both are simply common sense...

Speaking from personal experience every day I encounter cyclists flouting the law not having lights, not riding in the right lane and almost exclusively these "scofflaws" as your report calls them are teenage kids... Not "spandex wearing" adults. The offenders need to be properly educated in road safety. Do you let your kids go across roads without teaching them to stop, look and listen? Why would anyone advocate taking a bike to the roads with not even instruction to look where you want to go, or use hand signals???

There is the crux of my uk-centric rant...

I do believe that your teenage scofflaws already know the rules. They just don't give a shite whether they break them or not.

Further education on 'the rules of the road' would do what exactly with these kids?

M

Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll stick closer to home. I have FINALLY gotten all the storm damaged trees cleaned up, the ferking grass mowed, a million other chores finished, AND the weather appears to be decent for the next few days, so I am FINALLY going to get the opportunity to put some miles on my new WR250R!!!! I've owned it for over six weeks and have put all of 200 miles on it for crying out loud. I sure like it so far!



It's supposed to be even nicer Sunday so I might talk my wife into riding the GS up to Laurel Fork in West Virginia (it's only ~115 miles from here) to see if all the ADVcampers there have survived the rain and cold . It seems that gathering gets pretty crappy weather every year.

I hope not, it suxx getting flats, especially at speed. I used to ride a roadbike that had 120 psi, 3/4" wide, kevlar-reinforced tires. I travelled a lot on my job when I lived in Wyoming and always took bicycles for a nice ride after the work day was done. Coming down the really steep switchbacks out of the Bighorn Mountains on Hwy 14A one afternoon I hit 62 mph on the final straight into the basin (well, that was what the speedo said was my max, not sure how accuarate it was, but I knew I was flying). When I saw that I thought JEEBUS, what if I got a rock puncture at that speed, kevlar tires wouldn't make much difference under that load. Even a slow leak takes about 1/2 a second to empty that teeny tire so I'd probably just be a smoking wad of bloody scrap aluminum and spandex at the end of a big skid mark when the next car finally came by. I've kinda cooled it on the descents since then, and after a couple I knew hit a deer on their tandem at 60+ (coming out of Sinks Canyon near Lander, a very steep canyon road) it really reinforced my decision. He was OK 'cuz he saw it coming a split second before impact and angled his ejection flight for the grass but she never saw it from her stoker position and skidded down the asphalt on her face. After a year of surgeries she was back riding, a very tiny, very tough lady.



Of course the majority of cyclists are sensible and safe and should not be tarred with my brush. My opinion is reserved only for these dickish pricks who think they are "road superman". Well, that's My 0.02c well spent.

There ya go! Instead of assuming all cyclists (or any other group of like-minded individuals regardless their chosen activity) are assholes that need more regulation, go after the ones who are causing the issues! I love your ability to keep that perspective, thanks for a breath of fresh air in this thread!

And by the way, I HAVE been stopped by the police for significantly exceeding the speed limit on my bicycle. I was actually quite proud of myself for being able to do so, but respectful to the officer for upholding the law, honest with him (I knew I was speeding), apologetic, and as a result I did not get a ticket even though he legally could have given me one since I am an authorized user of the roads and subject to the laws that govern them.

Enough of this, it's warmed up now so I'm going riding! Woot! Play nice, people, it's a big beautiful world out there with plenty of space for all of us to do our thing in...

Doug
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These scofflaws you speak of are an entirely different topic and have nothing to do with this discussion. Besides, kids in the US are too busy playing with their X box to want to ride a bike. Too much like work.

Pedestrians use roads (to cross them .. though some walk/run down them) ... lets us tax them too and have them ware id. Say $15 a year?

If it cost say $35 to collect those taxes .. who is going to pay the short fall? I nominate you.

There are lots of things that 'we' get without paying ... parks, toilets, libraries .. simply because it is too complex, not cost effective to collect the fees from the people using them.

Cyclists get booked here - and it goes on their vehicle license.

On the other hand pedestrians get booked .. but it does not go on their vehicle license.

great I've got about 10 pushbikes

I already spend about min 10,000 aus dollars a year to be on the road

I love working for the man

cheers

sorry gummy bear but everytime you put ur foot down with ur click in shoes u damage the road

probably more pounds per square inch than a semi / lol

cheers

On the subject of insurance, I don't think you can even get it here voluntarily for a bicycle here in the UK. This is a good point though... If I hit a car on my scooter then my insurance covers the damage I do to their car. If a cyclist hits a car nothing is in place to cover that damage (and there can be bodywork damage) apart from a gentleman's agreement. Usually though If a cyclist hits a car the damage to the car is lowest on the list of concerns as the cyclist might have serious injuries, so maybe its irrelevant in most cases, I dunno...

Excuse me?! Are you smoking crack or something? This I've got to hear about.

So... 'splain to me how exactly you think a 170# person with plastic road cleats on the bottom of his shoe is going to do more damage than a several thousand pound car.

G'head. I'm

M

Enough people moving across the same spot does indeed wear it down, but you are talking about thousands of people over decades. Tarmac is quite soft though, at work there is an indentation about an inch deep where my centre stand of my bike is always pressed down in the bike bay. I have been parking there about two years and my bike is pretty light as it is only a 125, so if my bike can do this sure pedestrians can wreck street. Its probably just not noticeable as the local authorities resurface it frequently. Also, it is paid for by pedestrians in their local taxes e.g. Council tax here in the UK. The same tax fund is also used to fix potholes etc.

I get it here by joining the local bicycle lobby group. $20,000,000 cover for $100 includes the rider, bike and anything you hit. Think you'll find the same there .. IIRC the CTC do insurance cover both in the UK and abroad .. which is why I remember it ... The local lobby only covers OZ .. maybe NZ too. It is cheap and you help out the bicycle lobby.

That's just plain sillyness.

was told to me many years ago by my physics teacher

same idea, who does more damage a semi or a person(any sex.lol) wearing high heels

he proved it/ you can do the math

same as why a car goes round a corner faster than a bike on average

ie, contact patch

it was meant to make you laugh

I suppose a bit low for u. lol

cheers

I suppose you have no imagination or education

I've only got one of those

lol

cheers

in Australia u r covered by ur household insurance for unintentional accidents

does not matter where

read ur insurance policy u might have the same

ie, liability insur

cheers

In this thread, with the posts that get tossed out here, its hard to tell when someone's trying to be funny.

M

I guess my degree in Physics doesn't count...In a strict sense your physics teacher was correct but in a practical sense it is silly, thus the "that's just plain sillyness". See I have a sense of humor. That's why I added a smiley face.