coming from a genius like you... thats a funny comment.

4/24/2008 10:23:46 AM

anyone who really complains about bicyclist is self-focused and narrow-minded. There is no problem what so ever with these people being on the roads. For the most part they are considered vehicles. They are only not considered vehicles for the sake of right of way when something more powerful is in play, such as an automobile. This provides them with right of way in some situations as a deterrent from disaster. Someone may say then they should be on the sidewalk and that would really deter disaster, and while I don't necessarily disagree with you, i do feel that doing 25mph on a sidewalk is also quite dangerous and when a biker at that speed is bulleting towards a mom with a baby carriage going up, it could cause some issues. A fall at 25mph with only a helmet and pads can easily result in a lot of injury. People who use it as a means for looking out for their health or the environment should not be faulted because they do that instead of driving an automobile or sitting in front of the computer jacking off all day.

Sure, there are bad bikers who cause delays because they're in large packs and don't single file, but they're bad drivers too. In neither situation can you use on to fault the entire group.

4/24/2008 10:24:37 AM

coming from a wolfwebber like you, i'm not surprised by your comment

4/24/2008 10:25:36 AM

i have just read that the cyclist is dead

4/24/2008 10:33:41 AM

From drunkard yesterday morning?

You late.

4/24/2008 10:35:00 AM

yea. i know im late. but still.

4/24/2008 10:49:50 AM

cody might be getting me a bike soon.
and if so then i am going to start biking to work.
and bet your sweet ass imma use the sidewalk.



[Edited on April 24, 2008 at 11:02 AM. Reason : whoops]

4/24/2008 11:00:40 AM

dude joie you should totally got wizard of ozz style

4/24/2008 11:03:44 AM

Quote :

"lol, it's the sideWALK"

what do you suggest we do about runners? we certainly cant have them on the sideWALK

4/24/2008 12:04:29 PM

Quote :

"all it takes is some fuckin courtesy and common sense. then we're all safe and happy."

agreed.

I ride a bike in to work about twice a week, but it is largely on roads with a speed-limit of 25 - 35 mph. I spend as much time on the sidewalk as I can for safety sake as much as anything else.

Quote :

"At what price will you stop or at least limit your driving and/or consider starting to ride a bike for at least some of your traveling needs (errands, to work or school, etc)?"

There are too many factors at play here to limit it strictly to gas prices. People select housing in large part on school districts, convenience to things other than work, and affordability. The location that might be best for your spouse and children might leave you 30 miles from work. I average about 15mph when I bike, not many people are going to commit 4 hours of their day to commuting when they're already working 10. Because we're built into a system of mega-marts, smaller and more convenient (to bikers) stores generally can't compete and go out of business. Making enough trips to purchase the kind of food that is required to feed a family of four on a bike from a store 5 - 10 miles away isn't going to fit in the time schedule of most of these people.


I'm not saying this is right, but it is, for the moment, reality. Self righteous vegans on bicycles taking out their frustrations on the car-driving public isn't going to be the catalyst for real change.

[Edited on April 24, 2008 at 12:14 PM. Reason : oh, and pedestrains are mind-bogglingly ignorant of what is going on around them.]

4/24/2008 12:13:56 PM

Seriouscat, you have no idea about how dangerous cyclists are. No biker goes 25mph unless its downhill. Ive never seen any doing 25, even the super-serial ones in spandex. They go 15-20 on flat roads. But anyways, 25mph collision with a pedestrian isnt that bad. its 200~pds at 25mph. A car crash is essentially happening at 50mph. So its 25mph difference with 4000lbs. Whose more likely to die? Heres a bikers choice. Go 5-10 on a sidewalk, or go 40-50 (or the limit) on a road. One is possible, anything in between is a traffic hazard and someone is gonna get hurt. if you were in a hurry, you should be driving. if you cant afford gas, get a damn job. i mean comon.

4/24/2008 1:04:59 PM

Quote :

" No biker goes 25mph unless its downhill."

Bullshit. Plenty of road bikers do 25+ on the flat.
Hell, a 4 hour century is not that big a deal, although it is pretty impressive.

4/24/2008 1:12:14 PM

i bike a lot around raleigh (though not to work at this point, since it would take me forever)...i try to use the sidewalks when possible, though that isn't really the correct path for cycling, IIRC...but i do it more out of a sense of self-preservation than anything else...the hatred vehicle drivers have for cyclists is pretty obvious (i think it stems from the drivers being fat and lazy and jealous of the cyclists), and the ones who bitch most about it just prove how unsafe it is for a cyclist on the road (despite the fact that that's where they're supposed to be)

this isn't a problem in most countries, just here where we encourage fat people to be fatter and assume fossil fuels will be easy available and affordable for centuries to come...most everywhere else, bikes are the solution, not the problem

4/24/2008 1:13:54 PM

When I lived in Tampa, every road that wasn't a highway had a bicycle lane beside the sidewalk. Of course, old fucks still ran them over. My wife was hit by an old man going 25 who didn't even notice, just kept cruising in his Buick Sherman Tank, running up on the sidewalk and stopping at green lights and whatnot. This was before we learned the primary rule to anyone hoping to survive on the road in Florida: don't go out between 8:30 and 10 a.m., which is when old fucks go to the pharmacy, and hide during the Early Bird Special rush.

4/24/2008 1:16:44 PM

in many places in germany, the bike lane is on the sidewalk but the sidewalk is nearly double in size so there's room for both pedestrians and cyclists -- seemed like a great system to me (the sidewalk was clearly divided/marked for bikes on one side and pedestrians on the other)

i get annoyed with cyclists on the sidewalks out here, especially when there is a dedicated bike lane in the road, because there's just not enough room for a bike and someone walking/running -- but i think expanding the sidewalks and moving the bike lane there would be safer

4/24/2008 1:17:56 PM

Quote :

"in many places in germany, the bike lane is on the sidewalk but the sidewalk is nearly double in size so there's room for both pedestrians and cyclists -- seemed like a great system to me (the sidewalk was clearly divided/marked for bikes on one side and pedestrians on the other)"

yeah, i noticed that the bicycle/pedestrian/vehicle divisions were very well designed there, as well...it'd be awesome to have a setup like that here

4/24/2008 1:19:35 PM

Quote :

"Quick question for the non-cyclists... At what price will you stop or at least limit your driving and/or consider starting to ride a bike for at least some of your traveling needs (errands, to work or school, etc)? "

Never. There are too many asshat drivers on the road who might seriously injure me.

4/24/2008 1:29:45 PM

Bicyclists should buy a car or walk like the rest of us.

4/24/2008 1:31:50 PM

Never. If it's not close enough to walk (a couple of miles) it's time to drive.

4/24/2008 1:33:18 PM

I would rather pay $4.00 a gallon than be riding a bicycle down the road waiting to get plowed down by somebdoy in an SUV or pickup that is not paying attention.

4/24/2008 1:35:25 PM

When I have to ride a bike somewhere, I try to use the sidewalks. That's also because I'm in no hurry and if I see a crowd of people coming, I hop off no problem. I don't even think I'm going 5 mph And its only been around campus.

I would love to see more bike lanes. I have no problem with bicyclists on the road EXCEPT when they have a line of a bazillion cars behind them and don't even bother to pull off. When you've got a pack of 30 bicyclists on a windy road, them going in a straight line or staying as a pack is equally dangerous. Then its just frustrating cause there's no way around them and heaven forbid if they stop.

4/24/2008 2:03:09 PM