Many interesting points, Ernest. I agree that there ought to be slightly different rules for different types of vehicles.
A few tid bits: The other day I was cycling along a state hwy that runs through town (yes, bikes are allowed on the wide shoulder, and it's a major bike commuter route. Though many people feel bikes have no place on a highway like that). Anyway, a girl on a scooter zips around the left of me and cuts into the shoulder and rides along on the shoulder. This shoulder-riding by scooters sends an ambiguous message I want no part of. In King County, WA (Seattle, etc.) riding on the sidewalk is legal. I was very surprised to hear that. I feel it's a good idea. Sure, some pedestrians will be endangered by irresponsible cyclists, but bikes being able to get off the road when needed is great. The distinction between "cyclists" and "bicycle riders" you mentioned is interesting. Yeah, I run into a lot of elitists on two wheels around here. Some have competed, and I respect that, but they seem to really be arrogant people. Personally, I can both be found in spandex tearing up the road on a lightweight road bike (but never fully decked out in wannabe clothing), and other times tooling along on an old bike I got for free, carrying groceries on my back. Your point coincides with mine in that experienced cyclists usually have an idea of the rules of the road, where the family who drives the Suburban to a spot to unload the dusty garage bikes and swerve around on a sunny day, usually do not. On the other hand, I get upset when I see experienced-looking cyclists blatently breaking laws. This only further enrages the motoring community. One more thing here: While cyclists have the right to ride two abreast, and do have the right to ride in the lane of traffic, it ticks me off (yes, even me) when I see cyclists not staying as far right as is safe (which the law does require by the way). Yes, I know about the right to "take the lane" when it's not safe for a car to pass. Brian On Sat, Aug 9, 2008 at 11:33 AM, ernest breakfield < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > speaking as someone who is both a cyclist and a motorcyclist, let me > first make clear that i see many people doing both badly. > > in bicycling, enthusiasts will often make a distinction between > themselves as "cyclists", and distance themselves from those who just > happen to be riding bicycles (all-too-often badly) by referring to them > as "bicycle riders". > i generally try to follow the rules of the road while bicycling, but > there are many arguments of how it is more efficient and practical for > non-motorized vehicles to be subject to a slightly different set of > rules than those set up for motor vehicles on Amerikun roads. (as food > for thought, consider that in some other arguably civilized countries, > there are many situations where no Stop is required at an intersection > unless it's necessary to avoid a conflict with another vehicle.) > under no circumstances do i support ever riding a bicycle on a sidewalk. > of course, since people are people, i see examples of all these > rules broken daily, with wildly varying levels of skill, competence, or > regard for safety. > > in motorcycling, you'll find rules, laws and practice vary widely > depending on where you are. for example, in California, there is no law > against sharing a lane with another vehicle and/or passing another > vehicle in the same lane as long as there is room for both vehicles to > fit, and there is no law specifically against a motorcyclist moving > between lines of other vehicles on the same side of the road as long as > done in such a manner as to not be judged "unsafe". (note: there is a > huge amount of room for interpretation by LEOs in this regard.) in some > other countries, this is all routinely done much more aggressively than > what we see here. > if you're trickling your way to the front between lines of stopped > cars on your motorcycle, that's no problem, since it's not likely any > stopped car is going to jump sideways, and it's illegal for any car to > open their door and interfere with other traffic (including you). bonus > for all motorists is that you're not going to be taking up space in a > lane that another vehicle could make use of, and due to the general > nature of motorcycles you're likely to be down the road and never in the > way of any other vehicle as soon as the light changes; everyone wins. > if you're playing car slalom on your motorcycle overtaking vehicles > that are moving much slower than you are, you can (and probably should) > get a ticket. > of course, since people are people, i see examples of all these > rules broken daily, with wildly varying levels of skill, competence, or > regard for safety. > > as for scooters, it seems that most people i see on scooters in the > US don't recognize that they are sharing the roads with other > vehicles... i've yet to see one that looks like they're prepared for an > unscheduled get-off. > > i'll note again that either activity can be (and is frequently) done > badly, typically by the Too Cool Set suffering from YMIS*. > however, it is my opinion that neither activity should be subject to > exactly the same set of rules and laws as cars and trucks, as they are > very different kinds of vehicles. sadly, since it *far* too easy to get > a drivers license in the USA and it seems the Amerikun Way to dumb down > rules and laws to the level of understanding of the Lowest Common > Denominator, i fear it may be a while (if ever) before we see each > activity judged for what it really is and laws adjusted to accommodates > each accordingly. > > > cheers! > e > > > *Young Male Invincibility Syndrome > > > Allan Streib wrote: > > "Zoltan Finks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > > >> That's not exactly irony - but something like it? I have been > >> thinking that with the increase in scooters on the road will come > >> the accidents. Same thing with the increase in bicycle riders on the > >> road. All need to learn the rules of the road. > >> > > > > Around here, bicylists are by far the largest group who think the > > rules don't apply to them. They ignore stop signs, stop lights, one > > way streets, pedestrians, ride on sidewalks, ride against traffic, you > > name it. > > > > Then scooters/mopeds, and then motorcycles. The motorcyclists for the > > most part do pretty well, but occasionally will pass in a no pass > > zone, or cut ahead at a stoplight between lanes. > > > > Allan > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
