Pedal vs. Metal

My bicycle was licensed when I was a kid. MY PARENTS PAID FOR IT.

There are "recreational" riders in my rural area quite often. The roads do not have bicycle lanes and are riddled with blind corners and hills. This is a case where if the bicycle cannot travel with "normal" traffic they shouldn't be there. To come around a corner at the suggested speed of 35 and come upon a bicycle going 10-15 is quite dangerous. Bicycles don't obstruct the view like a car, so obviously reaction times are slower. Not a good mix. Just because one is a "good" bicyclist doesn't mean the physical properties of the road and the inherent human factor are a "good" mix. Yeah, riding in the country is nice for the view and lighter traffic, but be sure to plan your events and let the community know that it is coming by posting signs along the route. If the cyclists are worried about a problem in an area, chances are they shouldn't be riding there.

Good drivers (the vast majority) tend to be invisible. The drivers that are rude, overly aggressive and those not obeying the rules are the ones we remember.

Portland has long been known for it's "bike nazis". Some neighborhoods are worse than others but there is a climate of entitlement among bike riders that set the scene for the recent rash of stupidity. Once the first event was in the papers the others became inevietable due to long simmering tensions. It's so bad that when I ride my bike I refer to myself as a "guy on a bike" because the Portland bicycling community have made bicyclist a pejorative word.

I know there are a lot of good cyclists out there but most of the ones I see do not follow the rules. They don't wait at lights or stop at stop signs. Some even go between lanes of traffic. If they want drivers to share the road then they need to obey the same laws. The laws apply to all.

There are some good bicyclist, don't get me wrong but a majority of the idiots that I see pedaling around on 2 wheels should have their bikes impounded. The insist that they are motor vehicles until they get to a red light and the pedestrian 'walk' sign is up, then they cross just like they were pedestrians. They have no concept of hand signals. And if bicyclists are going to continue to utilize automobile infrastructure they need to start getting taxed and licensed appropriately.. $5 for a year, get real that won't buy you 1 linear foot of tar to ride on.

Personally I bike on the sidewalk and I obey traffic just like a pedestrian, automobile drivers are not aware enough of smaller traffic to endanger my life. *If* I ever get a ticket I'll gladly pay it for my own safety, which is funny because then I'd be paying more for the infrastructure then the 'real cyclists'.

The fact of the matter is: bicycles ARE vehicles and ARE permitted on the roads. As such, they must be treated with respect and extra caution (even a minor collision with a cyclist can result in a fatality). All lousy drivers (motorists and cyclists) are frustrating and many are so down right arrogant that you'd like to pound their lights out. Nevertheless, you can't without putting yourself in jeopardy. The only solution (albeit a weak one) is to license cyclists to the rules of the road and for law enforcement to throw the book at both motorists and cyclists who violate the law.

Me and my husband are avid cyclists. we do alot of tours and recreational riding. it is very frustrating for us as cyclists to see others not following the rules of the road,. a few make the rest of us look bad and again it is very dangerous. these people make it bad not only for cars but when we are riding in a group setting , it is dangerous for the other riders. we always say when we see a cyclist breaking the rules, " no wonder
motorists hate us"

Me and my husband are avid cyclists. we do alot of tours and recretional riding. it is very frustrating for us as cyclists to see others not following the rules of the road,. a few make the rest of us look bad and again it is very dangerous. these people make it bad not only for cars but when we are riding in a group setting , it is dangerous for the other riders. we always say when we see a cyclist breaking the rules, " no wonder motorists hate us"

Bicyclist need to follow the same laws as the vehicles when travelling on the street. With that in mind they should be required to be licensed and carry liability insurance. There is no sense of responsibility when the worst that can happen to them is that they get a citation when they are at fault. Most times, if a bicyclist causes an accident, they flee the scene, and many times unaware that they caused anything. All witnesses can do is discribe the bike and the person. Not much to go in. Cars are required to have a license plate.....By the way, I would like to see the law on "LANE SPLITTING". A lot of my friends ride motorcycles and would LOVE to see that. That would give way to many reckless driving tickets.....

It's against the law in many places to ride on the sidewalk. After reading many of these comments, I'm a little disappointed in society. Have any of you ever tried to ride on the road, getting from A to B? I assure you, your opinions would change even if only slightly. Cyclists are people, too. They drive on the roads, (and pay "road taxes"), too. What is so difficult about being aware, being courteous, and being patient?

Linda Vreeland.....bikes on the sidewalk?!
Are you joking? Did you get your lisence to drive from a Cracker Jacks box?

Thats ok, crime will get so bad in this plutocracy all you pig drivers will get jacked like you should!

Get your worthless, fat, greedy, immoral American pig asse's off the oil and ride you cretin pigs.

In Tucson, we are relatively bike friendly. However, having bicyclists block traffic, when there are bike lanes, is frustrating. Bicyclists here tend to think they own the roads. Very frustrating; not to very mention dangerous.

I agree to the last statement. I live in a rural area where the roads do not have bike lanes. Bicyclists should adhere to all the same traffic laws as the motorist when traveling in the same lane. This rarely happens. They run stop signs, don't signal, don't give right of way... the list goes on. If a bicycle is going to share the road, they need to share all the responsibilities, like following the laws, getting licensed and CARRY LIABILITY INSURANCE. Bicyclist continually have "events" in my area. They have even stopped in front of my house and used my yard as a bathroom stop?!? That doesn't lead to compassion for me.....

Keith(Indiana) cyclist shouyld be licensed, so they know the rules of the road, if rules are broken fine them. money talks bull!!!! walks.

Well, there you go, just reading through all these posts is the whole problem in mini. Both side think their right, neither side wants to give an inch. I often wonder just what happened to common since. I both ride and drive, it's basic common since folks and I don't really think I, or anyone else at this point, can say anything that will cause common since to magicly break out. I'll just keep driving and riding, keep on the look out while doing either and hope that at some point everyone will realize that basicly, it's an idiototic argument. Think about it without injecting emotions but rather from a factual view...Somehow I think that may be just too much to ask.