Pedal vs. Metal

Many people here claim that gasoline taxes do not pay for bike lanes. That may be irrelevant. In Virginia, gas taxes are diverted to the subway system. In Decatur, GA, the city is switching car lanes to dedicated bike lanes to decrease car congestion in the middle of the city. Here in Oakton, VA, residential property taxes should pay for sidewalks and trails, but these either have never been built with the dedicated funds, or they have missing pieces that force a walker or biker back into the street. So the funds for streets, subways, sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes seem to be collected from one source or another, but not always used as intended.

give me a break those of you who want to charge tags and insurance on bikes, kids ride bikes, people can't afford cars thats why the ride bikes so unless you are willing to foot the bill for these tags and such I suggest you leave it alone, i agree with tickets but the rest tags and insurance that is rediculous the government already steals enough from us. when will the citizens realize enough is enough

http://www.vholdr.com/video/lane-sharing-california-traffic

O this is priceless. Mind you it's on a motorcycle, traffic was never really stopped, and I was getting road rage from watching this idiot. I'm not saying bike riders are the same but I sure got a flash back from the other day when my mirror was bounced by a bicycle.

It is beyond belief than ANYONE with ANY knowledge of that angry, uncontrolled mean-spirited country would be the least bit surprised at these incidents unknown in countries with a gentler, more considerate community-consciousness than the "I-ME-MINE" Americans of the "I-ME-MINE" baby-boomer generation.
D. Rausch.

I don't live in Portland, or even in the U.S. However, many places in the world accommodate bicyclists and cars with few problems. At the end fo the day the health benefits of riding and the greatly reduced impact on environmental resources of bicycling indicate quite clearly that we collectively need to start cycling more. I began in the 1970's after waching a movie showing a lot of chinese scientists going to an archaeological site, all on bicycles. It occured to me that if they could do that, then so could I, and I did.

Here are the basics. Cars are usually faster, except when traffic is slowed by congestion, then the cycle whizzes by and irritates the stuck motorist, the cause of most morotist rage at cycles. The car is definitely heavier, and while bicycles may have the right of way, it is always a right-of-way-whether-dead-or-alive situation. Bicycles are more maneuverable than cars. So, it is time to go back to the drawing board and re-write the traffic laws to differentiate and separate the automobiles and their requirements from the bicycles and their requirements. The one-size-fits-all mentality is the cause of much of the current problem. I grew up with Amish people driving their buggies on the roads. if you think bicycles are slow, just wait until the horse and buggy crowd hits the highways! It's different strokes for different folks, and we all need to learn to accmmodate, in all directions.

The biggest problem I see being a driver and a rider is there are many riders that don't follow the rules of the road. Out in the middle of traffic going very slow or riding 3 and 4 bikes side by side blocking traffic. I have been riding since the 70's and I can't believe the stupidity of some weekend riders. I am for riders getting tickets too... It doesn't happen often enough.

I have driven many miles in cars, bicycle, motorcycle, and have experienced many instances of agressive\inconsiderate\unlawful behavior from all types of vehicles. Like cjaneway suggests, no group has exclusive responsibility for idiocy on the road. I have also experienced numerous acts of consideration, like someone deliberately slowing down to let me merge in front of them, but such acts seem to be the exception. Unfortunately, I don't think we will ever learn to work together on the road. Humility is not in our genes or national character. We have the middle finger for expressing displeasure, and a wave for those rare occasions when someone does something nice, but we have nothing for saying "sorry". I admit that I have pulled some bonehead moves by accident, and I wish there was a hand signal for saying, "sorry, I admit I was careless for a moment", but the closest I could think of is a couple of slaps to my helmet if I am on my bicycle or motorcycle. One more thing to all bicyclists and motorcyclists: if you want to die of old age, drive defensively! Especially on the streets and freeways of LA! Your ego and your temper is no match for a 4000 lb car.

As a former citizen of Portland OR, this is not a new issue. We have moved to a more rural area to avoid this issue. My husband does have to drive into Portland to work and it is stressful because of all the stop sign runners and not to mention the pedestrians walking into the middle of the street. People feel so entitled here. They feel that the rules of the road do not apply to them. It is Oregon law that even non motorized vehicles must follow the same traffic laws as motorist. And God forbid when someone is run over. The city is outraged. But really it all could be avoided with common courtsey and ownership of our own actions.

This is for the person who thinks we should charge people for tags and insurance to ride bikes, don't be rediculous, this is an american pasttime, we can't afford to live hardly anymore let alone give even more money to the government so they can sail on their yaghts and drive their 80,000 dollar cars please be quiet unless you are willing to foot the bill. There are people who ride bikes because they cannot afford a car, let alone tags. so give us a break.

Road rage against bikers and by bikers is nothing new. We are just seeing more of it, due to the high cost of fuel. The bigger problem is the media-fueled arrogant liberal attitude of people getting into other people's business. Portland is by far one of the most liberal cities in the U.S., perhaps second only to San Francisco, and the rise in tempers is proportionately equal to the rise in the growing "nanny state". In the last decade--the decade of blogs, reality TV, and over-the-top tell-all tabloid shows, Americans have been taught to "tattle-tale" on their neighbor--something that Cindy Brady was warned not to do on the popuar 1970's sitcom. Now Cindy would be encouraged to rat on her friends, and dish dirt on her siblings. Review the cyclist stories in your article. The common theme among them is the arrogant desire to "Lord it over" the perceived offender and tell them what they ought to be doing. We have bred a society of people who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions, but are all too eager to tell others how to live.

Riding a bike is your choice. But will always be unwelcome on roads until they pay their fair share: like paying for registration like on a car; insurance like a motorist; and a tax like what's on gas. When they pay the way then all is welcome. And when will they get a ticket for blowing red lights, turning on a red when a sign prohibits it and not staying in their own lane? Fair is Fair

I live in a rural area and mostly ride my bike in the country, but with the increase in fuel prices, both my husband and I are considering using bicycles to commute. Since I grew up in the 60's and the rules were different at that time-at least what I was taught-I have to remind myself that I need to act as if I'm in a vehicle and drive/ride appropriately, which means obeying all the traffic laws that vehicles need to obey. I think it's mostly an education issue that people just need to be reminded of what the rules are and citations should be issued to anyone, rider or driver, who violates the rules. Secondly, we all need to be patient and courteous of each other. Maybe that's too simplistic, but giving someone the benefit of the doubt goes a long way.

In Northern New Jersey most bikers are jerks! Especially when they get together in packs. They ride two abreast to chat and have total disreguard for the motorists they are blocking. When you say something to them like "tow the line" you'll probably get the finger. They also feel that they are exempt from local traffic laws like directional signals, yield signs and the like. I used to bike myself but never did I display an attitude of entitlement of the roadways as these folks do. Again there are good responsible bikers out there, unfortunatly these days they seem to be a dying breed.

Not surprising. I've been in all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces and of these, Oregon twice. I was struck by how many unfriendly folks there were in Oregon; generally speaking, probably the most unfriendly state I've encountered. It's as if people have a chip on their shoulder. Given this degree of hostility among a large percentage of the population, I can easily imagine how a confrontation between a cycllist and a driver over who's in the right,cwould escalate into harsh words and even harsher actions. Lighten up, Oregonians!

This article is hype. There are rarely altercations compared to the many courteous and safe interactions between these groups. Most folks are not "raging" on each other up here. There are *some cyclists who roll through stops signs or red lights, just as there are *some drivers who roll through stops signs and run red lights (no, it wasn't "orange"). There are *some cyclists who ride without helmets just as there are *some drivers who won't wear a seat belt. This is the media trying to find a sensational story where there isn't one and drawing on a handful of one sided negative anecdotes to fire up a conversation. I live in Portland and ride every day. *Some people are idiots, whether they are drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists or pedestrians. That is just how it goes.....

It is amazing to me how many people don't know the rules of the road; however, the fact that we are not taught the rules of bicycling during drivers training is partially to blame.
For those ignorant (I mean this as they are ignorant of the laws) people that think motorists have more of a right ot the road are mistaken. Bicyclists have just as much right to the road as a vehicle and it is ILLEGAL for cyclists to ride on most sidewalks - They are supposed to be on the road following the rules of the road.
I just finished a 300 mile bike ride from the top of MIchigan to the bottom and almost every vehicle seemed to understand this rule and was cooperative and either passed me using the other lane when available or waited until they could. I only experienced one driver that tried to purposely run my off the road because they were a bit impatient.
Yes, there are those cyclists that don't obey the rules of the road but not near as many that do - just like there are many motorists that don't obey the same rules - it doesn't mean they shouldn't be on the road.
It's too bad more people didn't try riding their bike more often - we would be healthier and the gas prices would continue to go down!