Pedal vs. Metal

How many cyclist register their vehicles? Where does the money come from to build and maintain roads? Fuel taxes maybe? Paid for by motorist? When a roadway is being engineered and designed, what criteria does it take into account? Motor vehicle weights and dimensions. The roads are built for motor vehicles, and paid for by motorists. Cyclists are guests upon these roadways, and should consider this before blowing through traffic lights, and as a 'slow moving vehicle' failing to yield to regular traffic.

Responsible cyclists wear helmets and observe/obey the rules of the road. It is that simple. The main argument here it seems is how cyclists should obey the laws and stop at lights/stop signs... but then people complain when a cyclist takes up the entire lane? How can you expect them to obey some laws but not get full use of the other laws? Technically a CAR is lane splitting if he passes a cyclist w/o crossing the lane dividing line. Cyclists in my area tend to take most of the lane simply because it forces the driver to pass a cyclist just as they would pass a motorcycle or another car... by waiting until a safe opportunity, moving into the next lane and passing. If cars see a gap and think they can "squeeze by"... that's just asking for trouble. What if the car squeezes by too close and at that moment the cyclist has to swerve a bit for road debris? I have personally had an 18-wheeler pass me so close I would estimate his trailer to have been 12" off my elbow. Oh and road debris? Try driving your car in the median or shoulder for a few miles and tell me how your tires look afterwards, if they even hold air... then imagine a cyclist tire and 5 times the PSI but a fraction of the thickness in rubber... then tell me to ride on the shoulder? For the record, I obey all laws when on the roads in my area, which DO entitle me to the same rights as a motor vehicle. I ride ON the line most of the time, to give cars plenty of space to pass... but I won't ride in the shoulder as there is just too much debris. I stop at stop signs and stop lights like a vehicle. And yes it's a bit of a hassle to unclip my feet to stop and then I've received the occasional honk for taking a second to get clipped back in to get going again... but I can live with that. I think a big part of keeping people safe is going to fall into the hands of the cycling community. Cyclists need to take new cyclists under their wing and provide them with the knowledge they need to be considerate, safe riders. Some guy yelling "Hey Nice Helmet!" from his car as he speeds by too closely is NOT going to make a good impression on the rider... but a fellow rider saying "hey, you should really consider getting a helmet and light for your bike, as it makes things safer for everyone involved." will be taken much more to heart, I'm guessing. But that's just my 2cents. Rock

Let me see....The city of Portland says there is not a problem, the Portland Cops say there is not a problem and the Cyclist's in portland say there is not a problem. I have been here since 1982 and I'm telling you there "IS" a problem. It's a freaking war zone. The Cyclist's are arrogant and have total disreguard for the rules of the road, in fact they think they are a freaking car. The Motorist hates the Cyclist for the reasons just stated. They are always in the way of the Motorist. We live in a sardine can. There is not a way to seperate the Motorist's from the Cyclist's. Take a good look at Seattle. I read the Cyclist's choice of weapn are rocks. If anything The city of Portland takes sides with the Cyclist's. The Motorist's are always the bad guy. I would not ride a bike on these streets if my life depended on it and i'm telling you I would be worried about physical harm. It will get much worse before it get's better.

Point Blank-Cars are bigger, maybe bikers should realize that and have a little respect. I am all for bikes and pedestrians, just keep in mind that my car will do far more damage than you. And when I am in Portland, Or, I am a law abiding pedestrian.

We are facing similar problems here in Chicago. Drivers need to realize that more bikes equal LESS cars, pollution and traffic. Better for everyone! Bicylists NEED to follow the law. I see way too many bicyclists zig zagging around and blowing stop signs and traffic lights, then wonder why they don't get more respect. I've almost been hit many times downtown as a pedestrian by a cyclist. As an occassional driver, it is very hard to try and keep an eye on other cars, pedestrians and bikers, much less ones that don't obey the traffic laws. As a mostly walking pedestrian, I almost get hit by a car just about once a week. Seems like drivers here are getting worse, more aggresive, and more disprespectful of pedestrian and cyclists rights of way.

If roads are not equipped with a bike lane, cyclists should not be on the road. They do not pay excise tax, they do not have to tag their bike, and they can not maintain the minimum speed limit. Bikes are for recreational purposes and not a mode of transportation. Oklahoma roads are not set up for cyclists and this causes backups in traffic on two-lane roads. They are a lot of nice jogging/biking trails to ride on.

I live in Tucson and its a "Bike Friendly Community". I find these people to be extremely annoying as a driver if nothing more than for that fact that they have the entire lane to ride in and they insist on riding the white line at all times. 90% of the people I see on bikes hug that line like its the law and in my opinion they are taking their lives in their own hands. I also believe they should be required to carry insurance as more than once I have come close to accidents trying to avoid these people and veering into oncoming traffic to do so because they want to ride side by side and get as possibley close to the road as humanly possible. It almost seems like a dare to hit them. I wouldnt mind if they were more concious of the drivers on the road but the attitude seems to be "hey I have the right of way here so you need to drive around me" well that wont keep grandpa on a cell phone from running your ass over. Its great for the environment but very concerning as someone who has to avoid these people every morning and every evening on the way to and from work. I really think there should be more accountability for the bicyclist in regards to insurance and adherance to the laws. And finally please create a buffer zone between the bike lane and the driving lane. Keep these jokers out of my way so I dont have to cross the yellow line so they can cross the white one.

Hey buddy I live in Oregon. And there are alot of hippies who needs some aggression therapy stronger than yoga. Did you ever think that maybe there is biker on car driver violence everywhere and that, possibly, a large city has a higher concentration? Bikes need to remember they are the weaker, literally, road occupant. They can key the cars and bump the bikes into cars and even slug a guy, but someone with a car can just RUN THEM OVER. They need a little reality check. Personally, when I am in Portland, I walk everywhere, and yes, I obey the law.

The right of way should go from small to big, like in Europe. Pedestrians, followed by cyclists, followed by motorists. Everyone should know their place on the road and not assume others will know their next move. Pedestrians and cyclists should make eye contact with motorists prior to lane crossings, and cyclists should always ride on the far right side of the right lane and obey traffic laws. Those who blatantly disobey traffic laws will end up as a statistic for their negligence due to their self-centered demeanor. Nobody wants to hurt anyone else. Everyone has their places they need to go, but use different methods to get there. Keep your eyes open and travel safely.

Too many drugs ? Too many trees? hippie state? Your proctologyst called, he found your head!

Quite frankly, what are cyclists doing on the road especially during rush hour? People are already ???in a rush??? to get to work! Sorry to state the obvious, but cyclists are pretty slow going compared to cars; they are a safety hazard for both driver and cyclist especially during that time. Take the sidewalk and stay out of the flow of traffic! This is reality, so ???having equal right to the road??? doesn???t make the argument. It doesn???t take much to understand how greatly a slow moving vehicle ??? cyclist especially ??? can affect the flow and pace of traffic ??? why would you want to put yourself in that position? Again, use bike paths if available, use sidewalks, stay tight to the curb otherwise and respect the FACT that you are slowing down traffic beyond the point of reasonableness. Period.

Cyclists should be taken off the roads. They do not pay excise tax, they do not have to tag their bike, and they can not maintain the minimum speed limit. If the road is equipped with bike lanes, fine, but if not ... stay off the road. Bikes are for recreational use not a primary mode of transportation.

Do cyclists pay anything towards the maintenance and building of roads? No, that comes primarily from fuel taxes paid by motorists. How many cyclists register their 'vehicles'? When roadways are engineered and built, aren't they designed primarily for motor vehicles? (weights, clearances, etc.) The fact is, cyclists are the "guests" on the roads, made for and paid for by motor vehicle drivers. It's about time they think about this before they blow through traffic lights, and as a 'slow moving vehicle', fail to yield to regular traffic.

Wow I can't believe how militant this discussion has become. I just hope it doesnt evolve into some nut spiking the bicycle routes like used to happen to the Loggers outside of portland.

I'm a biker and a driver. Any biker who rides without a helmet or a light is an idiot. They deserve whatever they get when they take their lives into their own hands like that. It's the equivalent of driving a car at night with no headlights, and no seatbelt or airbag. Actually it's much more stupid than that, but no car driver would be stupid enough to do that. bikers also need to stay on bike routes and off of major 4-lane roads for their own protection.
On the other hand, bicyclists are going to continue to break laws if the laws aren't designed with them in mind. All red lights need to change for cyclists so they don't get stuck. standing there waiting for a car to come by and trigger the light. Bike routes need to be designed with stop signs only at major intersections instead of at every or every other intersection. Buses need to accommodate more than 2 bicycles at a time.

I'm a biker and a driver. Any biker who rides without a helmet or a light is an idiot. They deserve whatever they get when they take their lives into their own hands like that. It's the equivalent of driving a car at night with no headlights, and no seatbelt or airbag. Actually it's much more stupid than that, but no car driver would be stupid enough to do that. bikers also need to stay on bike routes and off of major 4-lane roads for their own protection.
On the other hand, bicyclists are going to continue to break laws if the laws aren't designed with them in mind. All red lights need to change for cyclists so they don't get stuck. standing there waiting for a car to come by and trigger the light. Bike routes need to be designed with stop signs only at major intersections instead of at every or every other intersection. Buses need to accommodate more than 2 bicycles at a time.