Subby, subby. Anyone wearing Spandex doesn't know what they are doing.

LOL "bike speed limits"

ShawnDoc: C'mon, everyone knows traffic laws don't apply to bicyclists.

In before...... aww - too late.

Brilliant! Making the city $3mil poorer is sure to help with enforcement issues.

"He later compared navigating bike lanes to a game of "Frogger."

Hey, pedestrians, stay off the bike lanes. Simple. Montreal has become a war zone lately with people walking two or more dogs on the bike paths, or entire congregations going for walks, when the clearly indicated pedestrian path is 3 feet away.

Is this the thread where drivers who don't know or follow traffic laws and don't know how roads are paid for biatch about cyclists who do know but still don't follow traffic laws?

/grabs popcorn

It was interesting until the part about the bike lane.

If she wasn't in the cross walk she was jaywalking, that's illegal.

#TooBad

serial_crusher: I have trouble taking anybody who calls herself an "avid power-walker" seriously.

Power walking.

Serious business.

here to help: Brilliant! Making the city $3mil poorer is sure to help with enforcement issues.

If the issue is that they aren't doing something rather than can't do something, setting a precedent that not doing it will cost them lots of money may well inspire them to solve the problem, yes.

wingedkat: It does sound like they need to do something to separate the bike lanes and pedestrian lanes in that park.

Sounds like they do. Perhaps if she looked both ways before crossing the bike lane shouldn't of had a crash with a cyclist.

/last year I almost ran int a pregnant woman walking barefoot who just stepped onto the bike lane without looking at either direction. Four cyclists and a skateboarder had screech to a halt
//doesn't say much what type of mother she will be

After a couple of well-publicized incidents that actually resulted in deaths, and years of complaints, San Francisco actually did start citing bicyclists for traffic infractions. This is as it should be, and will hopefully make the bicycle jockeys a bit less reckless in future.

From what I've seen of cyclist and pedestrian behavior on mixed-use paths, it's often the pedestrians who cause the problems. Pedestrians either don't know or don't care about path use conventions, and will walk on the wrong side of the path, walk 3-4 abreast and block the entire path off, block the other lane with their dogs, move unpredictably, have uncontrolled children with them, etc. Cyclists should be able to share the path with pedestrians even at high bicycle speeds (even a fast cyclist is unlikely to maintain over 20 mph for long) but it doesn't work if either side acts like they own the path.

"Just because they wear spandex doesn't mean they know what they're doing"

I certainly felt that way about certain hair bands.

I wonder if she was talking on a cell phone or texting at the time of the accident.

bravian: Is this the thread where drivers who don't know or follow traffic laws and don't know how roads are paid for biatch about cyclists who do know but still don't follow traffic laws?

/grabs popcorn

+1

Bikers should follow traffic laws, but you assholes that insist on speeding and riding my bumper should DIAF.

A bicycle thread....and Popcorn!?!?!?!

As a guy who rides the bikepath in front of my house on a 44" Landyachtz pintail, I say go get 'em.

Here's a protip: If you're body fat is OVER 20 pct (30 pct or so for the ladies, depending on distribution) leave the spandex at home.

Oh, and just bye the bye: The bikepath is NOT where you guys should be practicing your pack drafting techniques.

vudukungfu: Subby, subby. Anyone wearing Spandex doesn't know what they are doing.

Came to say this^

/Leaving in loose fitting clothes to hide my shame like a decent human being.

Quantum Apostrophe: "He later compared navigating bike lanes to a game of "Frogger."

Hey, pedestrians, stay off the bike lanes. Simple. Montreal has become a war zone lately with people walking two or more dogs on the bike paths, or entire congregations going for walks, when the clearly indicated pedestrian path is 3 feet away.

Or in parks where there is a bike path and a pedestrian path. People being on the bike path when they shouldn't is dangerous for them. I angrily ring my bell at them when I pass.

But are you talking about the downtown paths? I hear the DeMaisonneuve path is a nightmare for people just trying to cross the street, or in general.

7wolf: If the issue is that they aren't doing something rather than can't do something, setting a precedent that not doing it will cost them lots of money may well inspire them to solve the problem, yes.

I have a feeling this woman's motives aren't as altruistic as that. Besides, there are already laws in place regarding this particular issue. The problem is in a city like New York the police have bigger fish to fry. Also, even if they dedicated a bunch of officers to patrol even that one specific park there is no way to effectively control every cyclist's actions. These things will happen. Charge the offenders when you can, teach safe cycling practices to children early on and tell pedestrians to realize life is dangerous. Keep your damned eyes open and you'll be far less likely to get nailed by a cyclist, car, bus, hovercraft, rogue blimps, etc...

vudukungfu: Subby, subby. Anyone wearing Spandex doesn't know what they are doing.

The point of the spandex isn't to look good. You pretty much have to wear bike shorts if you ride a lot. Otherwise you get saddle sores, which are exactly as fun and appealing as they sound.

bravian: Is this the thread where drivers who don't know or follow traffic laws and don't know how roads are paid for biatch about cyclists who do know but still don't follow traffic laws?

Part of my daily commute is a freeway, where the speed limit is 55. Unless traffic is unusually heavy, I'll never drive that slow. I'll go 60+ every time, yet I'll never pose a risk to others on the road, despite being a criminal.

I've never once seen a biker obey a stop sign or a red light. Maybe 2% of the time I've see a biker signal a turn. If a motorist did this, it would be just a matter of time before they caused an accident, but bikers display an "I dare you to hit me" mentality, which is odd because when a bike hits a a car, what's left of the biker usually gets powerwashed off the street.

Bicyclists in NYC are a menace. They don't obey traffic laws, they just blow through redlights and stop signs. Sometimes those asshats even ride on the sidewalks.

Speaking as a pedestrian, I have a much greater beef with the bicyclists than with drivers. At least I can be reasonably assured the cars will usually stop at a red light when I'm trying to cross. I know an older woman, a colleague, who broke her arm when a bicycle messenger ran into her and knocked her down in the crosswalk, where she was legally trying to cross. The cyclist was running the red light, as usual.

Just got back from Denmark recently. I was amazed at how well their bike system worked. Dedicated lane wide enough to be useful, connected directly with standard traffic flow and controls, and TONS of people using it without issue (seriously, I think bikes outnumbered cars where I was 2 to 1). Pedestrians paid attention to the lane, and everyone respected lights (unless it was late at night and there was zero traffic besides them).

My point, we're just effing stupid and impatient. Americans don't want to give the space required for good dedicated bike lanes, and we're to stupid and lazy to pay attention to laws, let alone common sense. The problem isn't cyclists or pedestrians, it's every damn one of them. I like to consider myself a good cyclist. I ran a red light once on my bike, and got pulled over for it. I stopped doing that. Reality is, when I'm on my bike, I have a pretty solid unobstructed 180 degree view of what's happening in front of me, so I'm pretty cognizant of risks. But cars and pedestrians are damn unpredictable some times, and that isn't my fault. I'm doing my part, and try to be similarly respectful on foot.

This sounds pretty much like a case of the cyclist going too fast for what was safe in that area, and the woman being too stupid to pay attention to where she was walking. They both likely got what they deserved out of the situation. If the courts are smart, they'll just throw out all the lawsuits (unless there's additional fault information we don't have here).

here to help: 7wolf: If the issue is that they aren't doing something rather than can't do something, setting a precedent that not doing it will cost them lots of money may well inspire them to solve the problem, yes.

I have a feeling this woman's motives aren't as altruistic as that. Besides, there are already laws in place regarding this particular issue. The problem is in a city like New York the police have bigger fish to fry. Also, even if they dedicated a bunch of officers to patrol even that one specific park there is no way to effectively control every cyclist's actions. These things will happen. Charge the offenders when you can, teach safe cycling practices to children early on and tell pedestrians to realize life is dangerous. Keep your damned eyes open and you'll be far less likely to get nailed by a cyclist, car, bus, hovercraft, rogue blimps, etc...

Probably not, but then there are likely alternative and arguably better ways to change most things, this is just the way society is set up. I don't think they necessarily need people actively policing it, though. For example in places around here they have metal rails across paths at places where the paths cross roads, forcing cyclists to slow down or stop before crossing. Something like that, but less drastic, could probably be used to regulate speed somewhat on the paths (similar things are used on residential roads here, too - like random islands forcing you to slow down and turn, or you'll need your car towed back off it).

Dead for Tax Reasons: Dana Jacks, 37, who recently starred in a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of "Our Town,"


dana jacks off-broadway? who want to see that anyway

Hmmm...sounds intriguing.

/mind's eye
//using it

bravian: Is this the thread where drivers who don't know or follow traffic laws and don't know how roads are paid for biatch about cyclists who do know but still don't follow traffic laws?

No, it's a thread where some guy doesn't read the article and shoots his mouth off about something or other.

Near the bottom of the article, they are also suing each other for damages.

DNRTFA but if she was injured due to the cyclist's negligence, shouldn't she be suing him rather than the city?

/city has more money
//if jogging and coming up to a bunch of pedestrians, do I slow down for the conditions or just slam right through them? Same logic applies to cyclists

Doc Daneeka: Bicyclists in NYC are a menace. They don't obey traffic laws, they just blow through redlights and stop signs. Sometimes those asshats even ride on the sidewalks.

Speaking as a pedestrian, I have a much greater beef with the bicyclists than with drivers. At least I can be reasonably assured the cars will usually stop at a red light when I'm trying to cross. I know an older woman, a colleague, who broke her arm when a bicycle messenger ran into her and knocked her down in the crosswalk, where she was legally trying to cross. The cyclist was running the red light, as usual.

In SF a guy struck and killed a pedestrian riding his bike down by the Ferry Building, and in the same month at a nearby intersection a girl on her bike ran a red light on her bike making a left hand turn and was struck and killed. It is truly to detrimental to their lives to farking pay attention and be careful. People in cars can be similarly dangerous and stupid and aggressive, but combating that with aggression on a bike is a losing battle. In a collision a car driver survives 9.9 times out of ten. And killing a pedestrian makes everyone hate you.

7wolf: Probably not, but then there are likely alternative and arguably better ways to change most things, this is just the way society is set up. I don't think they necessarily need people actively policing it, though. For example in places around here they have metal rails across paths at places where the paths cross roads, forcing cyclists to slow down or stop before crossing. Something like that, but less drastic, could probably be used to regulate speed somewhat on the paths (similar things are used on residential roads here, too - like random islands forcing you to slow down and turn, or you'll need your car towed back off it).

That's all quite expensive too. Even just getting bike lanes installed in most cities is like pulling teeth. The sh*tty part is usually when the cyclist groups finally get the cities to install them they get abused by pedestrians and motor vehicles which completely defeats the purpose.

/was a responsible cyclist in a major city for years
//almost died many times due to the recklessness of vehicles, pedestrians AND other cyclists

The point of the spandex isn't to look good. You pretty much have to wear bike shorts if you ride a lot. Otherwise you get saddle sores, which are exactly as fun and appealing as they sound.

Meh. I bike a 34 mile round trip to work thru Philly Spring/Summer/Fall in shorts/sweats/etc. No Spandex. If I wore Spandex while biking thru South Philly I'd get my ass kicked.

/we now return you to the latest Fark Bike Hate thread, already in progress

Jesus Christ, look at the way her head's tweaked! That collision really messed her up.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the cyclist has doesn't have anywhere near $3million or insurance.

TheQuicksilver: Just got back from Denmark recently. I was amazed at how well their bike system worked. Dedicated lane wide enough to be useful, connected directly with standard traffic flow and controls, and TONS of people using it without issue (seriously, I think bikes outnumbered cars where I was 2 to 1). Pedestrians paid attention to the lane, and everyone respected lights (unless it was late at night and there was zero traffic besides them).

I found this to be the case in Munich too. The roads had a train in the middle, car lanes, and bike lanes and they all seemed to share the road pretty well.

The problem in NYC is that no matter how many laws you pass, the delivery guys will never follow them. Also, of the shiat NYPD has to deal with, traffic moving violations are generally about 1,045,672nd on the list. If nobody enforces them, they may as well not exist.

Quantum Apostrophe: "He later compared navigating bike lanes to a game of "Frogger."

Does that include jumping on top of floating logs and the backs of turtles? I might enjoy that.

Porous Horace: Quantum Apostrophe: "He later compared navigating bike lanes to a game of "Frogger."

Hey, pedestrians, stay off the bike lanes. Simple. Montreal has become a war zone lately with people walking two or more dogs on the bike paths, or entire congregations going for walks, when the clearly indicated pedestrian path is 3 feet away.

Or in parks where there is a bike path and a pedestrian path. People being on the bike path when they shouldn't is dangerous for them. I angrily ring my bell at them when I pass.

But are you talking about the downtown paths? I hear the DeMaisonneuve path is a nightmare for people just trying to cross the street, or in general.

Still not as bad as Rachel.

Daniels: the delivery guys will never follow them.

It's a machismo thing with them. You are expected to risk your life unnecessarily or be mocked by the rest of the courier community. I knew a lot of them and they were constantly getting hit by cars and wiping out out of sheer stupidity. That would be fine if they were only messing themselves up but it can endanger everyone around them. They also get real nasty after an accident even if they were the cause of it. Fun guys to party with though.

mark12A: Meh. I bike a 34 mile round trip to work thru Philly Spring/Summer/Fall in shorts/sweats/etc. No Spandex. If I wore Spandex while biking thru South Philly I'd get my ass kicked.

I'm surprised you don't encounter more problems. Do you ride something unusual, like a recumbent, or particularly slowly?

Most Lance Armstrong-wannabees are a pain in the ass. They do not realize he won because he was taking all those chemicals

Doc Daneeka: Bicyclists in NYC are a menace. They don't obey traffic laws, they just blow through redlights and stop signs. Sometimes those asshats even ride on the sidewalks.


I followed my brother on a bike from his condo in the East Village to Central Park and I wish we had just stuck to the sidewalks. I really thought we were gonna get killed, dodging between cars, darting across lanes, speeding around against traffic signals. I was glad he got a flat in the park and we took the subway home.