I would support that law change, but honestly, I don't think it matters what the laws really are. I've been screamed at many times by motorists, for doing something that is perfectly legal for bikers to do. If a bike is acting like a car, they complain; if a bike is acting like a pedestrian, they complain. And then they tell us to make up our minds about what we are. Well, we're neither, and we need a different set of rules. Just don't expect motorists to be bothered to learn what those rules are.
Further, I know it's bad PR for bikers to do things like run stop signs, but I see cars rolling through stop signs every day (literally). And since the person on the bike is the one that's going to die if there's a car/bike collision, I'm much more trusting of bikers' decisions. There are some clueless bikers out there, but I'm sure that the more experienced ones do the same calculus every time they enter an intersection, especially against a light or through a stop sign: will this kill me? Motorists do not have the same constant concern. The only thing I think will mitigate ill will is to make sure that every motorist has a kid or friend on a bike, so they actually have sympathy for bikers. Otherwise, bikers and motorists might as well be different species (especially since we all know you can't be both). On Feb 1, 2008 9:26 AM, Doug Adler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On the stop signs, it seems this is a very common motorist complaint > against bicyclists. Some states (can't recall which at the moment) allow > bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, with the onus on the biker to > proceed only when safe. > > This would seem to me to be a good way to mitigate some of the ill will > toward bikers. Given that it's a pain in the a** (literally) to come to a > full stop, getting full compliance is about as likely as motorists complying > with speed limits. > > Does anyone have a feel for whether it would be remotely possible to get > such a rule change, either at the local or state level? Maybe it could be > tacked on to some sort of alternative transportation bill to encourage more > bike commuting... > > -Doug Adler > > > On Jan 31, 2008 11:55 AM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > The usual caller whining: > > Bicycles downtown don't stop at stop signs... > Bicyclists should be taxed. > Bicyclists should be licensed. > > > > 1) True, so not a bad comment. I have the same complaint. > > 2) In what way? I'm all for being taxed when I buy a new bike, and > have never failed to pay my sales tax. Use tax? How do you measure > it? > > 3) Agreed. I'd pay $60 for an 8-year license. Certifies that I know > the vehicle rules and regs which many bicyclists seem to know nothing > about. > > > Rich > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies > >
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