Bicycles, in my often aghast observation, seldom stop for red lights and stop signs, ride on the sidewalks, will ride against the traffic, and, even with bike lanes clearly marked, will insist on riding on the other side of the street where no bike lane is marked or expected. They have no headlights or tail lights, nor do they wear reflective clothing uniformly.
Whereas it is true that bicycles behave erratically I would argue that the only person they're endangering is themselves - a big difference from cars that behave erratically. That doesn't justify the behavior, but it does cast it in a different light.
Unfortunately, I can also attest to the fact that most bicyclists think they are exempt from the laws. However, if a bicyclist chooses to do this, they are endangering more than just themselves, they are endangering all other bicyclists, including me. It seems to be at least somewhat acceptable for drivers to gun for bikers these days, as opposed to mere pedestrians, because many motorists see that too many people riding bikes simply ignore stoplights and stop signs. I am sure that part of the reason that I am yelled at by motorists is because they are taking their anger at all scofflaws out on me. Why else would a motorist yell at me for simply riding my bike on the road, where it is my right to do so?
I've tried yelling at these bicyclists myself, but that doesn't seem to accomplish anything. We need to have law enforcement crack down on both motorists who disobey the laws and bicyclists who do the same. Neither driving a Hummer nor riding a bicycle exempts you from traffic laws, and our local law enforcement needs to remind people of this.
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Nathan Hunstad
CARAG
Minneapolis, MN
PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt
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