I wonder if anyone knows the answer to this question that has been bothering me...

I don't know about the rules anywhere else, but here in Canada, if you are a bicyclist, you are supposed to share the road with the automobiles, and follow the rules of the road, same as the motorists. You are not supposed to use the sidewalk, that is for the pedestrians, and I am pretty sure that is the law here.

I just don't know where that all came from. I mean, really, if a person on a bike is involved in a collision with a motor vehicle, they are more than likely going to be seriously injured, if not worse, with little or no danger to anyone in the car. By comparison, if a cyclist is involved in a collision with a pedestrian, there is a chance that one or both of them will be injured, probably not in a serious way.

So I don't understand why the law is not the other way around....it seems to me that this is discriminatory against cyclists, and every year, there are several stories in the news about people who are very badly injured or killed on the road.

Does anyone know what the reasoning was behind the current rules of the road, and I am very curious to know if this is the same in other countries?

Thanks!

(I know this isn't exactly a vegan question, but keeping fit kind of goes along with the lifestyle, so it's kind of relevant)

In California bikes and cars share the roads but you can not cycle on the freeway. A lot of times bikes are going the same speed as cars so that is why you ride in the street. In San Francisco we have a law that bikes are allowed the use of the full lane. Bikes still hae to follow the same rules as cars.

When you ride make sure you are visible and have lights if it is dark and don't forget your helmet in case you do have an accident.

helmet. H.E.L.M.E.T. head injury is serious.

i go way too fast to be on the sidewalk with pedestrians, especially kids (who jump all over the place in an unpredictable manner anyhow). bikes belong on the road, as a cyclist who used her bike as an actual vehicle i wouldn't give that up. i think driver awareness is the issue to address here, there should be WAY more education when you learn to drive and go for your license. sometimes drivers go past and yell at cyclists to "get off the road". it's ridiculous that you can even have a license and not know the rules, all the rules of the road, including those concerning cars.

I agree... awareness is key... and for that very reason I ride my bike like you...he...she...whomever... are the only car on the road...because i know most drivers could care less about what a biker is doing... and some even mess with us on purpose... it's unfortunate... but i'm still alive today... and my bike is my vehicle of choice...

love laugh and dream

i'd ride my bike more on the road

but truth be known

i like being alive

and i don't trust any cars, whatsoever

when I am driving however

i act like the bikers rule the road

because in my mind

they do

i give them full respect

and get the heck out of their way

i got an issue about this

i just assume that i don't have a chance if a two plus ton vehicle

smashes into me while riding a bike

i like having two legs

a torso

my arms

and a functioning brain

it is unfortunate

how unbelievably medieval and backwards the roads are concerning cyclists

i personally don't believe that cyclists on the road is a good idea

only cuz of all the plethora of

drunk drivers, people on drugs, people who are so into their minds that they cannot really pay attention to what is going on the road,text messaging people, cell phone zoned out people, people who are freaking out while on the phone while on the road of their stocks nosediving etc. etc. etc. not a good idea being on the road when people are on their cell phones so absorbed ... getting bad news.. plus you would be so surprised how many people STILL text message while driving

wouldn't want to be an innocent cyclist in front of them

cyclists are not very visible either

unless you where those intense fuschia pink yellow purple glow in the dark outfits

it is easy to miss a bike

i honestly am not even sure if Lance Armstrong is safe on the road

esp. if it was in New york city or some crazy place like that

i mean... what can he do if a guy in a mack truck is behind him who has fallen asleep behind the wheel?

absolutely nothing

what does everyone else think about this?

I ride on both the road and the sidewalk depending on conditions. That said I always yield to pedestrians and have dismounted and walked my bike on occasion as needed for safety. I like riding on the road best and have never had a problem with that which I credit to always wearing bright colored clothing and being alert.

I had to check but it's legal to ride on some sidewalks sometimes in the US.

"bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks outside business districts when necessary in the interest of safety, unless otherwise directed by local ordinance. A person operating a bicycle on the sidewalk shall yield the right of way to pedestrians and give an audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian"

I've been cut off twice recently, once on the road and once on the sidewalk (by a professional driver messing with me). I don't want to be taken out at high speed on the road, but also have a road bike and like to ride fast and so tire of the stop-and-go on sidewalks where little more than walking speed seems to be the way where I live.

I've been thinking about a unicycle just for fun and to slow me down to a more sane pace. Or a one-speed beach cruiser, good for sidewalks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2009 01:58PM by loeve.

Here in Cambridge we have a lot of bicycle paths throughout the river and park system, and also there are bike lanes on a lot of the larger roads. There's a strong effort, both on the part of city government and grassroots orgs to promote safe, accessible bicycling. I agree, though-- it's still quite dangerous. When I used to bike around the city I always felt pretty vulnerable, and I was very cautious.

On the other hand, bikes on sidewalks and walking paths are pretty intimidating and can be dangerous. I've been side-swiped by bikes on the sidewalk, and Jonathan has been injured on the running/walking path by the river by bicyclists who plowed into him.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Dedicated bike paths are great (though pedestrians always have the right of way). We have them on the outskirts of town. They are still dangerous. This summer a sheep dog off its leash was determined to 'herd' me and brought me to a full stop until its owner came. Lucky to never be involved in any sort of bicycle collision knock on wood.

This is really interesting. I have never been a cyclist, but my daughter has an injury, and it was suggested as a good form of exercise for her by her doctor.

The thing is, her doctor was hit by a car a few years ago while cycling, and it took him months to recover from his injuries - it was very severe. Not only that, but my son's soccer coach had a similar accident a couple of years ago, and still has memory and mood problems.

It would be fantastic if the entire city had a great number of bike lanes, but like many cities, that is something that may not happen for some time. It really seems to me to be a dangerous pastime. Cyclists often don't get much respect from the cars on the road. Accidents seem to happen fairly frequently. One of the main reasons I have never been much of a cyclist is because I feel it isn't very safe.

I hope my daugher just decides to take up swimming or something - this worries me too much. (She broke a bone (talus) in her ankle that is very unusual to break, and consequently, she has been told she will be in pain for the rest of her life. She has already started to develop arthritis, and the doctor says the only way to make the pain go away is to do a surgery that would fuse the bones together, and then she would lose all range of movement. Meanwhile, she has been told she will never run again without severe pain - terrible, she is only 19) It has been nearly 2 years since the accident (gymnastics), with no relief. Poor kid!

I ride my bike for exercise, not for transportation. I ride on bike paths that are not adjacent to a road. Sometimes I also ride on mountain paths, but I get too wild and crazy when I do that and one day I'm going to hurt myself LOL

shoot, makes me scared to put the kids into gymnastics!

I've nearly gotten the "door prize" a few times and I've been run off the road, and in a bike prominent city too (toronto). Dude was talking on the phone, pissed me Right off I can tell you. I threw my bike at his car and cussed him out (this was many years ago). Left him sputtering apologies and hopefully thinking twice about nabbing that parking spot without looking around first.

Bike riders who act like they rule the road (hello couriers!) ruin things for the rest of the cyclists. Makes pedestrians and drivers alike have a bad attitude about all bike riders unfortunately. And pedestrians who think they have instant right of way are incredibly foolish when it comes to cyclists too. Believe me, if all 120 lbs of me plus the 40 odd lbs of backpack, bike and gear flying down the road plows into a walker who's stepped off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic thinking that they're going to be given concession it's going to do more than just hurt. A broken arm wouldn't be unimaginable. For either one of us!

There is a sense of divisivness when it comes to traffic. Cars are cars, bikes are bikes and pedestrians are walkers when what we all really are is just people trying to get somewhere. Some unity and fellowship would go a LONG way towards fixing traffic problems everywhere I think.

Ha ha coco, don't worry about gymnastics - unless your kids get crazy competitive.

My daughter was a very advanced gymnast for many years, until she quit at the age of 15 to became a coach. Then, almost two years later, she decided to show off to some of her students one of her old advanced tumbling lines - after not training at all for so long. She did the tumble perfectly, but landed badly. Very foolish to think that after nearly two years of not training, her body could still do everything exactly as well as back when she used to train 20 hours a week!! Costly lesson - she will pay the rest of her life for that bad judgement!

I read somewhere that this type of break wasn't even known about until WWI - when they would pull pilots out of their crashed aircrafts and they would have this type of fracture. She certainly landed HARD! Sometimes they see it in snowboarders as well, but it is very uncommon. Don't worry, it is a great sport, but like all sports, you have to exercise safety. She is very lucky to have recovered as well as she has, her youth and high fitness has served her well.

I feel so bad for her - sometimes the pain is so bad, she just sits and cries. It's horrible to have to watch, and not be able to do anything to help!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2009 05:18PM by Sapphire.