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My parents were taking their daily stroll around the neighborhood (they're pretty old) when a cyclist on the sidewalk ran into my dad from -behind- at -full speed-. The cyclist walked off without a scratch while my dad unfortunately broke his wrist. It's not a clean break either - it's shattered in a bunch of places, and now he needs surgery.
It's dangerous cyclists like this that really piss me off. People who do not follow the rules of the road. We always complain how we get a bad rep as cyclists, but it's people like this within the cycling community that justify this reputation.
So the moral of the story is, follow the rules of the road!
Thanks for letting me vent.
-cj
What was a cyclist doing on the sidewalk in the first place?!
I agree though, bikers should follow the rules of the road just like cars. I hate it when bikes are going the wrong way on one way streets, cruising through intersections, etc. Drives me nuts.
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"Lemond is cycling's version of Rev Jessie Jackson." -johnnyperu 5/18/07
"Just because I suck doesn't mean my bike has to" -rickn 9/2/08
Dangerous yes. But cars kill thousands of innocent bystanders, bikes not so much.
This is the "but Clinton" defense, applied to cycling.
"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
the rules of the road only apply to the road.
rules of the sidewalk are pretty simple: no bikes!
at least, no bikes for anyone over 12.
i'm pretty sympathetic for just about any cyclist on the road. but the ones on the sidewalk are the pussies who get off on intimidation, and want to terrorize pedestrians - or, in this case, injure people - but are too scared to ride with the cars.
-charles
"But cars kill thousands of innocent bystanders, bikes not so much"
That's one point of view I guess.
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"Lemond is cycling's version of Rev Jessie Jackson." -johnnyperu 5/18/07
"Just because I suck doesn't mean my bike has to" -rickn 9/2/08
I find it very frustrating to see cyclists riding in a dangerous and rude manner. It makes the motorists so angry that they become more aggressive toward all cyclists, not just the offending ones.
Come to the metrowest Boston area. You can watch a peloton of 15-20 cyclists all wearing Harvard jerseys (I didn't accuse Harvard, simply noting what they are wearing) riding on very narrow commuter roads during morning rush hour, taking up the entire lane, and refusing to move over for any traffic approaching from behind. It's maddening.
BrokenSpoke
Clinton defense? No, not excusing the behavior. Just pointing out the rarity of being injured by by irresponsible cyclist compared to the unfortunately frequent occurence of people dying at the hands of irresponsible drivers.
That just proves that some cyclists can be real jerks to. It works both ways.
Why? You think the rest of us haven't noticed?
People need to stop this knee-jerk defense of cyclists. Police your own.
"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
Quit twisting my words. I did not defend anyone. I'm just more outraged at the drunk driver that drives backwards down the interstate than the stupid asshat cyclist riding on the sidewalk. Maybe I have my priorities wrong.
transition,
Sorry to hear about your Dad's unfortunate accident and pain caused by a careless/reckless cyclist.
Hopefully there was a police accident report filed. You should be able to get a copy to identify the perpetraitor for insurance purposes. Your Dad's insurance company shouldn't have to bear this expense. Maybe initially so, but put them in touch with the perp's insurance company so your Dad's ins. co. can sue the perp's ins. co. This is just to heap a little misery on the perp for the misery he has caused your Dad and Mom.
But that is just the ruse you should use to get the accident report. Oh, by all means pass the info along to your Dad's insurance company but after you get the accident report, get a couple of your SlowTwitch Mafia buddies and go over to the perp's house and wait for him to show up. Then you guys can "coach" him with all the reasons he shouldn't be riding his bicycle on the sidewalk. I'm sure this willl be most effective. Often times after such "coaching" the perpetraitor can't even walk let alone ride his bicycle.
This should relieve your "really pissed off" mentality so that if any of the rest of us meet you in the course of our days, you won't need to vent on us.
Good luck.
Ben Cline
Better to aspire to Greatness and fail, than to not challenge one's self at all, and succeed.
The term cyclist covers a lot of territory, ranging from a 6 yo on his first bike, to a day laborer on his K-mart special making his way to work, to a mom with her kids in a trailer, to a triathlete on a race bike who should know better than to be on the sidewalk. Might as well include the teenaged mountainbiker showing off too.
Which was it? Let's not tar everyone with the same brush. Maybe the 6yo, and the mom should be on the sidewalk.
Answer my question- why bring it up? To let us know that you don't really care about cyclists who ride irresponsibly? Got it.
You'll be the first one complaining about how some motorist flipped you off or something, too.
"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
Actually, I think cyclists that ride irresponsibly should be held accountable for their actions. If they put the safety of others at risk, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
As far as motorists who behave unsocially, I do my best to ignore them. If they flip me off I try to give no reaction whatsoever. It's the drunk and aggressive drivers that worry me and I truly fear every such encounter with such people.
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FishyJoe: May 28, 07 14:50
It makes the motorists so angry that they become more aggressive toward all cyclists, not just the offending ones.
who cares? most motorists are pissed off already, they're just looking for an excuse to feel justified, or someone to pick on.
this thread isn't about that. it's about respect for pedestrians. it's about a cyclist who took out a senior citizen out for a walk around the neighborhood. doing stupid things that put yourself at risk is one thing, putting others at risk is another.
On my ride yesterday I hopped on a path which eventually narrowed as it weaved around some ballfields. I followed it, and I came upon a walker. I think I slowed down to about 4 mph when I passed. I can't picture coming up on a walker on a sidewalk fullspeed on a bike, so I'm not sure what the cyclist was thinking.
The day before I was almost witness to a cyclist hitting a pedestrian on the road. I was on the patio when it happened right in front of the house, but I guess I was looking away at the time of the impact. In talking to a couple of people who did see it, the cyclist never had a chance. The pedestrian stepped out from behind a car, and the cyclist was probably moving pretty good as he had a stiff wind behind him. The cyclist looked shaken up, but otherwise OK, the other guy was on the ground for a long time before the paramedics took him to the hospital. He might have broken his arm. Sometimes cyclists should use a little more caution when there are large numbers of pedestrians around, even if they are obeying all the laws.
is it a one lane street? in many countries, the cyclists are perfectly within their right to ride up to a maximum of 2-abreast. i'm not sure of the laws in Boston though..