Farmers ask for ordinance against bicycling on roads

[silver]

I have talked to the county auditor (seems to be the one who keeps the minutes and schedules speakers)

the president of the county commissioners and the Chief Deputy Sheriff.

I will be attending the county commissioners for the next several months.

For the most part, I believe that everyone knows that it is not feasible to enact an ordinance like this. But there is so much bad attitude and misinformation. I'm trying to sweetly speak to everyone and try to tell the other side of the story.

[Zen]

But there is so much bad attitude and misinformation. I'm trying to sweetly speak to everyone and try to tell the other side of the story.

Exactly what I had in mind. Let them see someone in person, especially a well spoken woman.

[Duck on Wheels]

I recall my folks always being extra nervous and cautious on the road during hay season. Those semi trailers overloaded with hay bales were really a hazard! Logging trucks are another one, quite similar but with a longer "season" (year round). This is cheap stuff relative to volume, so they pile on as much as they can per load and drive it as fast as they can. The wind drag is worse than most "ordinary" trucks create. Some cousins of my mom's were killed on their honeymoon when the little sports car they were driving got sucked in under a hay truck. Just imagine what would happen to a bike!

So of course, in hay season, I'm still extra careful. That said, shouldn't it be the other way around? It's the truckers who are driving a "murder weapon". Shouldn't the ordinance specify that they're the ones who need to reduce speed and show extra caution, show awareness of the physics of their load?

[mimitabby]

Although I agree with everyone about murder weapons, I cannot for the life of me understand how a bicyclist could have mouthed off about corn cobs being in the road! If he doesn't want corn cobs, he can ride in the city and worry about broken glass!
It sounds to me like there are attitude problems on both sides here. When we ride in farm country, we wave at the farmers and count the onions, pumpkins, corn cobs, etc as "road kill" and laugh about it. Sure, any of those things could cause us to wreck our bikes, but that's why we have eyes...

Silver, good luck with your officials. It sounds like you have some bikers there making it worse for everyone.

[Geonz]

I rather like the idea of responding to the "cyclists never obey the law" with asking "oh, so can you tell me how many more tickets they get? Then... perhaps it is a perception because we don't even notice automobile drivers disobeying laws?"

[Eden]

I rather like the idea of responding to the "cyclists never obey the law" with asking "oh, so can you tell me how many more tickets they get? Then... perhaps it is a perception because we don't even notice automobile drivers disobeying laws?"

Yeah every time there is a bicycle incident around here we hear the same thing - those cyclists they never obey the laws. I highly doubt that cyclists break the laws in greater proportions than cars. How many times do you see a car slide through a stop or speed down a residential street? 99% of them if you ask me, but no one notices those people. Breaking the rules is acceptable if you are driving and a cause to kick you off the streets if you're a cyclist. There is a real double standard.

[mimitabby]

Yesterday while riding i timed my stop sign stops and the cars. I made sure we were equal.
But I Know what REALLY gets them. It's when there is a long line of cars and an ample shoulder or bike lane. The cars are all stopped, and the bike breezes to the light/stop sign does the same sort of stop the cars like to do, and passes all 10 of them. THAT's the whole deal. right there.

Too bad. they don't like it, leave the gas guzzlers at home.

[silver]

I rather like the idea of responding to the "cyclists never obey the law" with asking "oh, so can you tell me how many more tickets they get? Then... perhaps it is a perception because we don't even notice automobile drivers disobeying laws?"

Yes, I specifically discussed this with the president of the County commissioners. He emphasized that he has now authorized the sheriff to begin ticketing the bicyclists for their offenses. I pointed out to him that they had the authority to do that priviously and that no one (apparently....I asked and no one knew of any bicyclists being ticketed) had been. He agreed that the law should be applied to both motor vehicles and bicycles equally.

I've found that as I talk to them they tend to neutralize their opinion. I'm trying to give a face to the nameless cyclist.

I asked each person that I talked to if they had actually seen any cyclist break the law while cycling or if it was only heresay. The Deputy that I talked to said that the only bicyclists that he had seen break the law were kids. He said that what he considered a much worse problem were the kids on scooters/mopeds and the 4-wheelers. Posey county just recently passed an ordinance to ALLOW 4 wheelers on the county roads. None of the surrounding counties allow them. Hmmmmm.....don't think those thingies are licensed....do you?

I rode 64.5 miles today giving extra attention to obeying every law. I think that maybe I slow rolled two stop signs out of 20-25. And they were practically track stands. Car infractions that I saw: 2 cars cut corners in turns. One car passed me doing at least 50 miles above the 40 mph speed limit. An SUV passed me going up a hill where oncoming traffic was hidden. I could hear the oncoming vehicle but the Suv could not apparently. He (and another SUV) did not give me 3 feet of passing clearance. At least 10 motor vehicles "blew" through stop signs and I was practically attacked by two dogs. It was a good ride, I'd say!

Oh and then...taking the lane at stop signs. I was riding up to a stop sign. I was on the right side of the lane. I saw that there were cars approaching from behind, but a ways back. I signaled a quick left to indicate that I was moving to the left to more fully take the lane, so that I could "hold" my place in line and wouldn't be to the right side of the stopped traffic. And I began to more leftward. So, what did two cars do? The moved to the left and pulled up around me, cutting me off!

*rant over*

[Duck on Wheels]

Hmmmm. How about riding with a helmet-cam some days to document this kind of thing? Edit it down to a video to present for the commissioners ...? Just a thought.