Seen on the road yesterday

[Kano]

DH was on his way home from work yesterday, and said he saw one of those riders who gives us all such a "good" name:

A woman rider, riding north in the southbound lane of a fairly narrow two lane bridge with no shoulder area or bike lane. She had no helmet, AND she was talking on her cell phone.

During Rush Hour.


It's a stretch of road I kind of like to ride, the right direction, and not during rush hour -- gotta take the lane and go like heck to get past the tight spot, but rush hour, it's one of the very scariest places to be!

Karen in Boise

[jesvetmed]

Yike. See all kinds out there! I saw a similar problem, but was a parent with two children on bikes -- no helmets on any of them, going the wrong way. Oh my...

[buddha_bellies]

Last Saturday, a group of us were just doing some leisure rides around town. 2 cyclists who had some nice bikes with fancy panniers decided to run red lights! Not one, but 2 red lights! Argh!!!! And to top it off, when we were at a stop light with several cars in front, instead of staying behind the cars and follow traffic rules, they decided to SQUEEZE by the cars on the right hand side so they can get to the front of the line. God! I felt like giving them a piece of my mind.

The funny thing is, they never went too far from us because of traffic. Go figure. I wonder if they drive like that too.

[MtnBikerChk]

People call me the helmet Nazi because I won't even wave to other "cyclists" who don't wear helmets.

and since my little run in with the Nissan I have the urge to stop all people who I see riding without helmets or running red lights etc and give them a lecture about WHY they need to wear helmets and obey the law.

Makes me so MAD!

[alpinerabbit]

it might not be comme il faut, but people run red lights here all the time (then again cyclists aren't nearly as endangered here as in the states). Although they are cracking down on that crime - DBF got a ticket a while ago.

And squeezing past backed up cars to the front is actually legal here. Go figure.

[Biciclista]

hey wait, you said rush hour! Oh that's right, it's Seattle that doesn't have rush hour. We have bad traffic almost 24 hours a day!

[Eden]

And squeezing past backed up cars to the front is actually legal here. Go figure.

It's legal in Washington too - but whether or not its advisable is entirely different.....It can be a dangerous thing to do. In some cases, like when there is a usable bike lane it can be OK - but you have to be *extremely* careful of people turning right. If there are only a few cars I just get in line. It's no skin off my nose. If there is a huge traffic jam, there certainly are times I take my prerogative as a vehicle that is not an automobile and I don't sit in it.

[Norse]

Last week I saw a guy w/no helmet yacking on his cell phone and pulling his 2small kids in a bike trailer. I said "brilliant" as I rode by him and he screamed "Shut up woman!" What a man. What a lovely example he is setting for his kids.

I also don't wave to people who are not wearing helmets. It really pisses me off when I see parents out riding with their kids and neither the parents or kids are wearing helmets. It does not take much. A little boy I used to babysit died many years ago when he was going along at about 5 mph, hit a rock, flipped over the front and landed on his head.

[smilingcat]

Last week I saw a guy w/no helmet yacking on his cell phone and pulling his 2small kids in a bike trailer. I said "brilliant" as I rode by him and he screamed "Shut up woman!" What a man. What a lovely example he is setting for his kids.

I also don't wave to people who are not wearing helmets. It really pisses me off when I see parents out riding with their kids and neither the parents or kids are wearing helmets. It does not take much. A little boy I used to babysit died many years ago when he was going along at about 5 mph, hit a rock, flipped over the front and landed on his head.

Police officer here in Hermosa beach pulled over a man for exactly the same thing. Compounding to the riders problem was he was hauling the kids on the main road of our town. No shoulder, two lanes in each direction and cars always speed. 35MPH zone but cars routinly travel at 40-50MPH. less than a quarter of mile away is an unofficial "bike route" most everyone uses and it runs parallel to the busy road.

When the man started to argue with the officer (not the brightest bulb I say), the officer threatened to arrest the man for child endangerment Oh I think the man got a ticket cause the kids in the trailer didn't have a helmet.

I had a good conversation with the officer. Very nice gentle man.

Soo you are not alone.

[Kris]

I saw a guy with a little kid, maybe three years old, on the handlebars in front of him riding down the middle of a street downtown. Neither had helmets either.

[DDH]

I see adults and kids alike all the time around here, riding against traffic, with no helmet either.

Drives me crazy. I want to yell out at them and ask them to read some traffic laws when it comes to riding your bike. No they aren't required to where a helmet, but they are suppose to be riding with traffic and following the traffic laws. It's maddening sometimes.

[Owlie]

I've seen quite a bit of this. Just the other day--guy on an old road bike, no helmet, on a cell phone, riding against traffic and bobbing in and out of the parked car lane. And the kids who don't wear helmets...

[spazzdog]

If the laws of the state are that bikes follow car traffic rules, perhaps our local police could/should be more pro-active in informing folks they see while out on patrol.

I know the police have a lot to do, but it wouldn't take any big effort to say "hey! did you know its illegal to ride the wrong way/on the sidewalk without training wheels/run stop signs, etc"... just giving the info/a warning - the first time. The 2nd time they see the same person give them a ticket.

Lots of people don't know... and the majority, if instructed by the "authority" might heed the warning. Where as when joe or jane cyclist in lycra tell them we usually just get the finger.

TE law officers... chime in please

spazz