The Observation Deck

A friendly reminder to bicyclists:

If you are riding in the street, you must behave as a motor vehicle. In other words, you must stop at all red lights and stop signs, you must yield to oncoming traffic, etc.

In the eyes of the law, you are the same thing as a car. If your negligence by riding through a red light or stop sign causes an accident, there is a good chance you will be found 100% at fault. Additionally, being hit by a car at any speed will probably not feel very good.

In conclusion, you must ask yourself this question: is riding through a red light or stop sign worth a few seconds and a bit of effort at the risk of seriously injuring yourself or someone else?

This guy on Madison today rode through two red lights:
P.S. It would be ideal if someone from City Hall could publish the numbers for the amount of tickets written to bicyclists for running red lights, stop signs, and the like.

Lori


Your picture "titling" is so creative!

I used to ride a lot in traffic back in NYC. My practice was to hesitate and go at lights and stop signs, not come to a complete stop, especially if there was no or little traffic. The one major accident I had where I nearly died was when a motor vehicle jumped the light while I was entering the intersection with the light in my favor. And a few other times, cars turned right in front of me while I was traveling straight through an intersection and one time, clipped me, knocking me down with all passengers briefly turning around seeing me on the ground, then driving off.

So, it seems we are not the only "assholes" out there.

Bridget Conant wrote:Lori


Your picture "titling" is so creative!

Oops. I meant to change that.

Alex,

I would concur that there are plenty of bad drivers out there too, like the ones that pass too fast or too close, among other things. Likewise, I would like a little bit more respect for the law on both sides.

By chance, were you driving when you took those pictures?

Dan Alaimo wrote:By chance, were you driving when you took those pictures?

No. Taken on a dash cam. You can review it on a computer later.

Julie and I ride bicycles, scooters, and drive cars. We know that being on 2 wheels we must be more careful because many times, drivers either don't see or don't care about folks on 2 wheels. That being said, most bicyclists that we see when driving are not following the rules of the road. I can't understand this because when it's car vs. bike or scooter, car always wins. 2 wheeled riders must be more vigilant due to the nature of what they are riding. Cyclists should be ticketed the same as cars. Your life could depend on it.