Metro Vancouver Bike/Pedestrian Discussion - Page 3

SpongeG · #41 Posted **Jan 12, 2009, 11:36 PM**

taxi drivers are the worst - they don't single they cut you off they stop suddenly, block lanes etc

just the other day a mazada miata with Ontario plates was driving down nelson slams on its brakes and starts a left hand turn in the middle of the block - so annoying

worldwide · #42 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 7:00 AM**

you can say all you want about cyclists, but i have asshole drivers putting my life at risk for no good reason at least a half dozen times a day on a slow day. you get bitter pretty fast.

Metro-One · #43 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 7:06 AM**

That is still no excuse for cyclists to blow through red lights and stop signs nearly (and sometime successfully) hitting pedestrians. Walking downtown i have almost been hit a few times by cyclists, and yes i was using the cross walk while the walking guy was lit! If a car driver blows through a red light, they are an arrogant prick, if a cyclist blows through a red light they are also an arrogant prick.

PS i really like Banzai Sushi near Brighouse (just went there tonight)

Spork · #44 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 7:06 AM**

From the other thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldwide

you can say all you want about cyclists, but i have asshole drivers putting my life at risk for no good reason at least a half dozen times a day on a slow day. you get bitter pretty fast.

Everybody is an asshole. We all need to learn this. The only way to get rid of the assholes is to think positively, and try not to be an asshole yourself.

(not saying you are one, but on the road you may be just as bad as them when you react to them)

worldwide · #45 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 7:34 AM**

sure everyone is an asshole, but theres a difference between somebody honking or yelling something, and somebody passing you, and then merging into the bike lane and hitting their breaks.

now i admit that i dont follow every rule all of the time, i am very cautious. i always make sure it is safe to go, even when i have the right of way. i have never hit anyone. not another bike, a car, or a pedestrian, and i have been biking all of my life. thousands of km's this year alone.

some people who dont ride very often, or at all, forget that when on a bike you are very aware of your surroundings. much more so than when driving. the traffic system is designed for cars. cars must be highly regulated in cities because they pose so much risk to others around them. this means a lot of traffic signals and signs. because of how aware you are when cycling, many of these stops are unnecessary. now that doesnt mean that i blow stop signs at 40 kmh, but i will slow down to 10 or less and proceed when i know its safe. i often yeild to other traffic when it exists, but often it is safe to keep moving.

worldwide · #46 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 7:38 AM**

metro - see my post in the other thread.

i in no way advocate for cyclists riding in an unsafe manner... however there is a clear difference between unsafe, and against the law. you can ride unsafely within the law and you can also ride very safely outside of the law.

DKaz · #47 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 4:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldwide

you can ride unsafely within the law and you can also ride very safely outside of the law.

ROFLMAO.

So what you're saying is that it's ok for a driver to run a red light as long as he does it slowly and no cars and pedestrians are around. Unlawful yes, but it's very very safe.

zivan56 · #48 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 8:17 PM**

^^ Well, you should be getting a ticket for performing a "rolling stop." Or get rid of that law for cars to and then I wouldn't care. However, double standards need not apply in a democratic country.

racc · #49 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 10:30 PM**

What most drivers ignore is that they are pretty much in constant volition of the law on many roads. Speed limits are legal restrictions on the maximum speed, not suggestions of the minimum speed. Speeding vehicles endanger motorists themselves as well as other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The carnage caused by automobiles is truly one of the worse tragedies in history. Automobile collisions reduce people's average life-span by a year!

Hundreds of thousands of people are killed and millions injured each and every year. To even suggest that irresponsible cycling is comparable to irresponsible driving is truly ridiculous.

The automobile is a deadly device and demands a much higher level of responsibly than walking or riding a bike.

Metro-One · #50 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 10:32 PM**

Obviously you have never mountain biked, a lot of those people get pretty banged up and of course some have died.

b5baxter · #51 Posted **Jan 13, 2009, 11:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Well when someone invents a bike that can carry 3 cameras, 3 tripods, cables, my laptop plus other equipment all at the same...

http://www.xtracycle.com/

I was riding this week with my laptop, one camera and one tripod. Although your equipment needs go a bit beyond that.

Regarding the bad cyclists, I do encounter cyclists that disobey traffic laws and ride dangerously. But I encounter far more dangerous drivers.

Just this morning I encountered 3 drivers making illegal turns (wrong way through a traffic circle) in less than five minutes. What makes it even worse is that they were all on a heavily used bike route (10th) and any one of these could have easily resulted in a serious accident or fatality.

b5baxter · #52 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 1:06 AM**

I just remembered this article about a professional photographer who hauls 50 pounds of gear on a bike:
http://www.momentumplanet.com/profil...file-russ-roca

worldwide · #53 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 3:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by racc

Hundreds of thousands of people are killed and millions injured each and every year. To even suggest that irresponsible cycling is comparable to irresponsible driving is truly ridiculous.

The automobile is a deadly device and demands a much higher level of responsibly than walking or riding a bike.

yes. thanks for the post. clearly in not the ONLY cyclist here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zivan56

^^ Well, you should be getting a ticket for performing a "rolling stop." Or get rid of that law for cars to and then I wouldn't care. However, double standards need not apply in a democratic country.

see above

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Obviously you have never mountain biked, a lot of those people get pretty banged up and of course some have died.

completely irrelevant to this discussion. you are putting your own life at risk in a controlled environment, not unlike most sports.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKaz

ROFLMAO.

So what you're saying is that it's ok for a driver to run a red light as long as he does it slowly and no cars and pedestrians are around. Unlawful yes, but it's very very safe.

nobody should be running red lights. but if you ride your bike up to an intersection and there really is nobody around, well thats more like jaywalking than anything. and btw i see drivers running reds all the time.

it would be nice to believe that all drivers are well behaved law abiding citizens, and that bikers are the unruly outlaws with a death wish, but this simply isn't the case. i work all day on my bike and i dont even pull 10% of the sketchy shit that i see drivers doing. i'm the one with my life on the line, and all drivers do is continue mindlessly living the happy motoring lifestyle. and they have the nerve to say blah blah blah he's breaking the law. whatever. get over it.

deasine · #54 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 3:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldwide

nobody should be running red lights. but if you ride your bike up to an intersection and there really is nobody around, well thats more like jaywalking than anything. and btw i see drivers running reds all the time.

That doesn't make it right.

worldwide · #55 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 3:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by deasine

That doesn't make it right.

no, but i also dont see why anyone should care.

DKaz · #56 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 4:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldwide

no, but i also dont see why anyone should care.

A friend of mine got a nasty bruise when a bike courier barrelling down a sidewalk hit her. If I was her I would've totally sued his arse.

I've had a few near misses on the Seawall and a few other places by cyclists who don't care about anyone by themselves.

Cyclists like you are a danger to yourselves with motorists and a danger to pedestrians.

That's why.

SpongeG · #57 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 4:37 AM**

cause there are rules and they should be obeyed regardless

jlousa · #58 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 4:40 AM**

Everyone should follow the rules, we are all guilty of breaking them occasionally and we shouldn't try to justify it. It's wrong period.

Anyways lets try to get back to news about pedestrian and bike developments.

worldwide · #59 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 5:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKaz

Cyclists like you

like i said. i'm actually quite cautious

zivan56 · #60 Posted **Jan 14, 2009, 6:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldwide

see above

I see someone who just signed up for this topic and has an obvious bias against cars. It would be like saying ask Henry Ford about what he thinks of bikes.

So you agree that it is safer to be on a bike than in a car? Yeah...ok

Likewise, you didn't answer the question. So I will assume you think double standards are OK.