Replies

OK, here’s a fact:

I came within inches of being run down by a cyclist not long ago as a pedestrian. The a*****e came flying up between two rows of cars waiting at a light and blew through the red light doing about 25-30 mph. I jumped back just in time to avoid being clobbered. I was crossing legally at an intersection, with the “walk” light lit. The cyclist disappeared into the distance.

If that bastard had hit me, I would have been injured to some degree, though it’s hard to say how badly.

My medical expenses would have been covered by my insurance. It should have been his insurance, as I did nothing wrong, and he broke several laws.

Suppose I had been carrying a laptop, and it was smashed when it hit the pavement. He should be the one to pay, not me.

So, your claim that the cyclist is never to blame is simply wrong.

As a motorist, I’ve had cyclists fly out of side streets right in front of me causing me to swerve or brake to avoid them. Fortunately, I’ve never hit one of them, and I’ve never been in an accident because of this problem. But the possibility exists.

Since cops almost never ticket these people for their infractions, there needs to be some other way to get their attention.

Requiring cyclists to have mandatory liability insurance (it doesn’t have to cost anything close to what a motorist has to pay) at least makes them think that there are consequences for their actions.

In post 94 he didn't say "the cyclist is never at fault", he said he has never seen a situation where the cyclist was at fault. I expect his experience with responding to accidents holds a tad more empirical weight than your "idiot-rider at a crosswalk fact".

No thinking person would say the cyclist is never at fault. But accidents where the cyclist is at fault are very very rare. That is a fact.

That guy on the bike who nearly hit you was a careless jerk - no argument. But your experience doesn’t change reality even if it is sandwiched between all of the bike hating vitriol that shows up on these discussions.

You go ahead and lobby lawmakers and insurance companies for mandatory bicycle liability insurance. I'm confident Dems will like the idea, particularly if they can tax it. It will probably be $5 per year with $4.95 of that for plan administration. Then your imaginary laptop would have been paid for if you had dropped it. Heck, why don't you imagine some broken bones and some gold bridgework that was knocked out too? Whoa, that makes the need for bike liability even more necessary!

Tell ya what - you imagine I wrecked your computer - let's make it a mac-book pro - I'm feeling generous today - and I'll imagine I paid for its replacement.

I am sorry that you had a bad experience where you were nearly injured. Of course there are persons who are jerks who ride bicycles. They make me just as mad as you. The difference is that a jerk driving a 4,000 - 40,000 pound motor vehicle is far more dangerous than a jerk riding a 20 pound bicycle. My work experience confirms that. I have responded to thousands of motor vehicle accidents over the past twenty years and seen more serious injuries and deaths than I care to remember. I have also been to bicyclists and pedestrians who have been seriously injured or killed. But in over twenty years I have never been to any accidents or incidents where a bicyclist was at fault and caused injury or damage. I am not saying that it doesn't ever happen, but judging from my experience it is a very rare occurrence.

The percentage of jerks on bicycles is probably similar to the percentage of jerks driving motor vehicles. The jerks are just a whole lot less dangerous when they are on a bicycle than when they are driving. I would suggest that when you see someone cycling in a way that you perceive is dangerous to others that you should feel very thankful that they are on a bicycle and not driving a car. In fact there are many scofflaws who have lost their driving privileges who are riding now bicycles.

I have responded to calls where someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs fell off of a bicycle or small scooter. Theoretically they were placing others in danger, but in my experience they only ended up injuring themselves. Should we judge all gun owners because criminals use guns to commit crimes? If you see an idiot on a bicycle please be glad they are not driving a motor vehicle. Do not unfairly judge other cyclists because you saw a jerk or were inconvenienced by a jerk on a bicycle.