This is way too common sense for 2022. See the rest of the thread for how ****** and technical people get about this stuff.
Bicycle right-of-way question
- Thread starter KennyPratt42
- Start date
This is way too common sense for 2022. See the rest of the thread for how ****** and technical people get about this stuff.
A few years back there was a dumb a$$ riding his bike down Hwy 69 after the Iowa vs Iowa State game...but yeah... share the road....
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
* Seems like having a bike route marked on the street would override this? If the official markings indicate a bike route on the street, then they probably shouldn’t be on the sidewalk.
(That said, they put in actual marked bike lanes on both sides of a fairly busy street near where I lived up until a year ago; about 30% of the riders actually use the lanes while the rest are on the sidewalk, and a good 30% of those who DO use the bike lanes are riding in the wrong direction against traffic)
* If they were in the street, treat them like any vehicle: if it’s reasonable and you have enough space to pass and then turn in front of them, you have the right of way for the turn. If you can’t get a safe distance ahead of them, slow down so they can cross the entrance before you turn (as if you on a multi-lane street; pretend the bikes are in the outside lane & you’re in the inside lane wanting to turn to the right across the outer lane - if you couldn’t safely pass and move over to turn you’d slow down to stay behind that vehicle in the outside lane, right?).
* Generally speaking, bikes are not pedestrians (the code cited here expressly says bikes must yield to pedestrians), so it’s not strictly equivalent to what you’d do if people were walking on the sidewalk.
* Bottom line: everybody needs to look out for everybody else and just be polite and courteous. Turn in front of them if there’s adequate distance for them to just slow down a bit to pass behind you; stop and wait if they’re coming right up on the entrance.
* Use your blinker. Just good advice for everyone at all times.
Bikers on the roadway are annoying. They get in the way when I’m on my UTV.
In some ways, yes. However, many many part time riders feel safer and if that's what gets them out riding or out of their car, so be it.
if you have a red light you can get off and walk your bike across in the cross walk. I don’t like just treating it as a stop sign when there is good other options. And stop signs are there for a purpose.
What? Regulated intersections, meaning those with stop signs or traffic lights, take precedence over pedestrian right of way in a crosswalk. In other words, at intersections with stop signs or traffic lights, pedestrians must follow those to cross the street/roadway. They cannot simply walk across whenever they want, legally. Am I misunderstanding what you meant?
don't need to turn into them if I'm already driving on the sidewalk
Yeah, I may have not thought about the walkers would cross when traffic is going the same direction so it probably wouldn’t work.
Most bicycle riders I know bike in that 15-mph area. If they are okayed to treat stop lights and signs as voluntarily, what about moped because they can’t go faster than 25. Should they be allowed to do whatever bicycles get to do?
People keep saying this but would it be safer for a couple of parents taking their 5 year old and 7 year old out for a ride to be in the street than on the sidewalk?
Sometimes it is safer to be in the street than on a bike lane or sidewalk. Sometimes it is safer for the cyclist to be in the street.
I do a fair amount of riding and used to ride my bike the 15 mile one way trip to work somewhat regularly. I would take bike trails and bike lanes wherever they were available. There was one stretch of road where there was a hybrid two way bike path/sidewalk on one side of the road. It was quite safe when heading southbound, but when I headed northbound on it I was on the "wrong" side of the road so when all of the cars came up to the stop signs on the cross streets and prepared to turn right they would look left and never look right. They have a stop sign and are required to yield to both the sidewalk and the street traffic. I about got hit several times so I finally I started riding that stretch in the street. I could ride the 25 mph speed limit but would occasionally get yelled at to "Use the bike path!" Sorry, guy, that you are inconvienced to have to get five feet away from the curb to pass me when I am already going the speed limit.
That being said, I have yelled at my share of other cyclists when riding downtown in the city. There are many cyclist who feel that they do not have to follow the rules of the road and run red lights, go the wrong way on one way streets and even go in front of traffic that clearly has the right of way. They succeed in pissing off drivers that then drive aggressively at the majority of cyclists who are trying to do the right thing.
As far as stop signs go I try to be pragmatic about it. If there is no traffic, I will slow and be ready to stop then go carefully through the sign. If there is traffic coming that I will beat I will slow almost to a stop (nearly a track stand) and go so they don't have to wait longer while I have to get my bike started from a complete stop again. If the traffic will tie me or beat me to the intersection I will stop and wait for my turn. I also accept that my bending of these rules for pragmatism may result in my getting a ticket when I don't notice Johnny Law around and I accept that possibility. If I get busted for doing a complete track stand (full stop without putting a foot down) I will fight that ticket. I will bring my bike in to the court room if allowed and demonstrate the track stand to the judge. Some cops have interpreted a bicycle stop as requiring a foot down when not all cyclists need to put a foot down to come to a complete stop.
In Minneapolis they tried to pass an ordinance that would allow cyclists to stop and go when clear at all red lights. The rationale was that all cyclists are doing this anyway. First of all, not everyone is doing this. Second, many who are going through red lights aren't stopping. And third, many who are going through red lights aren't waiting for it to be fully clear. If cross traffic or turning traffic has to slow down or wait it isn't clear. They totally didn't think about oncoming traffic turning left who finally gets their green arrow but can't go because bikes are stopping and going through their red. It was a bad idea and I'm glad it didn't pass.
I know, I know, TL;DR.
I stop as much as cars do and at every stop sign. If cars present, complete full stop with one foot on the ground. If no cars, more of a really slow rolling stop, basically any slower would be foot down.
My biggest beef at stop signs is the peeps with really dark tinted windows. So dark you can't see to make eye contact. Without that eye contact I am not sure the driver sees and/or will yield to my "turn" at the intersection.
My favorite is when you come up on a biker in a no-passing zone on a 2 lane highway. Ride behind them and follow the rule of the road and don’t pass, and they get frustrated and waive you by. Sorry man, this is a no passing zone and I am supposed to treat you like a car, so I’ll just stay camped out back here.
I've seen those motor-assist bikes using sidewalks. They should definitely be on the street.
