Thursday, January 27, 2011

Bike Fight!

I guess my basic take is that, yes, much as I think jaywalking across an empty street can be perfectly fine at times, that there are certain activities cyclists can harmlessly engage in which aren't perfectly legal. The problem is that any deviation from the laws are unexpected and it seems many cyclists have an exaggerated expectation about what kind of awareness pedestrians and drivers should have of them even when they are engaging in nonstandard behavior. And "I don't have to stop because I can see that no cars are coming" should be accompanied by "I need to stop because there are pedestrians in the intersection." I shouldn't have to dodge cyclists when I'm crossing with a light, and frequently I do. Your vehicles can hurt, too.