I’m really tired of the whole “War on Cars” rhetoric being pushed by the media these days. And of course start talking about that and the drumbeat starts in the comments of all the major newspapers about how the majority of cyclists are scofflaws and don’t belong on the road. All we need to do is license them like car drivers and *then* they’ll start behaving properly. As I was heading home today I was thinking about this and wondered. Are cyclists such scofflaws? I’m not sure. I don’t think I often see:
Illegal Street Racing Cyclist Kills 8 in Crowd
Luxury Getaway Bike Used in Bank Robbery
Cyclist Runs Over, Kills Man in Downtown Dallas. Cyclist Flees
Drunk Cyclist Jailed for Crash that Crippled Nine Year Old
Five Year Old Child Shot in Bike-by
High Speed Bike Chase through 3 Counties ends with 3 in Custody.
Maybe I’m being unfair. After all. We’re talking about how cyclists are always dangerously running stop signs and going the wrong way on a one way street. Good thing those licensed drivers don’t do stuff like that.
Last month a rogue cyclist tried to assassinate the Dutch Royal Family.
Right. That reminds me of the time when those people blew up a cargo bike full of explosives outside a federal building in Oklahoma City.
Hey, people don’t kill people, BIKES DO.
The media does alot of blowing things out of proportion. (unfortunately)
There is a video on u-tube called “Unsafe Cyclist in Montgomery County Maryland” it shows that bicyclist violating the law. The bicyclist act as thought they are above the law. We need to work together to stop this Scofflaw Cyclist. Call the police, your local Council person and demand that bikes follow the same laws as cars an request the ticketing and impoundment of bikes the same way they do cars…
Sadly, Safe_biking, you totally miss the point. My point is this: cyclists are no more scofflaws than any other human demographic. Likewise, the laws are *already* being forced. If a policeman sees me run a light, he stops me and gives me a ticket. If he sees you run a red, he’ll stop you.
I can’t take complaining drivers seriously when I see them making just as many rolling stops as cyclists do or passing me on the highway at 20-30 km/hr above the speed limit. Add that to the fact that drivers are operating vehicles that hugely exceed the weight of a pedestrian or cyclist and you end up with the fact that I consider people talking about so-called scofflaw cyclists to be a huge distraction. It is akin to the operator of a coal power plant lecturing me on my forgetting my reusable grocery bag and buying a plastic one.
Some human beings push their limits and will do so no matter what they’re doing, whether it be DUI, speeding, cheating on one’s taxes or spouse, or shoplifting. The vehicle they drive has nothing to do with it, and it definitely doesn’t mean I am less deserving of space on the road or infrastructure as so many drivers (at least those leaving comments on online media sites) are wont to suggest.