It is all well and good for bicyclists to bitch about how
people in cars don’t pay enough attention, how they pull out or turn without
looking in the bike lane, how they drive too fast, or too close, or are rude
when passing. But as more and more people get on bikes to avoid ridiculously
high gas prices the manners of the bicycling masses has seriously deteriorated.
The hard core bike commuters (most of them anyway) follow the rules of the
road, but the newbies just don’t know what they are doing. I am extraordinarily
weary of watching these idiots try to kill themselves and others with their ignorance
so I have put together this simple list of bike rules and manners.
1.
When riding a bike you are a car as far as the
law is concerned.
A. You
must stop at red lights, signs, etc.
B.
Do not speed down the hills at 60mph in a 30mph
zone.
C.
Travel in the SAME direction as the other
traffic in your lane.
D.
Ride on the street, not the sidewalk.
E.
Do not cross a street in the crosswalk. You are
a car, not a pedestrian.
F.
Signal your turns and lane changes.
G.
Pedestrians have the right of way.
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| Wear a Helmet! |
2.
Wear a damn helmet!
3.
Don’t hog a lane if you can safely ride to the
side.
4.
Don’t expect someone to pass you if they don’t
think it is safe.
5.
Take your headphones out of BOTH ears so you can
hear traffic.
6.
Pull your hood off so you can see all the way
around your body.
7.
Don’t weave in and out of traffic.
8.
Pay attention to what is happening around you.
9.
Ride where you can be easily seen.
10. Put
reflectors (front, back, and both sides) and both a headlight and taillight on
if you ride in the dark.
11. Wear
clothing you can be seen in at night.
12. If
you are too afraid to cross an intersection in traffic get off your bike and
cross in the crosswalk as a pedestrian.
13. If
you put your bike on the bus and you are bigger and stronger than the next
person might be put your bike on the back slot of the bike rack so that the
shorter, less strong person at the next stop can get their bike on too.
When riding on campus trails and sidewalks (where there are
no roads)-
1.
Slow down!
2.
Use a bell or talk to the people in your way
when approaching from behind.
3.
Ride in designated bike lanes where available.
 |
| Slow Down |
4.
Wear a damn helmet!
5.
Lock your bike so that others may use the space
next to you. It is not necessary to hog the entire rack.
6.
If you bring your bike inside on a wet day
because others have hogged the racks dry it off so it doesn’t drip all over.
7.
Don’t ride inside a building even if you think
no one is watching.
8.
Feel free to bitch at pedestrians walking on the
bike trails that have no pedestrian signs. What assholes they are.
9.
Also feel free to bitch at pedestrians walking 5
across who refuse to scoot over after you have asked them nicely, twice.
Especially if they are in a sidewalk bike lane.
I do not want to kill you on your bike. It would seriously
fuck up my day. I also do not want to be lumped in with the idiots when I am on
my bike. I would like for people in cars to see those of us on our bikes as
friends with whom they share the road, not assholes that are always doing
something stupid. Help me out here folks.
I love this post because I come from a town plagued by arrogant bikers who take "Share the Road" to mean "The Road is Ours". We call it Biker Hubris. I love biking, but there are so many people who treat their use of the roads selfishly and stupidly. That also applies to drivers, of course.
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