It's not being a good day. I was driving Hubby to his doctor's appointment morning and slowed down for an intersection. Suddenly, someone started to scream. (It's always interesting to me that there is such a difference between "Oh, god, something bad" screams and "let's see how loud a noise I can make because I'm bored" screams.)

Diagonally from me, a girl and her bike were laying in the crosswalk, the bumper of an SUV over her. Hubby had watched the whole thing, so he made me pull over so he could talk to the cops. The driver had actually looked all directions before turning the corner, but the bicyclist had been on the sidewalk pacing the SUV and cruised on through. There are a lot of trees there, and the bike may have been in his blind spot.

I don't know how she is. She was still unconscious after Hubby got done giving his statement and they were still getting her ready for transport. I'm still a mess.

Argh! This is why I don't like bicyclists. Most (but not all, I'm sure that Buffista bikers are safer) cruise through red lights and stop signs and think nothing of riding up next to you or between cars in traffic. If you are at a stop sign and turning right, you are looking to your left and your right at oncoming traffic. Unless there is a bike lane, or I have passed the biker, I'm not looking to see if someone is coming up alongside my car.

That's terrible, Connie. Bicyclists need to follow the laws of the road and drivers need to be aware of what's going on all around them and aware of bicyclists' right to be on the roads!

My boss is starting a yearly bike trip from northern MD down to the shore this weekend. One of the guys who always road with them was killed a couple of months ago by a woman in a car who got a ticket for reckless driving and that seems to be the only punishment she's getting. She also paralyzed another bicyclist riding with the guy who was killed. It's heartbreaking.

The problem is that in many places it's illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk, so if there's no bike lane your only choice is to be dangerously close to traffic.

The bicyclist was on the sidewalk, too.

edit: yes, it's illegal, but they do it anyway.

I used to be a hardcore cyclist...who was so cautious and watchful as to be annoying to other riders. But, after a boyfriend was 'doored' and had to have a portion of his shoulder removed and another was killed by a truck illegally driving in a residential area, I retired my bike.

Many of my friends are still great riders but the urban environment just scares me too much. Especially in this day and age. Distracted driving and entitled cyclists? A mix destined for the Darwin awards.

At the moment, I'm appalled by the neighborhood riders who cruise around without helmets. Dude! It's not the distance from your house to the market, it's the distance from your head to the pavement!

Them, along with the cyclist tearing down the sidewalks, even when there is a perfectly good bike lane available...feh.

Them, along with the cyclist tearing down the sidewalks, even when there is a perfectly good bike lane available...feh.

Yeah. I'm so tempted to yell at them when I see cyclists doing that. "There's a perfectly good bike line five feet to your left!"

At least cities like Chicago are adding lots of bike lanes these days....

And the bad thing about cyclists who bike crazy, beside the getting hurt thing, is that some jerk drivers retaliate against other perfectly innocent cyclists. Lord, I've had some nasty close calls.

I've had bicyclists on the sidewalk swear at me for making a right turn when they're in full pedal and apparently have no intention of stopping.

I actually love riding in the city, despite the dangers. I find it exhilarating!

Cyclists riding on sidewalks makes me nuts and cyclists not wearing helmets makes me super nuts. Oh the worst is parents on bikes with kids on the back where the kid is wearing a helmet and the parent is not. What's going to happen if you fall and are knocked unconscious, moron? What's going to happen to your strapped in behelmeted kid then??? Plus it's modeling bad behavior.

so if there's no bike lane your only choice is to be dangerously close to traffic.

Really you need to consider yourself to be part of traffic and take your lane. Unfortunately too many drivers are ignorant of the fact that bicyclists have the right to do this.