I like bikes. They look healthy and clean and I remember enjoying them when I was a kid. I’ve also heard they are good for adults. I’ve even considered riding one again, but I don’t have either money or time thanks to a devastating investment I made five years ago… but I digress.
I’ve been meaning to write this rant post ever since buddy boy decided to approve the questionable bike lanes downtown Vancouver. Thankfully, my downtown coffee shop wasn’t in the line of their devastation because life is hard enough as a small business owner. But if it was, I’d be be an even more unhappy camper.
First of all, let it be known to all of you who have driver’s license that a bicycle, has all the rights of a car when they use a car lane on any road. Surprised? That’s because you missed a class in your driver’s ed course. Go back and review it. They always have had the rights and they still do. That means that if you approach a bike while you are driving you have to clear the *entire lane* when you pass. If they are left-turning, you have to wait, just as if they were a car. You have to respect them whether you like it or not. It’s the law.
So, my question from the beginning of this ‘bike lane’ fiasco was this:
If bikes have the same rights as automobiles, then why in the world are we spending money on dedicated infrastructure for them?
From this standpoint, you can imagine how frustrated I was when I saw the hurt and inconvenience these lanes caused and are still causing, especially when [get ready for it] *they are riding on the sidewalks and any ol’ place they want!*
So, after all that hard work and pain, I’m still dodging bicycles on the sidewalk and avoiding them in all the non-bike-lane roads when I’m driving my car (rare).
And so there you have it. My rant is finished. We erred greatly by not focusing our time, energy and money on educating and punishing bad automobile drivers.
I love the rant! And agree totally. Bicycle riders should have to be licensed and pay insurance. After all, they are a vehicle!
I don’t hate bikes. I don’t hate bikers. I don’t even hate bike lanes really… but I hate the bike situation in Vancouver.
Drivers don’t make way for bikes, and bikers don’t get out the way. They also don’t follow the laws of the road (both bikes and cars).
I think it’s because Vancouver people suck. They don’t know how to be courtious, and they don’t know how to follow rules (or think they somehow deserve more). They also “vote” for mayors with their own agendas.
There is talk of entire roads/streets being turned into bike lanes. This means that property owners (tax payers) on that street cannot park their cars there, nor use the road to acces their home(?????).
Here are some things to consider:
1. Bike injuries are among the most commonly seen injuries in Vancouver hospitals
2. Wearing a helmet is a law, but few people do it in Vancouver. Bikers disregard other driving laws as well.
3. Vancouver is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world even without the bike lines (According to my bike enthusiast friends)
4. Tokyo seems to allow bikes on the sidewalk, but the more serious cyclists stick to the streets. In Vancouver, a lot of them don’t go fast enough to work with traffic on the road.
5. There is a hipster trend of bikers in Vancouver that doesn’t work with the serious cyclists.
Adding more bike lanes…
WILL NOT:
– Reduce the # of cars on the road
– Make the city greener
– Reduce the # of cycling injuries
– Reduce transit fares
– Cause more people to bike
WILL:
– Cause more traffic/congestion
– Reduce the # of pay and free parking in the city … causing more congestion, and less business for shops
– Increase civil disobedience
– Waste tax money
– Infuriate drivers
– Give cyclists a bad name
– Divide the citizens even more
– Reduce property value ?
Well, the whole discussion is pointless since the citizens are not in control.
I have another comment regarding some bikers. Joe is right about the fact that some bikers are good and follow rules. But I don’t see it often. Many times as I walk on the sidewalk, which I thought was for pedestrians, bikers come up from behind without letting me know they are there. No bell, horn, or voice to let me know. It has happened many times! It’s very frightening!
So the other day I’m driving my car, Right? Except the road that I’m on has a 30km/h. Being a lawful citizen of the area, I am indeed driving no more (and no less) than 30hm/h. The only problem is that there is a serious cyclist tailgating me. I thought he was actually goint to start honking his non-existent horn to try to make me go faster, or maybe he was trying to get close enough to hang on. I sped up a little just to make sure that he wouldn’t go through the back windshield when I hit the breaks.
Then, we came to a crosswalk. There was a pedenstrian at one end, so being an obidient civil slave I stopped for the pedestrian. Meanwhile, hot and heavy bicycle boy, passes me just clearing the ped crossing the walk, and zooms off into the horizon. I can’t be certain, but I’m pretty sure he let out some sorf of evil laugh as he sped away.
True story. I probably have it on film from my Russian dashboard cam.
I will upload this video as the feature image if you can get this to me! Great points and I’ve seen that and worse.