a midway bikelog

follow-up on the KSTP asshattery

In complaining about the bike danger “story” that KSTP aired yesterday, i should be clear on one thing: though i live about 2 miles from the station, i can’t receive it on my TV. So i didn’t see it. And i can’t address the content of the piece, though others probably will.

What is sort of fascinating is the comments on the KSTP website about the story. It’s a real window into the world of the depth of ignance that many drivers seem to have.

I’ll quickly preface by saying that i agree with the point that too many cyclists flout basic traffic rules, and i made a point of conspicuously stopping at intersections along the East River Road yesterday on my way home. On to the driver crabbing!

The most common attitude from drivers seems to be that bikes are interfering with their unhindered movement along the road. They complain that bikes use the turn lanes (gasp!) or ride in the middle of the road (horrors!) or can’t keep up with the speed limits (no shit!). The first two of these are facts of MN traffic law: bikes have the right to use the road, and the responsibility to act like any other vehicle on the road. This means using proper turn lanes when appropriate and using the full width of the lane when it’s unsafe to do otherwise.

Another common complaint is that bikes aren’t using the bike lane that’s RIGHT THERE! right next to the road! Well, speed limits work both ways - the speed limit on the path is 10mph, and the average commuting is going more like 15mph. It would be a danger to other users on the path to have bikes speeding along there when they belong on the road with the other traffic. The real problem is that drivers use the river roads as thoroughfares when they’re meant to be scenic routes. If drivers approached these roads with that attitude, they wouldn’t care that they could go “only” 15-20mph. Boo hoo that driver’s can’t maximize their speed on a neighborhood street. The whole gripe about having to pass cyclists is also because of drivers trying to go as fast as possible, so of course anyone else will be in their way.

Quick summary of a few more:

• Most cyclists also drive, so they ARE sharing the expense of the roads. Vehicle taxes cover only a fraction of the cost of road maintenance, but cyclists are disproportionately affected by roads in poor condition.
• 3′ people, three feet. That’s how much clearance is required to pass a cyclist. If you can’t find three feet, don’t pass, period. There’s nothing wrong with slowing down a block until you can safely pass.
• Remember that cyclists are working for their way down the road in the real sweating, physics class sense. They’re dealing with headwinds that drivers can’t feel, and hills that don’t register in a car. If they aren’t getting through an intersection fast enough for you, imagine how we’ll you’d do out of your car. Bike pace is just slower than car pace, but drivers who don’t cycle seem to have trouble with that concept.

Blah blah blah, i could go on for days, but drivers don’t read this bitrag anyway. If any non-cyclists find their way here somehow, please take 2 more minutes to look at these pages:

http://www.sharetheroadmn.org/
MN traffic laws