Comment 42199

By moylek (registered) - website | Posted June 18, 2010 at 17:39:49

I have a hard time with that 10% number, too. I'd say that a good 70% of the nearish misses (and not misses) between cars and bikes which I have witnessed are the fault of the cyclist - generally riding off of a sidewalk or running a stop sign. The biggest problem I have with drivers is that they want to yield their right of way to me for no good reason (and at the expense of chaos).

And let me say it again: I am a daily cyclist and only an occasional driver.

Here's an anecdote for you.

I was cycling along Sterling Street yesterday after work: the road, bike lanes and sidewalks all busy with people leaving or heading to McMaster. A fellow in his early twenties was heading in the same direction I was, but on the opposite sidewalk.

So I shouted at him (he had trouble hearing me over his headphones) and asked: "please tell me: why are you on the sidewalk when there are bike lanes in both directions?" His answer? Because he will be making a left turn at King and doesn't want to have to wait should the light be red.

I would have pursued the conversation, but I came to a stop at a four way and he was too busy dodging around the car which was about to enter the intersection (and fortunately saw him and came to a sudden halt).

I might add that I encountered four more cyclists on Westdale sidewalks between then and lunch today. And by "encountered" I mean they crossed my path on the road or on the sidewalk (while I was walking).

These anecdata support my belief that a large minority of cyclists simply do not regard themselves as traffic and subject to the rules of the road. And that belief really makes me wonder about that 10% figure.

Comment edited by moylek on 2010-06-18 16:45:57

-- Kenneth Moyle Hamilton, Ontario

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