Dear Cambridge Bicyclists

[woodwardiocom]

The next time I'm walking in the crosswalk, and one of you goes through the crosswalk at full speed, missing me by inches, I'm gonna break out the weapons-grade language.

You know why people are hostile to bicyclists? This is why.

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

You know why people are hostile to Muslims?

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

Point taken.

However I do have to say, having been nearly run over myself, it's really, really hard to remain sanguine. Just saying....

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

That's a good point.

That said, the number of cyclists who have nearly run me down is five times greater than those who have stopped as legally required. I'm pretty comfortable saying there might be a broad cultural problem with Cambridge cyclists.

(And for the record, I try to be as bike-aware as I can when driving. The only time I've ever been in a bike-car accident, I was on the bike.)

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

That said, the number of cyclists who have nearly run me down is five times greater than those who have stopped as legally required. I'm pretty comfortable saying there might be a broad cultural problem with Cambridge cyclists.

Ayup. And Somerville cyclists. Hello, cyclists: You are piloting wheeled vehicles. You are required to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

[(Anonymous)]

There' s a lot of broken trust there. Cyclists mow through crosswalks. Pedestrians jaywalk. And the brakes on those hubways must be some new optical design. You squeeze the lever, the brake pad *glares* at the wheel.

The sane cyclists are over on Mem Drive, in parallel with the crosswalks.

[mizarchivist]

Yep.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

I can't say that I run into that problem much here in San Diego, though that may be just that we have fewer bicyclists per head. I certainly agree that it would be bad conduct, though. Legally a bicycle is a vehicle and is expected to follow the same rules as an automobile when in traffic—and that includes respecting pedestrian right of way. But my experience with drivers is that most of them are so careful about pedestrian right of way that they won't drive in front of me even if I'm up on the sidewalk and waving them through. I wish your bicyclists were that obsessive.

Of course, it's understandable that law enforcement may take bad cycling less seriously than bad driving, considering the relative kinetic energy. But it's still bad manners.

[caulay.livejournal.com]

A couple of weeks ago in Lechmere Sq., there was a crowd of people crossing with the light (the only time you can get across Cambridge St. there), and two cyclists ran the red light and then started swearing at and threatening those of us in the crosswalk because we didn't give way for them.

I'm thinking that if the Cambridge police set themselves up there or in Kendall for a day and ticketed every bicyclist who ran a red light or rode on the side walk (there are bicycle lanes on every street in both locations), they'd be able to run the city for a month on the fines.