I saw this over at Instapundit, a PJ Media posting reminding bicyclists that the roads were built for cars and trucks. As Glenn Reynolds commented in his post, “I’m convinced that so many people hate cyclists because they’re perceived as cheaters, demanding the rights of cars when it suits them, then running traffic lights or u-turning in traffic without a thought.”
I will admit that I have seen more than few bicyclists doing what Glenn mentions, but more often that not it’s not the cyclists who are more than just casual riders – the serious die-hard cyclists – but the ‘casual’ riders who seem to think the traffic laws and “rules of the road” don’t apply to them. They’ll do incredibly dumb stuff, somehow thinking any ‘argument’ they have with motor vehicles that weigh 10+ times what they do will somehow work out in their favor. Imagine their surprise when they find out they’re wrong.
I have seen more than a few...hundred…videos on YouTube of cyclists ignoring traffic laws, taking shortcuts that cut across traffic, pretending traffic signals don’t mean them, and those incidents ended badly for the cyclists. One thing I have noticed is that an increasing number of them are riding e-bikes. I don’t if it’s because e-bikes are becoming more popular or that the clueless scofflaws are buying them. It seems most accidents takes place primarily at intersections and the cyclists ignore stop signs and traffic lights.
Another group of riders that are also increasingly putting their lives at risk are those riding e-scooters. It may be just my opinion but it seems to me they are even worse than the scofflaw cyclists, weaving in and out of traffic, hopping on and off sidewalks and weaving their way through traffic and around pedestrians. It also appears that many of the e-scooter riders are young and not yet of driving age which might be one factor as to why they do what they do.
While I haven’t seen much of the behavior described above around here, I have seen it. It makes me wonder how many of those folks are “from away” and are merely repeating the behavior used back where they come from.
