people who ride bikes on the road are stupid

[CosmicJazzKitten]

There are hardly any places for me to ride my bike... if I need to take a shortcut through downtown I can't... no bikes on the sidewalk and there's no room on the road because the sides are filled with parallel parked cars and the street is always full.

Also, there are places where there isn't any sidewalk at all so I have to be in the road... at the side mainly. neutral

[xlrs vtu]

The20

xolorus

my country isn't stupid

xolorus

the cars in my city run reds, drive on the sidewalks, cut off school buses. people are getting killed by them all the time, especially bikers.

Either you're exaggerating or your country IS stupid.
The bold part really got me. How is driving on the sidewalk safer for bikers if CARS ARE DRIVING THERE!?!

they shouldn't be on sidewalks either. they should be on bike paths.

[xlrs vtu]

Rinnylicious

xolorus

i don't care how experiences you are, and how you're experienced and all. that is besides the point. because the reality is, the people in the cars don't follow the rules of the road, speed, run reds, and they will run you over and kill you.
someone in my area on a bike gets killed by a car every month.

Where I live it's illegal to bike on side walks. It's absolutely stupid because cars don't leave space for bikes and that is very scary. Bikers are told to follow the rules of the road, as they're a vehicle. However many people bike as though no laws apply to them. Like they can b-line across the street like a pedestrian, cars don't expect this from a biker and since they're much faster then peds it causes lots of accidents. I wish more cities would have a separate lane for bikes and a good set of bike laws. This would make it more enjoyable for everyone.

it's because bikers run over pedestrians on the sidewalk. they should have their own lanes

[Riviera de la Mancha]

If someone on your bike is being run over every month, than you have alot of dumb people riding bikes in your neighborhood.

If you follow the rules of the road and have some level of awareness of your surroundings, you have little to no fear of dying while riding a bike.

S'all I care to say.

[Tacit Effigy]

That's why a bicycle path should be made. Cause they had no other choice, right?

[black_wing_angel]

xolorus

i don't care how experiences you are, and how you're experienced and all. that is besides the point. because the reality is, the people in the cars don't follow the rules of the road, speed, run reds, and they will run you over and kill you.
someone in my area on a bike gets killed by a car every month.

What about areas where there are no side-walks?

And yes, there's danger. If you want to avoid danger, never be near the road at all. Car, bike, or your own legs.

[Elraine Figarette]

lord_william_nilsson

Elraine Figarette

lord_william_nilsson

In my country (the netherlands) we have about as many bicyles as we have inhabitants. People are so used to there being cyclists on the road that accidents rarely happen.
My opinion, more people should ride bikes. It's not only healthier and better for the environment, but the more bikes on the road, the less cars that can cause accidents. The more people get on a bike, the safer it becomes.

Quote:

Netherlands:

People: 16,652,800
Bicycles: 16,500,000
Cyclists: ~99.1%

In the Netherlands 27% of all trips and 25% of trips to work are made by bike. The average distance cycled per person per day is 2.5 km. Holland and bicycles go together like bread and jam. Despite the recession the cycle-happy Dutch are still spending a lot of money on their bicycles - nearly 1 billion euros’ worth a year. About 1.3 million bicycles were sold in the Netherlands in 2009, at an average price of 713 euros ($1,008 ) each. Amsterdam (the capital and largest city of the Netherlands) is one of the most bicycle-friendly large cities in the world. It has 400 km of bike lanes and nearly 40% of all commutes in Amsterdam are done on bike. Strangely, most cyclists don’t wear helmets. And bike theft is a big problem, with about one of five (20%) bicycles being stolen each year.

For comparison:

USA:

People: 310,936,000
Bicycles: 100,000,000
Bicylists: ~32,2%

In the USA only 0,9% of all trips are made by bike. The average distance cycled per person is 0.1 km.

source: http://top10hell.com/top-10-countries-with-most-bicycles-per-capita/

Just as an FYI, it's not practical for many people in the US to ride a bike most places since they don't live anywhere near where they work. Both of my parents, for example, have a half hour drive to work (not including the time added because of rush hour, which is often quite long). For other people it's worse.

I ride my bike for half an hour to get to the train station. Then I take the train for another half hour. Finally I walk 15 minutes.

Everything can be practical if you really want it to work.

Did I mention that often the only workable route is often the interstate, a major highway that it is illegal to bike on for the very good reason that on it people are driving 55+ miles per hour? Not to mention that mass transportation is pretty terrible outside of urban areas. Again, for my folks it's a half hour drive to the nearest train that takes you into the city. Trust me, as a person that lives in the US, that unless you live in a city biking and mass transportation is a much less viable option unless you happen to live near your place of work, and many people don't.

[low iq 111]

this is why i walk my dog on the road instead

[CrocoLania]

i don't even know how to ride a bike.

[xlrs vtu]

black_wing_angel

xolorus

i don't care how experiences you are, and how you're experienced and all. that is besides the point. because the reality is, the people in the cars don't follow the rules of the road, speed, run reds, and they will run you over and kill you.
someone in my area on a bike gets killed by a car every month.

What about areas where there are no side-walks?

And yes, there's danger. If you want to avoid danger, never be near the road at all. Car, bike, or your own legs.

they shouldn't be on the sidewalks either. they should stick to their bike paths in the woods.

[carlynbeatrix]

Lupin_IV

mhmm, right. should we get started on how every smoker is an idiot because people die of that all the time? or that people that don't believe in carrying a gun around are stupid because they are more likely to get murdered? and people that go to concerts are stupid because it's bad for their hearing.


accidents usually happen because people aren't driving like they are supposed to. so i guess anybody driving in a car is stupid too.

if a driver cares about people on the road he will be cared by others

[Shark Bacon]

well, before my bike got stolen, I rode on the road because there weren't sidewalks or a bike path or anything. But I live in a town of 4,000 people. There's not like traffic or anything xd

But I mean, yeah, when I see people on the highway riding bikes, I'm like WTF YOURE GOING TO DIE. But I guess, where else are they going to ride, if there's not a designated bike path?

[Diimari_Lives]

xolorus

i don't care how experiences you are, and how you're experienced and all. that is besides the point. because the reality is, the people in the cars don't follow the rules of the road, speed, run reds, and they will run you over and kill you.
someone in my area on a bike gets killed by a car every month.

Legally, in most states, bikes are supposed to be on the road.

[Captain Confuzmint]

I'm sorry, but you are coming off as a very ignorant, self righteous child. "Oh, my country isn't stupid! But the run reds, drive on the sidewalk and don't follow rules of the road." Aren't you contradicting yourself? "They shouldn't be riding on the sidewalk, they should be riding on bike paths in the woods." Get some glasses, or remove your head from your a**s. PEOPLE RIDE THEIR BICYCLES TO WORK. I hope that the capital letters was large enough to see. Yes, because every person that cycles to work has the option to hop on their bike and pedal through the woods. Totally how it happens. 'Well, I have two choices today: Bike path in the woods to work, or on the road. I'm picking the one on the road to piss people off.' And i sure hope to god that you don't live in Canada, because it's people of your caliber that make the rest of us look like idiots. If you don't like the safety of the roads in your country, or all the 'fat people', move to your own island, and please name it "Ilse de Self-Righteous, Ignorant, Perfect et Judgemental Child"

[Elly_Masamune]

Well any kind of movement can be risky. If we stayed in our homes, our lives would be uneventful.

Also. Your making a huge generalization about every area of the world in your argument. It may be dangerous to cycle in the place that you live. One issue that I noticed in my hometown is that they lack bike lanes. People do choose to bike on the county road with a speed limit of 55 that I grew up on. Would I do it- no. Is it their preference-yes. I have never heard of an accident involving cyclists on this particular road.

To be honest. I do feel safer sharing the road with the cyclists in the town that I currently live in. This is because they have bike lanes and the speed limit is 25. Also..it is a hippie town and everyone smokes something. So..they are rather chill. It is the random tourists jay walking that I disapprove of!