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As a biker in Philly - I'll start following the rules of the road when the cars do. I've lived in other cities where I obeyed every traffic law, just like I was
by kpmariner 9y ago
As a biker in Philly - I'll start following the rules of the road when the cars do. I've lived in other cities where I obeyed every traffic law, just like I was in a car. If you do that in Philly, you get run over by a car or hit a jay walking pedestrian.
- Sir_Cmpwn 9y agoThis attitude is exactly why some people hate bikers. It's not productive, if everyone takes this attitude then nothing is going to get better. Step up and be a model for the behavior you want to see around you.
- kpmariner 9y agoI'd rather not die.
- Sir_Cmpwn 9y agoDon't be so dramatic. Waiting at red lights isn't going to kill you, in fact it may do the opposite.
- kpmariner 9y agoI do stop at red lights or at least slow down and make sure the way it is safe to cross, that isn't the problem. I just have to constantly jump up onto sidewalks. After stopping at the light - especially if there are cars trying to take a right and the way is clear - I will go before it turns green. I rarely stop at stop signs for four way stops. In general, traffic isn't paying attention. They will swerve blindly into the bike lane to get around other cars to take a right and I can't depend on them to be watching out for me. Once I stop moving I remove the option of swerving out of the way. After my first month of biking here and almost getting hit several times, I just gave up and I ride as aggressively as everyone here drives. I hate it. Biking in New York, Portland or anywhere else I've lived is just a different game. Philly is the most stressful place I've biked.
- lettergram 9y agoJust an FYI in many states, cities, etc. It's legal to move to the bike lane for a right lane. That's why it's often a dotted white line. Not saying that's safe... But it is legally accepted
- Cerium 9y agoIt is legally accepted, after checking to see if the lane is clear.
- tomsthumb 9y agoWaiting at red lights _can_ be more dangerous than not waiting. Ask motorcyclists how they feel about being the lone vehicle at a redlight.
- Sir_Cmpwn 9y agoAre you going to elaborate on that, or should I conjure up a motorcyclist from thin air and ask them how they feel?
- firethief 9y agoIf that's a riddle to you, you are the danger
- Sir_Cmpwn 9y agoCome on, I don't even drive. Get out of here with your pretentious angle, none of this helps your cause.
- tomsthumb 9y agoIt can be dangerous to be the only person or vehicle at a red light if you are a motorcyclist or bicyclist because cars can fail to notice you until they are quite close. Many motorcyclists apply and release their brakes, and sometimes add modifications to their tail lights so that they flicker when coming on to make it even more noticeable. I pay at least as much attention when I am the lone cyclist at a red light (particularly at night) as when I am actively moving and riding in traffic, and have had a number of vehicles come to a stop a bit close or a bit too quickly for comfort. This is in an area with _a_lot_ of cyclists.
- Sir_Cmpwn 9y agoThanks for elaborating. It sounds to me though that the solution is modifying your tail lights to be more apparent, rather than running all the red lights. I will also concede that motorcyclists are generally much better on the road than "analog" bikes, at least when they aren't in a group and their loud-ass bikes aren't waking me up at 1 AM.