Thursday, July 10, 2008

Hear, hear ...

... The Biking Killers.

One of the more gratifying sights I've seen in recent years occurred when a guy a bike riding on the sidewalk down Ninth Street hit a pedestrian, who proceeded to grab and pummel the daylights out of him. I have myself had a few near misses and once was shouted at by speeding biker as he raced past me. I have come to despise these people.

More here: Angry bicyclists gang up on the wrong person. (Hat tip, Jim Carmin.)

Maxine points out in here comment that she walks, bikes and drives and that her reactions change accordingly. This is probably true of most people who do all three. I never drive, and I only bike in the country. But I am a careful pedestrian, and bicycles are not supposed to be ridden on the sidewalk. That they are can be blamed on the gendarmerie for not enforcing the ordinance. They also don't enforce the traffic code when it comes to bikers, who are supposed to function exactly as car drivers. If more bikers were ticketed, you'd see a change in their behavior. I might also blame the media. One of these days, someone - probably a child or an elderly person - is going to be hurt by an irresponsible biker. Then there will be all kinds of editorializing from the professional bloviators. Well, how about if they get to work now and prevent something bad from happening?

Post bumped.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous12:04 PM

    I always find this type of article arises a wry smile. I use three main modes of personal (as opposed to public) transport: walking, cycling and driving a car. I am always struck by the fact that whichever I happen to be using at the time, I have very little patience with the other two modes. Of course I suppress this impatience and am the epitome of courtesy. But, as a cyclist, I get internally cross at the many, many times pedestrians stray into the bike lane I'm in without looking behind them, so I have to brake sharply, or stand to cross the road in the cycle crossing area. Also I get cross at the delivery trucks and cars that park in the bike lanes. When walking, I get cross at bikes on pavements. And when driving, well, you get the picture...

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