It’s a chilling feeling whenever you are walking down the sidewalk, or even through a crosswalk, to have a reckless biker whip by you stopping you in your tracks. Most cities have special rules for where people can ride their bicycles including banning them from sidewalks and painting designated bike lanes to ensure their safety from oncoming traffic. But with both loose enforcement and the ability of cyclists to blur the lines between pedestrian walkways and the streets, many of our readers have found that they have had one too many close calls with bikers not following the rules. Here are some of the best Grumble submissions we have received regarding reckless bikers.
Hey, reckless bikers. Follow the rules of the road!
Photo: Getty Images
Reckless bikers!
My complaints about bikers riding on the sidewalk have fallen on deaf ears. Having been nearly run down a few times, I was motivated to email DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg a couple of years ago suggesting a re-education campaign on the rules of the road especially since the main culprits in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn are grown, men! I was told that everyone knew the rules and it was really in the jurisdiction of the police department anyway. Clerks in the local politician’s office told me to call 311. Good luck with that! About a year ago, the NY Times published a story by a young woman whose mother was run down and killed by a bike rider in D.C. I thought that story would have an impact but it didn’t. Don’t know the remedy for this problem but I commend Matt for calling attention to it.
By Patricia Lobosco, Metro New York reader
What about reckless bikers who blow through red lights?
Bikers who don’t follow the rules!
Not only do they blow through red lights, some of them even go in the wrong direction on one-way streets. These cyclists are endangering people’s lives (including their own). And if you talk to them, they think the “rules of the road” don’t apply to them & they most certainly do.
By Diana P. Ditzian, Metro US reader
But some bikers disagree saying that riding your bike on the sidewalk should be fair game. After all, what difference does it really make?
Riding your bike on the sidewalk doesn’t hurt anyone!
He stated that cyclists should obey traffic laws as car drivers do. Unfortunately, many drivers do NOT obey laws. Cars rolling on through stop signs is so common in Philly that it has a name. Some drivers stop, many just slow down – and some barrel on through the stop sign. I’ve witnessed cars running red lights twice in the past week. Often cars turn into the crosswalk even though pedestrians have the right-of-way; 2 weeks ago I was almost run over by a car quickly turning, with headlights heading towards me, terrifying. I’ve never seen a car being pulled over for any of these infractions. I usually obey traffic laws when cycling, but sometimes when I’m cycling uphill and there are no cars coming, I don’t stop for a stop sign because it’s hard on my 70-year-old knees to get going uphill. I also ride on the sidewalk when the road is too dangerous – like Germantown Ave. with trolley tracks and cars driving too fast. No one gets hurt when I do these things, some of which is to help me be safe. Having cycled in the Netherlands and Germany, where drivers and cyclists obey the laws, it’s wonderful to feel safe. When a driver does not follow traffic laws, it can have severe consequences, resulting in serious injury or death of pedestrians and cyclists.
By Gloria, Metro Philly reader
So, what is the verdict? What do you think about reckless bikers who make their own rules as the pedal? Send your Grumbles to grumble@metro.us.
