https://i2.wp.com/webmuch.com/wp-con...20%2C413&ssl=1

Unfortunately it is legal in my city. Bikes can use the sidewalk with zero restrictions on direction. Of course this now extends to e-scooters, mopeds, and all sorts of low power machines driving everywhere.

This is a terrible 'local' rule...someone will get killed or injured as a result.

Paved roads were created for cyclists.

https://www.vox.com/2015/3/19/8253035/roads-cyclists-cars-history

And I bike as part of my commute to work every single day which saves me over 3 hours of commuting time per week. Hardly recreation. And as far as pay to play, only 40% of road construction is funded by gas and license taxes in the US, never mind the fact that a bike causes almost no degradation to a road surface compared to a passenger car or a truck which destroys roads in short order.

As far as following the rules, the amount of death, injury and property damage caused by bikes vs cars amounts to a rounding error. Jaywalking is illegal too but nobody cares about that, why? Because it doesn't really matter. And if a cyclists is using the lane at 20mph then you wait until its safe to pass and then do so. The amount of hate cyclists get is unreal.

Absolutely spot-on. Couldn't have said it better myself. There is such a disparity in mass, speed, visibility, maneuverability, and many other factors that the two simply do not belong on the motorways together.

I don't have any qualms with someone who is actually commuting on their bicycle. They are normally confined to urban and suburban areas and their surface streets, where traffic is moving at a much slower pace than it is out on our rural highways. They can move with, and in and around cars, busses, and trucks with little difficulty or danger.

The only ones I have had any trouble with at all are the recreational riders out in the country. Not a damn one of them is "commuting", nor is their behavior in any way "green" - they have all driven their SUV's, with their bikes on racks on the back, out from Seattle, some 20 miles away, to ride purely for fun and exercise.

As a side note, just where do they park those SUV's when they get out into "the country"? We've covered this before as well. In at least one small town out in one of our popular riding areas, they use the street front parking in a very small area, just a couple of blocks that are home to the "downtown core" of this small town. Lots of quirky little businesses whose customers rely upon that parking to do business with them. Yet it fills up with cyclists' vehicles before those businesses even open, with those vehicles sitting there most of the day. When done riding, of course, these cyclists simply load up and drive back to Seattle, having visited none of the shops whose parking they had blocked all day. Entitled pricks, one and all...

Many of them, of course, appease themselves with this kind of rot:

Of course they were - there weren't any goddamned cars yet. :rolleyes:

Funny, I've seen a parallel expressed by an entirely different group - truckers. Peruse their blogs, forums, and websites and you will notice the exact same attitude. Their claim is that our interstate highway system was constructed to better haul goods during wartime and other times of emergency. Which is entirely true. Can't argue with that. But, like our entitled cyclists, they go on to claim that they therefor have some sort of "first rights" to our highways, and that private vehicles are merely "guests", or "secondary users" that they only have to tolerate, but never accommodate. Truckers' rights to our public highways trump the general public's rights, because, dammit, those roads were built for them...

Here in Washington, it's actually 63% of our road construction and maintenance coming out of vehicle license fees, gas taxes, and the like. Which, of course, is absolutely irrelevant.

We all pay for our roads in at least some small measure, whether we even use them or not. Our roads bring us the very goods we rely upon to live and thrive (see "truckers" above). The fact that well pay for them, however, does not mean that we can each choose how to use them, in our own way, regardless of compatibility with other uses.

As Deschodt points out, I cannot pursue my favorite forms of recreation out in the middle of public roadways, just because I help pay for them. That is no justification whatsoever to, say, stretch a tennis net across a road and expect traffic to wait while we finish our point. Or set... or match... And that is exactly what these groups of cyclists demand when they are blocking traffic.

Bicycles give an illusion of compatibility only because they are on wheels. And, in a large part, only because the majority of riders are polite and courteous, doing their best to stay out of the way and to allow motorists to pass at the earliest opportunity. There is another comparison to truckers - most of us pass, and get passed by, hundreds of semi trucks every day. They go largely unnoticed. Until, of course, the one jack ass blows it for the rest of them, and we remember him for the rest of the day... "those damn truck drivers"...

Another totally irrelevant attempt at self appeasement that I hear all too often from cyclists. The fact that few get seriously hurt, or little property gets damaged, has exactly zilch to do with cyclists behaving like ass holes and blocking traffic. What - are the rest of us supposed to simply fall in line behind the pack doing 15-20 mph in a 55-60 mph zone, for mile after mile after mile as they refuse to move right to let us by, as they pass turnout after turnout without using any of them, while we content ourselves with how much "safer" they are? Nonsense.

And yes, the amount of hate cyclists get is unreal. A few bad apples have made it that way. The cycling community has done nothing in the 45 years I've been cycling to dress these people. Nothing. As a matter of fact, reading cycling blogs and forums leaves one with the distinct impression that these people are somehow celebrated, or worshipped, as some kind of erstwhile "bad asses" or "bad boyze" in spandex... I would even go so far as to say it's gotten worse over the years, what with these dicks being able to share their stories of "daring-do" with one another across the interwebs...

Precisely why I ride alone and yes for exercise on a bike lit up like a christmas tree as far to the right as possible. I still get harassed and I live in an ex-urban town.

In NYC we have hundreds of miles of Bike Lanes. For the most part it seems to work. But I can't figure why cyclists get pissed off when they are in the middle of the street when there is a bike lane and get pissed at the car behind them. This happened the other morning going to work. Or the cyclist who blows through a stop sign or traffic light as though there is nothing else on the road but themselves. Not to mention the idiots riding between cars and crossing in front of a moving car to get to the other side of the street. I have seen cyclists on a daily basis ride against the curb on 3 lane boulevards taking their lives in their hands. Why put oneself in these dangerous positions? I have no problem sharing the road with cyclists but for God's sake they need to use common sense. A few years ago a young lady was killed when she slammed into a cement truck. The truck was traveling down a side street below the limit with a green light. The girl was on the sidewalk traveling toward the corner UNDER a sidewalk bridge and could not see the approaching traffic coming from the blind side left. She went into and under the truck, dead.

The bicycling community was enraged and wanted the truck driver's blood. But a police investigation and camera footage showed the that the driver was not at fault.

Point is whether you are in the country or city a cyclist has to be super careful of putting themselves at risk. The motorists have an obligation of watching out for cyclist no matter right or wrong. Be careful out there.

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I think maybe I've watched too many movies.:D If only I could have remembered Diff EQ and P Chem this well.

Driving on my favorite Mountain twisties
is No Longer Fun.

At every bend, I need to anticipate
a gaggle of cyclists, usually riding in
the middle of the lane with no care
that they are creating a dangerous situation.

Ever drive up Mt. Hamilton Road
or Hiway 9 to Skyline Road (SF Bay Area)
and Hiway 1 along the coast ?

Trucks/RVs passing in opposite directions on these
narrow mountain roads = mayhem for bicycle (organ donor)
<iframe width="476" height="267" src="https://abc7.com/video/embed/?pid=849978" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

What I find amusing is that bikers drive cars to nice locations like the beach to perform recreation.Then they get pissed when people are just trying to commute. They do not use the side roads which are usually the "sharrow roads" . Then they load up and go home to where they do not ride. I ride my bike daily in my area and always assume the car has the right of way, I live longer that way. Sharrows are one of the most ill conceived ideas ever. What I don't understand is why bikers refuse to use bike lanes and insist in riding in traffic lanes when the option is available.

You should get a copy of your municipal codes and review that or lack of. Bikes and sidewalks are not compatible unless designated as what is what.

I don't know that there is an actual law that states that a pedestrian must walk facing traffic on roads w/o any other pedestrian access. I think it's just common sense like not wearing all black at night and walking.

NJ Law

Bicycling in New Jersey is regulated under Title 39 of the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulation laws.

39:4-14.6 Definition.
“Bicycle” means any two wheeled vehicle having a rear drive which is solely human powered and having a seat height of 26 inches or greater when the seat is in the lowest adjustable position.

39:4-10 Lights on Bicycles.
When in use at nighttime every bicycle shall be equipped with: 1) A front headlamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least 600 feet to the front; 2) A rear lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of at least 600 feet to the rear; 3) In addition to the red lamp a red reflector may be mounted on the rear.

39:4-11 Audible Signal.
A bicycle must be equipped with a bell or other audible device that can be heard at least 100 feet away, but not a siren or whistle.

39:4-11.1 Brakes.
A bicycle must be equipped with a brake that can make wheels skid while stopping on dry, level, clean pavement.

39:4-12 Feet and Hands on Pedals and Handlebars; Carrying Another Person.
Bicyclists should not drive the bicycle with feet removed from the pedals, or with both hands removed from the handlebars, nor practice any trick or fancy driving in a street. Limit passengers to only the number the bicycle is designed and equipped to carry (the number of seats it has).

39:4-14 Hitching on Vehicle Prohibited.
No person riding a bicycle shall attach themselves to any streetcar or vehicle.

39:4-14.1 Rights and Duties of Persons on Bicycles.
Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway is granted all the rights and subject to all of the duties of the motor vehicle driver.

39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations.
Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. A bicyclist may move left under any of the following conditions: 1) To make a left turn from a left turn lane or pocket; 2) To avoid debris, drains, or other hazardous conditions on the right; 3) To pass a slower moving vehicle; 4) To occupy any available lane when traveling at the same speed as other traffic; 6) To travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded, but otherwise ride in single file. Every person riding a bicycle shall ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic. In New Jersey, the law states a bicyclist must obey all state and local automobile driving laws. A parent may be held responsible for the child’s violation of any traffic law.

There's no mention of riding on a sidewalk though one would need to be a small child or a stupid adult to do so.

There is a lack of an Oxford comma.
That changes things.
https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1100336-grammar-punctuation-errors-missing-comma-cause-lose-lawsuit.html

LOL, of course the cyclist is wearing a Livestrong rubber band.

Spot on, and if those cars they drive could manage only 5mph up a grade they would be embarrassed enough to pull over and let by the parade of cars waiting pass. But when they're slow on a bike they have a FU attitude. They think that they are moving like Lance Armstrong and drivers just need to wait.

There are some good bike lanes in NYC but many of them are far more dangerous than the roadway. They are often full of debris, parked cars, stupid people, and people parking just waiting to door you. The separated bike lanes are nice but they are few and far between, pretty much only on the avenues with few exceptions.

Why does NJ law specify rear wheel driven?

I'm just guessing here....but maybe to not allow recumbent bikes for the same rules?

It is illegal to park any vehicle in a bicycle lane here in Washington. I suspect it is illegal to do so in New York as well, but then enforcement gets to be the real issue. Schitt heads are nothing if not quick to notice when laws that interfere with their douchebaggery fail to get enforced.

And, yeah, debris in the bike lanes... it seems all of the broken glass from motor vehicle accidents gets swept into the bike lane, out of motorists' way. That and all of the sand from the sanding trucks, beer cans and bottles, and on and on. The most vulnerable tires on the road are forced to navigate the greatest amount of debris. It sucks.

And don't get me started on those damn "sharrows"... Ah schitt, you already have...

The single biggest scam ever foisted upon the cycling community - the "sharrow". A contraction of "sharing" or "shared" and "arrow". Clever little bureaucrats... Anyway, most folks have carry a clue what they are, or what they are meant to signify.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1629485159.jpg

This double chevron with a bicycle means that this particular roadway is a "suggested" bicycle route, wherein bicycles and cars live in peace and harmony... The problem is, motorists have no idea what it means when they see one. "Oh schitt, am I in a bike lane??!!" And they do all kinds of weird and dangerous things when they see a bike, or have their "oh schitt" moment.

Cyclists think they have priority, and can legally ride right down the middle of the lane, like they own the place. Both are wrong - these are only suggested as "best" roads for bicycles. All of the same rules still apply to everyone. There are no special privileges granted to cyclists, or denied motorists, on any road with a "sharrow".

So why on Earth do we even see these things? What do they even accomplish, beyond confusing everyone and leading to unnecessary conflict? Simple - follow the money, like with most other things. Municipalities can claim additional "bicycle infrastructure" and qualify for matching funding by simply painting these symbols on the road. They don't have to build bike lanes or anything meaningful, they don't have to spend real money, or plan, or anything at all. Just send some guy out with a sharrow stencil and a spray can.

The cycling community has, of course, seen right through this b.s. and has pretty roundly rejected this sham. Yet we still see these "sharrows" painted on our roadways. I rode past several just today on my morning loop. Didn't make me feel any safer.

In the last couple years, I have seen intersections with green painting on part of the crossing lanes.
What does this mean?

it's part of the "Sharrow Ecosystem" of BS - hard to wear it off like you can do by driving with one tire on the bike nazi lane stripe

oh BTF'ingW - I have 2 bikes