I've reconsidered my position. I know I said I wouldn't harass bikers, but having been inspired by this thread, I think the next time I see one riding along I'm going to harass him and throw a drink on him. (Hopefully I'll be drinking a milkshake at the time - mostly full) I would be worried about getting my tires slashed or getting beat up...but oh wait, they're on a FREAKING BICYCLE. Might as well try and catch up to me on your Rascal.
So bikes can't ride on sidewalks because pedestrians are slow and can be injured? I guess we should take cars off the road because bikes are slow (comparatively) and can get injured. Whenever I get stuck behind a cyclist who's backing up traffic and forcing people to change lanes, there's always a sidewalk with absolutely no pedestrians. And I don't care if it's against the law, if that option is available (no pedestrians) you'd be a r****d not to do it. It's like needing to go to a store directly across the street but walking 1/2 a mile to the nearest crosswalk and another 1/2 mile back because you don't want to jaywalk.
Yeah I have been riding my bike a lot lately, from my house at Briar Forest & Woodland Park Dr over to the trails at Terry Hershey. When I first started riding I would always use the sidewalk just because I was afraid of losing my balance and moving into traffic. Now I usually ride in the bike lane though, and although a bit intense at times it is a much easier ride.
I used to ride on the sidewalk until one day a guy tried to right turn into me when I was riding across a crosswalk with the walk flashing. He was like "you're on a bloody vehicle!". Since then, I ride my bike in the middle of the lanes. Well, at least up until my bike was stolen last summer . Now I just walk everywhere
And I think this is why you're getting so much animosity. We see idiots riding on the roads when the sidewalk is right there for them to use.
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I understand the sidewalk law, and it makes a lot of sense in, say, San Francisco, where we actually use the sidewalks for walking... But IIRC, nobody walks anywhere in Houston. Maybe from the parking lot to the eateries or sporting events, but ... It's ironic that you have this bike-v-car hostility on the roads and empty sidewalks.
If possible, take five extra minutes to plan your route so you stay off of the busy streets. There are plenty of side streets that are wider and have very little traffic that you can ride on. There might be a few stop signs or more lights, but it's much safer.
If we outlaw cars, trucks and SUV's and made everyone ride motorcycles and bicycles then we wouldn't have the dependence on foreign oil and wouldn't need to keep building bigger and better roads and freeways. Then the next president wouldn't have to start the next war for oil. And everyone would be into much better shape. Outlaw 4 wheeled motor vehicles today.
its not my problem if someone gets upset at me for riding my bike. i do - but my first priority is my own safety and if that means im taking up a lane than so be it.
awesome! i really, really hope you do this. the few confrontations i have had have been someone flipping me off, yelling something or trying to run me off the road - everytime its happened ive always caught up with them at the next light. i yell at them, ive kicked their car - but the drivers who do this kind of stuff are generally p*****s who will back down. and imo, anyone who throws a drink at a biker and drives away is not only a p***y, but a douchebag as well. be a man!
or you could learn to share the road. its the law. in that scenario, i would ride on the sidewalk. i think part of the problem w/ this argument is that we all have a particular street in our head and are trying to project the circumstances of a particular road across the whole debate. im thinking stuff like red river, congress, barton springs. you arent going to find me riding my bike on lamar, where people are driving 40-50 mph - there is a nice sidewalk there along peace park that is much safer for bikes - like i said, a little common sense can go a long way. streets are like people - they are all different.
austin might be a little more like san fran than houston - like i said, i wouldnt be riding my bike in downtown houston. and also, like i said, if the sidewalks are empty and there are a bunch of cars on the road i will ride on the sidewalk.
I don't have an opinion on this. Usually one would just move on to the next topic, but not this time, not today.
Oh, knock it off with this "law" crap. As you've stated, when a sidewalk is right next to the road, and no pedestrians are on it, you've already said you'd ride it on there. That describes 90% of the sidewalks in Houston. If you want to debate this, might I suggest an Austin-based BBS? At least then, people would know what you're talking about.
