Traffic Laws according to me

[shropshire 0]

Lollygagging - what a cracking word. I've never heard of it before.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[kelpdiver 2]

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Not to long ago I pulled up to a intersection with a stoplight. I came to a complete stop at the red light and prceeded to start a right on red turn. At the same time a fuckin bicycle cop came up on my right and ran the red light and proceeded across the intersection. WTF. If I had hit him it would have been my fault cause he was a pedestrian.

Incorrect. Thereby nullifying most of your rant.

Realistically, if it was 'your fault' it would be because he was a cop. He certainly wasn't a pedestrian.

BTW, did you signal?

[Glitch 0]

My contribution to this post is:
1) A medical certificate should be required for all drivers, just like for pilots.
2) It would be justifiable homicide to wack the asshole(s) pacing the car next to them on the highway.
3) It would be justifiable homicide to wack the asshole(s) who drives continuously in the left lane for seemingly no other reason than to see how many vehicles they can stack up behind them.

Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born...

[freethefly 6]

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It's not air bags and stability systems that ultimately set safe highway speeds, it's reaction time, tire traction and braking power - and those things haven't changed much in 40 years.

This is interesting;
http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php?topic=138

http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php?PHPSESSID=82f7e11ee3f405631913599e6c9889bf&topic=137.0

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[livendive 8]

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The single most effective traffic safety device driving distraction is a law enforcement patrol vehicle in the rear view mirror.

Fixed it.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[squarecanopy 0]

>It's not air bags and stability systems that ultimately set safe highway speeds, it's reaction time, tire traction and braking power - and those things haven't changed much in 40 years.

Bill, I've MISSED SOMETHING HERE- 40 years ago we were driving around on bias belt tires and trying to stop with skinny little drum brakes-even on larger cars and trucks. Now we have vr rated, low profile radial tires that provide much better traction, and 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes that have halved the stopping distance of a large number of the car models on the road today. The reaction time part of your comment I agree with, please explain the traction/brakes part...


>Sorry, we pay road taxes too; we get to use them too. Once you start mailing me a rebate for the road taxes I don't use I'll consider using bike paths/sidewalks only.

???? I am under the impression that road taxes are collected largely by the FREAKIN' HUGE TAX on road fuel which bicycles do not pay( Even if they did pay road taxes, nobody can say that bicycles do not impede traffic, which is the real problem with having them out in the road). Again please explain.

Just burning a hole in the sky.....

[normiss 860]

which is the exact reason I claim boat gas every year on taxes...no highway tax applies to that fuel

[Stumpy 284]

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???? I am under the impression that road taxes are collected largely by the FREAKIN' HUGE TAX on road fuel which bicycles do not pay( Even if they did pay road taxes, nobody can say that bicycles do not impede traffic, which is the real problem with having them out in the road). Again please explain

Wow there are some anti bike people on this thread.
Course bikes don't pay fuel tax, why should they. I would be happy to pay the proportion of road tax that corresponds to the wear and tear my bike puts on the road in comparison to a car/ van/ HGV. I will happily pay a tax for the amount of emissions it is giving out (at least on a day i haven't had beans.)

And in a busy city centre, cars impede bicycles, so you can look at this more than one way.
I drive and pay road tax as well, but thinking bicycles should pay it or stick to the pavements is absurd. If people can't negotiate their way around a cyclist or two safely they shouldn't be behind the wheel.

On this point however:

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Bill, I've MISSED SOMETHING HERE- 40 years ago we were driving around on bias belt tires and trying to stop with skinny little drum brakes-even on larger cars and trucks. Now we have vr rated, low profile radial tires that provide much better traction, and 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes that have halved the stopping distance of a large number of the car models on the road today. The reaction time part of your comment I agree with, please explain the traction/brakes part...

I agree almost totally, apart from the fact that large pickups and other heavy vehicles have much longer stopping distances than smaller cars, however tehse days unfortunately they have similar speeds and acceleration available to them.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[rehmwa 2]

It's simple, if there is an option to be off the road (sidewalk or running/bike path) then if the bike can keep up with traffic, it can be on the road. AND has to obey all the same laws. That means stopping at the stop sign, taking turns, no passing on shoulder or weaving, etc. else get on the side option.

And they should ride in the left wheel track of a lane. Passing cars should also have to pass just as much room as if there is a car or motorcycle there, too.

Keep up and take a slot in the road, then you have to drive like a road vehicle and everybody should also have to treat you like a full road vehicle.

Else get on the bike path.

(I was a road bicyclist for years, it's horrible how car drivers drive around bikes. But, it's also pretty crappy how bikers make excuses for not stopping at stops, etc.... and don't even get me started on when motorcyclists pull the same crap)

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[kelpdiver 2]

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(I was a road bicyclist for years, it's horrible how car drivers drive around bikes. But, it's also pretty crappy how bikers make excuses for not stopping at stops, etc.... and don't even get me started on when motorcyclists pull the same crap)

Or car drivers?

Like I said - it's the same people regardless of the vehicle they're using at the time. Of course, they're far less likely to kill on either 2 wheel vehicle than when they're in the Expedition with the airbags.

[kelpdiver 2]

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???? I am under the impression that road taxes are collected largely by the FREAKIN' HUGE TAX on road fuel which bicycles do not pay( Even if they did pay road taxes, nobody can say that bicycles do not impede traffic, which is the real problem with having them out in the road). Again please explain.

When my car was new, the annual registration was $400. Hell, even my motorcycle ran $200 initially. 250 gallons for the bike on a heavy year (10k miles) and 400 gallons for the subaru (10k miles, typical year) is 650 gallons. @18 cents federal tax + 18 cents state tax, that's only $235 dollars. Even now with the car at 10 years old, the two cost $160 while my fuel usage is down to perhaps 300 gallons (live 4 miles from work).

So yeah, I think I pay road taxes.

As for the sillyness about impeding traffic...traffic impedes traffic. Our system is a first come first serve system, be you in a giant RV, a tiny bicycle, or an oversized SUV limo. For those who know NYC or SF, just try the traffic there would be if every motorcycle and bicycle was replaced by a car. Good luck with moving or parking!

[rehmwa 2]

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Or car drivers?

Like I said - it's the same people regardless of the vehicle they're using at the time.

yes, I'm no more pleased to see someone driving 10 in a 45 in a van than a bicycle going 10 in a 45....ditto idiots using the shoulder, or the truck lane on a hill to pass

but it's easier to pick on the vehicle type rather than get personal

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Stumpy 284]

I get your point - but cyclists are allowed to filter (at least they are here), and trust me, i would rather use cycle lanes than ride on the road if at all possible. Unfortunately pavements are more dangerous than roads in a lot of cases because pedestrians are less predictable and want us there even less than the car drivers want us in the roads, and where there are cycle lanes, they are quite often the bits of road that you try to avoid due to potholes, broken glass etc.
having said that, in most places i go this mentality by planners is slowly changing. But then you get a car parked in the bike lane

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[billvon 3,080]

>Bill, I've MISSED SOMETHING HERE- 40 years ago we were driving around
>on bias belt tires and trying to stop with skinny little drum brakes . . .

Yep. But 20 years ago (when speed limits were 55) we had disc brakes and radials. Speed limits have gone up, but technology on most cars hasn't improved much in that time.

>Now we have vr rated, low profile radial tires that provide much better
>traction, and 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes that have halved the
>stopping distance of a large number of the car models on the road today.

None of the vehicles I have driven over the past 20 years have four wheel disc brakes. Most vehicles don't. Again, traffic laws aren't to keep you alive - they are to keep the people you might kill alive. So you plan traffic laws for the vehicles that meet the minimum safety requirements, since few of them go much beyond that.

>???? I am under the impression that road taxes are collected largely by
> the FREAKIN' HUGE TAX on road fuel which bicycles do not pay . . .

Nope. In one analysis, a biker (3000 miles/yr) pays $300 in 'road taxes' (fuel, property tax, local sales tax etc) and a driver (10,000 miles/yr) pays $324 for their use of the road. The driver "uses" $560/yr in road services (repairs for the damage they cause, new car-only roads, pollution mitigation, public parking lots etc) and the biker "uses" $48 in road services.

http://www.ibiketo.ca/node/292

>Even if they did pay road taxes, nobody can say that bicycles do not
>impede traffic, which is the real problem with having them out in the
>road). Again please explain.

Sometimes bikes impede traffic, sometimes cars do. I am willing to bet that you have spent far more of your life held up by motor vehicle accidents than by bike accidents, and motor vehicle traffic slows you down a lot more than bike traffic does. On the scale of delays, bikes don't even make it into the top 10.