Jun. 23rd, 2003 09:12 am
Credit where it be due
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muckefuckTwo astounding incidents involving cyclists today:
Incident #1
I'm crossing the street. A southbound cyclist blows through the red light behind me Like they always do, I think, as I spot a northbound cyclist coming up in front of me. But this guy actually stops for the red light and stays stopped until it turns green even though there are no cars coming. I wanted to walk up to him and give him a fucking medal.
Incident #2
The bus pulls around a cyclist so it can pull over at the next stop. I sit back watching the windows, waiting for the cyclist to come shooting by--either on the street side or the sidewalk, since there's not enough room between the bus and the kerb. Moments pass (the bus is stopped at a light) and there's no sign of him. Could he have turned off? Could he have crossed the street mid-block and continued on in the oncoming lane?
Finally, I see him walking up the sidewalk carrying his bike. Again, I wish I had an award to give him.
Tomorrow, I'll be back to bitching about rude cyclists, I'm sure, but for right now, I'll just glow with admiration for a pair of riders bucking the citywide trend.
Incident #1
I'm crossing the street. A southbound cyclist blows through the red light behind me Like they always do, I think, as I spot a northbound cyclist coming up in front of me. But this guy actually stops for the red light and stays stopped until it turns green even though there are no cars coming. I wanted to walk up to him and give him a fucking medal.
Incident #2
The bus pulls around a cyclist so it can pull over at the next stop. I sit back watching the windows, waiting for the cyclist to come shooting by--either on the street side or the sidewalk, since there's not enough room between the bus and the kerb. Moments pass (the bus is stopped at a light) and there's no sign of him. Could he have turned off? Could he have crossed the street mid-block and continued on in the oncoming lane?
Finally, I see him walking up the sidewalk carrying his bike. Again, I wish I had an award to give him.
Tomorrow, I'll be back to bitching about rude cyclists, I'm sure, but for right now, I'll just glow with admiration for a pair of riders bucking the citywide trend.
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no subject
Me, too; that's why I thought they merited an entry!
I've often complained that bikers never get ticketed for their traffic infractions. The one exception I know of in the Chicago area is on Sheridan Rd. after Lake Shore Drive ends. Despite big NO BIKES ON SIDEWALK signs, cyclists using the lakefront bike path would zip up the pavement by the score--much to the annoyance of the local residents, many of whom are elderly. Their bitching got the police to start showing up in force and slapping $50 fines on scoflaws, which caused their numbers to plummet.
It makes me wonder what effect a well-publicised enforcement effort elsewhere in the city might have. But you're right that, without licences or registration, it's harder to get the people who have no business on a bike off the damn road. (And it's already hard enough to get people with no business behind the wheel of a two-tone death-dealing vehicle off the damn road around here.)