Bike people are the worst

In NYC, cyclists can be ticketed for not riding in the bike lanes. Fine. But if that's the case, then the bike lanes need to be protected.

 

Riding against the traffic is against the law here. It might be where you live too.

 

Absolutely they need to be protected. I don't think Sean Avery is the best spokesman for that crusade, however. I'd listen to his wife, though.

 

Interesting. I'd always heard people saying you should ride against traffic so that you and the motorist can both react to each other. My neighborhood has a bike path in most areas and also sidewalks, so the time when I'm on the rode is infrequent anyway. If a car is coming, I usually tell my daughter to just stop and let it pass. Again, it's a mindset that bikes and cars should not be co-existing in the same area. I know that's not possible everywhere, but riding your 10-speed in the middle of the road, acting like you have the same right to be there as motorists, is a losing battle.

 

cyclists on public roads have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists

California Driver Handbook - Sharing the Road

it's the same in most states

 

If the bike bro had been clipping along at 40, I would have just settled behind him. He was basically being that jackass who makes a point to drive 55 in the far left lane, a scold who thinks that doing so is their magnanimous way to slow traffic to what they deem an acceptable speed.

 

If he's too slow, pass him.

On the left.

 

give it time

 

You should definitely walk/run against traffic so you can see what's coming ahead. But a bicycle is considered a vehicle and is thus expected to follow the rules of the road. I know we're not all perfect. It infuriates me to no end to see people in my city riding without helmets, down the middle of the road, etc. But on a city street, for instance, you're allowed three feet from parked cars, to prevent from getting doored, which has not happened to me but has happened to a friend, and it sucks.

You should also sit behind cars in traffic at a traffic light, not pull up beside them, unless you're turning right at an intersection. Some cyclists are assholes. Some drivers are assholes. Cyclists are not going to kill cars. But cars can very easily kill cyclists.

 

Legit. I used to work in midtown NYC and one of my colleagues rode his bike from Brooklyn (over the Manhattan Bridge) every single day, rain or shine. I could write a book with all the stories he had of near misses, including him getting skulled when a delivery truck driver opened his door. He wasn't wearing a helmet and still doesn't.

He hasn't owned a car in decades and was constantly griping about the rights of bikers. Manhattan is a good place to ride in only that it's relatively flat in most places. Still, there is no margin for error and there are dangers around every damn corner.

 

As Azrael pointed out, cyclists must follow traffic laws. So that's why we ride on the right with the traffic flow.

Also, it's much more dangerous to ride into the flow than with it.