SFist: And Now For Some Bikes

tuesdaynight

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 22:21:53 -0800

I don't think there is anything fundamentally wrong with the SF Bike Coalition or bicyclists in general. I do think that we could all learn some MANNERS when riding a bike, bus, or in a car. This town is too beautiful to get hung up on stupid stuff like that.

rip

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:04:28 -0800

Down in the Mission, I'd say like 30% of hipster cyclists I see either ride on the sidewalk or run lights whether or not there are peds. Screw them. I belive in cycling, but the Bike Coalition freaks ruin it by encouraging this. I support Anderson now.

mattymatt

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 18:53:56 -0800

It is indeed fortunate that Dave is so skilled a bicyclist that he can zip around pedestrians without hitting them. I wonder if he would be willing to vouch for the skill of all of the other pedestrian-zipping-around bicyclists in the city?

Dave

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:59:27 -0800

Smushymandible - I used to live right near Steiner and Waller and commuted on the wiggle via bike to downtown all the time. Did I see pedestrians crossing and bikes zip around them at intersections? Of course - I did so as well - for reasons andrew noted. Plus - and this is the real crux of why your complaint is bogus - my bike is not a 2 ton, 6 foot wide piece of steel that turns like a fat cow. Rather, its a very light, very thin, human powered contraption that turns on a dime. Under a controlled deceleration as I move through an intersection, I can quite safely get around a crossing pedestrian with plenty of clearance. Do some pedestrians likely feel like they are in danger? Probably. Are their fears completely overblown? Definitely.

mattymatt

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:54:20 -0800

I personally am grateful to bicyclists for sparing the city congestion and pollution. But I can verify the claim that they do sometimes behave rather poorly towards pedestrians. I've been nearly run over by a bicyclist several times. It would be nice if the city could put up "Bikes must yield to pedestrians" signs at dangerous intersections. But I bet that's just one more measure that's prohibited under the injunction.

smushmoth

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:50:42 -0800

I didn't say anything about stopping for the four ways, I asked to count how many fail to YIELD to pedestrians in crosswalks who have the right of way.

Steakfrites

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:04:29 -0800

"why do bicyclists insist on being treated with the same rules and respect as cars yet they ride on the sidewalks at full speed endangering our kids and pets?" Come on dude, we all know there aren't any kids in San Francisco anymore. Seriously though, aside from a few bike nazis, I'm sure the majority of people who ride on the sidewalk do so because the streets aren't safe enough. Now if only bikes weren't so harmful to the environment we could get some bike lanes and what not around the city.

andrew

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:00:49 -0800

If you ride a bike you know that stopping for every stop sign basically makes it impossible to get where you are going at any reasonable speed, particularly uphill, which is why bicyclists run stop signs. If there are no pedestrians or cross traffic around, I don't see any problem. If there are, of course, pedestrians should have priority. But this is not what this article is about!!! This is about **ONE INDIVIDUAL** (Rob Anderson) and his quixotic opposition to bike lanes, for reasons nobody really understands, and his use of CEQA to try to block common sense improvements to SF's streets. Bike lanes should be what auto drivers WANT, because they get bikes out of traffic and reduce safety hazards! But this one guy thinks otherwise, so he is trying to block the bike plan.

smushmoth

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:43:54 -0800

During the commute hours (8:00am to 9:30am/4:30pm to 6:00pm) go to Haight and Scott or Waller and Steiner and count how many cyclists/minute fail to yield to pedestrians or give more than a couple of feet as they pass them without slowing. Don't even bother about those who fail to honor the four way stops. There is a quote on sfgate from the SFBC head about ticketing all drivers who pull the illegal right onto the Octavia on-ramp. Whats good for the goose.....

Ciaran

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:25:11 -0800

I see way more hipsters on fixies riding recklessly than bums.

Dave

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:59:30 -0800

jash - hogwash. I ride regularly through the City and RARELY do I see bicyclist careening about on the sidewalks, with the exceptions of the "bums on bikes". I'd really not blame the bicycling community for the actions of bums on bikes.

Mattymatt

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:55:23 -0800

Finally! It's about time someone left an INTELLIGENT comment.

jash

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:39:46 -0800

why do bicyclists insist on being treated with the same rules and respect as cars yet they ride on the sidewalks at full speed endangering our kids and pets? i'm sorry but i think they can all go screw themselves!!!