Comments on: Ranting About Biking In the City and BART

By: Allen L

Allen L — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:32:18 +0000

I live on Scott, between Fell and Oak – part of the path well known to cyclists as “The Wiggle”. My main problem is that cyclists decide it’s okay to take a shortcut during a red light, navigating northbound on Scott in the southbound lane while westbound drivers (like myself) are turning into that very lane (onto Scott from Fell.) Some cyclists have had the audacity to mouth off at me after nearly avoiding a collision. It’s people like them that give cyclists a bad rep…

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:41:58 +0000

“Why exactly can’t we take bikes on escalators?”

The number one reason and it’s a biggie, escalator failure. If the escalator fails or some idiot runs or jumps at the bottom (causing the escalator to stop), the bicyclist and bicycle can fall.

Also a bicyclist and the bicycle impede traffic flow on the escalator. Not to mention that every so often, there are bicyclists who can’t maintain control of the bicycles on up-going escalator, and slides into the people behind them.

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:38:06 +0000

Well, the times that I get annoyed are when the car is not going faster than me. When they have to stop at the corner to check for traffic, and end up dawdling there- it’s like, why didn’t you just go the normal rate instead of some odd one-upmanship (and a perception that cars go faster- which- in my earlier comment, in SF they don’t on most streets).

By: Serafina

Serafina — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:32:36 +0000

If a car’s going to turn right at the next light, wouldn’t you want them to get to the intersection way before you, so they can turn without you being in the way? A car can’t turn right on red if a biker is sitting right there blocking their path.

Just seems really ridiculous to complain about not getting to be in front of a vehicle that obviously moves faster than you.

As a motorcyclist, I’m well aware of the issue of visibility. I’m also aware of the need to be able to maneuver and get out of the way … which is why I have an engine on my 2-wheeler. ;)

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:43:31 +0000

Serafina, from my perspective, it’s not a situation of one-upmanship, but visibility. Cars, especially ones that are going to take a right at the next light, really infuriate me. Cars sometimes move faster than bikes, but in SF, it’s pretty rare to find a street or block, or route, where a car is faster.

By: Serafina

Serafina — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:41:21 +0000

Cars that race in front of you on a green light, so you have to fall in behind them, then they screech to a halt at the next red, while you cycle up past them.

Why do bicycles force themselves in front of cars at stoplights, so the cars have to crawl at a snail’s pace behind them until the adjacent lane empties so they can move around them? Just because a car moves faster than a bicycle doesn’t mean they’re “racing”.