May 25, 2009
The Jackassery of Traffic Laws
So fucking what. Traffic laws were intended for cars, face it. Bike infractions- running through red lights, stops signs (puhleez), are effectively tantamount to inane pedestrian offenses like jaywalking. As long as a cyclist is riding accountably, who cares about traffic laws made for bigger, dumber vehicles. Anyone that thinks bikers need to obey traffic laws has never been on a bike or experienced the reality of bicycle commuting. I understand that it would be a safer world if we all wore helmets and waited for Mary Poppins to cue us to cross the street but this reality is unlikely. So let’s choose a more pragmatic one. When was the last time you stopped fully at a stop sign in a car? When I hit a red light biking on an uphill, you sure as fuck better bet I’m going to run it to keep my wheels rolling and my struggle against gravity continuing. And of course I’m going to make sure the coast is clear first! On a bike this much easier to do than in a car. One has much more peripheral vision and also agility, and the ability to start and stop quicker. I find most of the time that I am passing cars in city traffic, and that THEY are like giant cumbersome animals, distracted by their cell phones and limited visibility. Plus I can get from one side of Atlanta to the other in 10 fucking minutes on a bike with one gear. So fuck you.
“As long as a cyclist is riding accountably…” is a HUUUUGE assumption, amigo. We could say the same thing for automobile laws, too- right? Tell me, are the bikers with their iPods on ‘riding accountably’? Honestly, I don’t have a problem with 99% of the bike riders out there, but the problem is with the 1% who zip out in front of me in L5P, or suddenly jut far enough into the lane (Scott/Ponce) that I have to slow down to their speed and create a jam for the dozen or so people in cars behind me. Bikers are often people that want EQUALITY when it benefits them, but EXCEPTION when it benefits them. The Libertarian way, I guess.
And bikers never offer for any accountability for their potential for accidents. As a driver, I agree to carry a license, insurance, and register my vehicle. If I drive like a fuck-nut, I can be tracked down and my privileges (not rights) can be revoked. If I cause an accident with another, they’ll be compensated. Do you care to offer the same as a biker? Probably not. If a biker ever was responsible for an accident (Oh, I’m sure they would swear up-and-down that they were ‘riding accountably’ but something totally bullshit happened and it’s not their fault), I think we can all visualize them high-tailing it outta Dodge rather than assuming responsibility.
I love your talk-radio-host worthy ‘my perspective’ argument- “I find most of the time that I am passing cars in city traffic, and that THEY are like giant cumbersome animals” Hmmmm. I notice you are disregarding all of the Interstates that you aren’t riding on as if they don’t exist. Classic.
And I stop fully at stop signs all the fucking time. It’s really not that much of a hassle, and it occasionally saves my ass from something I didn’t see. I also drive the speed limits, and keep to the right lane.
Oh please. Some riders ride like assholes, uh, of course. Who would argue against that? I am arguing a perspective, that others would most likely share if they commuted with a bicycle for a couple of months. Interstates? Seriously? Of course I am talking about in town commuting.
I don’t think you understand at all what I am saying, which is simply that on a bicycle, it makes little sense to stop at stop signs or traffic lights when no one is around and you are going uphill and need to keep momentum. Minor fucking infractions. Who fucking cares!!! I’m not talking about the dick that rides through an intersection without looking…and I made that very clear.
And yes, cars are often in my way, car drivers are impatiently getting NOWHERE in a hurry (in a city, er, not an interstate), car drivers brazenly “own” the road, bicyclists get verbally harassed, and sometimes physically. Not many bikers I know use headphones. It’s considered pretty fucking stupid. But look at all the distractions in cars: videos, cell phones, radio.
I don’t really know what you are arguing. Some bicyclists and some drivers are dicks. They are usually the same person.