Hit And Run Karma Sucks

Pwned.

As the cyclist, I can say I know EXACTLY what happened that night. Justin hit me from behind and failed to stop to see if I was injured, or worse. It is in the police report that he had been drinking. I have several witnesses to the fact that I drank absolutely no alcohol (or anything else) that night. These people are willing to go to court with me.

And, all of that is not really the point, because it is a FELONY to hit someone with your car and not render aid!He knows he hit me. A squirrel??? Give me a fuckin' break.

The plastic matches his car. How can you argue with that? Seriously.

Read the public police report again, Cyclist819.

For the record nobody on this page has any idea exactly what went on. I'm sure at two in the morning the cyclist doesn't know either. ALL POLICE REPORTS ARE PUBLIC RECORD. LOOK AT THIS ONE. Then continue your talking.

Solipsist.

You're real fun.

I meant to add some background - we tried to tighten up the ordinance much more recently because for years it was so vague that cyclists could get hassled for riding on sidewalks they didn't know were disallowed.

It's still a bad idea almost anywhere - with few exceptions like Lamar next to Pease Park.

Well i'm sure your memory server is right on.

Irrelevant, maybe, but not confused.

The point was that it is not illegal (generally speaking) to ride on the sidewalk, as some seem to think, but that those restrictions pertain to specific areas.

I see where you're coming from, but disagree. Those who would advocate running over a pedestrian are, in my opinion, not likely to care about the rules of the road - for bikers or cars.

Okay, Dave, maybe not the EXACT people, but I will venture to suggest that it is the EXACT thinking of these people.

When someone yells that I shouldn't walk against a flashing Don't Walk sign, even though the light is green, and I weigh considerably less than the car, they are essentially suggesting that their "rules of the road" over rule the laws of physics and humanity.

Sounds like a familiar theme in this discussion.

City code server may be confused - I definitely recall Tommy Eden pushing for a resolution spelling out precisely which streets were verboten for sidewalk-riding, because before that it was a vague "this area" rule which was too easily abused. And that was sometime between 2001-2004.

"The drivers who complain about bikes running red lights are probably the same people who suggest that it's okay to run a pedestrian over in the crosswalk while making a right or left turn because the Don't Walk sign is flashing. (This has happened to me 3 times in Austin.)"

That's a ridiculous and illogical conclusion to draw.

1992 is a long time ago. Time to change those bicycle riding on the sidewalk laws.

As a pedestrian, I am often almost hit by both 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers, and I walk, as often as I can, on the sidewalk.

The drivers who complain about bikes running red lights are probably the same people who suggest that it's okay to run a pedestrian over in the crosswalk while making a right or left turn because the Don't Walk sign is flashing. (This has happened to me 3 times in Austin.)

The best way to get a driver to slow down and recognize my sad, 2-legged ass? Flipping them off. That cuts their speed from ridiculous and dangerous to 0 m.p.h. and I get to have a face-to-face conversation with them, to boot.

That's me. Always trying to communicate.

§ 12-2-13 USE OF SIDEWALKS RESTRICTED.

(A) Except as provided in Subsection (B), a person may ride a bicycle on a sidewalk.

(B) A person may not ride a bicycle on a sidewalk on the following streets:

(1) 100 to 1100 blocks of Congress Avenue;

(2) 1900 to 2500 blocks of Guadalupe Street;

(3) 100 to 1100 blocks of Brazos Street;

(4) 200 to 1100 blocks of Colorado Street;

(5) from the 200 block of Second Street (West) to the 300 block of Second Street (East);

(6) from the 900 block of Fifth Street (West) to the 800 block of Fifth Street (East);

(7) from the 700 block of Sixth Street (East) to the 1000 block of Sixth Street (West);

(8) from the 100 block of Eighth Street (West) to the 200 block of Eighth Street (East);

(9) from the 100 block of Ninth Street (West) to the 200 block of Ninth Street (East);

(10) from the 200 block of 11th Street (West) to the 200 block of 11th Street (East); and

(11) from the 200 block of 15th Street (West) to the 200 block of 15th Street (East).

Source: 1992 Code Section 16-8-22; Ord. 031204-13; Ord. 031211-11; Ord. 20060727-016.

It's only illegal to bike on the sidewalk on the drag and down Congress, if I'm not mistaken.

True story: a cop actually suggested I ride on the sidewalk at night when I didn't have a helmet. Odd coinky-dink: it was at the exact same place I referenced earlier, the light at 40th and Lamar. The cop was providing security for Friday Night Lights which was being shot at EZ's.

To all the people out there that say ride on the sidewalk...a little known fact is that WE CAN'T.....the po-po's will give yo ass a ticket fo that shit....I know cuz I've gotten one before....the road is big enough for us to share that shit....

Slacktivism rules again!

Benj, you're a real asshole.

I didn't get reappointed because I fought for light rail for Austin residents instead of this commuter rail bullshit, if you want the pure and simple truth. Since nobody else was willing to speak up, I did, knowing that it was going to be the end of my service, but knowing that somebody had to say something so that when we looked back years later, it wouldn't be "everybody thought this would work".

http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000115.html

Now, what the fuck have you ever done to try to make things better around here?

Mdahmus,

It was a joke. Yes, I know you spawned. I just don't understand how you, with said spawn, find the time to write so voluminous on so many venues. Maybe you should turn on your Irony Indicator. Although that might be difficult, since you (as usual) have decided to take a side,rather than actually discuss or consider. The most arthritic thing about you is probably your inflexible and unchanging mind. (You're even keeping score, literally [Comment 39]. Wow.)

Great arguments though, really. Keep it up. I'm still gonna go with grouch as cause, rather than the effect, of cooler heads removing you from the development of public policy.

No, Ryan, there's a big difference between running a fresh red and a stale red - in the first case, one can at least theorize that it might have been an accident. And, no, it's not remotely as serious.

The likelihood of hurting somebody else when you run a stale red light depends more on how right (lucky?) you were when you thought there was nobody coming than whether you're driving a car or riding a bike.

But again, the impulse to say that this is no big deal because cars frequently run the orange is counterproductive - because the 95% of people who don't ride their bike for anything other than a lark once in a while aren't buying it - and they set public policy. I spent years fighting against the "why should we do anything for cyclists since they don't feel the need to obey traffic laws" argument. YEARS. And it was a pretty damn effective argument.

We are having a disconnect in our discussion. I am not advocating running red lights. I stated it is illegal and should be discouraged. However, mdahmus, you were comparing a car running a stale yellow/turning red light to a cyclist running a blatant red light. I put that in context and I find in favor of the cyclist. I find it hard to believe that the cyclist on 24th thought no one was coming - maybe he is an idiot (seriously, is anyone advocating running red lights when there are cars that will have to dodge the cyclist? okay, maybe messengers or something but lets keep our discussion rational here). 0r maybe you were speeding, in any case that is not the situation I presented. I always wait at red lights but I can tell you from experience that I know with 100% certainty where I could potentially cross an intersection with a red light without impeding traffic from the other direction in any way. Grape Ape, I am not disagreeing with you, but the idea that cyclists are generally despised for running red lights is ridiculous and I can't help but point that out. If we hold vehicles to those standards then car drivers should be universally hated more than anyone on the planet. Shilli (in comment 15) had it right from the beginning.

Yes, Ryan, what Grape Ape said. And it's bullshit to claim that the cyclist in #2 is always right when he thinks there's nobody around. The idiot who almost caused me to hit another car head-on while I tried to avoid him on 24th doubtlessly thought nobody was coming.

There is no moral value in riding a bike which is remotely high enough to justify putting other people at risk - and that's what you do when you run red lights, both indirectly (by showing people that the rules don't matter) and directly (as in my example). This is coming from a dedicated bike commuter for a decade - from the only guy who voted the right way on the Shoal Creek Debacle.

It's not about what's worse, it's about predictability and the increased safety that comes with being able to anticipate what will happen with greater certainty.

This is a late response, but in terms of "blowing through stoplights," which is worse:

1. Light just turned red and car accelerates and goes through, potentially hitting pedestrians/cars/bikes that started to go since their light just turned green. The offending car has no way to know if those cars/bikes/pedestrians are going to start to cross or not as they are blowing through the intersection. I'm sure the casualties will be comforted that offending cars will get a $200 ticket thanks to the 1984-style cameras.

2. A cyclist that approaches a red light, sees there is NO traffic around, and proceeds to cross the intersection at no risk to him/herself or others.

Sorry, there is no comparison there. Both are illegal and should be discouraged, but one has significantly more dangerous consequences. It continues to amaze me that everyone cannot agree that, in general, cars are the most dangerous things on the road and any illegal behavior by cyclists pales in comparison.

Benj, as usual, you've assumed too much, dumbass.

1. Family of 4.5 (dog). (See pecan discussion!)

2. The condition I have (reactive arthritis) gets worse with overuse of the joints - and sometimes when it gets 'worse', it's permanently worse, i.e. say hello to a new plateau. Last time I overdid it (walking too much in Manhattan even in a big boot), I ended up in a wheelchair for the trip back home. (That setback, at least, wasn't permanent; but there's been two ramp-ups that were - I kept riding for years after it first hit).

3. Check the blog - note date of last posting.

0 for 3. Good show so far. You and LoudMouth put together are about 0 for 10; you make quite a team.

Mdahmus,

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond-- unlike you I have a wife and a few children, and thus can't be expected to spend as much time blogging as you do, even about such weighty and vital matters. Please enjoy your many free hours before more serious commitments threaten to repurpose your time, for what will unavoidably become more crucial concerns, you know, once you marry and have kids and are no longer married to Shilli's columns.

However:

It is one thing to put forth that one is a cantankerous and objectionable old grouch because one was booted off the UTC...

...And yet another to be booted off the UTC because one is cantankerous and objectionable.

I don't think, of all people whom I'd feel comfortable in representing the public, especially on matters on transportation, that Uncle Scrooge or Chicken Little would be on my top five, or, for that matter, that a mdahmus, or same by any other commenting or blogging name, would be on my top ten. Or fifty.

However, again, should your condition improve--and I hope it does--consider this an invitation to ride bikes.

According to you yourself, Mdahmus, your train will never come in. At least not in Austin. And cars will only become more expensive, and make you fatter, and--I'm totally guessing here--do little therapeutic good for yours or any known physical condition.

So, come ride. It'll do you good. Physically, and, hopefully, psychologically. (We can leave morals out of it.)

Carrie, I don't see anybody here being enough of a trogolodyte to blame you, as Grape Ape said. I'm also very glad you found the assailant. People WILL blame the victim on other, less enlightened, forums (Statesman, Chronicle); and it's very hard to make any headway with those people when they keep seeing cyclists blow red lights and stop signs every time they venture into central Austin.

LoudMouth, pedestrians have their own set of rules and are not expected to act as vehicles. This makes it an imperfectly analogous situation.

So glad to hear this guy's getting what he deserves; he's a complete idiot for thinking that he could hit someone and get away with it. As much as what happened to Carrie sucks, it's great that things like this are helping to raise awareness.

Just one question though...what time did this happen? I know I only jump on Guadalupe when I absolutely have to and then, it's only for a few blocks cause there's no shoulders or parking lanes north of 24th, and even then, only during daylight hours

How many pedestrians cross on the red if there's no traffic coming and why don't drivers get as angry at pedestrians as they do at bikers who ignore red lights?

Anyone watch KXAN last night? Live footage of a cyclist running a red light for no reason other than they didn't want to wait while another sat at the light waiting for it to turn green. I wonder what those drivers who didn't have the "option" of running the light were thinking, who do you think they'll remember?

Carrie,

Thanks for posting, I'm happy that justice will (should be) be served in your case. Your case brings to light the bad driver side of this discussion. It is true that a lot of people want to blame the victim, but most of those people are drivers and I think they would make assumptions you were doing something wrong because they see other cyclists doing idiotic things on the road.

Btw, the piece on the news was in reference to the tragic accident involving a responsible cyclist last week. That was the first I had heard of that incident.

Carrie, I'm happy for you. I'm glad you caught that bastard. Our little daytime rant went from your story to other issues, like douchebag drivers and douchebag bike riders that make the traffic experience a real pisser. We need more bike lanes. We need less-distracted drivers. We need more window tint, because dangit it's hot in Austin. But most importantly we need more people that follow the rules and respect each other.

Nice post, Carrie. And well done on the investigative work.

As far as the running-of-the-lights goes, I think bikers should follow the rules of the road for one simple reason - predictable behavior. If drivers know what you're going to do, they're less likely to hit you while making an assumption. I sure as hell follow the rules of the road when I'm riding.

Hey y'all,

Thanks for reading/caring about my story. I just want to clarify some things. I was NOT running a red light when this happened, nor do I make much of a habit of that. I was in the far right side of the right lane when Justin nailed me from behind. He admits in the police report he had been drinking. I was 100% sober that night as I was hanging out with a friend who no longer drinks.

Also, I feel that all this talk of bikers not following the laws of the road borders on blaming the victim. None of you know the specifics of that night as the news report was pretty vague. I understand your frustration as you sit at lights, wasting gas as cyclists breeze by you. I agree that those people are foolishly taking unnecessary risks. However, the real issue here is that JUSTIN DID NOT PULL OVER! Sure, accidents happen, and if he would have stopped to see if I was okay things would have worked out differently.

But he didn't. He had no regard for my life, so fuck him. I will do whatever it takes to ensure he never does this to anyone again.

We need more bike lanes. Drivers need to pay attention to driving, not their cell phones or whatever. Can we make that illegal already? And stop tinting your windows so dark that we can not make eye contact with you, or even see which way your face is looking.

And to my bike friends, let's not fuel the fire by doing dumb shit, like running lights. I'm not too keen on Critical Mass type taunting either. I make my political statement every day by riding almost everywhere I go.I don't need to piss off the rush hour commuters. You catch more flies with honey, as they say. But, do feel free to take the lane, as that is your lawful right. Works better with 2 or more riders, in my opinion.

Can't we all just get along?

-c

I put in 3400 miles in the last 10 months and I have to say, I do not feel safe blowing through a stop sign or a red light. I will make rolling stops at a 4 way stop (Just like a motorcycle would) if there are no cars at the intersection, and I will run a malfunctioning red light after a stop with no traffic.

I do not blow through green lights either, because cars run red lights. And I do not want to die. I just want to ride my bike instead of driving my car.

However, as much as I disagree with blowing through red lights, I do not feel that these cyclists "deserve to die" any more than I feel the jackass motorists I encounter deserve to die. Everyone needs to be educated either by experience or listening to others. Hopefully the ones who blow through lights will just get injured and have a chance to learn from the experience. Most of these in my opinion are under 23 years of age. That is an opinion, please do not jump on me for it. And just because some cyclist did something stupid and some indignant motorist saw it, does not excuse them passing within 2 inches of my bike as a show of force, slowing down next to me and laying on the horn, blasting by me at 50 miles per hour in a 30mph zone when I am doing 20mph NEXT TO A SCHOOL (Yes these all really happened). And THEN turning right 100 feet after passing me! To pick up their kid from that school I can only assume.

I could go on and on and on, as most of us cyclists could. Does that mean we get to all carry handguns and start shooting at any car we don't agree with? NO. And what cars do when they bully cyclists they don't agree with is JUST AS DEADLY.

Any and all of those common car behaviors (except for 'speeding through red lights') truly do happen frequently, but are not remotely as serious as running a red light or stop sign. And those who claim that cars 'speed through red lights' invariably either mean 'gun it when the light hits yellow or just turns red' which is NOT the same thing as willfully running a stale red. You simply don't see car drivers deciding in the middle of a correctly functioning red light that they'll get up and go - probably happens once in a blue moon, although I haven't seen it, but I see cyclists do it every single day at 38th/Speedway and other locations.

But even more to the point, they're putting up red light cameras to make those guys stop, as they should. Which will tilt things in favor of cyclists, because cyclists "run the orange" just as much as cars do (I used to do it once in a while). The key difference is that there's 1000 stale-red-running cyclists for every stale-red-running motorist even though there's 50 times as many motorists out there.

Since I see cars acting dangerously all the time (speeding, speeding through red lights, turning without signals) I think they should no longer be allowed on the road.

But it also lumps you into the ‘I know what I’m talking about because I used to ride a bike’ peanut gallery.

GMAFB. I live in Central Austin (near that 38th/Speedway intersection); I write about transportation; I served on the friggin' UTC. It's not like I moved to fucking Round Rock and drive a Tahoe everywhere while moaning about hippies based on a concert I went to 20 years ago. I commuted by bike to jobs all over town from roughly 1996 to 2006. 2006 is in the mists of history or something?

The fact is that you got caught in an unwarranted assumption. I'm still very much involved in bicycle advocacy in this area - for the sake of my kids at this point.

Understood Benj, but there is a point to be made that not everyone can relate to your point of view, nor do they read these posts. They simply see cyclists on a daily basis disregarding (sometimes blatantly and dangerously) general rules of the road and common sense. When it finally comes down to it and a major item gets put on a ballot to fund development of bike lanes and such, you're going to have a very large contingent of people who will vote against spending any money to improve roads for cyclists because of their experiences. Just like the event from this morning or the one from a few weeks ago I posted about. When a single cyclists does something like that, they do it in front of dozens of people who most likely don't ride a bike and won't vote to spend money on making things better for bikes when they have potholes they want fixed. This is the only reason I get angry at some cyclists, because it seems as though they want to shoot themselves in the foot by being selfish when it comes to getting support for the cause.

M:

Thanks for inferring a moral difference between 2 and four wheels, but my argument has almost entirely been physical: Primarily, the huge difference between the average rates and masses of two different types of moving bodies--and the respective likelihood of physical trauma each could conceivably receive or inflict.

Cyclists cannot legally ride on commercial-district sidewalks in Austin because the damage they could cause to pedestrians is great relative to a being dumped into by another ped. But there is no similar for protection of cyclists who face the same problem from cars. There are not (at this exact moment) any dedicated commuter bike lanes safe from vehicle collision. (There is at least one on the way.) We have to 'share' the road even when no protection is offered.

Paved and controlled roads were built for cars, not bikes. And yet cyclists have a need and a right to use them. The Texas state law that says cyclists must obey the same relevant laws that motorists have to was a lazy and easy expedient to avoid writing a bike code. It screams subjectivity. The reality is where the rubber meets the road: cyclists with a minimum of physical protection cannot reasonably be expected to follow the same set of rules written for cars and trucks. Even though you refuse to see it this way, running some reds is an adjustment to the rules of the road, and not a simple violation.

When I rode a bike in Amsterdam, I obeyed all the rules. But there most of the bike lanes were separate from traffic and the traffic controls are harder to scoff at, as they’re less frequent and more reasonable. Admittedly, it is a ‘bike city’.

What irks me is the ceaseless moaning at the city's failure with light rail-- yet the stance that the city's road design is just fine for cyclists and the solution is to hang out on a gravel-filled gutter waiting for a green while hoping you won’t get pancaked-- is ludicrous.

It’s unfortunate that you cannot physically ride a bike. But it also lumps you into the ‘I know what I’m talking about because I used to ride a bike’ peanut gallery. Time and age and new situations tend to alter and erase memory—not clarify it into ideas you should base an opinion upon. Austin roads get progressively worse and more dangerous for cyclists each month, as the city grows more dense, and the road conditions are the worst I’ve seen.

Everybody goes straight to that issue as if most cyclists running lights are just doing so because the light won't change for them.

This is, of course, a steaming load of crap.

99.99% of the time (I checked), cyclists are running lights where motorists are present, or where the light is timed anyways.

On the other rare occasions, do what a driver would do. Yes, Anarchocyclist, lights like that sometimes fail to detect cars! First, you come to a STOP (not a Yield); then you verify the light's really broken (optional if you know this from past experience); and then you go.

But again, that's the friggin' exception, like the one time George Bush made a good decision.

sigmund - During the AM commute, unless a car pulls out of the taco shack onto 40th you could sit there ad infititum.

If something egregious happens on southbound I35, it seems a lot of those motorists use Lamar as an alternate route, so that road can be crowded.

I mostly bring it up as a point of information that some bicyclist scofflawry is not just anarchism or willful disregard of traffic laws.

Tranceducer - i am at that intersection muliple times daily, on both foot and bicycle. i'd love to be there with no traffic so as to play with myself, but frankly, that's never been an issue.

But you do bring up a good point about weight triggers at intersections. Again, I say, treat those lights as yields (and actually yeild the right of way). If there's no traffic to trip the light, then slow down, verify the coast is clear, and keep on moving.

The light facing 40th at Lamar (in front of Central Market) won't change unless a car triggers it.

Should I blow through the stale red, jump on and off the sidewalk to hit the crosswalk button, or sit there playing with myself until a car comes along?

I'm with Shilli. I see people doing stupid stuff in cars and on bikes. Bicyclists who do really stupid things get taken out of the gene pool.

The problem should decrease in a few generations.

Shilli, car drivers don't run red lights even a hundredth as often as bicyclists do. And most drivers' running red lights is on fresh red lights that just changed (sometimes called 'running the orange'). Bad, yes. Prosecute, sure. But not the same thing as just blowing right through a stale red because you didn't think anybody was coming. I've NEVER seen a driver do that in Austin in twelve years and counting. I see at least one cyclist do this every single day at 38th/Speedway.

Benj, I was a bike commuter for years and years and years - I only stopped because of a medical condition. I was the only dude on the UTC for five years who both biked and drove; and was the only one who voted to keep cars out of bike lanes on Shoal Creek, for instance.

It got really really old hearing people vote against bike facilities and other things which could help cyclists because "none of them obey the law anyways". It got even older when I realized it was almost true.

My strategy, which is pretty fucking safe, was to basically ride how I drove. Slow to a crawl but not technically "rock back" at stop signs when driving? Sure. Do the same thing on the bike? You betcha. (No foot down required). Keep going once in a while when a light is yellow even though you could have stopped? I did it as often on my bike as I do in my car (once in a blue moon on purpose; slightly more often by accident).

But there's no manuever you ought to do in your bike, other than ride in the bike lane or on the shoulder when feasible, which isn't in the list of recommended motorist behaviors. Stop jumping on/off the sidewalk. Don't ride between cars. Don't run fucking red lights. Just don't.

And, by the way, there is no enhanced morality clause when biking that exempts you from traffic laws either. Yes, you can cause damage to other people by doing stupid cyclist tricks - I almost wrecked my old car once trying to avoid killing an idiot running a red light across 24th. Me and the motorist I almost hit had a high likelihood of property damage and a moderate chance of injury - a risk I took to avoid killing the idiot, who rode off doubtlessly telling people for years to come how he shouldn't have to stop at red lights because he wasn't endangering people.

oh, and a bit more on topic:

Well done Carrie! It's a sad state of affairs when one has to take the law, or at least the investigation of a crime, into one's own hands, but that seems to be the way it is with hit and run accidents in this town. I hope this one sticks.

daily bike or bike+bus commuter here that absoluetly does not condone "blowing" through red lights. When there are cars already queued up cyclists should wait their turn square with the middle of the next auto's bumper, avoiding its blind spot. Cyclists should also stop slinking past cars on the right that are already waiting at the stoplight as this is one of the easiest ways to foster motorists' ill-will towards cyclists and worse, puts a cyclist in a position to have a motorist make a right turn onto them. Queuing up at an intersection like this really sucks when it's 98 degrees out (you really notice the heat at this point) but it's the responsibility of the conscientious cyclist to do so.

having said that, stop lights and stop signs should be treated as yields when a bike. if it is my turn to proceed through the intersection or I can do so safely without impeding right of way cross-traffic, i see no reason the law should require me to put a foot down (or in the motorists world, come to a full and complete stop, which, if we were being honest with ourselves could safely say rarely happens.) our road laws with respect to these very different modes of transport should be altered according to their respective abilities to stop in short order, cause harms, relative speeds, etc.

Benj, i feel your pain out there. Stay positive and keep up the good fight.

Shilli, I wish I could clone you.

Thanks for the clarification, JC. No, I'm not talking about cavalierly blowing through a red just for fuck's sake.

Duck: I don't want your sympathy. Just stay off the shoulder. That's more than enough. And: a billion 'respectful' drivers will not resuscitate you after you've been hit by the one driver who's drunk or oblivious.

Mdahmus, I know, is comfortable feeling correct about a lot of things that he doesn't have the whole picture on. This is one of them. Please keep in mind that most if not all bicycle commuters are also current or former car-drivers who see both sides of this issue, and learn pretty fast how to protect yourself and make yourself visible. I mean, why do you think most cycle gear is neon or high-contrast or downright garish?

I've been badly hit three times, each time in a bike line or while 'safely' riding alongside traffic. One of those times I was hospitalized. Two weeks ago I had to ditch off into a parking lot to avoid an suv... that was driving through the bike lane. I certainly did not start out intentionally breaking traffic laws, nor do I flaunt them for any reason other than self-preservation.

I'm glad you cringe and moan and shake your fists when you see a cyclist run a red or a stop sign. At least that's a cyclist you actually see.

I don't see why people get so upset about bikers running lights. Do you get this upset about every lawbreaker out there? Is so, you must be a cranky mofo. Ever noticed all the speeding cars out there breaking the law?

Also, what's the last time you heard of a biker breaking the law and killing or even hurting anyone other than themselves? Everybody has an anecdote, but it usually ends in someone getting flipped off, not killed. When drivers break the law, they end up killing themselves, other drivers, bikers and pedestrians.

Saw a good one this morning. Girl leaving Whole Foods on her cruiser. Left the sw corner of the parking lot and just as the north/south Lamar light at 5th turned red and the 5th street traffic hadn't started moving on their green, she decided to take off from the WF parking lot diagonal across the 5th and Lamar intersection and then took a left into traffic on southbound Lamar.

Again, all of those cars saw her do that - if they aren't symapthetic to the life as a cyclist in this town, the just got a bad taste in their mouth about giving bikes any rights when they see the next one.

hmmmm.....well maybe he does.

i don't think Benj means blowing through red lights without stopping.

i hate hate hate bad cyclist...but i will admit that if i'm at a red light and have stopped, and there is NO cross traffic, i will proceed.

i do this not cause i'm impatient but because i know i'd rather not hold up traffic once it turns green (you never know when some shithead will be so impatient he tries to move you over with his car). so if i can get across the intersection and into the bike lane/shoulder, i will.

Benj, agreed with ducknutz on this one. Don't run fucking red lights. Just don't.

Benj, if you break the rules as a bike-rider you deserve no sympathy from us car-drivers who actually make an effort to protect you and respect you. If riding your bike is so dangerous and scary I recommend taking the bus or driving a car or walking on the sidewalk.

Hey Drivers: We run the red lights so we already have the shoulder when you pick up speed again. If you take off ahead of us, you won't leave us the shoulder, and we'll start off in your blind spot. ...Not at all intersections. Just the scary ones where your life is worth more than the $167 ticket.

Commute on a bike for one week, you'll be a believer. Run red light = live longer. (I know, it sounds crazy.)

Motorists watch too much television. They tend to think that what happens on the other side of the glass is a 'show' they passively watch and critique. Because even if they get hit, their car's body and seat belts and airbags will keep them basically safe, or at least mitigate physical trauma. Bike ain't got not 'crumple zones'.

The reason intersections are mechanically controlled is cars--so you won't kill each other in your 3,000lb machines. When you have no blind spots, when you aren't buffered from road stimuli, and are self-propelled in that reducing fatigue (not stopping at red lights) can increase in your ability to interpret that stimuli (stay safe), when you and your machine weigh 200lbs and can go from full-speed to a complete stop in 12 feet--disregarding some (SOME) road rules intended for cars is in everybody's best interest, even if your immediate response is chagrin that the two-wheeled guy blows through a red. My advice: adjust the stereo knob, turn up the a/c and realize how different your road experience is from his. Or hers. If you find yourself getting all swole' up at this, you should get a bike and see for yourself. You probably won't agree with me on everything, but you'll understand that the supreme disadvantage cyclists live everyday justify some flexibility in the naturally subjective enforcement of traffic law.

Driving is a privilege (need a license; ability can be revoked), cycling is a right (don't; can't).

I'm stoked Carrie Miller found her assailant. And didn't get killed. But non-cyclists in Austin should know that near-lethal situations where motorists fuck with cyclists--out of anger, or to be funny--happen all the time. We're just trying to get to work or go home, and you try to run us into parked cars, ha-ha, weave at us, throw shit, spit. And you still wondering while we don't hang out at red lights?

I realize that only one in a hundred drivers do this, but when you cycle home through rush hour, 100+ cars can pas you in an hour. Which means if 1% of the driving population thinks it's funny to pretend to kill you--you get to live through that joke every single time you ride.

Do not ride on the sidewalk, ride in traffic like a responsible cyclist. I'll take driving behind a cyclist at 5 mph who is obeying laws over having to deal with idiots going the wrong way and riding through crosswalks and stop lights/signs and jumping on and off the sidewalk going from traffic to pedestrian at will as if they have no responsibility. I hope this guy gets what ever is coming to him. He knew damn well what he hit.

I have no problem with cyclists who obey the rules of the road. Don't blow through stop lights and we're cool.

Ride on the sidewalk.

Some more ire from a fellow bicycle commuter...

http://jointherector.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/suck-it/

Guadalupe, anywhere North of 24th is a death trap.

What an excuse! A squirrel?? Did he expect the police to believe it fell out of a tree onto his moving rear-view mirror as he was driving 30 mph down the road? This guy deserves to go away for a looooong time.

That is AWESOME!

Good for baby girl...I be riding up and down the Drag every day and it's like playing frogger sometimes....way to go.....