So, I was in a car yesterday. We were leaving the shop in the alley going to 13th Ave. As we pulled up to the sidewalk, I leaned over to my friends steering wheel and honked the horn lightly. As I did this, the driver instinctively stopped as if I knew something he didn't know. We missed a cyclist by about 12 inches. He was on the sidewalk, riding very fast. We honked as a warning to ANYONE, but he thought we honked at him because we are not nice. We are nice. Well, some of us. Anyways, he gave us the middle finger all the way down the sidewalk. It kind of hurt, and kind of made me laugh. As I watched, he almost got hit by the UPS truck at the next street, which had just left our building. The word of the day is dismount. I have been looking for a single word to yell at cyclists on sidewalks and this is it. Dismount please. Dismount.
I should also say that there are situations where sidewalk riding is appropriate. The trick is that it becomes the responsibility of the lawbreaker (the cyclist riding on the sidewalk) to not get hurt. As you approach streets and alleys, it is your responsibility to not die.
I'm glad we didn't kill the lawbreaker, but I also hope he reads this.
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5 comments:
Maybe we should post the law codes on the sidewalk. Anybody up for making a huge stencil?
how about a handout at the shop?
the thing is is alot of the time the sidewalk is safer for the cyclist- but only if he is pretty damn carefull at the streets. Of course he should be carefull at the alleys too, but cars pulling out of alleys are, IIRC, obliged to honk before exiting the alley.
honestly i think that bikes should always have the right of way, but i dont think that will happen anytime soon.
I'll help make the giant stencil.
Scott, if you beeped at me, I'd just blush. I wouldn't know what else to do!
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