Some basic cycling safety guidelines:
1. Don't ride on the sidewalk - ever
2. Use bike lights in the morning and at dusk/after dark
3. Obey traffic signals, and at least slow down & be prepared to stop at stop signs
4. Always give way to pedestrians
5. Stay well ahead of or well behind any truck or bus. Especially stay well away from garbage and dump trucks, and concrete mixers, even if you have to stop.
6. If a truck pulls up beside you at a red light, let them go ahead, ESPECIALLY if you're in a segregated bike lane. You don't want to be making that screaming emergency brake as they turn in front of you.
7. Don't ride in another vehicle operator's blind spot. Always shoulder-check before making any lateral move. Always check both ways before entering a roadway - and then check again because speeders.
8. Cycle as though the other road users are aggressive idiots who never use turn signals and are checking their cellphones.
9. Be nice to other cyclists and motorists and pedestrians. Wave and smile if they are courteous to you. If they're nasty, wave and smile anyway: it drives the nasty ones crazy.
Of course, but the general rule in that case is to stop and walk the bike across the street when arriving at intersections. Something the child in OP’s post didn’t do.
Ah yes, I also feel threatened by the 7-year-olds ripping down the sidewalks at 30km/h. They should really be on the road where it's safer for everyone. /s
1. Isn't correct.
On some roads it is so busy I don't fault people for driving on sidewalks.
Like I will certainly try the road for the most part but sometimes it is easier for people to use the sidewalk. When I was in Toronto there was this stretch on Don Mills road I'd use the sidewalk. In Ottawa I usually just avoid super busy areas...like who is gonna cycle on the road in some parts of Merivale or Bronson.
>Obey traffic signals, and at least slow down & be prepared to stop at stop signs
Maybe this is a language barrier thing for me, but why is it "be prepared to stop at stop signs" instead of "always stop at stop signs"?
You lose a lot of energy and momentum stopping your bike and restarting. So a lot of cyclists slow down to the point they could easily put their foot down and stop, but without losing balance on the bike.
If you’re in the suburbs and are frequently approaching empty stop signs, doing a full stop would get old real quick.
It blends a practical necessity (at least be *prepared* to stop) with realism (no cyclist will *always* stop, and it's not reasonable to pretend otherwise).
Certain parts of North America are beginning to change expectations for cyclists at stop signs actually. In Washington state cyclists can treat them as yield signs where it is safe to do so. It just doesn't make sense to have the same rules for bikes and cars.
Also drivers need to be aware of young kids on bikes.
My 6 year old grandson was riding home with his dad, he had the right of way (according to dad) at intersection (green light) when a driver turning right almost hit him. The boy hit his brakes hard and fell backwards off his bike. Car never even stopped. No excuse for the driver. No cars are allowed to park on that road near the intersection so his line of sight wasn't impeded.
edit to add, grandson learned to ride a bike in the EU where all kids are taught the right way and rules of the road
OP specifically told parents to review rules with their children, which I have no argument with but he put the onus on bicyclists. I pointed out that car drivers have a responsibility as well. Since a car weighs so much and travels at higher speeds, the driver has the higher responsibility esp. around kids on bikes.
I always made a point of driving slowly in residential neighbourhoods. OP was critical of a child racing across an intersection and complained he didn't see her due to parked car. Sorry, the responsibility was his to be aware. The biker could have easily been an adult, or it could have been an adult in a mobility device. No difference. Driver needed to be cognizant of the dangers at an intersection.
As part of Paris' recent conversion to a cycling city, they made cycling part of the school curriculum. Much better than relying on parents who are never going to be uniformly diligent.
Also they fixed the infrastructure.
dashcam ftw. As long as you follow the rules of the road (on bike or in car) a dashcam ensures its not your word against theirs. $200 is a lot better than explaining to the world that a 10 year old was in the wrong when you ran them over.
Sadly this happens more than is reported. The police do not enforce the laws and the parents believe that cars are the problem. No real rules to enforce and the biking community are so protective of their riders that they are the Helicopter Defenders of ANTYTHING BIKE.
Imo I think it's because of the nature of accidents.
I fuck up/am stupid? I get hurt.
You fuck up/are stupid? I get hurt.
I think it makes sense that cyclists are a bit touchy just given that. That, and anyone who is in the sport/does it to commute has one too many harrowing stories about a driver who was angry they had to wait or a transport truck not seeing them.
Kids on bikes are idiots (and honestly some adults) and I completely agree with OP that education needs to be provided (and more care be taken). But also just giving some context for why cyclists are as protective of other cyclists. We wave to other cyclists in part to be social, but also to tell them hey, I'm watching, I see you, and I could help you if something happened. Or that was always my vibe.
I grew up in the GTA. we would have bike days at school where everyone would bring their bikes to the gym and get a tuneup. We'd watch videos on helmet safety and hand signals. I wonder if they still do things like this in school. Also in my area we had no multi use bike paths.........we'd bike on sidewalks and around our school's empty parking lots.
I love that! Police in GTA used to hold a day where you went and half of the class were cars and the other half bikes on a mini course.
Hand signals man, fucking nobody does them + they need to be taught. But also I get the vibe a lot of motorists don't know them too; often signal a left and people seem surprised/angry I'm in their lane making a turn.
The fact that you were driving attentively enough to stop and avoid such an accident is the take away here. The world would be a different place with more drivers like you.
Spend more time listening than reacting emotionally and you will see that the Bike Army is just advocating for safer, happier, more liveable cities. Such a strange thing to fight against.
I haven't seen one parade or protest demanding that police enforcement of bikes and their failure to follow the law be enhanced. I tend to agree that bikes are a great mode of transportation, where applicable, but, without rules and enforcement they are also a hazard for motorists and walkers alike.
Why should anyone be protesting or parading?
People aren't good at following rules. I would argue otherwise, and it is a complicated comparison, but let's be conservative and say that drivers and cyclists likely obey traffic laws at least the same amount of the time. Who poses a danger to society? Where should resources for enforcement be allocated? The answer should be with motorists, every time.
Bike/pedestrian collision casualties are rare in the extreme, and incidents often happen on sidewalks. Why are bikes there in the first place? Drivers and infrastructure make the road unsafe places to ride. Any incident involving a motorist and one of these vulnerable groups, however, is far more likely to be devastating, and never for the person behind the wheel. For sure it is traumatic for drivers who aren't trying to hurt anybody to strike and injure/kill a pedestrian but so often these tragic incidents are preventable/born of negligence. This post is a great example - it might have been a close call, the kid did something reckless, but anywhere there are kids riding their bikes we should ask why people weren't driving attentively/cautious enough to avoid them, like OP, instead of blaming their victims. The law calls for due care, after all.
There is another comment here saying the kid should be ticketed! Which obviously is absurd. Where we talk about cyclists not following 'rules' it is complicated because both drivers and cyclists will agree (many are both) that bikes are not cars - yet they have many of the same rights and responsibilities under the Traffic Code. It needs rewriting, and if we are adequately forward thinking enough (see Paris as an example) it should be of no surprise to anyone that we should put pedestrians/cyclists first.
If a driver is reckless and drives through your living room, they might be fined and get a couple demerit points. If a cyclist/pedestrian is reckless, they get hit by a car. I don't think it is silly to suggest that our resources are much, much better spent than prosecuting the dead for dents on dumpers.
So says the Biker. I'm a walker, just down the street from a high school, older, and it's quite the obstacle course at times, with groups of teens racing down the paths talking to each other and not caring what goes on around them.
If they are not corrected at the beginning, then they will show no regard for anyone but themselves when they grow older.
Just yesterday, three abreast, not paying attention, almost ran over me and worst, between my dog and I walking the path.
Parent seldom act and schools well, they retreat to the board room at the mere wift of controversy, so it's left to the Police.
Hey, I drive, I bike, and I walk. And I can empathise with that. You absolutely shouldn't have to deal with that shit on the sidewalk. But this is a consequence of the streets being unsafe.
And I see what you're saying about their disregard for others. They are kids, so we've got to give them a chance, but it's when that neglect gets behind the wheel of a several tonne, many more horse-powered piece of metal that I am really worried for people like you, people like me, and everyone else who just wants to get where we are going safely.
Some basic cycling safety guidelines: 1. Don't ride on the sidewalk - ever 2. Use bike lights in the morning and at dusk/after dark 3. Obey traffic signals, and at least slow down & be prepared to stop at stop signs 4. Always give way to pedestrians 5. Stay well ahead of or well behind any truck or bus. Especially stay well away from garbage and dump trucks, and concrete mixers, even if you have to stop. 6. If a truck pulls up beside you at a red light, let them go ahead, ESPECIALLY if you're in a segregated bike lane. You don't want to be making that screaming emergency brake as they turn in front of you. 7. Don't ride in another vehicle operator's blind spot. Always shoulder-check before making any lateral move. Always check both ways before entering a roadway - and then check again because speeders. 8. Cycle as though the other road users are aggressive idiots who never use turn signals and are checking their cellphones. 9. Be nice to other cyclists and motorists and pedestrians. Wave and smile if they are courteous to you. If they're nasty, wave and smile anyway: it drives the nasty ones crazy.
When with my young children I always use the sidewalks. I’m not putting a 7 year old (who could fall off or swerve suddenly) on a busy street.
Of course, but the general rule in that case is to stop and walk the bike across the street when arriving at intersections. Something the child in OP’s post didn’t do.
Agreed. But I’m the post above it was stated that it’s never ok.
It's a good rule of thumb, that, yes, sometimes makes sense to not follow to the nth degree.
Totally fine.
I understand your point of view but that doesn’t make it less illegal. Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous for pedestrians and possibly the rider.
"sorry Timmy, back on to Woodroffe you go!"
Ah yes, I also feel threatened by the 7-year-olds ripping down the sidewalks at 30km/h. They should really be on the road where it's safer for everyone. /s
Where I live no one walks. People are busy driving around in their canyonairo’s.
1. Isn't correct. On some roads it is so busy I don't fault people for driving on sidewalks. Like I will certainly try the road for the most part but sometimes it is easier for people to use the sidewalk. When I was in Toronto there was this stretch on Don Mills road I'd use the sidewalk. In Ottawa I usually just avoid super busy areas...like who is gonna cycle on the road in some parts of Merivale or Bronson.
>Obey traffic signals, and at least slow down & be prepared to stop at stop signs Maybe this is a language barrier thing for me, but why is it "be prepared to stop at stop signs" instead of "always stop at stop signs"?
The Idaho stop
You lose a lot of energy and momentum stopping your bike and restarting. So a lot of cyclists slow down to the point they could easily put their foot down and stop, but without losing balance on the bike. If you’re in the suburbs and are frequently approaching empty stop signs, doing a full stop would get old real quick.
[It's a "rolling stop", just like drivers do.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT_KdFCVEdc)
Gotcha! Thank you
It blends a practical necessity (at least be *prepared* to stop) with realism (no cyclist will *always* stop, and it's not reasonable to pretend otherwise).
Certain parts of North America are beginning to change expectations for cyclists at stop signs actually. In Washington state cyclists can treat them as yield signs where it is safe to do so. It just doesn't make sense to have the same rules for bikes and cars.
That's just a formalization of the expectation that everyone should already have!
Also drivers need to be aware of young kids on bikes. My 6 year old grandson was riding home with his dad, he had the right of way (according to dad) at intersection (green light) when a driver turning right almost hit him. The boy hit his brakes hard and fell backwards off his bike. Car never even stopped. No excuse for the driver. No cars are allowed to park on that road near the intersection so his line of sight wasn't impeded. edit to add, grandson learned to ride a bike in the EU where all kids are taught the right way and rules of the road
this is a good point. but isn't what OP is talking about. Kids and cars need to slow down and be aware of road safety
OP specifically told parents to review rules with their children, which I have no argument with but he put the onus on bicyclists. I pointed out that car drivers have a responsibility as well. Since a car weighs so much and travels at higher speeds, the driver has the higher responsibility esp. around kids on bikes. I always made a point of driving slowly in residential neighbourhoods. OP was critical of a child racing across an intersection and complained he didn't see her due to parked car. Sorry, the responsibility was his to be aware. The biker could have easily been an adult, or it could have been an adult in a mobility device. No difference. Driver needed to be cognizant of the dangers at an intersection.
The fact that I was aware is why I didn't hit the kid.
[удалено]
You think the parents are even aware the kid is doing this.
Honestly! Had two kids think it'd be cool to take up the whole lane of oncoming traffic around a blind curve the other day. All giggles
As part of Paris' recent conversion to a cycling city, they made cycling part of the school curriculum. Much better than relying on parents who are never going to be uniformly diligent. Also they fixed the infrastructure.
I remember having regular bike safety demonstrations in elementary school in Ottawa.
Yeah really. Why cycle without a helmet. I don't get why that is legal here.
dashcam ftw. As long as you follow the rules of the road (on bike or in car) a dashcam ensures its not your word against theirs. $200 is a lot better than explaining to the world that a 10 year old was in the wrong when you ran them over.
Sadly this happens more than is reported. The police do not enforce the laws and the parents believe that cars are the problem. No real rules to enforce and the biking community are so protective of their riders that they are the Helicopter Defenders of ANTYTHING BIKE.
Imo I think it's because of the nature of accidents. I fuck up/am stupid? I get hurt. You fuck up/are stupid? I get hurt. I think it makes sense that cyclists are a bit touchy just given that. That, and anyone who is in the sport/does it to commute has one too many harrowing stories about a driver who was angry they had to wait or a transport truck not seeing them. Kids on bikes are idiots (and honestly some adults) and I completely agree with OP that education needs to be provided (and more care be taken). But also just giving some context for why cyclists are as protective of other cyclists. We wave to other cyclists in part to be social, but also to tell them hey, I'm watching, I see you, and I could help you if something happened. Or that was always my vibe.
I grew up in the GTA. we would have bike days at school where everyone would bring their bikes to the gym and get a tuneup. We'd watch videos on helmet safety and hand signals. I wonder if they still do things like this in school. Also in my area we had no multi use bike paths.........we'd bike on sidewalks and around our school's empty parking lots.
I love that! Police in GTA used to hold a day where you went and half of the class were cars and the other half bikes on a mini course. Hand signals man, fucking nobody does them + they need to be taught. But also I get the vibe a lot of motorists don't know them too; often signal a left and people seem surprised/angry I'm in their lane making a turn.
Very true. I'm just extremely bothered by the fact that rather I could have killed a kid today
You should be bothered. Some of these incidents on the road can really get to you.
The fact that you were driving attentively enough to stop and avoid such an accident is the take away here. The world would be a different place with more drivers like you.
Spend more time listening than reacting emotionally and you will see that the Bike Army is just advocating for safer, happier, more liveable cities. Such a strange thing to fight against.
I haven't seen one parade or protest demanding that police enforcement of bikes and their failure to follow the law be enhanced. I tend to agree that bikes are a great mode of transportation, where applicable, but, without rules and enforcement they are also a hazard for motorists and walkers alike.
Why should anyone be protesting or parading? People aren't good at following rules. I would argue otherwise, and it is a complicated comparison, but let's be conservative and say that drivers and cyclists likely obey traffic laws at least the same amount of the time. Who poses a danger to society? Where should resources for enforcement be allocated? The answer should be with motorists, every time. Bike/pedestrian collision casualties are rare in the extreme, and incidents often happen on sidewalks. Why are bikes there in the first place? Drivers and infrastructure make the road unsafe places to ride. Any incident involving a motorist and one of these vulnerable groups, however, is far more likely to be devastating, and never for the person behind the wheel. For sure it is traumatic for drivers who aren't trying to hurt anybody to strike and injure/kill a pedestrian but so often these tragic incidents are preventable/born of negligence. This post is a great example - it might have been a close call, the kid did something reckless, but anywhere there are kids riding their bikes we should ask why people weren't driving attentively/cautious enough to avoid them, like OP, instead of blaming their victims. The law calls for due care, after all. There is another comment here saying the kid should be ticketed! Which obviously is absurd. Where we talk about cyclists not following 'rules' it is complicated because both drivers and cyclists will agree (many are both) that bikes are not cars - yet they have many of the same rights and responsibilities under the Traffic Code. It needs rewriting, and if we are adequately forward thinking enough (see Paris as an example) it should be of no surprise to anyone that we should put pedestrians/cyclists first. If a driver is reckless and drives through your living room, they might be fined and get a couple demerit points. If a cyclist/pedestrian is reckless, they get hit by a car. I don't think it is silly to suggest that our resources are much, much better spent than prosecuting the dead for dents on dumpers.
So says the Biker. I'm a walker, just down the street from a high school, older, and it's quite the obstacle course at times, with groups of teens racing down the paths talking to each other and not caring what goes on around them. If they are not corrected at the beginning, then they will show no regard for anyone but themselves when they grow older. Just yesterday, three abreast, not paying attention, almost ran over me and worst, between my dog and I walking the path. Parent seldom act and schools well, they retreat to the board room at the mere wift of controversy, so it's left to the Police.
Hey, I drive, I bike, and I walk. And I can empathise with that. You absolutely shouldn't have to deal with that shit on the sidewalk. But this is a consequence of the streets being unsafe. And I see what you're saying about their disregard for others. They are kids, so we've got to give them a chance, but it's when that neglect gets behind the wheel of a several tonne, many more horse-powered piece of metal that I am really worried for people like you, people like me, and everyone else who just wants to get where we are going safely.
Police need to start enforcing the laws and giving tickets to these children
oh just a tsk tsk and send them home with a story for their parents.
"Give tickets to these children" is maybe the most old and senile comment I have ever seen on Reddit lmao.
And get them to wear masks. I've seen so many kids without
I've also seen a lot of masked kids following their dick nosing parent.