>Cyclists need a separate set of rules than that of pedestrians and motorists
Discuss.
>>959233
they already have and it's a good thing.
Nah, I'm fine with it as is, ie sharing a lane and subject to the same laws as motorists; I'll continue to break the rules that are really stupid or don't apply to the situations I'm in though, just like every other safe and conscious cyclist. I'll continue to wave through the odd car at an intersections where I could assume right of way also, just to make sure I don't get ground to paste.
It all evens out I think.
>>959234
1. That's only in some cities.
2. Not really a law, more like a privilege.
>>959235
I think this might be the stance of most of /n/ cyclists.
As someone in the US at least, I'm pretty obligated to ride in the road with traffic, and I don't really have a problem with it. Obviously it's a little dangerous, but I've had more harm come to me while riding in a car than on a bike.
I'll usually treat a stop sign as a yield, or run a red light if there are no cars around (bike doesn't always activate the magnetic sensors), but other than that I'm just as capable as a car when it comes to traffic laws, and especially when I'm in the city, I'm usually faster than 90% of traffic. Outside of the city, or on big roads, there's more than enough room for me to ride comfortably.
>>959236
>privilege.
cager pls go
>>959239
>Obviously it's a little dangerous
So wouldn't it be nice if there was more solid rules? Like ticketing people who pass too close to a cyclist?
>>959253
We actually have a 1 meter law for cars in my city but I've never heard of it being enforced - i'd hate for them to enforce it the other way as i regularly go very close to cars on my bike.
I think cyclist infrastructure could definitely be improved - more bike lanes in general and the odd contra-flow bike lane on a one-way etc, and i think motorists need to be more aware of cyclists in general - maybe a campaign with some signs or something ? i'd do all this before changing laws otherwise.
Unless of course you're talking about banning cars from the city centre in general - i'm all for that.
>>959258
>Unless of course you're talking about banning cars from the city centre in general - i'm all for that.
lol
>>959233
I say yes, there certainly should be different rules for distinct classes of vehicle according to mass, speed, and purpose. eg: you don't want or need a tracked bulldozer to operate under the same rules as a city bus, and it would be silly to regulate passenger automobiles the same as semi-trailer trucks.
At the moment though, when it comes to bike (and pedestrian) issues, the laws don't work very well because they treat everyone using the public thoroughfare as having basically equal claim to the public space regardless of mode unless separate facilities, like sidewalks, are provided - in theory this is correct, but in practice, where infrastructure is designed almost exclusively for motorized travel, this means that anyone not inside a car is effectively discouraged from exercising their legal right, and following the law literally can actually be unsafe or impractical.
If we as a society really wanted to encourage more biking and walking, we would need to compensate for the risk inherent in our current infrastructure by passing laws to restrict the behavior of drivers (and there would need to be consistent, effective enforcement of speed limit, red light, and licensing laws - as well as much stricter requirements to get and hold a driver's license).
>>959253
Gotta look at enforcement issues too though, my state and others allow police to ticket drivers who pass cyclists with less than 3 feet of clearance - but it's a practically unenforceable law because police can't measure how close a car gets to a bike, so they only write tickets for passing too close after collisions occur.
>>959233
In the US at least, what they need is a mandatory road test and to actually test people on the contents of their driver's manuals. Licensing here is so easy that you don't even need to understand english to get a license.
>>959270
Mandatory road test to renew licenses*
>>959236
>1. That's only in some cities.
Here in Virginia, there are a variety of laws that pertain to cyclists only, even if most people aren't familiar with them.
I assume most places have similar laws.
For instance, if you can't keep up with the speed of existing traffic, you're required to keep as far right as safely possible, with about a dozen exceptions.
Then there's light laws, helmets for kids under 14, etc.
>>959243
>>riding on the wrong ride of the road
Why would anyone do this?
grindsmygears.jpg
>>959260
>they only write tickets for passing too close after collisions occur.
I was once hit-and-run, and they caught the woman, but only gave her a ticket for "improper passing".
>>959253
That would be nice, but as others have said, there's not much you can do about it.
Something like a year ago, I was riding on this big road, uphill, into the wind. The road has a speed limit of about 50mph, and most cars go up at 55-60mph. Thankfully for me, the road has a pretty wide shoulder, so I can keep about 6 feet from the right lane, which should be safe.
I was doing alright but some twat in a red grand am passes way too close and fast, and hits his right side mirror on my ass. It basically explodes and goes flying over my head, and the guy speeds off significantly faster than traffic. I was somehow able to maintain my balance on the bike, and kept riding just sort of confused as to what happened. I also had a bruised ass for a week or two.
The scariest part is, that if he was just a few inches further to the right, or me to the left, I'd be 100% fucking dead.
I think what we need more than laws, is some sort of general respect towards cyclists. I can't tell you how many times I've had people honk and shout "GET OFF THE ROAD" or "GET ON THE SIDEWALK". But there's no way to legislate public opinion.
>>959233
This thread is predicated on the faulty premise that motorists and pedestrians actually follow the existing rules.
>>959233
No, they don't, that will just make everything confusing and dangerous as fuck, STFU and GTFO fool.
>>960420
lol? There would be a handbook at most.
>>959233
>Cyclists need a separate set of rules than that of pedestrians and motorists
but they have...Where you're from?
>>960750
Canadia
>>959243
>side walks
Is it illegal to ride on the sidewalk?
If there's a bike lane or it's not a busy road I'll always bike on the road but if it's a busy ass road with very little space on the side you better believe I'm biking on the sidewalk.
>>960762
It's illegal but not really enforced. Just yesterday a cop drove past me when I was going the wrong way and he rolled on past.
Bicycle laws are rarely enforced, aside from Australia (because they're cunts). The mostly exist as a pretense to harass minorities not privileged enough to own a cage.
