Bikes on the Road

I have been living in a large city for a few months now, and twice I have seen a bicyclist on the road bleeding because someone hit them with a car. I love to ride my bike myself, I think that the bike trails are fantastic and it is a lot of fun to go out in the country to take a few hours to get away from everything, my problem is when the bike riders decide to act like they are a car and then wonder why people get angry at them, or even hit them.

Now, the bike enthusiasts out there would say that the idiot driver did not see him, does not recognize he has the same right son the road as a automobile etc. etc. OK, fine. If this is the case and you want the same rights as a car on the road here is the only solution.

1. Maintain the speed limit: If you want the same rights and are doing 10mph in a 35mph zone, I certainly hope you would get a warning or a ticket from the police. I know I would get one if I was holding up 20 cars on a busy Friday afternoon.

2. Lights: For your safety and ours, get some lights on your bike. A headlight, tail lights and directional signals will save everyone a lot of headaches, throw in at least one rear-view mirror also.

3. Registration: If you seriously want the same rights to be on the road, acting as though you are a car then complaining when you or someone you know gets run over, hurt etc only then to say, "well he was on a bike, the driver should have paid attention" and then go to court over the matter, well you need to have a license plate and registration for your bike. End of discussion here. A simple $10 plate and a $15 registration would then actually make you street legal as the motorists, the registration money can go to improving traffic patterns, signage etc for bicyclist's and automobile drivers to ensure everyone gets home OK. I would prefer to see a wider road with a bike lane eventually. This would make a world of difference in my opinion and would keep everyone moving along at an acceptable pace.

I have witnessed too many confrontations, accidents and near misses not to say something about this topic. Same as crosswalks that pop up out of nowhere, that people just assume you are going to stop at. If you honestly think you have the right of way over a 2000+ pound vehicle, go ahead and step out into the traffic, let me know how that works out for you, when you come out of your coma that is.