8 Responses to “Bike Safety Improvements Discussed at Residents Meeting”
Comments
September 20th, 2012
None of the proposed actions would have prevented a single death. Stop being delusional change the law and get bikes off streets with speed limits over 35mph.
September 20th, 2012
Im sad to hear of the safety problems with bikes. However, I think riding a bike on Coast Hwy is very dangerous no matter what you do as far as markings or the like. The road is a major highway and is too narrow. Why don't we encourage riders to avoid dangerous streets linke this? Adding sharrows will basically slow down traffic to 10 mph. And will still not be safe.
September 20th, 2012
Please bring your "Laughable" self and comment to the City Council meeting 9-25-12 at 7 P.M.
September 20th, 2012
I was walking on the sideWALK toward the village from Crystal Cove this afternoon and two cyclists came speeding down the sideWALK toward me, side by side about 3 feet apart, taking up all but a very small portion of the sideWALK. I was walking on the right side of the sideWALK next to the curb facing traffic. The two cyclists did not move an inch, and nearly forced me onto the road. The cyclist mentality is miserable in this town. This is a section of town that actually has a large bike lane which is clearly marked. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not cyclists going 30 MPH. It has been an terrible week here in Newport, and it has definitely made me a more cautious and courteous driver, but I am sick of cyclists picking and choosing the rules they are going to follow and under what circumstances. They are "cars" when they want to ride in the street, yet many don't follow the rules we as drivers are required by law to follow, but they are pedestrians when it suits them to cross a busy intersection by using the crossWALKs. What would have happened if I stayed in the middle of the sideWALK this afternoon? Would they have run me over? Or would it have been my fault for not moving to the right? I'm curious. It certainly did nothing for my patience with the cyclists in this town. By the way- I am a cyclist and I follow the rules of the road. Shocking, right?
September 20th, 2012
The way to prevent deaths isn't to ban bicycles from streets over 35 mph; it's to get drivers on those streets to operate their vehicles safely. The simple fact is, it's actually difficult to have a collision. As long as you drive your car safely and legally, and I ride my bike the same way, the chance of having a collision is virtually zero. By insisting that bikes and cars can't share the road safely — regardless of speed — what you're really saying is that you, and others like you, are incapable of driving safely. And that's something that I refuse to believe.
September 21st, 2012
@bikinginla ....."to get drivers on those streets to operate their vehicles safely" ..... see you are delusional. Just like they try to get people not to drink and drive I read about at least 3 DUI's per week in just CDM on this blog. People try to drive safely but accidents happen, in fact THEY HAPPEN A LOT. FARS 2010 data shows there were 5,419,000 crashes reported in the US. Turns out crap happens and you can be wearing spandex and a plastic hat or you can be in a 3000lbs metal cage.
September 21st, 2012
While I am not in favor of banning cyclist from busy streets, like PCH, I would like to point out, as Bill mentioned, that I too see many cyclists engaging in dangerous behavior and creating vulnerable situations that could be avoided. Far too often, I see cyclists drifting out of the bike lanes into traffic and disregarding traffic laws. This needs to be a two way discussion, blame cannot be solely attributed to drivers; both cyclists AND drivers need to be educated and take more care while on city streets.
September 21st, 2012
i refuse to believe that biker riders ride their bikes any safer than drivers drive their cars. We're all horrible about it and Orange County seems to breed terrible bike riders and inept car drivers. No law is going to fix that. Add painted lines on the road and you'll anger the drivers into being malicious against bike riders. Ban bike riders from roads and you'll anger them. Every solution brought up in comments favors one group or the other but never both.
