Road Rats in South OK and Similk.

[Rellic]

City Bicycle Idiots!
Since moving into or at least closer to civilisation four years ago into a small city that provides so many Bicycle lanes, paths, trails and performance parks for them is it too much to ask for a little respect from the cyclists to vehicular traffic and pedestrians? Why are they provided with all these concessions yet they have no licensing or management system? Every day I see dangerous activity, abuse, lack of legally required riding gear and procedure, yet no identifying tag on a bicycle. a simple small fee to cyclists help pay for the provision of dedicated marked lanes and paths. As well as providing the motorist a way of identifying dangerous offenders, hey! they can take our plate number and report us but we have no way of identifying a cyclist that kicks the door of the vehicle in front of us at the intersection because said motorist dusted the cyclist two blocks back .
Can you tell I just got home from being *bleep* off by an idiot on a bicycle? As a motorist you all probably know after a few midday beers at the beach how hypnotising that bicycle wheel can be in the bright sunshine spinning round and round in the sun flashing like it does, Hell I had to pull over and get the damn thing off the hood of My truck.

[gman313]

removed.

[cv23]

Since cyclists must abide by the same rules of the road as motorists, then why are so many of them breaking the rules continually? ie: no helmets...a law that is BC wide and most often ignored), lights at night required, no riding on sidewalks unless unsafe to ride on the roadway. Most of the triathalon types obey most of the rules (you never see them without a helmet) but there are many of the POS types who could care less about the rules. You've seen them..older kids/young adults riding BMX bikes downtown on sidewalks (where signs against this are posted), no helmets, no shirts. Real nice folk (not). These are the ones that I would like to see clean up their act.

It at boils down to lack of enforcement by the RCMP and Bylaw departments on cyclists.
Can you imagine the chaos on our roads if motorists knew they would not face any repercussions for disobeying the laws/rules just as cyclists don't?
I strongly believe all those wishing to operate a vehicle, any vehicle, on the public roads should have to pass a test on the rules of the road and required to be licensed in order to be held accountable for their actions on the road. Sadly without licensing cyclists can, and often correctly, plead ignorance of the rules all the while realizing because they are not licensed that they basically immune from accountability or even prosecution. Even sadder is that more and more motorists seem to wrongfully believe they have some entitlement to act equally as ignorantly and disrespectful of others using our roadways.

[XT225]

It at boils down to lack of enforcement by the RCMP and Bylaw departments on cyclists.
Can you imagine the chaos on our roads if motorists knew they would not face any repercussions for disobeying the laws/rules just as cyclists don't?
I strongly believe all those wishing to operate a vehicle, any vehicle, on the public roads should have to pass a test on the rules of the road and required to be licensed in order to be held accountable for their actions on the road. Sadly without licensing cyclists can, and often correctly, plead ignorance of the rules all the while realizing because they are not licensed that they basically immune from accountability or even prosecution. Even sadder is that more and more motorists seem to wrongfully believe they have some entitlement to act equally as ignorantly and disrespectful of others using our roadways.

So true, cv23. A lot of folks claim that the fuzz haven't the time to ticket cyclists without helmets for instance...I say BS to that. Just get on the loud hailer and tell em to get a helmet or face the fine..or quickly stop, toss the bike in the trunk of the cruiser and let the person walk. Show up at the cop shop later on, with proof of a helmet and pay a small fee to get your bike back. End of problem. Another disaster waiting to happen is all these electric scooter; no license plate needed, no insurance, no testing and they go at a pretty good clip.

[twobits]

On the connector from Keremeos to Penticton, when Penticton still had the "Iron Man", cyclists were out almost 300 days of the year, lack of snow made that possible, not just a couple but several packs at a time, 2,3, and as much as 6 wide in a pack. Using the entire lane threw the "S" curves as well as the right lane on the four lane part.

That is a classic stretch of road as an example but it has not gotten better with the change to Challenge from Ironman. To the list I would add Naramata Rd, Eastside Rd, 97 south to Osoyoos, Willowbrook Rd, Green Mtn Rd. And while some stretches of these roads do have shoulders, the shoulders are shunned by the road bikes as being inadequate either because of asphalt condition or possible presence of sand or gravel. So they ride in the vehicle lane.......because the damn laws allow them to.

If our spandex covered azz for a Mayor wants us to be a mecca for bike tourism, go for it. But along with that dream should be a business plan and budget to make the designated cycling routes a safe place to be off of the motorized lane ways of traffic. Pony up a projected budget to do so you and put it to the taxpayers for consideration.
Me thinks that when the proposed budget is seen, many who take an indifferent approach to the inconvenience of road rats might just decide that the cost of providing a dedicated lane or shoulder far outweighs the benefit of a pretty small niche of cyclists unless they want to contribute to some kind of joint funding thru licencing and annual fee's that gives them an identifiable license plate for roads rated at 60kph or greater that can be reported for infractions as well.
To try to create a new industry on the back of an already strained and inadequate in many places road network is just pure irresponsibility.

[twobits]

Most of these riders in their goofy spandex costumes are not commuting on their bikes so the argument that they are helping the environment is a wash. They drive every where they need to go and then exercise on their bike and the mind set goes to I can do whatever I want on the road. People get angry with them because they hardly ever ride single file and have zero common sense as soon as they put on the silly spandex. I hate hearing that I should slow down and it will only take a few moments of my time to wait for them when they are not following the rules. I live where the spandex goofs come out in droves and take up half the road although there is bike lanes so I get sick of having to take a few seconds here and there for them.

Excellent point. If these were just people commuting to work, I would be far more tolerant. Fact is the majority of the problem is spandex out for recreation or training for "personal goals". Then, 3/4's of them return home to the Lower Mainland or elsewhere after their group training hug, jump into their cars and go to work cuz who wants to risk their lives by riding a bike in the city?

Edit to add- I think it is worth making a distinction between road rat and genuine cyclist commuter. The latter is generally using designated bike lanes within the city. While I might have some personal reservations about cost justification of those lanes, I can give them a pass because they are not in a lane of traffic. When I see a guy in a suit riding a bike with a chain clip on his pants or a lady in nylons with Nike's (sure to be pumps in the purse), I get it. These people are not the problem on our roadways.

[cv23]

So they ride in the vehicle lane.......because the damn laws allow them to.

Finally you get it !

Vehicle
[vee-i-kuh l or, sometimes, vee-hi-]
noun
1.any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport:a motor vehicle; space vehicles.
2.a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, tracks, or the like, as a cart, sled, automobile, or tractor.
3.a means of transmission or passage:

A bicycle is a vehicle so should be operated in the vehicle lane of a roadway.
Cyclists have every right under the law to ride on roadways and that will likely never ever change. If you don't like the laws regarding what type of vehicle is permitted use the provinces roadways then lobby your MLA for change or move to a province/country where the laws better suit your entitled desires.

[LoneWolf_53]

The point is that we all need to learn to share what is designated as multi use and respect the rights of others, not always putting ourselves first.

Good point, so cyclists can start by conceding that they are low man on the totem pole when it comes to highways, (the definition of highways locally meaning anywhere there is a speed limit of 80kph or higher) so if they find themselves in a position of impeding traffic flow due to a lack of shoulders meeting the riders standards (and that's a whole nother topic), then the proper thing to do would be get off your dang bike and allow the backlog to pass, something I in fact always did when I rode a bike and I didn't need anyone to suggest it to me.

It just seemed the right thing to do.

I'd also add that when bicycles are in fact using the roadway they are subject to the same rules as motor vehicles. By that I mean they are obligated to signal changes of direction, they are obligated to wait at the traffic light just like the rest of us, rather than sneaking across the intersection in the pedestrian crosswalk without getting off their bikes, and if they are impeding traffic flow they are obligated to allow it to pass as soon as it's safe to do so, which on a bicycle means pretty much anywhere as you can easily dismount and walk for a bit.

In my opinion the reason bicyclists get picked on so often is because they bring it upon themselves through their unending disregard for others using the road, yet ironically they seem to be the ones most often whining about sharing.

Perhaps it's time they learned the definition of sharing.


And that bit about bicycles being responsible for bringing us roads was if nothing else worth a good chuckle.

I recall so many times in history class where a guy on a bicycle led a wagon train of pioneers west. LOL

Fuel taxes were the most instrumental in providing us with roads, and if I recall correctly bicycles don't pay any.

Whether a bicyclist owns a motor vehicle or not is also irrelevant as each and every motor car pays fuel tax and some of us have a number of them, yet still don't get any extra consideration when it comes to road use because of it. I just happen to notice that everything else that uses or crosses a road, be it a golf cart, scooter, or ATV is required to have plates and insurance so it's more than fair that bicycles be required to do the same.

Heck for all the monies they are saving by not purchasing gasoline, that group should be the most capable of coughing up funds for licensing.

Yes indeed let's make it equal for all!

[cv23]

Fuel taxes were the most instrumental in providing us with roads, and if I recall correctly bicycles don't pay any.

Actually to be accurate most roads, specifically highways, in the province were established long before there was even the idea of taxes on fuel contributing to the construction or maintenance of these thoroughfares.

As I have previously stated I couldn't agree more that bicycle operators should be licensed. The licensing of the actual bicycles used to take place in Kelowna, and likley other municipalities within the province, but for some reason it stopped. While I don't know the reason it must have been a pretty good one for City Hall to give up an easy revenue stream like that.
It would be nice to see some licensing of cyclists and their vehicles and it certainly would yield positive results with regard to everyone's safety and for seeing the sea of bikes annually stolen more easily reunited with their rightful owners. Unfortunately even if licensed it would still fall to the RCMP and Bylaw officers to actually enforce the laws/bylaws, all of which are currently on the books, yet go completely un-inforced for some reason. A motor vehicle slowly and cautiously rolls through a right turn at a stop sign and they are all over the operator yet a cyclist without a helmet rides down the sidewalk, crosses the street in the sidewalk against a red light right in front of a police cruiser or bylaws van and the officers don't even blink an eye.

[jamapple]

[/quote]

Simple solution - enforce the freakin rules of the road on ALL users![/quote]


Then you get some people that think by enforcing laws on roadways that their civil liberties are being squashed. So, no...enforcement just won't cut it.

[cv23]

Simple solution - enforce the freakin rules of the road on ALL users!

Then you get some people that think by enforcing laws on roadways that their civil liberties are being squashed. So, no...enforcement just won't cut it.

Sorry JA but Wolfy is right. Seeing the laws, even the current ones, enforced equally to ALL users is the answer. If applied equally those few who do complain about the laws supposedly infringing on their civil liberties can take their complaints to the Supreme Court as they are the only ones who will likely listen to their whining or can do anything to change the laws that were enacted for everyone's safe and orderly use of our roads.

[jamapple]

cv23, I agree totally!! That was meant as a response to another thread on here about a roadblock that some people thought was an infringement to their civil rights as the police were upholding the laws of the roads.
There are also some on there that said they would like to see more enforcement, as I do as well.

[twobits]

Finally you get it !

Vehicle
[vee-i-kuh l or, sometimes, vee-hi-]
noun
1.any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport:a motor vehicle; space vehicles.
2.a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, tracks, or the like, as a cart, sled, automobile, or tractor.
3.a means of transmission or passage:

A bicycle is a vehicle so should be operated in the vehicle lane of a roadway.
Cyclists have every right under the law to ride on roadways and that will likely never ever change. If you don't like the laws regarding what type of vehicle is permitted use the provinces roadways then lobby your MLA for change or move to a province/country where the laws better suit your entitled desires.

Quad owners and snowmobile owners also operate "vehicles". By your (weak) definition, they are also allowed to ride in a lane of traffic here in BC?

[Donald G]

The following "catch all" regarding Off Road Vehicle Regulation is a bit helpful but there still appears some overlap with the BC Motor Vehicle Act and Regulations.

https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/orv/

[cv23]

Quad owners and snowmobile owners also operate "vehicles". By your (weak) definition, they are also allowed to ride in a lane of traffic here in BC?

Actually the provided Websters Dictionary definition of the word "vehicle" made no reference as to what type of vehicles are permitted to be operated on roads in BC only what the definition of a vehicle is.
The level of education, or in this case lack of, is very clear in a person who labels Websters Dictionary as "weak".