Two things:
1. If you are on a bicycle – you are part of traffic and need to obey traffic rules. That means don’t fucking run a stop sign and give me the finger when I have to slam on my breaks so I don’t cream you.
2. To the driver(s) honking behind me when I pause to let a pedestrian WITH THE RIGHT OF WAY cross the intersection, before making a right turn: screw you.
This article appears in Jul 31 – Aug 6, 2008.
My biggest problem with some bikers is that they think they are allowed to pass on the right. As far as I know, that’s not allowed……
the problem is that motorists have an inflated sense of entitlement on the roads/highways. if they expect cyclists to obey the same rules of the road, then wtf does *every* motorist get cranky and ride my ass with their bumper (when they get ‘stuck’ behind a cyclist)? in other words, motorists RULE the roads and always FORCE cyclists over onto the righthand shoulder of the road anyway, basically into the gutters… then they get pissed when a cyclist passes them on the right. pfft! tough fucking luck arsehole… get off your fat ass, out of your gaz guzzling SUV and try riding a bike (for a change), in halifax traffic no less, before you bitch about how unfair your car culture life is… you got NO idea, do ya?
ps – and given the state of our environment, increasing health care costs (from lack of exercise), and so on… we all should be *grateful* to see cyclists on our roads… the fewer cars, the better.
um, techcafe? some of us drive because we have to- for work, for the commute, whatever. I’d love to be able to ride a bike, but alas, I need a car for work.And I do like seeing cyclists on the road- except when they pose a bigger danger! eitehr because of asshole drivers swerving and passing them, or because sometimes, when they see a car trying to pass them, they don’t at least nudge over a bit to make it safer. or my favorite, and what this bitch seems to be about, when they flagerently disregard the rules of the road because they think they’re in some strange void between pedestrian and vehcile.they’re not. They’re not allowed to creep into my side and turn a corner at the same time I am, almost hitting me. they’re not allowed on the sidewalks, to ride on the line, to swerve in and out of traffic, or any of the other problems I’ve seen. they NEED to signal as I can’;t magically devine what they want to do- particularly when they plan on making turns etc in front of me, and they need to understand that a car is bigger and bulkier than they are- I have blindspots and I can’t stop on a dime. Also, during rush hour? they SHOULD try to be curteous and not hold up traffic. clearly the solution is bike paths on major roads- that would solve a lot of these problems.
So bike’s are allowed to break important safety rules because they aren’t destroying the environment? I’m sorry, if you pass me on the right, and i happen to be pulling over(I use a signal light, by the way) your going to get runover.
Sarah, I suspect that what you refer to as “passing on the right” is actually “riding in the bike lane”. They exist, even if they are not painted on the pavement. Check out the bike route map put out by HRM. So if a cyclist is riding to your right, chances are pretty good he is riding in his own lane and you have an obligation to check for traffic in that lane before you pull into it. Just as if it was a regular traffic lane.
You can’t pass a vehicle on the right when said vehicle is signalling the intention of making that manoever. Now when it comes to unmarked and marked bike lanes, the common sense should be that bikes wanting to go straight would wait for the car to make its turn, bikes making the right turn on unmarked pavement would staying close to the curb and make the turn carefully and those in a painted bike lane would stay in between the lines.But the motor vehicle act states quite clearly that passing on a right signal is to be done carefully and that puts the onus on the cyclist since they are on the right side of the car.PS – to those in bike lanes and waiting for a green light to go straight through, please don’t sit 8 feet into the intersection, trucks and buses need the room to make the turn and their rear wheels are suppose to be near the curb when making the turn.
I just looked at HRM’s bike map and only the purple dashed lines mean there is a marked bike lane. The other on-street routes are without painted bike lanes and therefore the passing on right rules as applied to automobiles also apply to bikes on these streets.You can’t zip along the right side, along empty parking spots or the shoulder of the road and claim it as a bike lane since HRM and the Motor Vehicle Act won’t see it as one in the event of an incident.
Miranda, I took Driver’s Ed not too long ago and there was never any mention of bike lanes existing where they aren’t clearly marked.Perhaps it’s something they should put into the class? Bikes are becoming more popular.
I think you’re wrong, NSITC, but I’m not 100% sure so I won’t argue the point. There are “share the road” signs along most of the unmarked bike routes that show bikes and cars side by side. It’s kind of silly for a cyclist to come to a complete stop when the way ahead is wide open just because motorized traffic is at a standstill. It’s also kind of silly for a cyclist to creep along at the same pace as congested rush hour traffic, just to avoid “passing on the right”. I mean, that completely negates all the advantages of riding a bike. I also don’t think refusing to check to your right for bicycle traffic before pulling over is consistent with a “share the road” attitude.The whole “passing on the right” issue is a thorn in everyone’s side. Just one of the many points that needs explicit clarification urgently.
Miranda, you missed the important thing – its illegal to pass on the right when the vehicle infront of you is signalling intention to make a right turn. No one said its illegal to pass on the right so long at the vehicles aren’t signalling to make a right turn.Its also illegal to pass a vehicle on the left when the vehicle is signalling for a left turn. All those share the road signs are a suggestion that motorists and cyclists share the lanes, it doesn’t cancel the motor vehicle act regulations nor does it mean cyclists can break every rule possible.
“its illegal to pass on the right when the vehicle infront of you is signalling intention to make a right turn. No one said its illegal to pass on the right so long at the vehicles aren’t signalling to make a right turn”unless you are talkng about turning on to a one way street, it isnt physically possible to pass some on the right, if they are turning right. They would have to be in the right lane and in order to pass, you would need another lane. Now, it is illegal to turn right from the left lane which would have to be the case if you wanted to pass on the right,
I didn’t realize the discussion involved a right turning vehicle. I thought we were talking about everybody going straight ahead. Of course you don’t pass a car which is signaling to turn right. That’s obvious.
Homie – the scenerio is this: Cyclist comes up behind and just to the right of a car waiting and signalling to make a right turn at the intersection, the cyclist decided to squeeze between the car and curb just as the car starts its right turn but the cyclist wants to go straight through. The end result in the cyclist hitting the side of the car mid-turn.
Sorry Miranda, I was commenting on Hedgyhog’s post when I replied.
No worries, NSITC. (btw, for chrissakes get a shorter handle, wouldja?!) We really need some clarification. There is a lot of stuff in the MVA that can be interpreted in more than one way, and of course everyone thinks his own interpretation is the correct one. Cycling is only going to get more popular as driving gets more and more expensive. I don’t really think a network of dedicated bike lanes is the answer, because most of the conflicts occur at intersections and bike lanes won’t alleviate that. What we need is an official interpretation of the MVA as it specifically relates to bicycles.
touche…. my bad. I was thinking car v car and forget the shit applies to bikes and motorcycles.
we need more drivers like you!!!and i am not being sarcastic.as a biker (until recently, when mine got stolen) i hate seing bikers who disobey rules. heck, i even occasionally point it out to them.please continue doing what you are doing, and making Halifax a little more bike and pedestrian friendly!
I’d ride a bike to work if I weren’t so chicken shit, so I don’t mind seeing people on bikes on the road.But I do mind when they think they can do whatever they want. Please obey the rules. Don’t jump up on sidewalks, run red lights or cut in front of me. I slow down for you and wait for you to go by. I expect the same courtesy. Just because you are helping the environment doesn’t give you carte blanche to be an asshole.
exactly! i HATE when there are bikes on the sidewalk, particularly when they yell or glare or whatever when they have to swerve around the people walking….you know…where they’re supposed to. and last night I almost hit some biker when I was turning a corner in my car- I was turning right, the biker was behind me. I signaled, and when I checked my mirrors I noted the biker was making that right turn arm signal too- but as I slowed down tomake the turn, he sped up, inching his way into my blind spot, and almost ending up crushed agianst the side of my car. wasn’t my fault, but if I HAD hit the twerp, guarenteed me in my big bad car would be blamed…if you’re a bike, you’re to be treated as a full vehicle- I will give you sapce, and only pass you when it’s safe to do so. but that also means you can weave and dodge and pretend you’re not actually a vehicle.
i’ve lived in two other canadian cities that have networks of dedicated bike lanes that meander through residential neighbourhoods and connect up to the major roads downtown. cyclists and motorists love them, because they actually work. haligonians don’t know what they’re missing, and probably never will.
Maybe in 20 years, techcafe, when the dinosaurs that currently hold public office have all died off. Maybe then we’ll have some real infrastructure for something other than cars.
Miranda said, “Maybe in 20 years, techcafe, when the dinosaurs that currently hold public office have all died off.”umm, if only… and by that time, halifax will still be 20yrs behind everyone else.