What is it with Haligonians and cycling on the sidewalk!? You guys drive me nuts, and it’s not all of you, but pretty soon cyclists will be joining drivers on my shitlist if they both don’t learn how to share the road. Your bike doesn’t belong on the sidewalk when you’re riding it! Stand up for yourself and start taking back the road…drivers will never learn to be courteous if they know you’re ready to retreat up onto the curb whenever they come roaring down in their death machines. And put a helmet on you idiots before you spill your brain all over my sidewalk too!
—Flustered Pedestrian
This article appears in May 14-20, 2009.
*sigh* can we please have “another bike bitch” tag, this is getting tiring.
Booooooring!
Booooo-urrnnnns
“Take back the road,” yes, I’ll get right on that.
While I agree that cyclists should be on the road…consider what you have written: “come roaring down in their death machines” would YOU like to try and “take back the road” with a 20 pound bike against a 2000 pound “death machine”?
I have complained about cyclists on the sidewalk before but it’s been because they were hogging the sidewalk and refused to yield to those that were rightfully there, pedestrians. I have no problem with those that are courteous…I can sympathize with them not wanting to risk dealing with the crazies behind the wheel of said “death machines”.
I ride my bike on the street 95% of the time. I also ride my bike wherever the fuck I’d like, thank you. It’s the freedom you get when you choose to cycle.
I’ve been riding in this city ever since I was knee high to a fly’s eye, and there’s just some places where I choose to ride “the walk” rather then deal with you, your type and your shitlist.
I ride my bike on the road where possible, but when there are areas I know are too narrow, I ride slowly on the sidewalk or get off and walk my bike. I don’t see what the big deal is, that’s just part of city or town life. The idea that cities are only for walkers and cars (as I’ve seen mentioned before on this site) is laughable. I’ve been riding bikes since I was 7 years old and I’m not going to stop just because some fuck doesn’t want to put down their cell phone.
At the same time, I think some people just have no respect for life and limb when they’re biking on the sidewalk….generally young guys with those giant souped-up mountain bikes, and that’s just not cool whatsoever. Maybe when they run down a little kid or something they’ll rethink the idea that they’re in some kind of action movie while getting from point A to B.
I don’t even understand HOW cyclists can use sidewalks, with the ingrown grass and frost heaves. I grew a pair and started using the road as soon as I got my first ‘real’ bike, and its been smooth sailing ever since. Honestly it’s better to deal with cars than a punch in the face from an angry pedestrian. (Note: Side, WALKS)
I happily rode my bike on the street until I was “doored” by some daydreaming idiot. Now, when I’m faced with a long line of parked cars to ride by… sometimes the safety of the sidewalk is just too tempting.
But I always yield to pedestrians.
I can’t stand those hardcore cyclists who don’t think the rules apply to them and speed through red lights and crosswalks. There are so many of them too; I’ve lost count of the number of times when as a pedestrian I’ve almost been creamed by one of these fucking idiots. As well as that, my bike and I were knocked sideways against a parked car as I tried to avoid being hit head-on by some speeding 2-wheeled morron who came careening around the corner at top speed to go the wrong way down a one way street. These morrons should be required to use liscense plates.