🚀 go-pugleaf

jik@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan I. Kamens) writes:
>Now, I'm just as disgusted with some of the laws in this state and
>this country as the next guy.  I'm just as uncomfortable about people
>using "It's the law!" as a justification for something.  However, in
>this case, following the law DOES make sense, and breaking the law
>DOES have ill effects.

I should followup my earlier posting about quitting biking due to a
couple of traffic accidents nearly ten years ago:  one of them was
while I was taking advantage of that bicyclist's freedom to disobey
traffic laws.

A lot of streets have ridiculous one-way rules which force a motorist
to go three times the distance to get somewhere.  So, the temptation is
obvious for a bicyclist to take a shortcut.  This works out fine so
long as motorists are looking out for bikes.

In my March 1983 incident, a motorist approaching a stop-sign looked
in the direction of "expected" traffic, but not in the other direction
of "unexpected" traffic (namely, me, on my bike).  Seeing no approaching
vehicles, he cruised through without slowing down.  Until his bumper hit
my bike and I screamed for him to stop.

So even the one-way rule is something bicyclists should pay attention
to.  As for me, I shun the bike and obey the rules.

-rich
P.S.  Don't be confused by the law's lack of clarity in defining bicyclists
	as "pedestrians" for some purposes and "vehicles" for others...