Doesn't matter what the law says. He has no right to use his car as a battering ram, killing someone in the process.
Ok. I'll accept that the law is the law, but I certainly don't agree with that one. I mean, honestly I am vehemently against that law. If I can't do something (and this is just due to repetition...I've gone through my whole life opening my car door when I please) then god help the mindless masses out there who have 1/10th the brain activity I do.
Where I live right now, there aren't many cyclists to watch out for. But I travel to CA often, and the place is just riddled with them, especially the San Diego area. I'd like to know the CA law. Can anyone point me to this?
I suppose once I've digested the fact that I would be on the hook for something like this, I might be able to force my brain to think about it before I open my car door.
I agree. I can also see some road rage caused by some douche riders. Both should have some courtesy and think about the consequences. There are idiots everywhere.Doesn't matter what the law says. He has no right to use his car as a battering ram, killing someone in the process.
this is in your future... and i will lmfao
http://www.coronadelmartoday.com/13692/home/porsche-door-sheared-off-driver-gets-ticket/
".........opened his door today after parking ........"
"......just as a delivery truck drove past, tearing the door away from the car, witnesses and others said. "
There are a couple of well known shared bike/pedestrian trails in Northern Virginia and there is a lot of conflict between some (by no means a majority or all) asshole bike riders and the pedestrians so I don't really see that working any better on a typical city sidewalk.
Basically all that is wrong. I'm not even sure where to begin.
Huh, what exactly is wrong then?
It's just common sense. People walk at maybe 2km/h, a typical cyclist goes maybe 20km/h. There are only a few cyclists and pedestrians while there is 10x more cars, which go at 60km/h (if they're obeying the law) and often more like 80km/h. It makes much more sense to keep the bulk of the traffic, which is high speed and deadly, on the road. Keep the non deadly traffic on the sidewalk. There's no argument that this is much safer for everyone. Driving down the road there will be cars behind you, cars in front of you, and oncoming traffic. The same cannot be said for people walking. There is much more space between pedestrians than there is between cars. Cyclists on the sidewalk make much more sense and they can just go around pedestrians whenever there is one walking.
Now there are some cyclists that will go super fast, those ones can stay on the road if they can actually keep up with traffic.
Wouldn't the impact to society from people driving cars be higher than that of bike riders when calculated on a per vehicle basis? Bikes don't burn fuel, they provide exercise and I bet fewer die in drunk biking accidents compared to drunk driving.
What it comes down to is that most people are selfish. They have very little respect for others and don't want to share so much as even a bit of space on the road. When they have to slow down a little and drive around someone in the bike lane it just pisses them off.
I'm not saying bike riders are special people. They tend to be asshats in about the same proportion as anyone else. What I am saying is that we could all do with would be a little more compassion and respect for other. Changing our hearts would fix damn near every problem facing humanity.
There are more cars than pedestrians, and bicycles only go slightly faster than pedestrians.
uhhh not true. avg walking speed is 3mph. when i'm in decent shape i can average 20mph over the course of 15 miles, on a hybrid with skinny tires. many cyclists can do this. and those that are seriously into it and train can avg over 25mph - that's 7-9x faster than a pedestrian.
it's a significant difference. in one hour i can ride 20+ miles while a pedestrian can only go 3.
Plus bicycles are very quiet. Add to that pedestrians wearing headphones and that is a recipe for accidental collisions.
I am very opposed to people riding bicycles on sidewalks.
Elderly, children, people pushing bady carriages, etc... A recipe for disaster if you add in speedy bikes that whip around chain maces, swords and fire off lazer guided missiles.
NEWS FLASH!
Today I took my older son to school by bicycle. I picked up my younger son from school by bicycle. I obeyed traffic laws, as did all the cars I saw. I got some exercise. There were no angry interactions, but there were several friendly waves between car drivers and me and my sons.
Exciting stuff.
Cyclist here; lose some weight, fatso motorists.
I see what you're saying. Thats actually not me. I wouldnt just open my door all willy nilly on a narrow street like that. That is what dumb people do. But dumb people make up greater than 50% of the people we see in life. And extremely dumb people, I'd say greater than 25%. So its just waiting to happen. Anyways...I just dont think about opening my door very much, because I dont have to. I do believe that in circumstances like the above I would check before opening.
edit: and San Diego is just ridiculously crowded. You're running into people left and right. So the porsche driver would have to be an idiot to swing the door open on a street like that. He deserved it.
I can afford a car.
Does your bike have cup holders? I thought not.That doesn't mean much, since your car is worth less than my bike.
So basically, your point is that people who open their car doors without thought are dumb?
That doesn't mean much, since your car is worth less than my bike.
uhhh not true. avg walking speed is 3mph. when i'm in decent shape i can average 20mph over the course of 15 miles, on a hybrid with skinny tires. many cyclists can do this. and those that are seriously into it and train can avg over 25-30mph - that's 7-10x faster than a pedestrian.
it's a significant difference. in one hour i can ride 20+ miles while a pedestrian can only go 3.
2.... 3... w/e. I was just guessing. My point is that high speed motorized traffic should have the road to itself while non motorized low speed traffic should be on the side walk. It's very simple. I don't get why people are being so dumbfounded by a simple concept like that. Cyclists are basically pedestrians on wheels.