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Bicycles are a tool for turning ordinary people into selfish jerks, jealously guarding their precious forward momentum. A pedestrian doesn't mind if they have to stop for a moment, it's no big deal. A driver doesn't mind stopping for a moment either, it's easy to get back up to speed again. But for a cyclist, having to stop is a minor disaster requiring a massive effort to get back up to speed, so they start behaving like desperate people, and desperate people have little regard for the rules or for the wellbeing of others.

Combine that with the feeling of moral superiority which inflicts those of an environmentalist bent when they're doing something which they consider virtuous, and you've got a recipe for major jerkhood.

I'm a pretty relaxed cyclist. I ride more or less upright, but the forward momentum is precious. It's no problem to stop while walking, it takes no more energy to start walking than to continue walking. Same goes for driving a car. On a bike on the other hand, starting to cycle requires much more energy than keeping momentum.

That said, some "avid cyclists" are total jerks.

On a bike on the other hand, starting to cycle requires much more energy than keeping momentum.

To which I have to say: that's on you. The only way to have multiple modes of transportation -- motorized, pedal, and foot -- coexist is for everybody to give a little. Which means there are times when you will have to stop and yield and wait for someone else, even if it costs you "momentum".

(and this is the polite version of the response; the impolite version points out that your argument is no better than a driver who gets impatient in stop-and-go traffic; manual transmissions are horrendous to drive in those conditions, but nobody suggests manual drivers should get legal exemptions to red lights and stop signs the way people suggest -- and some places have even established -- for cyclists)

Take out "motorized" and the traffic code pretty much goes away. Intersections with semaphore lights, all of it. It's all for the sake of motor vehicles. Pedestrians and cyclists can stay out of each other's way without anyone having to stop.

I never had a problem with a manual transmission in heavy traffic. If you look some five to ten cars ahead to anticipate what is going on and leave a bit of space, you don't have to come to a full stop. You can use first gear to creep very slowly, if necessary. Also, as long as you have some forward momentum, the clutch picks up very easily in second. I handled most congested situations in second gear with just clutch work every now and then.

Also, if I had to come to a full stop, I wouldn't start again if it was obvious that the car ahead of me would be only able to move three feet before coming to a full stop again. Automatic transmission drivers tend to stare at the bumper of the car ahead of them and track every minute movement.

I understand where you're coming from, but reality is what it is, and how we design streets should reflect it, meaning we should design streets/cycle tracks so that cyclist don't have to stop at every intersection. If we want more cyclists and less cars in our cities.

In Copenhagen they have the "green wave" for cyclists. If you cycle at about 20 km/h you'll get green lights all the way through the city, they even have LED signs counting dow for next light change so you can slow down to hit the green or accelerate to reach the green before it changes to red.

> On a bike on the other hand, starting to cycle requires much more energy than keeping momentum.

Sounds like that can be fixed by having electric bikes that generate energy when braking, which can be used to accelerate again.

Jerks happen to use various ways of moving around. Some happen to use a bike, please don't use generalization.

While momentum argument is real, my personal philosophy as a daily commuting biker in France is "I'm the more exposed to risk and the more hated road user, so don't get in the way of cars and don't ever dare touch pedestrians"

That being said, yes I do pass red light when I have good clearance and I don't "emergency brake by courtesy" for pedestrians that are not already engaged in crosswalks or clearly far from my course.

Theses two paragraphs are perfectly compatible IMHO. It's just that in order to play with the rules you must know and accept them and be aware that you are doing something borderline. And by borderline I mean something specifically NOT dangerous to others and yourself. If it's dangerous it's just plain dumb and irresponsible.

> I don't "emergency brake by courtesy"

It's not by courtesy, it's by driving code. And the fact that you don't judge your behaviour dangerous doesn't imply that it's not perceived as dangerous by people around you: as such, you are just egoistically imposing an annoyance to people contrary to their right. In other words, you're misbehaving.

Well I don't know how it work in the USA. But here in France half of the time, if you strictly apply the driving code as a biker and "emergency brake by courtesy", the pedestrian will bluntly look at you with a suspecting look for 5 seconds before eventually crossing.

Other half of the times they will say "you go sir" then you debate on who get to go first. At worst you "win" this unwanted honor you then have to slowly start again your momentum under the condescending eyes of the pedestrian that will say later "bike run like jerks!" to his friend.

While on bike, if the pedestrian is not engaged it is really smoother and smarter if you go first and the pedestrian go after. If he's engaged most of the time you can ride behind him, if not then you brake and don't even dare touch him.

Usually the only case you really have to emergency brake at a crossroad is when clearly the pedestrian is about to cross anyway and/or pay really no attention to his surrounding.

> Well I don't know how it work in the USA. But here in France ...

Btw, I live in France, too. The same happens to me while driving, too. I agree that regaining momentum is much more annoying while riding, rather than driving. Still, a small amount of time is wasted in both cases. I usually take it as an opportunity to exchange a smile with the grateful pedestrian. That's one of the aspects of France I love :-)

I think you are being way too charitable to cars. Maybe it's where you are from, but I can't say that is my experience.

>A driver doesn't mind stopping for a moment either,

This has to be a joke right? Drivers roll through stop signs all the time. Sometimes they don't even stop. And don't get me started on the "Red light means only 2 more cars can go through" attitude. Anytime I cringe at having gone through a yellow-turning-red, I am always surprised/relieved/disappointed to see several cars follow me through.

Sometimes I'm afraid to stop at a just-turning-red light because I know the cars behind me expect to be able to speed up and follow me through the beginning of the red light, and if I stop they might rear-end me.

Yeah, the pedestrians don't do themselves a service either. Crossing on red is common and now in the uprise of having something in your ears or looking at something in your hands there are a lot of obvious missteps into a cyclists line. I think we should not be as quick to dismiss dasil003's comment. We can all back off a bit, cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians alike. Stop riding the edge, back off, and just take an extra second to proceed, an extra one or two seconds can make all the difference.

Baltimore is surprisingly much the same, with the delightful twist of cyclists who cheerfully (and ubiquitously) ride on the sidewalks, and who then try to act like you're the asshole when you explain politely to them that they need to get off the God damn sidewalk and into the God damn road. Don't even get me started on cyclists who use the light rail. They're worse than football fans, which is saying a lot; football fans pregame and travel in packs, but at least they are susceptible to an authoritative baritone instructing them to move into open space rather than packing up by the doors, and to make way when passengers need to board and disembark. Football fans don't try to be rude; they just don't know any better, and are willing enough to be told. People with bikes are just likely to act like they own the whole damn train, and take great offense to the news that they do not.

Cars are fine. As a pedestrian, I love cars. They behave predictably and their drivers are often polite to a fault - I've developed a whole physical language to explain that, while I greatly appreciate a driver's consideration and courtesy, I also feel it benefits no one for a much faster-moving vehicle to await someone on foot, and therefore to please go ahead and make the turn or whatever, so you don't have to wait and I don't have to hurry, but thanks again for looking out.

This is tough to fit in a single gesture, but I think I've got it taped now. The key is not to mind hamming it up a little, because it does after all have to be easy to read from a distance, and to get the whole upper part of your body involved - you want to combine a smile of thanks with a forward incline of the head, connoting a degree of deference, with a rather sweeping motion of the arm across the billboard of the torso and out to full extension in the direction the driver was about to go anyway, to convey the intended outcome. Laugh all you like, but this works; I rarely have to repeat myself even once, and I usually get an answering smile and wave from the driver besides.

So yeah, cars are great. Cars are whales. Bicycles are sharks, fast and deadly and hard to hear coming up from behind. Usually piloted by assholes, too, which I guess sharks aren't, but when I'm just trying to get to work in one piece and I'm having to deal with the adrenaline shock of yet another near miss, I get a little loose with my metaphors.

Sir, your comment is a piece of art. The third paragraph, in particular, a masterwork.

You are far too kind, sir. But I thank you very kindly all the same.

Fellow Baltimorean here! My main mode of transportation is cycling. I try my best to use bike lanes and stay in the street and off the side-walk. That being said, sometimes it's scary/unsafe to ride in the street due to having a combination of high-speeds/single lanes/parked cars. Even streets with bicycle lanes (St. Paul St. is a good example) can be uncomfortable due to the above problems.

I'm excited for the cycle track on Maryland Ave. to be completed and I'm hoping that solves some problems.

Pleased to meet you! I've spent a lot of time on a bicycle here, especially last year when I was having trouble finding work and needed something to do other than sit home and go crazy. I never found it necessary to ride on the sidewalk, by and large because I was quite willing to avoid busy thoroughfares and use alleys or less heavily traveled parallel streets instead. Going a couple blocks out of my way seemed very much worthwhile when what it bought me was the opportunity to ride without terror.

Don't get me wrong. I know how scary it is to ride on a busy street - there's nothing quite like that feeling of wondering if the next car that overtakes from behind is the one with your name on it. Gets you right in the small of the back, doesn't it? That's almost exactly how it feels to be a pedestrian on a sidewalk with a bike overhauling - except in that case it's a lot more of a surprise, which makes it not one whit more pleasant to go through even if it is over sooner. Spare a thought, won't you?

Excellent post!

How would you handle the following? -> On the last stretch of a trip, your destination is in the middle of the block. Do you ride to the corner and then walk your bike to the destination or reduce speed and ride on the sidewalk?

Thanks!

To your question: the former, not least because it gives me a chance to catch my breath and let my heart rate drop a bit for a gentler transition from riding to not riding. But that's a personal preference and a side note to the main point, which is that if I'm on the sidewalk, I'm walking, not riding. Perhaps you prefer otherwise, but at the very least I'd ask that you slow to roughly walking pace and, if you must overtake a pedestrian, use a bell or your voice to announce your approach. It's not that I am unwilling to share a sidewalk with a cyclist, though I prefer you not make it necessary; it's that I'd much prefer you don't scare the hell out of me in so doing.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a well-reasoned response. Enjoy the wonderful weather today!

Thanks for humoring me. You have a good one too!

The number of deaths in bicycle - pedestrian collisions is about 1 (one) every few years.

I'm sure there are idiots cycling just as there are idiots driving, but if I get a choice between an idiot on a bike and an idiot in his truck potentially hitting me I'll take the bike every time. These things quite frankly don't compare.

Yeah, but the number of cyclists compared to motorists is probably a couple of orders of magnitude lower as well.

You sure you are talking about the Bay? That's exactly what happens in Geneva.

To the guy who down-voted my comment, please care to explain?

It was a woman, muhahahahah