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Comment by WheelsAtLarge | Hacker News Reader

I am of the believe that it is only a matter of time before any bike rider gets hit. Drivers are mostly on the look out for other cars not bikes or for that matter pedestrians. It's hard for our brains to constantly be on the look out for bikes and cars at the same time. What ever happens maybe the car driver's fault, even 100% of the time, but ultimately cars are much more powerful than bikes so the bike riders will always lose by getting hurt.

The best advice I can give is to only ride bikes on dedicated areas for bikes riding. Riding any where else is just asking for trouble.

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If you're too overwhelmed on the road to pay attention on the road enough to look out for bikes or pedestrians, maybe take the bus when you go to work. That's not normal.

It happens regularly. Cars will cut off bike riders and force them to stop or ,worst yet. drive into them as they switch lanes. Again, it does not matter who's at fault. Ultimately, the bike rider loses. I see plenty of "ghost bikes" on the sidewalks next to a road to tell me that bike riding can be fatal. I've yet to see a "ghost car." Car driving is dangerous too but I will bet on the car every time.

It happens with motorcycles too. There are plenty of situations where a driver turns right in front of a moving motorcycle that's just crossing an intersection.

It's not all car drivers but given the magnitude of cars on the road it only takes a very small fraction to cause all the trouble.

Especially with "the Denver stop" which has now been made legal in Colorado.

My son got clipped on his (human powered) scooter by a truck at an intersection the other day. He had a walk signal so the driver should have yielded. Instead, the driver plodded through his left turn, unaware that his neglect put him inches away from prison.

So, yeah; cyclists can roll through an intersection all they want but, I'm not doing it.

what you're describing is why cyclists jump lights. I've commuted in a west coast metro for the last ten years by bike. When the opposite light changes yellow I'm on the pedals to establish myself if the lane before the cars behind me get a green. In your son's case (best to him) he'd be clearing the intersection before truck moron goes ramming speed through a crosswalk

Giving yourself the equivalent of a pedestrian lead. I don’t do it, but I see the logic in it.

OTOH, if you ever get distracted or otherwise fail to notice a driver racing a red you’re royally fucked.

Happens from time to time. Ready on the brake and looking both ways

I watch the traffic like a hawk whenever I’m considering doing it.

If there’s no stopped cars in the lanes already (I live in a city, so this is super common for me), I’m way more guaranteed to do it, because trucks/buses/taxis/inattentive drivers barreling through “late yellows” is something I’ve seen waaay to many times.

The Idaho stop (what I think you’re referring to) is actually _safer_ for cyclists [1].

[1] https://www.codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety-pulse/2022/may/a...

I am unfamiliar with the Denver stop.

My experience in many cities that have adopted the Idaho stop (allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs), is that most cyclists are hilariously reckless and roll through at full speed. Watching streams of cyclists hold up confused drivers at 4-way stops is endlessly entertaining.

Please turn in your license before you kill someone

Maybe you shouldn’t be driving …

so...in a circle in the stadium parking lot when there isn't a game

No, cities have or are beginning to build bike lanes that protect the cyclist.

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