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As a UK major city resident for most of my life I am amazed at the liberal approach to cycling I have witnessed here in Blacksburg.
I daily witness cyclists jumping red lights and cycling the wrong way or on the wrong side of the road.
As a cyclist (and car driver) myself it is incredibly frustrating to watch flouting of the laws with such disregard. Car drivers rarely respect cyclists anyway and so by jumping red lights cyclists are basically giving the middle finger to all other road users.
I think the police should cease giving warnings as students on campus are living in the real world now and should step up to their basic responsibilities. If you are old enough to vote and choose to cycle then surely you should also understand basic road laws.
As a side-point I think it IS confusing for campus rules to be different in that cyclists are allowed on the sidewalk I advocate stopping this practice immediately.
Sincerely,
Sanjay Basu
A version of this article appeared in the Aug 31 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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If cars actually respected cyclists and acknowledged their right to the road I might agree with this person. As it is bicyclists are given little or respect by drivers or the road system itself. Bike lanes appear, then disappear. The reconstruction of North Main St. is a case in point. It is highly hazardous to ride a bike on North Main St. since the town didn't bother to make room for bike lanes. All this talk of sustainability and 'green living' is just so much hot air by both VT and the town to make themselves feel good. Biking should be encouraged in every way possible, yet I see it as increasingly dangerous physically and now legally.
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If cars actually respected cyclists and acknowledged their right to the road I might agree with this person. As it is bicyclists are given little or respect by drivers or the road system itself. Bike lanes appear, then disappear. The reconstruction of North Main St. is a case in point. It is highly hazardous to ride a bike on North Main St. since the town didn't bother to make room for bike lanes. All this talk of sustainability and 'green living' is just so much hot air by both VT and the town to make themselves feel good. Biking should be encouraged in every way possible, yet I see it as increasingly dangerous physically and now legally.
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After a right-turning vehicle hit me on a crosswalk on main st while on my bike (when I had teh walk signal) i sued for damages and lost as i was a "vehicle" in a pedestrian lane. Now I walk the bike instead, dismounting right before the light and crossing whenever I like. Protections for pedestrians say that all vehicles must stop for you regardless of traffic signals.
since the city favors vehicles so much, maybe you all should be grateful that cyclists are not bringing their motorized vehicles to work every day so the rest of you enjoy reduced wait times in traffic
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Um all laws everywhere require bikes to be dismounted and walked across cross walks. Just saying.
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Last year a law was passed in Virgina allowing bicyclist to treat a red light as a 4 way stop. Thus they can "run" a red light if they stop first. That being said the law also states if hit by a car when "running" a red light under this rule they are responsible not the car.
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There's also a clause saying that the pedestrian must give due regard to traffic. That is, you can't step out into heavy traffic and expect everyone come to a schreeching halt just for you.
http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/bk-laws.asp
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-924
"No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic."
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There's also a clause saying that the pedestrian must give due regard to traffic. That is, you can't step out into heavy traffic and expect everyone come to a schreeching halt just for you.
http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/bk-laws.asp
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-924
"No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic."
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The amount of misinformation in comments are mind-numbing. Just because you remember your parents telling you "it's the law" to dismount and cross intersections in crosswalks, doesn't make it so. Yes, it is an option for cyclists (see VDOT link below)
There's also a clause saying that the pedestrian must give due regard to traffic. That is, you can't step out into heavy traffic and expect everyone come to a schreeching halt just for you.
http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/bk-laws.asp
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-924
"No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic."
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