I just watched this video on Youtube.
It was accompanying this article. Students out on an assignment filmed a fight between a driver and a cyclist at Queen and Bay. Apparently the cyclist stopped at a yellow light, which prevented the driver behind him from going through, which set him off. If this is true, then the driver is a jerk and should go to jail for assault.
There was a similar incident back in January at Kensington Market. The driver threw food out of his car window (he was littering). A bike courier who was nearby picked up the food and chucked it back into his car. He then retaliated by throwing coffee on her. She responded by keying his car, which prompted him to get out, kick her bike down, and try to beat her up.
In this particular incident, even though the driver is a dick, I understand why he did it. I hate people who litter, but its just moronic to pick up garbage and throw it into someone's car. The courier started the altercation by doing this. The driver simply responded by throwing his coffee on her. She then keyed his car! After she damaged his vehicle, he damaged hers by kicking it down. Now apparently he also tried to beat her up. This is where he crossed the line, and should have been charged with assault.
Dear bicyclists, there are a lot of aggressive/stupid drivers out there, us regular drivers have to deal with them as well. This doesn't make you angels though. There are way too many bicyclists who disrupt the flow of traffic on purpose and break traffic laws frequently. Other drivers will know what I'm talking about here.
If you want respect from drivers, then obey traffic laws like they do. When I stop at a red light, you should stop right there beside me instead of zooming through. You shouldn't randomly jump in front of a car without making sure that the driver has seen you. I've had way too many close calls with cyclists doing that. There are many other offences, too many to list here. I always have (and will) do my best to accomodate cyclists when I'm driving, but I will stop accomodating you as soon as I see you breaking traffic laws.
A great solution to most of these problems is the proper implementation of bike lanes. We don't have nearly enough of them in Toronto. They benefit both cyclists and drivers by ensuring that cyclists have their own designated space on the road.
One of my biggest pet peeves is cyclists who switch between driving mode and pedestrian mode by using crosswalks to get around. Crosswalks are for pedestrians, roads are for vehicles, got it? If you want to be treated like a vehicle, then act like one. If you want to be like pedestrians and use the crosswalk, then stay off the road and use the sidewalk.
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Bikes should be registered with a license plate so we know who the biker was in case of hit and run. Cyclists using the road should have a G1 (or equivalent) so they know the rules of the road.
ReplyDeleteYou know as well as I do that bikes will never be required to have a license or be registered. Cars kill people and can cause much more damage than a bicycle.
ReplyDeleteThere are two categories of cyclists, just the same as drivers. The ones that follow the rules, and the ones that don't.
ReplyDeleteI cycle 12 miles to work and back on a daily basis, in an attempt to help my carbon footprint. I follow the rules of the road. Every day, i am accosted by bad drivers. The worst? Those that sit 2 feet behind me and beep their horn, and scream out of the window because they had to wait 10 seconds before being able to pass me, and when they do..they do it within 6 inches of me at 90mph.
By the way, i have my personal injury lawyer on speed dial.