Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Rave- To good Neighbors Rant-Teenagers on Bikes
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August 19, 2009 at 2:33 am #591964
CheriBerriMemberI just wanted to Thank my wonderful neighbors who came rushing out as soon as they heard the commotion…. Today while exiting my apartment building on California ave we were waiting for the traffic to clear to turn and all of a sudden out of no where a kid on his bike come flying right into the side of my jeep at full speed!!! 2 of my neighbors came rushing over to make sure everyone was ok. The kid was traveling entirely to fast on the sidewalk. thank heavens he had a helmet on, there are many parking garages that exit out onto California ave if they want to ride fast chose the bike lane! Im so thankful he was ok…. the only damage is the $333 dollars it going to cost to fix my door so it can open again, My husband who was driving was a little shaken up and didn’t think to get the kids information, We gave him our number but we never heard from his parent so i assume he is doing fine…… and to top the whole thing off we where on our way out to lunch to celebrate my husbands birthday today. Thank you again to the ladies who came out and calmed everyone down!
August 19, 2009 at 2:40 am #675058
saneyMemberi wish a definitive answer would be announced regarding bicycles….are they vehicles or are the pedestrians? tax money is used to put in the bike lanes and they are still on sidewalks. or, they are in the bike lane until they get to stopped traffic, so they jump over onto the sidewalk and then weave through traffic until it suits them to get back into the bike lane again.
(p.s. i am mostly describing observations made downtown.)
they want us to respect their rights to be on the road, but they dont want to respect the rules and laws of the roads.
August 19, 2009 at 2:42 am #675059
CheriBerriMemberYeah moments before he rammed into me he almost knocked over a little old lady who was walking to thriftway. she even came over to me and gave me her phone number in case we needed witnesses.
August 19, 2009 at 2:47 am #675060
johnnyblegsMemberI completely agree. I too have noticed bikers (not the leisurely kind, the commuter kind) not obeying the rules of the road – turning left on a red, ignoring one way roads – and this is not downtown but in WS.
There’s been times when I’ve been yelled at by bikers for not sharing the road, but if they’re in the road they should be following the rules that every other vehicle does. Can the poilice ticket bikers for breaking the laws of the road?
August 19, 2009 at 3:20 pm #675061
austinMemberYeah those crazy druggie cyclists are at it again. They need to get out of the street and ride on the sidewalk.. wait, no, they need to get off the sidewalk and ride in the street! Just as long as they aren’t inconveniencing the rights of the always law abiding car drivers, who are the always correct in any situation.
August 19, 2009 at 3:55 pm #675062
AlParticipantDefinitive answer: bikes can act both as a pedestrian and a vehicle depending on where they choose to ride.
…Riding on the Road – When riding on a roadway, a cyclist has all the rights and responsibilities of a vehicle driver (RCW 46.61.755). Cyclists who violate traffic laws may be ticketed (RCW 46.61.750).
…Shoulder vs. Bike Lane – Cyclists may choose to ride on the path, bike lane, shoulder or travel lane as suits their safety needs (RCW 46.61.770).
…Section 11.44.120 RIDING ON A SIDEWALK OR PUBLIC PATH. Every person operating a bicycle upon any sidewalk or public path shall operate the same in a careful and prudent manner and a rate of speed no greater than is reasonable and proper under the conditions existing at the point of operation, taking into account the amount and character of pedestrian traffic, grade and width of sidewalk or public path, and condition of surface, and shall obey all traffic control devices. Every person operating a bicycle upon a sidewalk or public path shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian thereon, and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian.
…Children Bicycling – Parents or guardians may not knowingly permit bicycle traffic violations by their ward (RCW 46.61.700).
August 19, 2009 at 8:00 pm #675063
pamMemberWas the ‘kid’ 7 or 17 or 27? I agree that the adult bicyclists can drive you (me) crazy – the ones I notice of course are the ones cutting in front of my car at a red light or otherwise doing something I would deem dangerous Obviously the ones who are riding in a safe manner don’t bother me. I was wondering though if you were suddenly blocking the sidewalk with your car giving him no where to go? Or had the car been there for a number of minutes, blocking the sidewalk, giving the rider ample time to react to the car? I guess when you say ‘kid’ I think of a 7 year old riding his bike as a 7 year old would…. all out superhero style without a care in the world. Accidents happen, I am glad everyone seems to be okay physically.
August 19, 2009 at 9:54 pm #675064
CheriBerriMemberHe couldn’t have been any older than 15, and yes we were stopped for a good 30 seconds waiting for traffic to clear. He wasn’t paying attention, he had a friend cycling behind him and i think they were goofin off. I think if he was paying attention he would have had ampule time to stop its not like we came flying out of our garage we looked both ways pulled out and was sitting waiting for traffic to clear
August 19, 2009 at 11:21 pm #675065
vincentMemberAugust 19, 2009 at 11:45 pm #675066
JanSParticipantvincent…not everything is the fault of drivers in these things, and you know it. He was a 15 yo being a stupid 15 yo. Just his age means that he has “brain damage”…and he feels like he’s infallible – can’t do anything wrong, and nothing can happen to him. I’m speaking as a parent of a former 15 yo. Remember what you were like at that age?
August 20, 2009 at 12:59 am #675067
vincentMemberHey JanS, I said nothing about it being the fault of the driver. While your at it though, can you give me next weeks lotto numbers?
August 20, 2009 at 2:13 am #675068
CheriBerriMemberIm not blaming this completely on the kid, I know he was just out having a nice bike ride on a nice day, i think it was a case of us both being in the wrong spot at the wrong time. im just saying that he needs to be more aware of all the traffic exciting apartment buildings, we live towards the 6900 block where there is nothing but apartments. Im just glad he was ok
August 20, 2009 at 2:33 am #675069
vincentMemberCheriBerri: it didn’t sound like it, my sarcasm is directed at the pitchforks and torches that come out any time someone uses the world “bicycle” that’s usually coupled with a strange type of amnesia that effects peoples ability to remember any infractions commited by cars daily.
As best I can tell is people get this bizarre state of mind where they see themselves as superior because they drive, and cyclists are “inferior” at at least less important or entitled to the road as them. This seems to lead to all the “those darn law breakin bikes” talk.
August 20, 2009 at 4:09 am #675070
JoBParticipantVincent..
perhaps bicyclists breaking laws and not acting courteously in traffic lead to all the “those darn law breakin bikes” talk.
In this case, it appears a kid running into someone as they backed out of their driveway led to the comments…
August 20, 2009 at 4:32 am #675071
CaitParticipantOK – I have a proposal to make. On our profiles for WSB we should answer the following questions:
How do you feel about bicyclists?
How do you feel about off leash dogs?
How do you feel about restaurants with kids in them?
…And then have done with it lol.
Cheri – I’m so sorry this happened to you! And the kid of course… but I’m sure it was traumatizing for everyone.
August 20, 2009 at 4:36 am #675072
CheriBerriMemberJust to point out… my husband wasn’t backing out were in drive. and it was traumatizing i don’t think i have ever been that scared before
August 20, 2009 at 2:44 pm #675073
JoBParticipantCait..
i am afraid i am often as rabid about bad drivers..
and pedestrians who see you waiting to turn but enter the crosswalk after their walk sign had ended… and pedestrians who walk into traffic where there are no crosswalks… and people who take a basket full of groceries into the speed line because they don’t want to wait… and parents who argue with their children in public instead of correcting them… people who let their dogs leave a load on my parking strip without picking it up.. and people who repeat political propaganda without stopping to think about whether the actual policies being proposed are good or bad… and the politicians who govern with an eye to their personal career and campaign contributions… and people who don’t think someone who walks away from their commitment because they aren’t getting as much from it as they thought they could are flakes.. and…
maybe this isn’t a good list to start this morning?
August 20, 2009 at 4:49 pm #675074
SueParticipantCheri, I had something similar happen to me in Lynnwood when I was pulling out of a driveway. I was stopped, waiting for traffic, and was there for at least 30 seconds (if not longer), not moving, but blocking the entire crosswalk while waiting to exit. An adult bicylist came flying down the sidewalk extremely fast, not paying attention, and saw me at the very last second. He did swerve, fell off his bike in front of my car, and only put a slight scratch into my car. But he got up and started screaming at cursing at ME for being in his way and accused me of trying to hit him.
This morning I was waiting for the bus on Fauntleroy, and the traffic was backed up due to a construction truck blocking ahead. Traffic was maybe 20 cars deep, driving very slowly, and a bicycling decided to pass them all on the right, faster than the cars were driving. That was an accident waiting to happen. At least the second bicycling who decided to take the sidewalk to pass was driving slowly, especially while biking through the people waiting for the bus.
I am not anti-bike – while I don’t bike, my husband is an avid biker. But everyone needs to follow the laws, pedestrian, bikers and cars alike.
August 20, 2009 at 6:00 pm #675075
celeste17ParticipantHappy Birthday Mr. Cherri. Another August birthday.
August 20, 2009 at 7:08 pm #675076
JoBParticipanti second that wish:)
August 20, 2009 at 9:27 pm #675077
AlParticipantAn interesting point here may be that if the vehicle is blocking the intersection, said vehicle is blocking the Right of Way of pedestrians an bicyclists:
RCW 46.61.261 Sidewalks, crosswalks — Pedestrians, bicycles.
The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way to any pedestrian or bicycle on a sidewalk. The rider of a bicycle shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian on a sidewalk or crosswalk.
August 20, 2009 at 11:18 pm #675078
sam-cParticipantyeah true- but with parked cars and shrubbery, your view of oncoming traffic is difficult, making it a necessity to pull out close to the street. if you pull out to look and there’s traffic coming, then yeah you’re going to block the sidewalk. and if you’re sitting there, a pedestrian or cyclist (on the sidewalk) is watching where they are going, they won’t hit you.
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