of course, I'm guessing you've never tried to commute on a bike, as you're calling the biker an asshole for using the sidewalk.

idiot.

Hills and rain, that's all Jesus' fault. No sense in blaming the pedestrians for that one.

Tag, Seattl, you're the idiot again.

I used to think that excercise made you all like calm and gave you a healthy outlet for stress and all that crap. Not any more: give those bike dudes a wide berth, 'cause they are liable to snap any moment, and we should be extremely thankful that their bikes don't weigh 4,000 pounds.

I encourage you to find a little more out about the bike laws in Washington.

i got you so wrong.

I also don't ride in the rain unless absolutely necessary.

This I,Anon swung and missed on both counts.

David--It'd be great to publish the I, Anon with the SMC section quoted after:

SMC 11.44.120 Riding on 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 at 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.

Listen up moron. Your bicycle doesn't give you the right to moe down pedestrians! If they're slower than you, or fatter than you, it doesn't mean they're any less important than you! If you're riding on the damn sidewalk you have an obligation to slow down and be courteous to the folks who are walking where they're going!!!

What the hell ever happened to common courtesy and common sense? In your case, it seems to have been replaced with smug righteousness. Dumbass.

Somehow, this I, Anonymous is not seeming so anonymous anymore...Sorry for your nasty spill, Seattl98104, but clearly you were asking for it.

And if you're passing through 6th and Pike, dude, you need to contend with pedestrians everywhere. In some places in downtown, the sidewalks aren't even designed to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians together, and plenty of pedestrians don't really appreciate it when you try to cut by them at full speed.

So hey, if you can't deal with them, and you don't feel like running over them, then go around downtown.

I walk to and from work every day (most often down Pike) and about every other day someone on a bike looks at me like I kicked their puppy because I'm blocking their path.

And cyclists, when there is a bike lane it's not exactly necessary to ride ON the white line that separates you from traffic. It pisses me off when I'm driving and I can't pass a cyclist even though there's a bike lane because he/she is riding on the line instead of IN the bike lane.

I love my cyclist brothers and sisters and they have some valid complaints but that whole sidewalk thing aint one of the legit ones.

i think both parties are assholes in the story, but the person going off in I anon is getting labasted a wee bit much for a simple spill on a wet plate. and I just think that the peds in this case could have not acted like assholes and add to the total entropy of assholes on the sidewalks and just let the guy pass.

yeah, guy's and asshole for what he wrote, but he's not asshole for being a klutz or using the sidewalk.

I think Schmader hit the nail on the head when he called you out for being the anonymous submitter. You're an idiot again, *AND* now we all know that you have scabs on your face.

so the biker got what he deserved, falling down, scabs on face, not because of the wet plate, not because of the pedestrains that refrained from letting him pass, but because of his future post on I anon?

...

Pine and Pike are BOTH really easy streets to ride downtown. Traffic never gets over 15 MPH on either.

I grew up in a town that had bike lanes on every major road, so I was surprised when I moved to Seattle 16 years ago and found the city so disfunctional in regards to bicycles. Nothing has changed.

I rode about 15 hours a week in Seattle for 10 years. In that time drivers hit me three times and ran me off the road into a post once. I've also had people hit me with their doors twice.

So when you're a cyclist and you've got serious scars from incautious drivers whose excuse is always, "I didn't see you!" you get pretty impatient with shit like this:

I'd have a little more sympathy for cyclists in Seattle if half of them followed rules for traffic, respected pedestrians, and so on.

Because any cyclist knows you can die of old fucking age waiting at a 4-way stop for people in cars to let you take your turn. Also, some traffic lights don't change for cyclists because we don't register on the pressure pads. People who turn in cars routinely cut cyclists off because it takes us so long to accelerate from a dead stop. This is especially awkward because the process of accelerating puts us off balance and makes it hard to maneuver around dumb-ass drivers who take illegal turns. And on and on and on. And try this one: walk from one end of Capitol Hill to the other. Refuse to yield in circumstances where you have the right of way. If you make it through that experience alive, you'll definitely have a new respect for how law-abiding cyclists are compared to most drivers.

And shit like this:

And cyclists, when there is a bike lane it's not exactly necessary to ride ON the white line that separates you from traffic. It pisses me off when I'm driving and I can't pass a cyclist even though there's a bike lane because he/she is riding on the line instead of IN the bike lane.

A fit cyclist has a cruising speed of about 15-20 mph on a straight-away and can easily get going 25- 40 mph on a downhill stretch. Do you have any idea what happens when some tool smacks you with his or her door when you're going that fast? First you get skinned alive on the asphalt. Then some schmuck in a Volvo runs you over because you've been knocked into traffic ("I didn't see you!"). So when you get up any kind of speed-- especially if there's traffic next to you, you want to ride the white line to keep clear of sudden door openings.

Do cyclists have an attitude? I know I do. It's a byproduct of drivers just glossing over the fact that their sort of baseline incompetence-- the sort of incompetence that puts all those nicks and scratches on every car you see on the road --is enough to leave a cyclist with cuts, bruises and broken bones. So when a driver almost turns and hits a cyclist because he or she isn't paying attention to what they're doing, cyclists tend to flip out-- because they've just had a near-death experience.

As far as the sidewalks-- whatever. A cyclist on the sidewalk should yield to pedestrians. That's certainly true. On the other hand, when I walk in Downtown Seattle, I can't help noticing that these pods of suburban shoppers come into town and walk 3, 4, 5, or 10 abreast down the sidewalks at a nice leisurely window-shopping stroll like they're the only people in the fucking universe. It's pretty irritating. The cyclist in the IA wasn't in the right, but trying to maneuver around a formation of fucking orcas in Gap-wear can definitely work on a person's last fucking nerve.

But when I get clipped as a pedestrian by a cyclist, that's no goddamned fun either. Same with trying to figure out what the heck bicyclists are going to do when they aren't just staying on the sidewalk or riding on the street, and acting like a vehicle and a pedestrian simultaneously.

Not to mention that almost being run over by an angry cyclist while I was on a crosswalk, crossing with the lights, is a real blast.

*That's* what I mean by obeying traffic laws and respecting traffic.

What I find particularly interesting is that, even though the bicyclist was likely much more seriously hurt than the kid, the pedestrians seemingly didn't give a fuck. An accident happened, the kid unfortunately got hit by the bike, the pedestrians immediately blamed the bicyclist.

and to add that what kesh said is all I've been sayin', but in a more civil tone than I am able to produce when high on caffeine.

i agree about the lights, though. holy hell people are idiots at night.

That's indeed a problem, but it's no excuse for running a stop sign without even slowing down, as I often see cyclists do.

Also, some traffic lights don't change for cyclists because we don't register on the pressure pads.

Actually, they don't sense pressure, they sense metal mass. They're inductive loops, like gigantic metal detectors. I agree this is a big problem. Every year bicycles contain a little less steel, though, so I'm not sure it's ever really going to be fixed. Remember, you always have the option to dismount and cross the intersection as a pedestrian. In some areas that may be the safest thing to do.

I agree with your comments about bike lanes. They tend to put bicyclists in a really vulnerable position, especially on streets that have curbside parking. They're a feel-good measure but I don't think they're actually good for bicyclists. One of the problems is drivers aren't in the habit of checking over their right shoulder for traffic when making a turn from the rightmost lane. (Maybe they should spend some time in Minneapolis, where buses routinely drive in the right shoulder on the freeway during rush hour. ;) )

The thing to remember, though, is that just because bicyclists have it rough from motorists doesn't mean they then have the right to take out their frustrations on pedestrians, or passive-aggressively block traffic just to get even.

I don't entirely disagree, but let's be clear about something: stop signs require you to stop. That's the law. Cyclists that "blow through stop signs without even slowing down," aren't more guilty of a crime than drivers who blow through a stop sign without stopping. Which I think we both know most drivers do on a regular basis.

Remember, you always have the option to dismount and cross the intersection as a pedestrian.

Actually, last time I checked Washington State case law gave cyclists the right to use crosswalks without dismounting.

The thing to remember, though, is that just because bicyclists have it rough from motorists doesn't mean they then have the right to take out their frustrations on pedestrians, or passive-aggressively block traffic just to get even.

I never said it did give them a right to take it out on pedestrians. As far as "passive-aggressively blocking traffic just to get even," I agree in principle. However, drivers are terrible judges of when that's actually happening-- often there are factors that drivers simply fail to account for (like the door problem), and drivers respond to cyclists by, essentially, threatening them with near-miss driving.

and lots of times, when you almost graze a pedestrian, it's because they are walking three abreast, or because they find it difficult to walk in a straight line. it's unbelievable the number of people who wind their way down a sidewalk, even when you let them know you are coming.

Seattle is the only city in the country that allows it.

Um, no. Most cities in the nation have absolutely no problem with bicyclists riding on the sidewalk. It's only in the major metropoli, where people actually use the sidewalks, where it becomes an issue and it's banned.

This person was definitely in the wrong in my opinion, and according to strict interpretation of Seattle's laws. Hopefully, more and better bike lanes will grab hold in Seattle, but in the meantime I think we should change our bike laws to not allow riding on the sidewalk in core downtown areas and those with high pedestrian density (Cap Hill, U Dist, etc).

and yeah, you have no clue, you can't ride IN THE STREET everywhere in the city proper. and there's nothing about racing at 40mph down the sidewalk in the post, your just making shit up to bolster your point, and blasting idiot hipster messengers to pigeon-hole bikers as a group.

If you're talking about the stop sign on the BG where it crosses Brooklyn, here's the 411: that stop sign leads into a crosswalk. Cyclists are allowed to use crosswalks without dismounting. When a cyclist stops at that crosswalk to obey the sign, drivers blow through it. They don't stop to allow cyclists to cross, so you end up having to force the issue anyway. Since accelerating on a bike is a hassle-- and you're less maneuverable when you're accelerating than you are when you're moving --you tend to blow through it if the coast seems clear.

If the coast turns out not to be clear, that's bad. But a cyclist who zips out in front of traffic is risking his or her life-- they have more at stake than the driver who has to slam on their brakes.

As far as "using the road right," don't make me laugh. Drivers never come to complete stops at stop signs.

Take this slice of life situation: my 50 year old mother with her arthritis and my 80 year old grandmother with her 80 year old bones and ears had a near run in with a messenger/biker on a touristy shopping trip downtown. What happened was that instead of them moving out of the way, they stopped walking and started to talk about what was just said. Grandma thought the messenger/bicyclist was tying to strike up a conversation (she heard, being this her first trip to Seattle, that everyone is so super friendly and honestly thought that a stranger on a bike wanted to talk to her) and my mom was like "huh?, what does that mean, “on my left” WHAT?". Needless to say, we all stopped walking; the messenger/cyclist had to slow down his coast. Thankfully, the messenger was a professional, knew how to serve correctly and didn't say anything un-gentlemanly to those older women. Once I explained to grandma and mom what the cyclist meant, they both thought it was a wonderful idea and very polite, and would definitely know what to do next time they came out of the country for a downtown city shopping trip.

I'm just saying, bikers, I know you know, and I know everyone you know knows, but in reality, not everyone knows what it is you are thinking when you are riding around giving shout outs. Enjoy the sidewalk, but remember, not everyone walking is a jerk, but that, like maybe your mom or grandmother, are just nice people, but clueless as to why you are on the sidewalk in the first place.

My mom btw did have a point, why don't you use a bell or horn, something old people like them would understand. They also both think bikes are great for exercise, but why an adult would ride one in traffic or around people in a crowded shopping area is beyond them. But they did understand that the messenger was at work, which is something they could related to, so it all balanced out.

as for riding in the street, it's simply not possible. newsome street, which i take to work each day, is a four lane with a 30 mph speed limit. people actually go about 35, which i can't do on my bike, especially on the uphill parts. i like to leisurely ride to work, which takes about 10 minutes. riding on the sidewalk is the only option, and as a state attorney, i can assure you that it is lefal.

As far as drivers who make California stops on right turns, I'm with you. As a pedestrian, when I am not riding the bus, I often fear for my life when crossing in a crosswalk and have some asshole speeding toward me without any intention of stopping.

Sidewalks can't always be avoided (but almost always can and should be) but when you are on sidewalk you can't expect pedestrians to expect you to be there. Yes, you might have to get off your bike and walk.

My one big grip: for some reason drivers don't think that bikers at a four way stop ever get a turn. Why is that? grrr. I drive and walk just as regularly as I bike and I find that in all three cases it is the drivers that nearly send me off the deep end/threaten my life (I include myself - I am terrible person when I drive though I try not to be).

When passing pedestrians on a bike path or other shared pathway, you SLOW THE HELL DOWN, announce your attentions, and wait for the pedestrian to acknowledge before passing carefully. I'd be pissed blue if some inconsiderate cyclist wiped out and hit my kid with his bike because he was trying to pass too quickly - pedestrians have the right of way on the sidewalk.

The whole I Anonymous post is childish beyond belief, and so are some of the remarks in this thread. It IS possible to share the sidewalk safely, but bicyclists need to either yield to pedestrians or ride in the street as they're supposed to.