Toronto wrote:

>
> > >The bikes around here are worse than the cars. It is a wonder that more of
> > >them don't get killed. They rarely stop for stop signs.
> >
> > Here too. They also are very bad about equipping their bikes with
> > reflective devices and wearing reflective clothing after dark. I've
> > been surprised more than once by a dark bike with a rider dressed in
> > black (after dark) seemingly coming from nowhere on busy city streets.
>
> Tarring all cyclists with the same brush is a bit like saying all car
> drivers are horn-pressing, coffee sipping, cell phone holding, left
> turning, non-signaling jerks.

From what I have seen around here, it is not hard to tar them with the same brush
because an overwhelming majorty of them do it, not just the occasional cyclist.

> As to the two-wheeled crowd, some of us have refective jackets and
> helmets, multi-watt LED headlights and taillights, reflective tape all
> over, and *do* stop for traffic lights and stop signs. I'm not a
> racer, I'm not a BMXer, and I'm sure as hell not a skateboarder. I
> commute year-round by bicycle in a major city, and do my grocery and
> other shopping by bike as well. Riding over 8,000 km per year tends to
> hone your survival skills somewhat.

I am a cyclist too. I don't cycle as far as you do, but I average about 15 km per
day in the warm weather. I realize there are two sides to the story. I ride
defensively because I know I will be the one who ends up hurt or killed, but I
have to wonder about most of the other cyclists I see out there who act as if the
rules of the road do not apply to them.