I tell people about that all the time.major_shockSeptember 29 2008, 17:07:01 UTC
You are talking to the preacher who is talking to the choir YES please people use bicycle lights and use lock to lock them up thieves are everywhere and cars cant see you even if you can see them. Glad they are okay and you too.
This is why I will never ride a bike in Charlotte. It's just too dangerous. I've known too many cyclists who have been hit. I'm glad the accident didn't turn out worse.
I almost ran over a cyclist once on S. Tryon. I was driving behind a truck (we were doing the speed limit on a sunny day, not much traffic, I wasn't tailgating or anything) and the truck in front of me suddenly changed lanes. Just as suddenly I found myself only a few feet behind a really slow cyclist going up hill. If I hadn't been paying attention and taken immediate action I would have killed that guy. Cycling on Charlotte streets is just too dangerous.
What I don't understand is why cyclists don't use the sidewalk when there is one. Seems like it would be a lot safer. In the case above there was a perfectly good sidewalk along the road that this guy could have been using.
Probably the biggest reason why cyclists don't use the sidewalk when there is one is because they see it as common courtesy for pedestrians. I use both bike lane and sidewalk. I only have a blinker for my backpack, so if i do any night riding, i ride on the sidewalk. Plus, i haven't picked up a helmet yet, so if I lost control or wobbled, it'd be easier to divert into a front yard/flower bed than into a sidewalk curb.
Technically bicycles are to be used on the road not the sidewalk. Bicycles are considered vehicle under the law. Its an old law but seldom enforced. That's why you see bike lanes beside sidewalks.
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I almost ran over a cyclist once on S. Tryon. I was driving behind a truck (we were doing the speed limit on a sunny day, not much traffic, I wasn't tailgating or anything) and the truck in front of me suddenly changed lanes. Just as suddenly I found myself only a few feet behind a really slow cyclist going up hill. If I hadn't been paying attention and taken immediate action I would have killed that guy. Cycling on Charlotte streets is just too dangerous.
What I don't understand is why cyclists don't use the sidewalk when there is one. Seems like it would be a lot safer. In the case above there was a perfectly good sidewalk along the road that this guy could have been using.
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Probably the biggest reason why cyclists don't use the sidewalk when there is one is because they see it as common courtesy for pedestrians. I use both bike lane and sidewalk. I only have a blinker for my backpack, so if i do any night riding, i ride on the sidewalk. Plus, i haven't picked up a helmet yet, so if I lost control or wobbled, it'd be easier to divert into a front yard/flower bed than into a sidewalk curb.
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Unfortunately Charlotte doesn't have many bike lanes yet.
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