By: Diane Benjamin
The local minority that ride bikes expect their right to ride to be superior to your right to drive.
They have the Federal and State government on their side because cars are evil. (See the global warming scam)
Last night I was driving East on Front from downtown Bloomington. It was almost dark, a bike rider was in the bike lane.
He was obviously a frequent rider since he was going almost as fast as I was. I appreciated the flashing light on the back of his seat, it made it much easier to see him.
As we approached the STOP SIGN at Clinton Street, he slowed down and then turned right without ever stopping. He just glanced at traffic and blew through it.
If “Complete Streets” is executed in Bloomington-Normal, laws will apply to vehicles but bikes can do whatever they want. I know many of you have seen the same thing.
See this article from Bike Blono: http://bikeblono.org/2016/06/why-a-complete-streets-policy-is-a-win-win-win-for-bloomington-normal/
A few people are attempting to upend local travel making it more dangerous for everybody. Car lanes will be narrower. Bike will be right next to cars weighing much more. Add that bikers rarely obey traffic signals, and “Complete Streets” is a death wish for bikers. Of course, vehicles will be blamed.
Here’s my favorite quote from the website:
I wonder how long that bike lane will be empty? I bet it will be more than a minute and a half!
Luckily, Main street didn’t get a Tiger Grant that would have put bike lanes where they would wreak havoc by slowing traffic.
Instead of dodging bikers who don’t obey traffic laws, it’s just potholes.
Ride your bikes – ON THE SIDE STREETS!
Licenses should be issued to all adults and displayed on the bikes so they can be video taped and turned in for disobeying traffic signals!
Since car stickers are $101, bikers should pay at least $25.
Is “Complete Streets” funding law breakers with your tax dollars? Aren’t bike lanes really a lane where traffic laws don’t matter?
I’m a driver and I see way too many cars going to fast, running red lights, and not signaling. More enforcement for ALL users of the road is needed! People are people and some are a-holes or inattentive or don’t follow the laws or rules. Some of these people drive and some of them bike. I think it about the individual, not the type of transportation they choose. Also, bike riders often already own a car and pay taxes. Do you want to tax them twice? TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY!
If they want their own lane – YES.
If they are vested in it with their own money and not just the publics perhaps it will get more use. I pay taxes on both my vehicles (registration, fuel, etc). What makes a bike different, the engine? That bicyclist will be screaming in Spring for the city to fix those potholes in their lane. Those screams will carry more weight if the bicyclist has some skin in the game, instead of just a hand out.
I would like the opportunity to identify all of the lawbreaking bicyclists who do run the stoplights and constantly disobey the traffic laws and get these unsafe riders off of the road. We all know that it happens. Hey Troy, if you want to dance you got to pay the band! So yeah, let these people have license plates so we can make the roads safer for all. Isn’t that the point Troy?
No disagreement from me. If we are all going equal on this then license, register and tax the bicyclists as well.
Also, The traffic study I referenced in a previous post (can’t find it now) about this showed that if bike lanes are added it will increase bicycle traffic but it showed that while thousands of vehicles used the car lanes, the bicycle traffic only increased from 30+ riders to 90+ riders per day. I am not a fan of the “If you build it, they will come.” Philosophy. I say do the traffic study and if it shows a large amount of bikers already on the road then there may be a NEED otherwise bikes move just as quickly on side streets as main thoroughfares.
So far, in my travels around town I see the occasional bicyclist once I find it clear to maneuver around them that will be the last bicyclist I see that day… there is NOTHING that would indicate to me a need for a dedicated lane of travel.
Adding bike lanes adds more liability to the city, so yes, let them pay for those extra expenses that are associated with their demands. Main thing is that without a license plate, reporting their disregard for the law will be difficult. Soon however, I think i am going to get a dash cam and report every bike I see run a stop sign. It happens ALL the time. Can’t wait to catch that Blo-No Micheal G. fella. That would be awesome!
I just won’t go downtown because the complete street road diet makes it hazardous for all.
I only go when ABSOLUTELY necessary.
How about they use the space between the sidewalk and the street. Instead of grass, put down concrete. Boom! There’s your stupid bike lane. Champaign has done this in a couple places, and it works great! Have a bike tax pay for it.
I like it!
Bike BloNo=Isis On the Prairie.
Where I live, there are four 4-way stops signs on my residential street between the 2 main arterial streets it connects. On any given day, 95% of the drivers never stop at any of the stop signs. Ever. Even if they are turning, and sometimes, they don’t even slow down. When I stop at the stop sign, forcing the car behind me to stop as well, when I go, they go right with me..never stop. I have come to believe their only purpose is to decide blame when there is an accident. Attorneys making laws that benefit attorneys.
Wanna see an accident “waiting” to happen?? Take a picnic lunch on Towanda ave out thru Ironwood and pick a road about 3, 4, 5 miles straight up it on the way to Lake Bloomington on a nice weekend day. Sit where you can see ANY of the N-S stop signs. I bet you that more bicycle riders run the stop signs then drivers-percentage wise!
Recently followed an area School Superintendent down the street on his bicycle. 5 stop signs…blew through every one of them! Went past the HS in the process. Hard to have any respect for him as an educator or a man.
They must not ride for exercise since they skip the chance to stop momentum and then regain it.
Wow that takes balls to say that Main Street is full or cars for 30 seconds then empty for a minute and spin it as a reason to take away a lane. The reason traffic flows like that is because there are stop lights. And those lanes downtown are not even close to overly wide.
So they take away a lane. The intermittent traffic will still be there because of the stop lights only there is a good chance people would have to wait through multiple rounds of the lights to get through an intersection. More accidents as people try to beat the yellow lights. More cars idling longer wasting gas and pumping unnecessary CO2 into the air. Perfectly illustration of the law of unitended consequences that all governments live under.
Since government never admits mistakes, another plan will be needed! Of course, more taxes.
Buses are included in the mix with the “complete street” plan.
I wonder how they navigate narrower lanes?
They don’t. That is a real problem especially when there are turn lanes and street parking involved as well.
More money! There solved!
It’s Complete Bullshit!
The bicyclist groups have been taken over by a faction that is pushing this new agenda, in opposition to “vehicular cyclists”. However, new laws need to be incorporated, as they have in some states (Idaho Stop/Delaware Yield), as the bicycle is a different class of vehicle. Yet, do not confuse the two, they are different.