Fri May 4, 2012
Advice

Urban Etiquette: Cycling

A guide to cycling etiquette: don’t jump the queue at red lights, ring your bell liberally, and flirt with other cyclists in a safe manner!

BY: The Grid

How should people behave in cities? The Grid’s Urban Etiquette video series gives you a few tips on how to be a polite city dweller.

This week, we ask Andrea Garcia, the Advocacy Director of the Toronto Cyclists Union, to advise us on why cyclists shouldn’t run red lights, how often to ring your bell, and whether bike flirting is an acceptable practice.

Produced by El Pea Productions for The Grid.

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cge

Just came back from a ride through the core. I was only out there for an hour and a half and made the point of being a “good driver”, recognizing the Sunday crowds and influx of out-of-town traffic. No hurry. Nevertheless, I encountered two noteworthy situations and both were dangerous ones.

A lady in a truck was driving down Dundas St. W. with no hands on the wheel, and talking on a cell phone. She didn’t see me when she turned into a street abruptly. A\ the corner of Bathurst and Queen St. W. there was a pickup truck in the intersection. I checked to see if I should go around it (it was there for a long time) when a furious driver careened around me (slowly passing the truck) and she was actually screaming and shaking her fist.

I didn’t see any police on bikes during my whole tour (King to Dufferin to St. Clair to Bathurst to Queen) and I think that more police cops in the fray might make a difference. Still, for the types of people I am describing there really is no remedy. By the way, even though the streets are crowded today most of the auto drivers were just driving properly and I have no complaint about them.
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3:07 pm on May 27, 2012

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Toby

I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with going in front of people before red lights. It is beyond annoying to get trapped behind slow bikers. Yes, you can’t always assume the speed of who you are passing. But if you know that you are very fast, and willing and able to push to your full speed, do it.
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12:36 pm on May 18, 2012

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Mr. White

‘Unless you’re writing in some bizarre form of satirical mindset, clearly you’re an a$$. I’m not surprised you get hit. Seemingly, a bunch of those hits were to the head.’

Jim
Why is this necessary?He did not criticize you. You speak as if you are a superior being, entitled to belittle someone else’s intelligence. Does this give you a thrill? Attacking people on message boards?
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12:42 am on May 18, 2012

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Jo

I’m new to commuting to work on my shiny new bike. At first I was really nervous about navigating the roads from North Toronto to downtown, but for the most part, I’m finding that as long as I am careful and respectful of those around me- other cyclists, cars and pedestrians – they are careful and respectful of me. Sure, I’ve almost been side-swiped by a few idiots in their cars who aren’t paying attention; the other day a pedestrian randomly decided to step off the sidewalk without looking and I nearly hit him; I made a error in judgement and cut off another cyclist not too long ago, but I smiled at her and apologized, and she seemed startled that I even bothered to say anything. I try to stop at stop signs (not always fully, but I always look both ways), and I have decided that I am never going to make it a habit of crossing at a red light just before it turns green, because as a Torontonian born and raised, I’ve seen waaaaay too many cars fly through red lights. But things happen, even when obeying the rules of the road, so respect is a big factor to me. I’d rather let some idiot driver cut me off than, you know, die. But hey, that’s just me.
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12:44 pm on May 17, 2012

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Graeme

I gather from the video the suggestion not to “jump the queue at red lights” refers to cyclists who, when passed by another before the intersection, move to the front of the queue at the red light, forcing people to pass them a second time.

I believe going to the front of the queue at red lights to bypass slower cyclists is good practice as long as it’s safe to do so and I’m not blocking other road users.
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10:56 am on May 17, 2012

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MC

Nope – not OK. It’s fair game to pass someone when riding, but how do you know how fast they are when stopped? People judge a stopped cyclist by the appearance of the bike and rider rather than how fast she actually rides. This happens to me all the time when riding with my (empty) baby seat, and often the people that reposition themselves in front of me at a red light are actually much slower cyclists. I don’t know where people get the idea that this is OK. You would never do this on foot or in a vehicle.
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11:15 am on May 17, 2012
Graeme

Hey MC, I agree with you, pre-judging sucks. I was thinking of when I’ve been behind someone long enough to figure out I’m going faster but didn’t get the opportunity to pass safely while riding. Here, jumping the queue at the red light seems OK to me.
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1:12 pm on May 22, 2012

Devon

When I learned to drive the mindset was defensive driving – how to stay out of dangerous situations. Applying that same mindset to cycling has kept me safe for a long time.

I am conscious of the blind spots that cars, runners, skateboarders and other cyclists have. I try to avoid being in them, and if I am I am ready to stop or get out of their way. I’m not a big fan of ringing my bell, but do so when I need to alert people. I make sure that drivers see me before I turn, just like driving a car.

Obeying some basic rules of the road on your bike keeps you and everyone else around you safer.

Ride safe
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9:39 am on May 17, 2012

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MacGregrrrr the Terrier-ist

If you’re going to wear black pants, a black top, a black helmet, and carry a black backpack at night … PLEASE install reflectors and/or lights on your bike! I don’t have infrared radar in my car … and the only way I can “see” you is when you pass in front of something lit or reflecting light …
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8:33 am on May 17, 2012

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Phil

Why do you hate blacks so much?
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1:47 pm on May 17, 2012

KING OF THE ROAD

I CYCLE AS HARD AS I CAN, AS FAST AS I CAN, AND GO BY MY OWN RULES – WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD, THROUGH STOP SIGNS, THROUGH RED LIGHTS – WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET ME TO MY DESTINATION – BEACUSE IF I DON’T THEN I PUT MY LIFE IN THE HANDS OF THE MOTORISTS OUT THERE. I WILL TAKE CONTROL OF THE AT EVERY MOMENT- ONLY PEAKING OVER MY SHOULDER FOR THE PIGS – AND IF I DON’T, THEN CARS WILL SANDWHICH ME BETWEEN EACH OTHER OR THE CIRB, DART IN FRONT, AND JUST PLAIN TREAT YOU AS AN OBSTICAL THEY HAVE TO RIP BY AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE BEEN HIT MANY TIMES BY CARS AS WELL AS MY BOTHER AND OTHERS I KNOW, AND WILL NOW SMACK A CAR AND HIT BACK. AS A CYCLIST YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOURSELF SEEN ON THE ROAD AND BECOME PART OF TRAFFIC. MOTORISTS ARE MERELY TRYING TO GET TO THEIR DESTINATION IN A LAZIER WAY – SO WHY DON’T YOU SLOW DOWN AND RESPECT THE LIVES OF THE CYCLISTS YOU ARE DRIVING BESIDE. I RIDE AN ORANGE FIXED GEAR MASI – SO IF YOU SEE ME STAY OUT OF THE WAY.
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8:23 am on May 17, 2012

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Kate

Are you crazy?! I hope this is a joke. You’re making the rest of us look bad and making the entire problem–that you are complaining about–worse.
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8:30 am on May 17, 2012
Jim

I’ll happily stay out of your way, hipster.

Unless you’re writing in some bizarre form of satirical mindset, clearly you’re an a$$. I’m not surprised you get hit. Seemingly, a bunch of those hits were to the head.

I ride year round to work – that’s basically 10 miles a day, every day. I’ve been hit (very gently) once in 53 years of riding, and I almost never encounter the kind of driver behaviour you cite; about the worst is getting a bit crowded at the curb or having drivers cut the corner at Dundas and McCaul, and I expect it and deal with it. I don’t need to blow red lights, bulldoze past stopped streetcars, salmon through one-way streets, etc. But then, I’m not an a$$hole.

I also drive a large SUV. For the sake of my paintjob, I’d like to make sure we never meet. Perhaps you could replace your helmet – which, let’s face it, isn’t going to do your “brain” much good any more – with a large, day-glo orange dunce cap. Or a pylon; that’d work well too.
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8:34 am on May 17, 2012
Brian Wilson

Well, aren’t you just the personification of everything that’s wrong with cyclists in this city…what ALL of you fail to understand is that most motorists would not mind SHARING THE ROADWAYS if it were done properly. Bikers using a road should be forced to get a licence, get insurance, follow ALL the rules of the road, and be just as accountable as car drivers for their actions…and to the asshats clogging up Queen Street East, do you not know there is a bike lane 1 block south, on Eastern, and 1 block north, on Dundas? USE THEM, and leave us to our idiot pedestrians and streetcars….thank you.
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8:48 am on May 17, 2012
KING OF THE ROAD

I’M NO HIPSTER AT ALL, BUT OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE A GTA BIG HEADED UNPRACTICAL SUV DRIVER THAT COMES IN THE CITY AT A SLOW PACE FOR A COUCOUPLE OF HOURS DURING THE DAY AND THINK YOU KNOW THE INS AND OUTS OF CITY RIDING. I LIVE DOWNTOWN TORONTO, RIDE 24/7 – 365 , AND KNOW TRUE CITY RIDING. I AM A UNIVERSITY GRADUATE FROM WESTERN, AN HONOUR ROLL STUDENT, AN A NICE GUY – BUT I RIDE HOW I WANT BECAUSE PEOPLE THAT COME INTO THE CITY AND DRIVE THEIR GAS GUZZLING SUV’S DON’T RESPECT BIKERS, SO YOU MUST TAKE OVER THE ROAD AND ENSURE THAT THEY CAN’T WHIP IN FRONT OF YOU, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SAVE A MINUTE OR TWO. DON’T INSULT MY INTELIGENCE BECAUSE I’M WILLING TO RAISE MY VOICE UP ABOUT A PROBLEM WITH CARS AND BIKERS. I RIDE HOW I WANT BECAUSE THE COPS HAVEN’T DONE MUCH ABOUT THE DEATHS OCCURING FROM CARS HITTING CYCLISTS. I HAVE GONE TO VIGALS REPESPECTING FALLEN BIKERS AND DON’T WANT THAT TO BE ME. THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN FROM A BIKER RUNNING A STOP LIGHT (WITH RESPECT) IS A CAR GETS ANGRY BECAUSE THEY CAN’T DO THE SAME THING. THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN FROM A CAR MERGING WITHOUT CHECKING THEIR BLIND SPOT OR SIGNALLING IN THE DEATH OF ANOTHER HUMAN ON A BIKE. I’VE BEEN TO VIGALS FOR MOTORISTS THAT HAVE BEEN RIDING AT A SLOW PACE, JUST LIEK YOURSELF ON DUNDAS. SO DON’T RIDE INTO THE CITY AND TELL ME IT DOESN’T HAPPEN. JUMP BACK IN YOUR SUV AND GUZZLE BACK SOME MORE GAS.
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9:16 am on May 17, 2012
Nuno

with that attitude no wonder you’re not only an obstacle you’ll be dead very soon.
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9:39 am on May 17, 2012
Jim

Dear King,

24 hours a day, 365 days a year? For realsies? You must be a superhero. When do you sleep?

There is no problem between CARS – I just love your use of caps, by the way – and bikes. There ARE rushed, inconsiderate, inattentive car drivers, and there most certainly are rude, inattentive (esp. Ipod-wearing), incompetent cyclists on the streets. But hey, you already knew that, because you see one every morning when you admire your ironic facial hair.

I hope sincerely that we never meet. I hope that any time I’m riding or driving you’re off doing whatever it is you do when you’re not riding a fixie (the official bike of hipsters everywhere) 7/24/365. And really, I hope you don’t get whacked on the road, because then the dummies that populate the cycling advocacy community would hold a vigil and eulogize you, when in truth your own aggressive nonsensical behaviour pre-destined you toward the sort of encounter that rarely ends well for a cyclist.
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9:41 am on May 17, 2012
John

KING OF THE CAPS LOCK

Dude: turn off your caps lock. If you want to write with impact, bust out a thesaurus and bust out some creativity.
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9:59 am on May 17, 2012
cyclist

Your anger is misdirected. Cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, are all in this mess because our BigBoy Ford refused to establish proper infrastructure. Remember, he declared “War on Cyclist”, “We are swimming amongst the sharks”, so be careful.
final note: please calm down and be sensible!
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10:08 am on May 17, 2012
Might just be sane

Seriously?

The worst that can happen from a biker running a stop light IS IMMINENT DEATH.

You probably know me, I’m the guy that people give the finger to when they run through lights and I tell you what an idiot they are.
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10:29 am on May 17, 2012
KING OF THE ROAD

JIM FIXIES ARE BIKES OF TRUE URABN CYCLISTS. JUST YOUR SKILL AND THE ROAD.
NUNO TO TALK ABOUT HOW I WILL BE DEAD SOON. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT, SO GO ….. YOURSELF, AND THATS ALL FOR YOU.
JOHN – CAPS ARE COOL – I HAVE TO USE CAPS FOR MY WORK, SO I KEEP IT LIKE THAT – NOT TRYING TO WRITE WITH IMPACT JUST POUNDING OUT WHATS ON MY MIND BETWEEN ORDERS. SO NO HATE – BUT IF YOU’RE GOING TO COMMENT MAKE IT MORE WORTH WHILE THEN ON THE CASE OF MY LETTERS.
MY RIDING MAY GET ME IN TROUBLE – BUT RIDING HARD AND ALWAYS BEING IN CONTROL OF THE ROAD WILL ALLOW ME TO PREDICT THE MOMENTS WHERE MOTORISTS MAKE MISTAKES AND DRIVE WITHOUT CARE (MUCH MORE DANGER FOR A CAR WITH NO CARE THAN A RIDER), AND TAKE CONTROL OF THOSE SITUATIOSN TO ENSURE I AM ABLE TO GET OUT OF THEM WITH MY HEALTH AND LIFE. I WOULD RATHER RIDE WITH CONTROL OF THE ROAD AT ALL TIMES, THEN OBEY ALL THE RULES- LET CARS GO BY – SHIMMY INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN CARS AND CURBS – AND HAVE THAT MOMENT THAT A CAR SLIPS UP AND TAKES MY LIFE. IF I TAKE CONTROL OF THE ROAD THEN I AM IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE. I HAVE RIDEN WITH CARE FOR CARS BUT THEY HAVE SHOWN ME (NOT ALL) THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE CARE FOR ME, WHICH IS NO CARE FOR MY LIFE. SO I WOULD RATHER RIDE WITH MY OWN RULES AND MY OWN LIFE IN MY HANDS.
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10:39 am on May 17, 2012
Christian

KING OF THE DOUCHES. idiot.
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10:58 am on May 17, 2012
KING OF THE ROAD

CHRISTAIN THE PEANUT GALLERY – NOTHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO SAY, WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF IT. IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY THEN RAISE A VALID POINT. YOU WOULD BE THE DOUCHE – JUST COME IN THE CONVERSATION TO MAKE ONE CLEAN FUNNY COMMENT FOR THE REST OF THE POPSICLES WITH STICKS UP THEIR ASSES – AND SLIDE OUT WITH EVERYONE CLEAN AND HAPPY – RAISE YOUR VOICE UP AND MAKE A COMMENT ON WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
BIKING IS DANGEROUS IN THE CITY. EITHER YOU FOLLOW THE RULES AND RISK THE CHANCE OF BEING HIT BY A CAR AND POSSIBLY DIEING, WHICH MANY PEOPL HAVE FALLEN THIS YEAR, OR YOU RIDE TO YOUR OWN RULES AND ENSURE YOUR SAFETY, BECAUSE CARS DO NOT WATCH OUT FOR YOUR SAFETY. IN THE END YOUR DECISIONS AND ACTIOSN DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF YOUR LIFE. I HAVE NEVER HARMED A PEDESTRIAN RIDING THE WAY I DO, BUT CARS HAVE HARMED ME RIDING TO THE RULES. CARS HAVE KILLED PEOPLE RIDING TO THE RULES. SO WHO IS WRONG.
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11:43 am on May 17, 2012
Jim

King of the hipsters

Did they teach spelling at Western? I’m just curious.

Cycling in Toronto isn’t dangerous unless you’re riding unpredictably in a state of rage. Riding hard will only hasten your arrival at the situations you seek to avoid. In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re not on a racecourse on your silly fixie (the official bicycle of courier wanna-bes who want to blow their knees by 30), you’re on a public road.

It doesn’t surprise me a bit that you’ve been hit on your “bike of true urban cyclists”, and I’m pretty certain that you were the reason for the collisions most of the time. It does surprise me, though, that you haven’t provoked one of those angry drivers to squeeze you good. I’m sure that will change at some point. People who ride in the way you advocate can dodge karma for a while, but not forever.

In the meantime, as I said before, I hope never to see you or, in truth, anyone who acts as you say you do.
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2:05 pm on May 17, 2012
KING OF THE ROAD

JIM.
DON’T ASSUME YOU KNOW SOMETHING WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE SAYING. THE THREE TIMES I HAVE BEEN HIT HAVE ALL BEEN FROM CAR ERRORS. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM OTHER POSTS ON HERE, OTHER RIDERS OBBEYING THE TRAFFIC RULES HAVE BEEN HIT AND BUMPED AS WELL. ONE A CAR TURING LEFT AS I HAD A GREEN LIGHT, T-BONED ME BECAUSE HE DID NOT SEE ME TRYING TO RACE THROUGH THE LIGHT AND TWO CABBIES TURNING RIGHT NOT SIGNALLING. I HAVE NEVER BEEN HIT RIDING FIXIE AND CONTROLLING THE ROAD. I RIDE FIXIE BECAUSE IT IS THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL YOUR SPEED THROUGH TRAFFIC. IF YOU THINK I AM A HIPSTER OR MESSANGER POSER THEN THINK ALL YOU WANT. IF YOU CAN’T RIDE FIXIE THEN DON’T. A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN’T HANDLE IT. DON’T ASSUME SOMETHING YOU HAVEN’T TRIED. I’VE RIDDEN WITH BRAKES, DROP BARS, STRAIGHT BARS, RISERS, FIXIE AND ALL. I KNOW MORE ABOUT BIKES AND RIDING TRAFFIC THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW RIDING INTO THE CITY FROM THE GTA A COUPLE DAYS. IF YOU RIDE FIXIE PROPERLY IT IS MERELY A BETTER WORK OUT FOR YOUR LEGS – NO BLOW OUT OF THE KNEES.
I MIGHT GET THEIR FASTER RIDING AGGRESSIVELY, BUT RIDING AGGRESSIVELEY IS TO AVOID THE AGGRESSION OF DRIVERS AND TO TAKE CONTROL OF TEH ROAD AS THEY TRY TO SAVE A SECOND OR TWO OFF THEIR TIME.
I RIDE BY THE RULES, BUT IF THERE IS A SITUATION THAT I CAN AVOID A CAR OR WHIPA AROUND ASSUMING A PERSON WILL MERGE WITH NO CARE, I TAKE IT. IN THE END YOU EITHER FOLLOW THE RULES AND RISK BEING HIT, WHICH I HAVE FROM DRIVER ERROR, OR YOU BEND THE RULES TO ENSURE YOUR OWN SAFETY. IF YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND THAT THEN YOU WILL LEARN IT THE ONE TIME YOU GET CLIPPED. IT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN NOW, BUT IT WILL SOMETIME.
IF SOMEONE WANTS TO GET OUT OF THEIR CAR TO TALK ABOUT MY RIDING AND TRY TO RING MY NECK, THEN GO AHEAD AND TRY BECAUSE I GET IN PEOPLES WINDOWS AND WILL CUSS THEM OUT FOR THE WAY THEY DRIVE. IF THATS YOU ONE TIME IN YOUR GAS GUZZLING SUV THEN SO BE IT. SOME BIKERS ARE AFRAID TO HAVE A VOICE ON TEH ROAD AND TELL PEOPLE WHEN THEY CAN’T DRIVE. I’M NOT ONE OF THEM.
AS FOR SPELLING. I TYPE QUICKLY AND DON’T CARE TO MUCH. JOURNALISM SCHOOLS HAVE STOPPED SPELLING TEST REQUIRMENTS BECAUSE OF THE AVAILABILITY TO SPELL CHECK. I’M NOT SAYING DON’T LEARN HOW TO SPELL, BUT WHY WOULD I CARE ON A FORUM.
SO RAISE A VALID POINT.
THE ONLY VALID POINT I HAVE SEEN ON THIS FORUM IS THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS GOING THROUGH RED LIGHTS. I AGREE THAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LOOK, BE CURTIOUS, AND KEEP THEM SAFE. BUT THE SATISTICS OF BIKERS DIEING ON TEH ROAD AND PEOPLE I KNOW THAT HAVE BEEN HIT, YOU CANNOT LET CARS OWN THE ROAD. IF YOU DO THEN YOUR LIFE IS IN THE HANDS OF SOME CABBY, LADY DOING HER MACK-UP OR A** HOLE IN HIS SUV (YOU) THAT IS TRYING TO SHAVE A MINUTE OFF THEIR TIME DRIVING INTO THE CITY THAT I HAVE LIVED MY WHOLE LIFE, RATHER THAN YOUR OWN.
LIVE BY THE RULES, BUT BEND THEM FOR YOUR LIFE/ OWN GOOD AT TIMES.
SO RIDE YOUR BIKE NICE AND SLOW, THROW YOUR ARMS UP TO SIGNAL AND ALL – AND MAYBE WHEN YOU GET A LITTLE WISER THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING.
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2:42 pm on May 17, 2012
cge

Ride hard and all that … what if one of the car drivers is zooming around with your attitude? Aggressive driving is illegal. The rules of the road are there to meet the demands of all the different types of drivers, including bicycle riders. Seems to me you are leaving a lot of anger and opportunities for backlash in your trail.
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9:53 am on May 27, 2012
Jon

You are the Snookie of cyclists. Cycling faster does not equate to avoidance of harm. It only means you’ll be hurt worse once you catch up to harm.
You are that which you complain about. This kind of dangerous behavior is dictated not by the vehicle, but by its operator.
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3:33 am on June 5, 2012

Lori

For those who do decide to (illegally) ride on the sidewalk, you need to yield to pedestrians. Not the other way around.
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8:11 am on May 17, 2012

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Wallace

How about stopping at a streetcar stop and letting the passengers get off the streetcar safely. The same thing goes for stopping at a red light to let the pedestrians cross safely. You can wait for a minute or two – and share the road.

This piece of fluff really needs some editing. What happened to teaching cyclists the rules of the road?
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11:19 pm on May 11, 2012

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j-kwon

for the love of god, PLEASE OBEY THE (BASIC) RULES OF THE ROAD!!!
eg. STOP SIGNS, red lights, one-way streets etc…

I know drivers are guilty of this as well, but the amount of bikers that I see blissfully ride through stop signs or red lights on a daily basis is unbelievable. Most don’t bother to slow down, let alone come to a complete stop… This blatant disregard of basic traffic safety is going to get someone seriously injured… be it a biker or a pedestrian…
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9:04 am on May 7, 2012

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KING OF THE ROAD

THE PEOPLE BEING INJURED AND KILLED ARE PEOPLE ON BIKES, SKATEBOARDS AND OTHER WHEELS, BY CARS. RUNNING A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN MERELY GETS YOU AWAY FROM THE LINES OF TRAFFIC AND THE LINES OF MOTORISTS THAT ARE TRYING TO SPEED THROUGH THE CITY TO THEIR DESTINATION WITH LITTEL REGARD FOR THE SAFETY OF CYCLISTS. CYCLISTS HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY CAN TO AVOID BEING TRAPPED BESIDE CARS THAT MEREGE WITHOUT LOOKING, JAM ON BRAKES ETC. BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T, THEN YOU PUT YOUR LIFE IN THE HANDS OF THE MOTORSITS. I WOULD RATHER TAKE MY LIFE IN MY OWN HANDS AND RIDE BY MY OWN RULES THAN END UP AS ONE OF THE FALLEN RIDERS THAT HAVE GONE DOWN (RESPECT) IN THE LAST YEAR FROM DISREPECTFUL DRIVER.
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8:42 am on May 17, 2012

Jay

Stop using your phone while riding in traffic, that’s got to be the most annoying thing about cyclists. Just pull over for Christ’s sake! Also, don’t merge in front of a moving cyclist, it forces the cyclist behind to hit the brakes causing an unsafe situation. Merge behind. But that’s a car rule and since many cyclists don’t drive, they just don’t get it.
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3:41 pm on May 4, 2012

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Stuart

I think she’s talking about the slowpokes who pull up in front of you when you are stopped at a red light causing you to have to pass them three or four times.
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12:19 pm on May 4, 2012

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math

It’s much safer to pass people at a red light at slow/no speed than pass them when traffic is going by outside the bike lane making it dangerous for everyone.

Politeness over logic though!
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12:14 pm on May 4, 2012

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