Blog: Enough with Defending Bicycle Riders — the Worst Vehicle Code Violators on the Road

Are you sick and tired, as I am, of seeing bicyclists constantly violating the California Vehicle Code and having our somniac, apparently vision-impaired law enforcement officers doing NOTHING about it even though the violations happen right under their noses?

Now Sunnyvale has stupidly passed an ordinance that virtually puts all the responsibility for the safety of these errant cyclists on the motorists. Idiocy!

I cannot drive two blocks anymore without seeing bicyclists failing to stop for red lights or stop signs, riding on the wrong side of the road, riding on the sidewalks, cutting in and out of traffic, making improper turns without signalling, riding at night without lights, riding (not walking their bikes) in pedestrian crosswalks and more.

In fact, during the newscast announcing Sunnyvale's loss of sanity on TV, a bicyclist was seen riding on the wrong side of the street right behind the reporter! And I'm not necessarily talking about juveniles. A large portion of these riders have grey hair! Also, some of the worst are what appear to be veteran riders with the tight shorts, colorful club jerseys, and helmets.

It seems that almost all of the cycling population, as well as our law enforcement officers, are totally ignorant of the fact that there is a large section of the California Vehicle Code that is dedicated entirely to the regulation and proper operation of bicycles on our roads.

Basically what it says is that bicycles are to be subject to the same rules of safety and proper operation as automobiles. I am also assuming that, because of the existence of this section, it is assumed that law enforcement officers are bound to uphold it, something that is NOT happening.

If I, with my automobile, violated as many of these laws in a day as I see cyclists do, I would lose my driving privileges for a very long time. Yet, for some unknown reason, cyclists put themselves and motorists in positions of jeopardy and danger almost on a minute-to-minute basis and get a free pass!

I am not a stranger to bicycling. I rode for many years, even riding my bike to work on a daily basis for a period of time until a health issue caused me to stop riding. Now my transportation is primarily by automobile but, all to frequently, I have close encounters with bicyclists because of their irresponsible actions named above.

And I implore the police to possibly save some lives by doing ALL of their sworn duty and citing dangerous bicycle operation with as much vigor as they do errant motorists. After all, isn't their job to enforce ALL the laws, not just the ones that they choose, which seems to be their present mode?

While all this is very critical of bicyclists, it is not intended to let the motorists off the hook. I see drivers do some very stupid things, not only around bicycles but also around other motorists. We all have to share the same roads so let's try to make it better and safer for everyone but obeying the rules.