Comments on: Seattle Drivers Not Sure if They Have Hit Everyone Yet

By: Kent

Kent — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 15:29:23 +0000

Totally agree with John. I see bicyclists breaking the law daily. Blowing through stop signs and stop lights, weaving back and forth between the sidewalk and lanes of traffic, and cutting in between cars while stopped at lights. Yet, they never get a ticket or pay a bike tab fee for the bike lanes they demand. It is up to car drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists to look out for each other. A little common sense and courtesy is what is mostly needed. Pedestrians, put your phone away and watch where you’re walking. Bicyclist, don’t make erradict moves and stay with traffic (and ride single file). Car drivers need to slow down.

By: phil

phil — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 21:07:43 +0000

Those little blinking LED lights can really make a bicyclist standout, even during the daytime. It gives the driver a few more seconds to notice a bike before they are close to it. With summer comes bright sun, and dark shadows where cyclist seem to disappear. LED lights are also perfect for our dreary, overcast days.

No solution is perfect, but as a driver I’ve found I have to keep my headlights on all day in the city to avoid getting clobbered by other drivers pulling out from side streets.

By: Michael van Baker

Michael van Baker — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 20:22:03 +0000

True, and also I’m not sure that that trend of greater numbers = greater safety has been measured against a driver population talking & texting on cell phones.

By: matttheengineer

matttheengineer — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 20:11:04 +0000

I’m guessing even if you’re safer (lower odds of an accident) when there are more riders on the road, the absolute number could go up. Because there are more riders on the road and a small percentage of a bigger number can still be a big number.

By: KB

KB — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 23:42:33 +0000

I regularly see pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists breaking the law, and I would rather that the enforcement emphasis be on the parties most likely to injure or kill someone when they break the law. I’m tired of being nearly run over in the crosswalk at 4 way stops by *motorists* who blow through them–usually on their cell phones. And it is disgusting how many drivers have been cited for speeding in the school zones with speed cameras–from 20 mph to 30 mph, a pedestrian hit by a car goes from about a 90% chance of survival to a 50% chance. What is so important to get to a few seconds earlier that it’s worth killing a kid over? People accept the constant incredibly dangerous behavior of motorists as a given, and then complain about a few cyclists? Let’s get real here, and target the actual behavior that endangers people on the road.

By: john

john — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 21:40:02 +0000

What about enforcing laws on bike riders who do whatever they please (blow through 4 way stops- I see this daily)? Bike riders need to be held accountable as well, considering many break the laws just as much as drivers. I see super agro bike riding in Ballard, people putting themselves and drivers into terrible positions but I’ve never seen a bike rider get a ticket. If you are on the road, follow the law, period. Seattle still seems to embrace double standards for bike riders because we move slow on all things common sense. NYC put the hammer down on agro bike riding and messengers in the early 90s. God willing we will find the nerve to implement consistent law enforcement and basic social consideration for all users of our roads, tax paying or otherwise.