Sharing the road
Summer is here and there is a substantial increase in bicycles on the road. I want to remind everyone that bicycles and cars share the road equally. I witnessed a driver yesterday tailgate, honk at, gesture, and finally scream at 2 cyclists on a residential street on Capitol Hill yesterday. If he had waited 5 seconds, they would have reached the intersection just ahead of them where they ended up turning in a different direction than the vehicle.
I’ve seen cyclists act aggressively toward cars as well.
It’s summer time. The sun is out. If you’re in a car, roll your windows down, find a good song, and enjoy it. If you’re on a bicycle, see if there’s somewhere to let the cars pass you and continue to enjoy the ride. There’s no need for aggravation from either set.
Edit to add: Thanks to Tonyb for this link of the regulations that apply.
Hear, hear! For those in need of a refresher on some of the regulations for bicycling and driving with bicyclist go here: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikecode.htm
Thanks for the link! Post edited
Thanks for the link to the bike regulations- I’m just starting to learn how to commute by bike, and was wondering what the plan was for left-hand turns on two-way streets, etc. I appreciate the knowledge!
My advice for new bike commuters is to be as predictable as possible and do not think twice about moving off the road to let cars pass if you are feeling uncomfortable. Riding on the sidewalk is legal as long as you go at a reasonable speed and yield to pedestrians.