Is It Time to Ban Bicycling at Night?

"A Cyclist Died Here" photo courtesy of Seattlest Flickr Pool member HeyRocker

Last night at about 10:20 p.m., a bicyclist was struck and killed by a car taking the Dexter Way North exit from Aurora, says Queen Anne News. The police arrested the car's driver after "an evaluation showed signs of impairment."

It's a short story, but we were reminded of Alain de Botton's Proust Can Change Your Life while reading the comments section in the Seattle Times and P-I--in particular, his recounting how Proust could summon up a whole novel from a few details in a single news item.

Proust, Seattle commenters have your number (dip into the Seattle Times feedback or the P-I commentary if you have a few hours to spare).

In various accounts from people who weren't there, the cyclist was stupidly riding at night without reflectors or lights, or even a helmet, and failed to look for traffic. From other, equally credible, imaginary-witness perspectives, the car's driver was wasted and was looking for a cyclist to run down at high speed.

Also, that intersection is dangerous, the yield sign is ineffective, biking at night means "you're asking for it," bikes don't belong on the road, cars don't belong on the road, and most cyclists (and motorists) don't obey the rules of the road. Also, what about bikes on sidewalks?!

In conclusion, you have an anger management problem, are a sanctimonious whiner, a troll, and a Nanny Stater.

The day before, a drunk driver ran into a family in a crosswalk on Capitol Hill, in broad daylight, and it didn't turn into a pedestrians vs. drivers free-for-all. But you stir in a bike, and things change. For some reason, even in Obama's America, we can't seem to get post-partisan about the need for everyone to move about town safely. Driving, bicycling, and walking at night should be fear-free for everybody.

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By MvB in News on July 2, 2009 11:30 AM

Comments [rss]

nihiline

I only ride at night. The daytime chaos of auto drivers and bikers seems quite ridiculous.I can't deny, it's dangerous-I have had two friends die..one by a city bus.

Thats a part of biking,its dangerous...every biker knows that element. But its not the wild kingdom-You make the choice-ride without abiding the rule of the road and you make everyone wonder...Drivers are not mind readers.

I feel the same about cell phones -check your messages when you are out of your vehicle...Drivers you are in how many tons of steel!

I don't know. There are rule makers and rule breakers on both sides,if your choices are endangering someones life.The choice should be quite obvious.

jwhieger

Either bike riders have to follow the law or they don't.

Lets not make excuses for why they should be above the law. If car bastards aren't supposed to be texting, bike people shouldn't be humping double standards because its convenient.

nomadic

Anyone notice the number of drivers texting now? A majority of those I've caught doing it, do it with their mobile phone held down by the gear shift in a feeble attempt to conceal their deadly addiction. A Car and Driver Report found that a texting driver had a reaction time 10x worse than drunk driver. Those tests were conducted with the phone held above the steering wheel.

Yeah... we should slap some more laws (agreeable guidelines... whatever ) on those irresponsible hipster cyclists. That will fix the problem.

Cyclist are damn well aware of their surroundings and of the risks they take. If they are not, they will either learn quickly or die.

Cell Phone drivers are proven to be unaware. Why don't YOU car drivers get some "consistency on that front"? Are you communicating with your friends and fellow drivers on the road about this? Ever take a call from someone driving?

If anyone rides or drives around with the EXPECTATION of consistent predictable behavior from others is living in a fantasy world, and is not prepared to react and respond to reality. Wake Up. Hang Up and drive already.

Troy Morris

Bicycles are stupid.

Cars are stupid.

I use a hover car.

bilco

Were you that jerk that cut me off the other day when I was in my jetpack?

Eco Geek

Seriously, the entire post is about the reactionary comments to online stories about bike/car conflicts, and the FIRST comment is a typical "Yeah, well is all the bikes fault" line of reasoning.

josh

As someone who rides in the city every day, I blow through red lights all the time, and make no apologies for it. Compliance with traffic laws is less important than staying alive. I'm in less danger clearing an open intersection than waiting for the lead foots or cell-phone-yakking right turners to run into me. I don't understand what, other than some passive-aggressive authority complex, makes drivers or other bicyclists get worked up about this.

As for the comment about riding on sidewalks, while it's not usually a good idea (because it's not very safe), it is 100% legal in Seattle.

MvB

I don't want you to apologize, Josh. I just want you to get a ticket! Actually, if you can't figure out what red lights are for, I don't want you on the road at all. For the record, I stop at red lights all the time and I'm still alive.

josh

And you probably don't roll through stop signs or jaywalk.

bilco

You're all right - bicyclists should expect to be hit by impaired drivers at night.

Here's my idea for ticketing - anyone who's yakking on a cell while turning their car in front of a bike lane. I've seen that about 100 times more often than the (relatively few, but increasing) idiot bikers.

Charles Redell

MvB-

damn straight... not to mention not signaling and not having brakes on your dam fixie.

Seriously, not all us bike riders are like that. the good ones just don't get noticed.

It is time to ticket bike riders who break the law. why doesn't that happen?

Weazul

This is the kind of writing I enjoy... point out what media forgets so often. we're all stupid and like to whine.

also props to the comment above

jwhieger

In the very least we are past due for establishing some sort of agreeable guidelines for what street bicyclists and drivers can expect from each other.

Is it ok for bicyclists to run red lights at their leisure or not? Seriously, as a driver I've come to expect it much of the time. I'm sure other drivers would appreciate some consistency on that front.

I also see some bike folk riding on the sidewalk as it pleases them. Stick to one or the other but don't get pissy when nobody knows where your bike is going because you don't normally follow the law.

Bad drivers are a whole nother issue but I feel like aggressive law disregarding bike folk and the indifferent cops who permit them are creating a culture of confusion that will lead to more deaths before it is remedied.

MvB

Not much is more annoying--for a cyclist--than to stop at a red light and watch some other eejit blow past on his bike. I always fantasize about chucking a stick in the spokes.

I think bicyclists should be busted for traffic infractions, not winked at, with the first-time punishment being a 2-hour bicycle safety class.