Cyclists vs. Drivers: The Drama Continues

Most cyclist do not believe that, when they are riding on the road, they are legally expected to follow traffic laws. These laws include stopping at stop signs, obeying traffic lights, going the right way on a one-way street, passing slow moving (or turning) vehicles on the left, etc. Disobeying any of the above, when you are on two small tires attached by some metal sticks while everyone else is inside a metal exoskeleton, is like facing off with an elephant: sounds like fun but, you will inevitably die a squishy death.

Not to stray any further, today, we will discuss passing cars on the left. The breaking of the first three rules I mentioned earlier, is a conscious disobedience; breaking the last rule is mostly just ignorance of the law. To clarify: when a car is making a right turn at an intersection, the cyclist is not legally allowed to squeeze in between the car and the curb to pass. Even when the car has to block a bike lane to make the turn, it is still illegal for the cyclist to try to continue on in their lane. In that situation the cyclist, like any other vehicle, is expected to 1) wait until the car turns or 2) do a lane change to the left and pass. Law aside, it is also very dangerous to perform the act of 'squeezing in', as the car is already watching for traffic coming from other directions and any pedestrians crossing the road; checking for illegally passing bikes is at the end of the list. Even if you are not a fan of obeying laws in general, take a minute to think about the following formula: CAR > bike; therefore, CAR will win.

Most cyclists, who do not know the proper sequence of events, become extremely hostile when a car does blocks their path while turning, and so, as a hateful act of revenge, they try to squeeze in between the car and the curb to show the car who is boss. Yet, still CAR > bike. Hence, these acts frequently lead to someone getting hurt, and it is usually is not the person protected by a metal exoskeleton.

In conclusion: learn the laws, because apparently ignorance is not always bliss. In some situations, ignorance is the cause of the end of your genetic lineage.