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Belmont Ridge @ W&OD Trail - Bike Rules question

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by StevieD, Jun 19, 2011.

  1. Mom8386

    Mom8386 Member

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    Bicyclists aren't pedestrians. By definition, pedestrians are walking. Bikes are to follow the same traffic laws as motorized vehicles. Most, however, do not.

    The bike trail has stop signs. Belmont Ridge does not. Autos have the right of way and shouldn't stop. Bicyclists should stop and only cross when it's safe to do so.
     
  2. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    I believe bikers are not "pedestrians" per se in this document but I could be wrong here.



     
  3. twohokies

    twohokies New Member

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    But at times they are on their feet, walking/running their bikes across the road......are they pedestrians then?
     
  4. Sunny

    Sunny Chief Advisor

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    i usually stop. whoops. guess i won't anymore.
     
  5. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

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    ..and it ain't workin'. They should remove the stupid things before they cause someone to really get hurt. Put a flashing caution sign up if they want people's attention. No confusion with that.

     
  6. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Summed up - you are supposed to stop for them if they are already in the crosswalk - but they are not supposed to enter the crosswalk in disregard of approaching traffic. So they can't walk blindly into an intersection and expect the world to bend to them and cause an accident.
     
  7. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    It's a cheaper system that works for the rest of the world... maybe people here just need to wise up :)
     
  8. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Im with Flynnibus on this one. This makes LOGICAL sense here and conforms to the rules of the road.
     
  9. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Yeah, I know but that was the closest thing I could find (surprisingly). Plus it seems that many drivers treat the cyclists as if they were pedestrians. Apparently cyclists should be treated like automobiles - if the cyclist has a stop sign and the car does not, don't stop your car to let them pass.
     
  10. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    bikers should be educated on this as well- signs at that intersection that let them know that vehicles are not supposed to stop for them would set the right expection from the biker.

    i used to stop as well if there was plenty of room for others behind me to stop- no longer!
     
  11. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Well, bikers are supposed to know the rules of the road. When you approach a STOP sign, you STOP. If it does not say "four way stop", then the crossing traffic does NOT stop.
    I don't think, from what I've seen, bikers expect traffic on Belmont Ridge to stop. Cars just do, so they go across.
     
  12. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    I've seen the opposite a few times- the bikers ARE stopped- they see cars coming and slowing down, so they GO. the next thing I saw was brakes jammed on b/c the car apparently wasn't stopping, just SLOWING, but the biker expected a stop.

    i am sure many are already getting it right- it's those exceptions and misunderstandings that create the tragedies. just looking at OUR small group on the forum, look how different WE interpreted the correct behavior on those lines!
     
  13. mwb2218

    mwb2218 New Member

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    As compared to what? Most cars following the traffic laws? Lets be honest. Most cars and (likely) most cyclists follow every rule of the road. They should be grouped together, not isolated out.
     
  14. Mom8386

    Mom8386 Member

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    I rarely see a bicyclist who actually stops for a red light and waits for it to turn green. I also rarely see them get in line at a light or stop sign with traffic as they just roll right up to the intersection (sometimes between lanes and vehicles) and cross when they feel like it. Most bicyclists act like cars are in their way, yet they cannot maintain speed (which by the way is a law for motorized vehicles). If you drove 10 mph in a car, you'd get a ticket for impeding traffic, yet bicyclists do it all the time.
     
  15. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    Now that this has been hashed out. How do all the responses look when discussing the path crosswalks in the neighborhood? Same rules apply?
     
  16. JLC

    JLC Member

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    Looks like someone got rear ended here today. I drove by at least four cars pulled over onto the shoulder and one of them had a pretty crumpled in hood. There didn't appear to be any serious injuries but emergency vehicles had not yet arrived.
     
  17. Brit

    Brit New Member

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    Yeah just saw that too, it's down to one lane, doesn't look serious but one SUV is completely written off.
     
  18. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Ummm was this next to the W&OD Trail? Avoiding a bike or what? Or is this somewhere else and not related to this thread?
     
  19. Brit

    Brit New Member

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    It was at the W&OD trail where it intersects Belmont Ridge. Clearly looks like someone stopped or slowed and 3-4 cars piled up behind them.
     
  20. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    :doh: Looks like someone shouldn't have stopped unless biker was already in the crosswalk?? Don't know as I've not seen how the accident happened but that's what Im imagining.
     

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