Most of my commute time is spent as a pedestrian or riding public transportation. I see cyclists consistently:

- Cutting off public transit vehicles and/or riding in their designated lanes thus slowing traffic

- Riding through stop signs & red lights

- Riding through pedestrian crosswalks against the light & on sidewalks expecting pedestrians to yield to them and angrily shouting insults when they don't

- Not paying attention to what they're doing while riding, i.e. talking on cell phones, drinking coffee, or changing songs on their iPods

As a pedestrian in a moderately bike friendly city, my opinion is that motorists are far less dangerous to me than the cyclists here. They are also not nearly as arrogant or rude in traffic as the cyclists have been in my experience.

Long ago I cycled to work. Now I work from home, and frequently bike on mountain trails, but I no longer bike where I have to share the road with cars. Although I was that unusual cyclist who actually stopped at red lights and slowed or stopped at stop signs -- and I took longer routes through minor streets and avoided thoroughfares to the degree possible -- I still had several near-death encounters with distracted motorists. In the end I have concluded it's just not worth the risk. Now I drive my hybrid to the trailhead and start biking from there.

My conclusion is that bikes and cars are not meant to share the road. City planning needs to be rethought to give bikes their own space. In a previous post on Salon I mentioned Sunriver, Oregon, as an example of a town where bikes had their own trails literally everywhere. Except in the highest density urban areas, it should always be possible to design in dedicated bike trails (to be shared with pedestrians, dogs, and even horses if that is appropriate for that area). In the highest density area there still may be good options for bikes -- such as repurposing alleyways -- depending on the layout.

Because some cyclist don't follow the rules, we should have no sympathy for them when they get hit?

Brilliant Perspective.

Oh you got a head injury from some driver who wasn't paying attention? Boo Hoo! Maybe you should tell your bike friends to all obey all laws and I will give a crap!

Let's apply that standard to motorists and see where that gets us. At least if you kill another motorist while driving you will get charged with a crime, unlike if you kill a cyclist.

none of you can drive. From the biker who's in the middle of the lane to the dumbass in a car will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER pass him, may you all taste the sweet release of sudden death.

I'm 55 years old and I have commuted to downtown Chicago for the past four years.

YES - you do have to be careful. NO - the drivers don't respect the bike lanes like they should. Yes, idiots in SUVs on cellphones will cut you off and not even know it - or occasionally deliberately. But you can still ride. You just have to pay attention. It's not your Sunday stroll through leafy forest lanes. You can't do it with your IPOD on. But it's a viable mode of transportation.

And you learn. Five years ago I was scared of this, myself. I'd go to what I now consider absurd lengths to ride short distances on offroad paths instead of streets that I thought were unsafe. But after awhile, you get used to it. You learn to "take" your piece of the road. It's safer than riding timidly. Any urban biker will tell you that.

Some things help. Get a good rearview mirror. The kind that fit on your glasses work great and who cares if you look like a geek when you ride. If you are going to ride in the dark be well lit - both to see and to be seen. Also - don't ride like a messenger. Obey traffic laws. Don't weave in and out like a moron. Don't make the drivers mad. No, I won't claim I stop at every stop sign. But if I see a crossing motorists you can bet I stop until I've made eye contact telling me to go ahead.

Difficult? Perhaps. Impossible? No, I'm living proof. And oh yeah - I've had my share of bike accidents - but never once in urban traffic.

Bicycles are toys. Don't like that? Well, do they pay tag sees, do they have liability insurance?

Do bicyclists contribute anything other than dripping sweat and danger of being crushed? In Phoenix, it's rare to see anyone bicycling at night with a light or any kind of reflector. They're invisible, and frequently ride against traffic.

Pay to play. The streets wete not designed for bicycles, nor should they be accomondating.

Get a licence to ride it, get tags for it, and while you're at it, pay a extra fee for the heck of it.. Like maybe five bucks to put air in your tires.. Make up for what motorists have to deal with financialy, and maybe then you can bitch. Big Dogs Rule, lycra-wearers.

(Yes, it's SORT of tongue in cheek)

In Michigan, we are a 'shall carry' state so most people can get a carry permit. I do carry when I'm on my bike and I intend to use it too.

I gave up bike riding around here after having a car load of H-------s literally come within a fraction of an inch of me! I mean that they could have easily reached out and picked my pocket and I'm right handed! I missed their mirror by not even a half inch. And they laughed and taunted me as they approached and passed, yelling obscene bursts of syntax and waving their appendages as if it was ME hogging the road.

IF they were around now and IF they hit me and IF I could reach my gun and get a bead on their car I WOULDN"T HESITATE to waste them, if I could. I had a friend that was side swiped by a dump truck and tossed into a ditch and left for dead. (They survived, barely) and as a result I will not tolerate that shit happening to me or anyone else either.

You don't get a 'bonus' for hitting a bicyclist, you should get LIFE without parole!!! If you kill a biker, you should get the death penalty, no appeal. Biking is for the strong. Take one of us out and pay the ultimate price!

A friend of a friend was joking once about 'bonus points' for 'tagging a biker'. I wasn't laughing. 'Tag' my ass buddy and I'll 'bust a cap on YOURS'! I 'let him have it'. I was the 'crazy gun toting crunchy liberal commie madman' after that but never to my face. :-)