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The Holms are indeed of a mindset to make good use of their physical prowess and abilities...however, if the article is an accurate depiction of their behavior as cyclists sharing the road with motorized vehicles, they are in gross contempt of the legal rules of the road that apply to motorized vehicles as well as those powered by human power. Cutting across several lanes of traffic and in and out of cars, riding on the sidewalk and ignoring stoplights is not "a renegade" as Mrs. Holms calls her husband, it is illegal! Tapping on the fender of a car in her way at a stop is not going to engender a polite response from the vehicle's driver nor cause them to be aware of how close they are to the bicyclist but indeed, did and usually does, engender just the reponse Mrs. Holms received...she could have waited until the driver got underway and ahead of her. I live part time in an area where the Ironman competition is held every summer and other outdoor athletic events are held all the time...athletes come to train on the local roads all year round and the biggest complaint and issue both sides have is the relationship between drivers and cyclist sharing the road. It is constantly being reinforced that both sides need to be courteous and obey the rules of the road...the rules about traffic lights and the right of way for pedistrians, etc. is the same for both! Crossing over lanes and weaving in and out of traffic is dangerous to both motorized and peddle powered vehicles. I find the Holms attitude and behavior, as depicted in the article, arrogant and law breaking and just the kind of thing that antagonizes the very drivers on the streets and roads they are supposedly sharing.They are setting a very bad example rather than to be applauded for their ingenuity.
With out being there you can not determine if the way he rides the bike is dangerous or not. Weaving in or out of traffic when cars are standing still is alot different than when they are moving. If you want this biker to follow the same traffic laws as cars and walkers, be prepared for bikes to drive straight down the middle of a lane in front of the cars. So don't beep your horn when a bike is going 12 mph in front of you, because he has the same right to that lane as you. Make sure that all walkers cross at the corner and with the light even if no traffic is on coming. Now which way do you want it. Stop bringing up the same old tired argument about the lawlwss renagade bikers. Most bikers do the same as the walking public, they look both ways before they cross the street against a stop light, do not drive down sidwalks and the ones that are afraid of the traffic and do, don't go 20 mph. Stop this bullcrap take it from someone born and raised in the city as a driver and now a cyclist the more arrogant and dangerous are the ones using their drivers license.
@adkpainter: Blah, blah, blah. Easy rule for cars to follow: don't hit anybody, no matter what they're doing. You see other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, just assume their going to do the dumbest thing imaginable and be ready for it. It's just that simple.
Please don't think all bicyclists don't follow the rules of the road. I stop at all stop signs and lights.
The article also presupposes that these folks are some kind of super-athletes. They are now, but anyone can do this. Look at Copenhagen. Look at most of Europe. Gas and cars are really expensive, and people economize and stay fit on the bike. They even shuttle kids to school and daycare on bikes. That's because the streets have bike lanes. That way drivers know where they're supposed to be, so there's no hard feelings. This is living. This is how you feel alive when you have to work and get things done. This is how you fit in a workout. Then you can have that glass of good red wine and know you've got calories to make up for. Salut!
I stop at all stop signs and lights too as a cyclist. You run one red light or stop sign, and that's the one time someone blows the light or sign and mows you down, and you're a paraplegic. No thanks. But there are states that have "stop-as-yield" laws, where if there is no oncoming traffic, the cyclist may treat the sign or light as a yellow. It's to get the cyclist out of the intersection when no traffic is there.
Back in 98, I had to ride my bike from A and Lehigh up to the North Broad Regional Rail station to get to work in Glenside..... now I live in the burbs and own a car!!
The strike hasn't affected folks like the Holms or other fit people too much. I already bike to work most of the time. I feel sorry for people who aren't fit enough to bike or walk, or who aren't even able-bodied enough to do so. This is going to be a rough couple of weeks for most people out there.
Idaho enacted a law which allows cyclist to treat stop signs as yield signs. After the law took effect, accidents immediately DECREASED and then leveled off at the lower rate.
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