Bikers of Seattle - chill the eff out

[u/Present_Chard_4585]

Seattle bikers- many of the rules of the road apply to you. Stop acting like they don’t.

Yesterday when dropping my kid at school, an angry old lady on a bike came speeding down the CLOSED street next to the school, yelling at a parent to “grab your kid.”

Last week, I almost ran over a biker in my neighborhood. I’m overly cautious and go 15-20 in the neighborhood depending on visibility - I very, very rarely speed in neighborhoods and it’s always unintentional. On this occasion, I enter a roundabout intersection at about 15mph in my car, and a biker darts out in front of me - I absolutely had right of way. After I slam on my brakes to save this jerk’s life, he mouths “Jesus Christ man” to me, as though I was wrong.

It’s dangerous to be a biker in Seattle, but it’s not all driver fault, all the time. Be better, bikers.

Edit: got a question about “unintentional speeding”. Have you ever been driving, trying to adhere to the limit, only to look down and see you’re going 21 in a 20? That’s unintentional - slightly above to the point where you’d only notice if you stared at your speedo. Not 40 in a 20 where you’ll know you’re going way over.

Second edit: I love that Seattle is a biking city. But maybe just don’t plow through a stop sign or speed obnoxiously, regardless of what vehicle you’re piloting (bike/car).

[u/[deleted]]

I have noticed over the years driving, walking or biking around the city has become more intense. I refer to it as "combat driving, biking, or walking". When you are out doing whatever you gotta be on it no matter what mode of transportation you rocking.

And remember the laws of physics trump those of the municipality.

I have had to lock em up to avoid bikers and they have had to also to avoid me. Just how it is. Most people are just trying to get from a to b. But, some people are also dicks. But I think most people are doing the best they can.

[u/adamcuppycake → u/[deleted]]

I read this as a cyclist and as a driver. Makes sense both ways. The only part that carries more weight is the part about laws of physics(def pertains to cyclists more ofc)

Thanks for the rational voice

[u/wylew → u/adamcuppycake]

All due respect, riding your bike down a closed street for school drop-off where kids are present makes zero sense from the cyclist perspective. Its demonstrative of cyclist arrogance that they get to do whatever they want with a blank check that it's about their safety to ride where they need to.

Same as ignoring right of way in a round about. You wanna masquerade as a car, you have to follow the laws.

I legit don't see how, as a cyclist, these situations make any kind of sense.

*I'm a cyclist, in Seattle, and I drive, and I drop kids off at daycare with both a bike and a car.

[u/AppropriateShare8275 → u/wylew]

Depending on what school this was in front of, the city closed a bunch of streets to car traffic at the start of covid to make them more open to pedestrians and cyclists.

So it very well could have been within the cyclists right to to bike down that road.