Buffalo Rising Online

al-alo - right on! Why add to the issues the cops have to take on by creating traffic issues on top of it all? I've seen them U-turning on city streets while the rest ride in the traffic lane. The NYS DOT allows bicyclers to ride on the right side of the roadway when there is no bike lane, but these protestors have to lower their libido if they want sympathy for their cause. I's gladly sign any petition for the right to bike, if it weren't for these performances.

Well helmets and lights are not something that should be necessary to make bicyclists more accepted by vehicular drivers. Because we all know if seat belts were not LAWS then no one would have them in cars either. So I think that is a bad comparison since people are always just going to do only what they have to and often not that much.

And to be treated like a car you need to be let into lanes to make turns. Most drivers, from my own experience as a bicyclist, will NEVER let someone on a bike merge into traffic. They practically quarantine us off onto the bumpy, pot hole laden fringe area. You can signal all you want but you will be block and blocks past were you want to go before someone would let you in. So that is why most will go through traffic lights or stop signs on occasion. Plus traffic signals

Plus to make matters worse drivers never go the speed limit. How many people think that 5-10 over is just fine. Well when it comes to lives at risk, least people on bikes are not pushing around 3 tons of steel and not paying attention while on the cell phone or eating a hamburger.

Just 30 minutes ago I was almost almost slammed by someone trying to jump at a red light to make a quick left before anyone going straight could get going. Well she never bothered to look at the crosswalk and was probably 7 inches from being in a hospital right now.

Anyone who is suspicious of Critical Mass ought to give it a try. You will find yourself grinning like an idiot, experiencing inexplicable bursts of joy and delight. When was the last time you had that behind the wheel?

I think people here who have criticized cyclists and Critical Mass obviously DO NOT RIDE. I ride nearly every day to work, up Main st to Bailey and up into Amherst...and people in the city nearly kill me at least once a week.

I have lights, I have a reflective vest, I obey all applicable traffic laws....and yet I get honked at, run off the road, etc, etc on a regular basis....but thanks, a couple of you, for seeing us as a "them" entity, and not individuals trying to save money and bebconcious of the environmental impact of gas-powered vehicles.

I've never participated in critical mass, but I appreciate the sentiment - More drivers need to see cyclists as legitimate fellow users of public streets who have the right of way in the majority of situations.

people need to relax. Its only once a month. Take another street if your in such a driving rush. More power to the people on the bikes. Its fun to watch how pissed off people in their cars get. Very entertaining to say the least.

The only problem I have with your argument al-alo is that you make it sound as if car drivers have the right to get to work unimpeded but bicyclists do not. We get slowed down all the time because vehicles don't give us room or respect on the road but when we complain about it we are crybabies.

I do vote, and have actually pushed to get bike lanes installed in every street or master plan that I have worked on over the years. Unfortunately in our region the first thing that gets value engineered out is the room for bike lanes, why? Because most people don't feel it is important to have such amenities. They are only worried about speeding cars around as unimpeded as possible.

When biking in a couple other countries you realize how far the amenities like bike locks and lanes go to both make it easier and convenient to bike. Also there was one nice feature that I noticed in German cities that I think could be a smart option here in America. They have similar laws as here, bike on the right or in lanes and merge with traffic when you must make a left. What they do to facilitate this is pull back the car stopping line about 10 feet back from the crosswalk, the bike lane (always painted red to stand out and really make it separate from vehicular traffic) then becomes the whole driving lane just for that ten feet. This gives bikers the option to merge in front of stopped traffic to get the first shot at making the left. Since bikes can accelerate faster than cars for the first 100' or so the bikes are done making their turns before the traffic actually gets moving. This worked great, and forces bikers and cars to give each other their respective and deserved space.

Next time I see you driving in your car I'm going to bunny-hop on to your windsheild and pee on you al-alo

The speed limits are in place to slow down people from being dangerous to other around them NOT as a "I deserve to go this fast" law, although that is how they are seen by many people. I agree that being a jerk for the sake of being a jerk is stupid. But Awareness of the RIGHTS of bicyclists is something that drivers do not want to know about, it is much more fun to yell at them then to understand the laws.

The road is there for everyone, inline skaters and skateboarders are not supposed to use the sidewalks either according to NYS law, but if I were them I wouldn't ever dare to use the actual roadway because driver feel they have the RIGHT TO GO FAST,, which they DON'T. They have the right to use the street in a fair manor that doesn't preclude others from safely using the streets. They don't share the road well and have gotten used to it that way. So in that case, yes things like Critical Mass are the only way to get through to them that, you MUST share the road.

It is like when African Americans wanted to sit in the front of the bus or go to a White restaurant. They did it by forcing others to realize there was a problem and pushing for an answer. The funny part is they were breaking the laws of the time, bicyclists are not breaking the laws to be in the roadway but everyone seems to think they are. If people rode or walked more often this wouldn't be a problem, they would understand where to look for bikes and pedestrians unfortunately they don't so often they only look for cars and then go. Critical Mass and forcing people to be aware of the rights of others is the next step.

PS I have never participated in this ride but I can understand why those that do feel it is necessary to get their point across.

Al-alo,

You assume a lot that no one involved in Critical Mass has done anything you suggest. I see their "protest" as a valid form of political expression.

Anyway, I agree with someone else who posted earlier - motorists who are concerned about making somewhere on time should find another route on that day. Critical Mass isn't breaking any laws, they're just a group of people who are trying to get their point across....and as a Bike rider, I agree it's a good point!

And thank you, alo, for never running me off the road. Most drivers are okay, it's just the few that DO try to kill me (accidentally or otherwise) that still need education (or give me a bike lane, etc.)

I've never ridden in Critical Mass, but I sure as heck will now.

Similar idea as critical mass but involving Park(ing) spaces in San Fransisco, I wonder if people get pissed off at them for taking up a couple parking spots once a year. I wonder if they pay for the meters?

Park(ing) Spaces

Then again this post is probably too old for anyone to see it. :-p

I know this thread is old but reading it really bothered me so I'm responding anyway.

al-alo: No one in power cares about bicyclists' concerns. There are bicycle-riding interest groups, and the NFTC has a "bicycle master plan", but it's basically worthless. The only projects we actually see are recreational trails along the Niagara river, never shared use of arterials. Take a look at the inter-campus "bike route" between UB's two campus. It's a joke. Your suggestion of calling up the street dept. and asking them to paint some bike lanes onto the roads we want to use is uniformed.

The only designated bike lane in Buffalo (not counting scott st) on Richmond Ave is the half-assed kind that goes between parked cars and traffic. RPreskop made a good suggestion about restructuring Elmwood ave north of the Scajacquada, but I those kinds of bike lanes are not acceptable to me. I don't know how many times people have obliviously opened their car door right in front of me as I ride down that street. I've been lucky so far being able to swerve out of the way, but I'm sure people get hurt like that.

I haven't taken part in critical mass but I definitely see the worth in that kind of approach. When I ride my bike I ride aggressively because I have to. I think taking the lane up is at times appropriate and shows drivers that I belong on the road. No, you don't necessarily get to pass me, even if I'm only going 20mph. Novice bikers tend to stick to the shoulder in an effort to "share the road," but that is usually a more dangerous option than pushing your way into traffic.

al-alo: Get a road bike and start commuting. I generally like your comments on this board so I have to believe you'd change your tune if you actually used a bike in the city.

Motorists risk inconvenience if they end up behind a once-a-month Critical Mass ride. Law-abiding bicyclists risk serious injury (even death) daily. To me there is no comparison.

The suggestion that the bicyclists install their own bike lanes (al-alo: "you could even seek to build and maintain your own bike path!") would just be an additional misuse of public space. Bicyclists pay taxes to maintain public spaces, why shouldn't their spaces be included? I can't imagine the government allowing bicyclists to repaint the roads to include appropriate bike lanes. I doubt al-alo would really want this to happen.