Made the same choice as this woman many, many times. All you can do is hope the drivers of whatever vehicles are behind you decide not to murder someone that day.

  • Black_Mald_Futures [any]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    Outside of "i shouldn't have to/ it's the LAW" why not just like slow down and go around on the sidewalk

    I don't understand the "bicycles are vehicles " thing people have especially when it leads to shit like this almost constantly. People are assholes and can't drive, it seems like the obviously solution is to absolutely never share space with them when it can be avoided. But people seem to think riding a bike on a sidewalk is just as bad as driving a cybertruck through a bike lane so idk. People seem to really be on some shit with this. I used to ride my bike on the sidewalk 100% of the time for years at college and there was never any issue, you don't have to go 25mph around pedestrians. If riding on the sidewalk were seen as an acceptable solution then this person might still be alive (since whether or not this dumpster had a permit is meaningless, the same thing would have still happened either way)

    • Infamousblt [any]
      ·
      2 months ago

      How am I supposed to get to the sidewalk when it's cars parked bumper to bumper between my lane and the sidewalk. Which is also full of people and doors that fly open from buildings and cars. Assuming the sidewalk is even clear and isn't full of restaurant tables. It's dangerous on the sidewalk because it's unpredictable.

      Also victim blaming bikers for trying to keep themselves and others safe while dying to oblivious drivers might be the most braindead take I'm going to see this week. Unless I open up my stupid lib family chat again but I swore that off for a while.

      • Black_Mald_Futures [any]
        ·
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        if you're in a bike lane and it's road to your right and sidewalk to your left (i.e. literally what is pictured in this article) idk where the parked cars are coming in, and there's a dumpster in front of you so idk I just know what choice I'd make. I'm never biking in traffic if I can avoid it and the sidewalk bike cops can eat me

        Also victim blaming bikers for trying to keep themselves and others safe while dying to oblivious drivers might be the most braindead take I'm going to see this week

        if you wanna be mad about it be my guest but it's not really victim blaming bicyclists to say "hey why don't people just do this thing that's safer for everyone involved than treating a bike like it's a car when that repeatedly, continuously kills people because drivers are a danger even to other drivers"

        I just think it's absurd that it makes more sense to some people to go bicycle = car than to treat them more like pedestrians and encourage sidewalk travel, but then pedestrians get just as mad at the idea as bicyclists do about bike lane infringement

        • Infamousblt [any]
          ·
          2 months ago

          The thing that's safer for everyone is for cars to slow down and pay attention. Bikes have nothing to do with it.

          • Black_Mald_Futures [any]
            ·
            2 months ago

            Which isn't going to happen, so i guess people are gonna keep dying and I'll keep being the asshole for going "what if we didn't equate bikes to cars"

            • hypercracker [he/him]
              hexagon
              ·
              edit-2
              2 months ago

              lol reply to my comment coward, you don't even bike

              talking about what cyclists should do when you don't even bike. basically medieval philosophy.

            • Infamousblt [any]
              ·
              2 months ago

              How does someone with the reactionary viewpoint of "bad things happen because of the victims and society can't possibly change" find their way to a leftist website. Are you sure you didn't mean to make a dot world account instead?

              • Black_Mald_Futures [any]
                ·
                2 months ago

                Why do people get so fucked up turbo mad at "hey maybe it's fucked to expect bikes and cars to share the same traffic" but sure i'm a fucking reactionary dawg, what the fuck ever

                "I WANT to bicycle with ten ton murder machines, you're actually an ASSHOLE for SUGGESTING mixing with pedestrian traffic would be safer"

                • Infamousblt [any]
                  ·
                  2 months ago

                  Mixing with pedestrian traffic is absolutely not safer for pedestrians. It's also way less efficient, it would take ages to bike everywhere dodging pedestrians and tables and chairs and trash cans and doors and plants and dogs and whatever else the fuck is on the sidewalk. Maybe where you live your sidewalks are weirdly completely empty and so it makes sense but where the rest of us live riding on the sidewalk is incredibly difficult and dangerous and slow. Seriously just go outside and use your eye balls and think about it for more than zero seconds. This shit is not complicated. Or since you clearly don't bike maybe go talk to people who do.

          • Infamousblt [any]
            ·
            2 months ago

            They probably no helmet no bell ebike at 30mph on the sidewalk and act as if they're somehow making the world a better place as families and the elderly dive out of their way to avoid being run over.

            • hypercracker [he/him]
              hexagon
              ·
              2 months ago

              nah bro every time there's an obstacle in the bike lane just come to a complete stop. then dismount your bike and heave it up on the sidewalk past whatever random bullshit obstacles are in the way, then roll along the janky sidewalk for a bit, then dismount again and lift your bike back on the street. then put all the effort into getting back up to speed. This is something all cyclists should do on their commute route they bike every day for every obstacle in their path. Yeah nah I don't bike why do you ask.

              • Infamousblt [any]
                ·
                2 months ago

                Actually it's too dangerous on the road so bikers should just get inside cars instead. See I solved it wow I'm so smart!

    • tocopherol [any]
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      Where I'm at there are a few bike lanes, but they are rare and the drivers so terrible that I have been yelled at while on the road "ride on the sidewalk, it's safer!" Most people don't seem to mind bikes on the sidewalk here, it's easy to ride slow and avoid people and they know it's a risk to your life to ride in the road.

    • wtypstanaccount04 [he/him]M
      ·
      2 months ago

      Riding on the sidewalk actually works kinda well on stroads but in cities with lots of pedestrian traffic like Toronto you really should have some kind of dedicated infrastructure. The Dutch have set the standard here.