Local NY legislator: No one 'should ever ride a bicycle' in Suffolk County

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Biking on the sidewalk is not only illegal, but dangerous to pedestrians.

Which is a shame, because it is a hell of a lot safer. How fast are you going on your bike anyway? Its not hard to slow down and wait for a pedestrian to move to the side. When I walked around Boynton every day I was always passed by cyclists and never had a problem.

And guess what, a bicycle is a vehicle!

Can I drive my uncle’s lawn mower down the street then?

But I see you've cleverly ignored my points. What's a poor person to do? Can't live close to work, rent is too high. Can't own a car, too expensive. Can't walk to work, lives too far away. Can't take public transportation, because it's too inadequate. But, nope. Who cares?? You have yours, Jack.

If a person is too high and mighty to ride on a bus because its “inadequate” then that’s their fault. I walked two miles to the train station, road the train a half hour to Boca, walked another two miles to the campaign office I worked in, and volunteered everyday for a whole Florida summer. It’s not hard. I’m as bony and weak as they come.

I try to respect traffic on my bike, but it's people like you that make me so angry, that I don't mind sometimes cutting corners. Especially if it means pissing off a driver like you.

Well, when you piss off the wrong person because they don’t respect your high and mighty bike, I won’t have any sympathy for you. Your taking a huge risk riding in the road on the bike.

Bikes are not exactly great for pedestrians either. The sidewalk is not suitable for bikers in any way. They deserve the road.

Your right, bikers are much safer going up the side of a two lane road with cars going by them at twice their speed and having to move to the center (and into oncoming traffic) to avoid hitting them. Or they can go on the sidewalk, and have to suddenly slow down and awkwardly pass somebody walking up the street. Which situation is more dangerous?

Or we can ban cars. Which would be much better for the environment.

After all, you don't seem to care about my transportation needs, why should I care about yours. I got mine, Jack.

I'm so sorry that my concerns for my safety and yours violate your own transportation needs. For a guy with a Rocky Anderson endorsement, I'd think you would be a little less "me!" centered.

Sure. We can ban cars. And I could walk everywhere again, and be fine with it. And I wouldn't have to deal with pricks on bikes as often. Good luck getting that policy off the ground though.

Quit calling me Jack, its rather annoying and doesn't make you appear any more intelligent.

[Sol]

Of course, the true solution, rather than disfavoring bikers, is to reduce driving by raising the driving age to 21, investing in large-scale public transport, and hiking gas taxes.

[Lief 🗽]

Driving cars inside cities should be illegal. They're fine for rural transportation I guess.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Driving cars inside cities should be illegal. They're fine for rural transportation I guess.

As urban cities get denser and denser, this could be a rational solution. There is no reason to have a car in the heart of New York City, but there is no reason to be biking on US-1 in the middle of Boynton Beach, Florida either.

Of course, the true solution, rather than disfavoring bikers, is to reduce driving by raising the driving age to 21, investing in large-scale public transport, and hiking gas taxes.

Yeah, lets punish drivers for looking out for the safety of others and getting where they need to go! Bastards!

[Hatman 🍁]

Biking on the sidewalk is not only illegal, but dangerous to pedestrians.

Which is a shame, because it is a hell of a lot safer. How fast are you going on your bike anyway? Its not hard to slow down and wait for a pedestrian to move to the side. When I walked around Boynton every day I was always passed by cyclists and never had a problem.

Well, I bike fast enough to seriously injure someone if they were on the sidewalk, and came out of nowhere. I think most cyclists would. (Plus, what would you do about crowded sidewalks and sidewalks with a lot of shop doors opening up onto them?) Sounds like you've never biked in your life, now that I think of it. Someone in your mindset would quickly have a different view of things if they started biking regularly.

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Can I drive my uncle’s lawn mower down the street then?

[/quote]

I wouldn't have a problem with it. I can easily pass it on my bike.

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If a person is too high and mighty to ride on a bus because its “inadequate” then that’s their fault. I walked two miles to the train station, road the train a half hour to Boca, walked another two miles to the campaign office I worked in, and volunteered everyday for a whole Florida summer. It’s not hard. I’m as bony and weak as they come.

[/quote]

Not everyone can ride the bus. And even if the option is available, spending more than 1 hr on a commute is unreasonable, especially if they can take a shorter time via bike.

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Well, when you piss off the wrong person because they don’t respect your high and mighty bike, I won’t have any sympathy for you. Your taking a huge risk riding in the road on the bike.

[/quote]

Well, more people die in car accidents than bike accidents (per capita), so I feel perfectly safe, thank you very much.  Plus, I've never heard of a cyclist killing anyone in an accident. Again, another reason to ban cars.

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Your right, bikers are much safer going up the side of a two lane road with cars going by them at twice their speed and having to move to the center (and into oncoming traffic) to avoid hitting them. Or they can go on the sidewalk, and have to suddenly slow down and awkwardly pass somebody walking up the street. Which situation is more dangerous?

[/quote]

Or we can ban cars. Which would be much better for the environment.

After all, you don't seem to care about my transportation needs, why should I care about yours. I got mine, Jack.
[/quote]
I'm so sorry that my concerns for my safety and yours violate your own transportation needs. For a guy with a Rocky Anderson endorsement, I'd think you would be a little less "me!" centered.

Sure. We can ban cars. And I could walk everywhere again, and be fine with it. And I wouldn't have to deal with pricks on bikes as often. Good luck getting that policy off the ground though.
[/quote]

Good luck with your plan to ban bikes.

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I can start calling you Dirty Sanchez, would you prefer that?

[Cassius]

He's got it all wrong. No one should ride a car.  I can't count the number of idiots running red lights, opening their car doors in front of me, pulling out in front of me, etc while I try to bike to work and back.

DRIVERS: GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS! SOME PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD TO DRIVE / WANT TO STAY FIT / AND BIKE TO COMMUTE. SHARE THE ING ROAD *SSHOLES, OR STAY HOME. QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT CYCLISTS, ***YOU ARE THE PROBLEM*** POLLUTING THE ENVIRONMENT, CLOGGING ARTERIES, KILLING BYSTANDERS!!!

There, one of my few rants.

Most modern roads were not designed for cyclists, but instead for cars/vans/HGV's. Cyclists only use these roads on sufferance.

[Paul Kemp]

I have a feeling Sanchez never learned how to ride a bicycle.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Well, I bike fast enough to seriously injure someone if they were on the sidewalk, and came out of nowhere. I think most cyclists would. (Plus, what would you do about crowded sidewalks and sidewalks with a lot of shop doors opening up onto them?) Sounds like you've never biked in your life, now that I think of it. Someone in your mindset would quickly have a different view of things if they started biking regularly.

I bike occasionally. I find it tiring to struggle over the bridge to cross the interstate, and I prefer to walk. Walking is peaceful, easy, and after a few days, you actually can build steady speed. I walked to and from work (again, that’s five miles one way) everyday last summer and two miles the summer before.

I wouldn't have a problem with it. I can easily pass it on my bike.

Good; then you should have no trouble slowing down for a second to gently pass a pedestrian on the sidewalk.

Not everyone can ride the bus. And even if the option is available, spending more than 1 hr on a commute is unreasonable, especially if they can take a shorter time via bike.

Oh the horrors! Riding a bus for an hour! Is it because of all the smelly, scary poors? Are you scared of it for some reason? Bus services are pretty fast down here. When I walked so far that I couldn’t walk home before dark or because I was tired, I often took the bus and got home very, very quick.

Well, more people die in car accidents than bike accidents (per capita), so I feel perfectly safe, thank you very much.  Plus, I've never heard of a cyclist killing anyone in an accident. Again, another reason to ban cars.

I have heard of people who were hit by an oncoming car trying to avoid knocking people like you into the grass on the side of the road. So, yeah, bikes can kill. Planes crash. Lets ban that too. And my mother’s friend’s first child drowned in a lake behind their house back in 1995. Lets ban lakes too.

Good luck with your plan to ban bikes.

From driving in the road? That could catch on. I know of one state legislator who supports the idea….

I can start calling you Dirty Sanchez, would you prefer that?

I’ve been called that jokingly since I first joined, so you wouldn’t be the first. Contact Oakvale or Cathcon-one of them has the trademark on it.

I have a feeling Sanchez never learned how to ride a bicycle.

I did, but its a struggle to bike in Florida. Easier to walk over bridges then it is to ride over them.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Most modern roads were not designed for cyclists, but instead for cars/vans/HGV's. Cyclists only use these roads on sufferance.

While basically no roads have ever been designed purely for cyclists as for the latter point... um... well  it depends on the sort of road in question, the place in question, and what's meant by 'modern'. Obviously motorways and so on are always designed for cars, but who cycles on a motorway? If you do it long distance you use the old roads. And while the roads-are-for-cars-and-only-cars thing is true of many American suburbs,* in Britain there are suburbs and New Towns built in the 1950s that were clearly not designed with mass car ownership in mind. And generally in big cities its really only the various postwar traffic management schemes (c.f. the Birmingham ring roads) that were designed purely for cars et al.

_{*Often to the extent of lacking pavements. This, by the way, is not something to be pleased about.}

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh the horrors! Riding a bus for an hour! Is it because of all the smelly, scary poors? Are you scared of it for some reason? Bus services are pretty fast down here. When I walked so far that I couldn’t walk home before dark or because I was tired, I often took the bus and got home very, very quick.

An hour long bus journey is generally extremely unpleasant, and I can't imagine doing it on a regular basis. Though I can't conceive of an hour long car commute or whatever. Commutes that long are why the Lord invented trains...

[Marokai Backbeat]

Oh the horrors! Riding a bus for an hour! Is it because of all the smelly, scary poors? Are you scared of it for some reason? Bus services are pretty fast down here. When I walked so far that I couldn’t walk home before dark or because I was tired, I often took the bus and got home very, very quick.

An hour long bus journey is generally extremely unpleasant, and I can't imagine doing it on a regular basis. Though I can't conceive of an hour long car commute or whatever. Commutes that long are way the Lord invented trains...

I may be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure trains are only for Eurocommunists.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Oh the horrors! Riding a bus for an hour! Is it because of all the smelly, scary poors? Are you scared of it for some reason? Bus services are pretty fast down here. When I walked so far that I couldn’t walk home before dark or because I was tired, I often took the bus and got home very, very quick.

An hour long bus journey is generally extremely unpleasant, and I can't imagine doing it on a regular basis. Though I can't conceive of an hour long car commute or whatever. Commutes that long are way the Lord invented trains...

I may be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure trains are only for Eurocommunists.

I got around by train all the time in the summer of 2012. I support high speed rail being expanded all across Florida. I guess I am a Eurocommie now as well .

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

And while the roads-are-for-cars-and-only-cars thing is true of many American suburbs,* in Britain there are suburbs and New Towns built in the 1950s that were clearly not designed with mass car ownership in mind.

_{*Often to the extent of lacking pavements. This, by the way, is not something to be pleased about.}

No, they usually have pavements.  You have to get really rural to hit dirt roads.  However, what many American suburbs lack are sidewalks.