First things first – there is absolutely nothing wrong with bike riding whether you do it for fitness, pleasure, to save on gas, or because your car recently got repossessed. However…
The fact is that riding a bike on Arizona roadways is really not a smart decision, whether you can manage to keep yourself in the bike lane or not. With Arizona being a state where the majority of people don’t even feel safe in their own cars, I really have to wonder about where the common sense is when I see people who willingly choose to ride a bicycle on Arizona’s busy roadways. You would think the terribly hot weather for most of the year and the amount of pollution precipitates would be enough of a deterrent to keep people from biking on the roads. But somehow it will be 110 degrees outside and you still see these idiots peddling down the road. It also doesn’t sound like the smartest idea to try and share the road with the amount of terribly reckless or drunk drivers we have around the state at all hours of the day. With all these potential dangers on Arizona’s roads, you really got to give it to those bikers who brave the roadways with no helmet on or the ones on the cell phone with a cigarette in their other hand.
Some cities in Arizona have done their best to paint themselves as having biker friendly streets by putting in a limited amount of bike lanes. It is important to note that these lane designations are often ignored by both auto drivers and the cyclists. It is an all too common occurrence to see or read about an Arizona cyclist being taken out because somebody wasn’t paying attention, failed to stay in his or her lane, or ignored the rules of the road. A lot of cyclists seem to think none of the driving rules apply to them and I frequently see them running stop signs/red lights or driving the wrong way or holding up traffic one way or another. Of course, most drivers in Arizona don’t really follow any of the rules of driving a car or use any common sense either. It is no excuse for unsafe driving, but if you do something stupid with your car, you are at least reasonably protected. One mistake on your bike and you’re dead.
So, Arizona cyclists, how the hell do you do it? Have you been hit yet or almost hit? It will happen and it won’t be pretty, so best of luck to you.
It’s Pedro again. Pedro has mountain bike and can ride on the SIDEWALK. Admin is correct, all these suckers seem to be on road bikes, or if in Tempe, “single speed cruisers”. I hear time and time again about people having to “lay down their bike” in an intersection. This is mostly because AZ has a strange obsession with road bikes, which get squirrely on the cracks of sidewalks, rocks larger than a gummy bear, or anything basically wet- like water. So you got to ride three feet from the curb in the middle of the freaking lane and get hit when someone turns in an intersection. In the world of jacked up trucks, quads and tattoos, Pedro does not understand why road bikes so popular in AZ. Pedro wants to know.
Sidewalk is only safe place to ride in AZ. If you ride a bike, get some real exercise and get wheels thicker than a Twizzler so you can ride on the SIDEWALK. Rarely does someone actually walk around on sidewalks so you pretty much have it to yourself. Try it. Otherwise you’re pretty much going to get hit like admin says, tear up your $150 TREK jersey and crack your $4000 carbon fiber Cannondale frame- because you were riding your squirrely road bike 3 feet from the curb.
I used to live in Tempe, and what bothered me the most was not the bicyclists, but the skateboarders.
I’m not sure why, but an exceedingly large portion of the ASU student body seems to be skaters. Most of the skaters in Tempe are completely oblivious to traffic or pedestrians because they are too busy trying to do skateboard tricks. Unfortunately most of the the skaters can’t properly execute any tricks and just end up wiping out on the sidewalk or street, sending their board shooting off across the six lanes of traffic in Tempe, which undoubtedly ends up causing car wrecks. Thanks skaters.
“The fact is that riding a bike on Arizona roadways is really not a smart decision… I really have to wonder about where the common sense is when I see people who… ride a bicycle on Arizona’s busy roadways.”
As a cyclist stuck in the valley, my reply, with all due respect, is that not all of us who are stuck in this wasteland can afford cars. Furthermore, the public transportation here is limited and horribly slow, so what other choice do we have as far as transportation goes?
I know it’s not exactly the safest or most “common sense” choice, but not all AZ cyclists choose to ride primarily from a lack of common sense.
Anyway, if it’s any consolation, at least I try to ride safely. I hope that those cyclists who don’t will learn to do so also. Also, I didn’t take personal offense at your comments.
- A cyclist stuck in AZ
PS: It’s good to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t like living in AZ.
Please accept my apology — sometimes it is easy to overlook how life might be for other people. I do try to avoid it, but I’m far from perfect myself.
Thanks for pointing out my poor wording and for attempting to give cyclists a good name because not all of them do.