Bicycle fail.

[Dreamstalker]

I saw a good one walking home from a petsitting gig this morning. I have to cross a one-way street, and regularly see drivers going the wrong way....aside from wondering how the hell they got all the way from Beacon St. without getting killed (the street tends to be an amateur speedway), I've said repeatedly that the town could bring in boatloads of extra ticket revenue just by putting a cruiser at the corner and catching the idiots as they exit the street.

At least once a week I almost get hit by a cyclist going the wrong way. A car I can see/hear in time, bikes can have an annoying tendency to be in my blind spot (not to mention silent).

So, cyclist going the wrong way. Not too unusual, except for the way she was doing it.

Strike one: no helmet
Strike two: ipod in both ears
Strike three: Texting. Yes, texting. I think she actually had a smartphone bracket on a handlebar.

She almost runs into the side of a bus that's pulling out (how do you NOT notice a bus?), and then got flagged down by a metermaid.

[Gerrinson]

...and then got flagged down by a metermaid.

[Nelson] Ha ha! [/Nelson]

Good to know she got what was coming to her.

I once got stuck in my car behind a kid who was maybe 13 or 14 pedaling at about 5 mph (me speedometer really doesn't go that low) down the center of a 1 way street texting. But at least he was going the right way.

[Dreamstalker]

That happens a lot around here; what's most annoying is when it's an old guy in a mobility scooter (yes, someone around here does this and thinks he has the right of way). I don't think those are even supposed to go off the sidewalk, but they don't have license plates so unless a cop actually sees it happening they can't do much.

I once saw an ambulance (full lights and sirens) take two minutes to get through the intersection (about two blocks total). Normally that's not too unusual, except what made this time odd was that it was held up by...a dork on a bicycle and the cars that had pulled to the side were even honking at him. Finally a car boxed him in and let the ambulance go. When stuff like that happens I can't help but wonder why the driver isn't allowed to hit them.

[Sunshine]

because then they'd have to stop and render aid. darn laws!

[Dreamstalker]

A few of the ambulances have a subsonic component to their sirens (I can feel as well as hear it when I'm walking). Now I might see how a car could ignore it until it's almost up their tailpipe (windows up, AC/music blasting), but a bike?

The law here is that any vehicle (I'm assuming bicycles are included in that, I think they know it can't be enforced though) must pull to the side for any emergency vehicle.

[Sunshine]

yep. anyone on the roadway has to yield right of way.

[BlaqueKatt]

That happens a lot around here; what's most annoying is when it's an old guy in a mobility scooter (yes, someone around here does this and thinks he has the right of way). I don't think those are even supposed to go off the sidewalk, but they don't have license plates so unless a cop actually sees it happening they can't do much.

check your local laws, in WI they are allowed on the roadway, as are rollerblades in some areas.

edited to add: Actually just looked up the traffic laws for Massachusetts-there are no laws against them being on the roadway.