Comments on: Tom Chapman – Arcata Bicyclists Are Risking Head Injuries, And Getting Them – March 1, 2011

By: Mark Sailors

Mark Sailors — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 21:46:34 +0000

Bicycle licensing is already the law in Arcata. The bureaucracy is in place, I have 3. One for each bike.

Generally traffic laws apply across the board, but not all. Take the anti cell phone law for driving a car. That law does not apply to bike riders. Strange but true.

By: MarkB

MarkB — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:32:04 +0000

Mr. Sailors, are you going to pay for the bureaucracy that bike licensing requires? Hope you have a good job……

Traffic laws generally do not apply to one type of vehicle over another; they are pretty much universal. EVERYONE is required to obey traffic law in order to use public streets. I wonder when that little nugget was forgotten.

Cyclists — take my word: ride like you’re invisible, because all too often, you are, to the obliviots. And hey — OBEY THE FRIGGIN’ LAW!

Drivers — you are operating a potentially deadly weapon; the onus of extraordinary care when doing so is ON YOU. NO ONE is required to just “get out of your way”. (Nor, for that matter, is anyone required to pay to be on the street; except for the homeless/disenfranchised, everyone already DOES pay their share in general taxes. Direct auto-related taxes are a spit in a hurricane when it comes to road maintenance.)

By: David

David — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:25:42 +0000

I ride a whole different type of bicycle, a totally human powered vehicle known as a Velomobile. It’s a recumbent trike built into a aerodynamic shell with a head light, tail light, stop light, turn signals and flashers, all controlled by an illuminated control board from within the Velo. I’ve added even more lights, a 400 lumen rear flasher and over 800 lumens off the front. I run with lights night and day and stick to the roads as I can readily hit 45 + mph with the slightest descent. I obey the rules of the road, take the lane and for most of the time the overwhelming majority of motorists behave them selves.
Lights are important. One cannot be bright enough.
On conventional bikes, the cyclists must wear reflective clothing. Stealth cyclists are a danger to us all.
Ride safe. Ride smart. be seen.

By: Mark Sailors

Mark Sailors — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:28:37 +0000

“Bikes and cars cannot cut people off or make unsafe turns. Bikes and cars must have headlight(s) illuminated during hours of darkness.”

Lets not forget that bikes in Arcata should be licensed, and that flashing headlights are illegal.