Jackassalope

Warning, Sting Ahead

I’m not anti-cyclists by any means. In fact, I wish that I lived closer to work, so I could save a little gas money as well. What I am against is all of the bitching the cyclists have been doing of late. Yes, it sucks that bikers are getting hit by vehicles on a monthly basis, but whose fault is it? I’ve had my fair share of near misses as cyclists blow through stop signs and red lights.

It’s a lot easier to observe the road on a bike, which is why they feel comfortable breaking traffic laws. I do the same thing when I ride, but that doesn’t make it right. The fact of the matter is that by law, bikes are considered vehicles and have to obey all of the traffic laws.

Recently, Portland police conducted a sting operation that targeted bikers who committed violations. Fifty-three cyclists were pulled over Wednesday morning alone. Most were just given a warning instead of a $200+ ticket. And as much as it pissed off a lot of people, hopefully it raised a little bit of awareness as well.