my cag-powered mtb around campus

[def215]

the weather is nicer so im starting to use my bike again. heres an entire commute video to work i recorded on my helmet cam.

i thought i upload this for fun. the only failure i had was my pipe snaps in half about halfway through the video

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

I liked the video of you messing with the peddle only riders. However making videos of you breaking the law isn't a very smart thing to do. Stop signs aren't yield signs; they mean come to a complete stop. In the last video you even ran a red light. Unlawful passing to the right can get you killed. Riding between vehicles is even more dangerous. When you ride in the city take the center of the lane then cars can't ride around you.

Posting videos of irresponsible riding is what gets laws passed to take our bikes from us. I don't want you to get killed so please become a responsible rider and obey the traffic laws. You did really good with the filming. Now let's show others the proper way to ride in traffic. You never know who might be watching your video; maybe the police?

 

[bahramu]

LR, How do you know posting videos of irresponsible riding is what gets laws passed to take our bikes away? Can you back that up with an example in which videos on a public forum were used to support a change in the law in the past?

I've noticed lots of people that comment on irresponsible riding are commenting on running stop signs and riding in between cars.
At least in CA, riding in between cars is called lane splitting and is perfectly legal.
With regard to stop signs I'm afraid laws with respect to bicycles are behind the times. Idaho law, for the last 27 years? allows bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs, if there is no traffic/pedestrians present. They still cannot "blow" the stop sign but they are allowed to maintain forward momentum because bicycles are inherently not as dangerous as cars, they can brake quicker, you don't have the same blind spots on a bike as you do in a car, and it helps riders immensely. Idaho has an exceptional bicycle safety history and many people are fighting for the same law to be passed in their state. I didn't watch all of all of Def's video's cause they were too long for me but from what I saw there was no obvious disregard for safety, which is what I think is bad for us(maybe there was?). Here in San Francisco, with all the hills especially, NO ONE stops completely on a bike at a stop sign unless to yield to someone else's right of way. I'm afraid the laws are behind the times, even cops don't care. As long as your not risking damage to persons or property, run those stop signs all you want I say. And personally, taking a whole lane when traffic is faster than you is not a good idea, and is against the law in CA, but I will take a lane if I'm keeping pace with traffic, which is allowed in CA law. Just my 2cents.

Here's a video illustrating the "Idaho Stop" law
http://vimeo.com/4140910

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Here is your California law for bicycles:

V C Section 21200 Laws Applicable to Bicycle Use Peace Officer Exemption

Laws Applicable to Bicycle Use: Peace Officer Exemption

21200. (a) A person riding a bicycle or operating a pedicab upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division, including, but not limited to, provisions concerning driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs, and by Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000), Section 27400, Division 16.7 (commencing with Section 39000), Division 17 (commencing with Section 40000.1), and Division 18 (commencing with Section 42000), except those provisions which by their very nature can have no application.

(b) (1) A peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, operating a bicycle during the course of his or her duties is exempt from the requirements of subdivision (a), except as those requirements relate to driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs, if the bicycle is being operated under any of the following circumstances:

(A) In response to an emergency call.

(B) While engaged in rescue operations.

(C) In the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law.

(2) This subdivision does not relieve a peace officer from the duty to operate a bicycle with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway.

Only bicycle cops don't have to stop at stop signs in California. However you are correct about the lane splitting in California which applies to two wheeled vehicles. Traffic must be at a stop, you must be under 10 mph, no wide vehicles can be in a lane and you can't do it on a curve.

You are correct about the Idaho law allowing bicycles to yield at stop signs traffic permitting. However it only applies to bicycles which Idaho defines as being solely human powered. In Idaho a motorized bicycle has to meet moped requirements.

Several years ago a guy made a video of what it looks like to go close to 200 mph on an interstate in an Italian sports car. After posting this video he was charged with multiple counts of reckless endangerment for every car he passed. So to conclude making videos of irresponsible riding can cause problems for you.

 

[bahramu]

Ah I see. Your right, MB's do fall under Idaho moped law which requires them to obey all traffic signs just like a car. I still hold that as long as a rider is riding in a manner that doesn't cause any risk to person or property they pose no risk to the greater MB community at large.

Your example of the guy getting caught after posting his 200mph video is irrelevant.
You stated "Posting videos of irresponsible riding is what gets laws passed to take our bikes from us."
The video the guy posted didn't result in a law getting passed that takes away Italian sports cars, it only landed HIM in trouble.

I don't believe there is any chance of a common home video of a MB'er riding being used to justify stricter MB laws, even when minor infractions are committed. The state isn't dumb, they know very well that MB's are capable of breaking the law, which is why there are penalties. No judge is going to see OP's video and say, "OMG, who knew those MB's can run red lights!? Look how close he gets to those cars! Now we have to ban them!" Maybe if a pedestrian gets struck and killed by a MB someone may come on here looking for videos to use in court. But they're probably going to be looking for videos with excessive speeding and complete disregard of public safety. My final words: Cut the guy some slack, he's just commuting.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

There are a few states which have banned motorized bicycles and others states thinking about it. Making videos of irresponsible riding can be giving them what they need to get bills passed into laws. It also sets bad examples for new impressionable riders. By making videos of responsible riding it shows we deserve the right to the public roadways as well.

We need to publicly condemn people for irresponsible riding by posting on YouTube that majority of the motorized bicycle community doesn't approve of such actions. This will then send a message that this is the actions of only a few irresponsible riders and not the majority of riders.

 

[bahramu]

I see your point. You, sir, are a defender of the motorized bike! It's like MBers are an endangered species, and must be protected

I googled "state ban motorized bicycle" and all I found was New York City had banned motorized bicycles. More recently e-bikes have been included in the ban in NYC. I can see why as all articles have comments on e-bikes speeding on sidewalks and posing a threat to pedestrians in crowded streets. It still remains unclear to me whether the ban is throughout the whole state of New York or just NYC.
Besides New York I didn't see any other mention of states with bans. What other states have banned motorized bicycles?

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Washington state has banned gas powered ones. Florida and several states want you to meet moped requirements. Some of the states use a manufacture's list for mopeds. That's how they ban motorized bicycles.