[El Scorcho]

With the recent tragedy that killed a cyclist in Lynchburg, there have been a few articles/stories about the rules of the road. They've all detailed what we can do to keep an eye out for people using pedal power. They talk about how unsafe it is out there for people who are on bikes, and how motorists should really be told that under the law they have to share the road. I've seen at least three pedal pushers on TV saying they wish they could tell motorists a thing or two about the road sharing laws.

As a result, it occurred to me that perhaps the problem is not with motorists. Perhaps the problem is that we're forced to share the road with people who have no license to operate their unsafe, unregistered, uninsured and uninspected vehicles. If I have to pay all of the registration fees and taxes to use state highways, why shouldn't cyclists? If they expect to ride in the lane just the same as a automobile would, why shouldn't they be regulated in a similar manner?

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think it's time that anyone who operates a bicycle on a state road or highway be licensed, registered, inspected and insured. This is my new pet cause.

What say ye? Crazy? Or is this a valid point?

[LUconn]

I say it's crazy. If they had another lane, I'm sure they'd use it. But since they don't they have to use the road. I guess, you can show some reason as to why you have to register, license, insure, etc. but as someone who would rather you didn't have to do any of that (except for insure) with automobiles, I think you're going the wrong way.

[JDUB]

i think i would never ride a bike on some of the crazy streets in the burg. thats signing your death certificate

[Libertine]

Let's examine Bicycle vs. Car for a second:

• One is sixty times heavier than the other.
  
  One moves at twice the speed as the other.
  
  One has all sorts of safety features built into it in case of collision. The other pretty much guarantees that its operator will become a human lawn dart.
  
  Thanks to lights, horns and sheer bulk, one is highly visible. The other could disappear behind a utility pole.

Why, yes, of course. These two vehicles should share the same traffic lanes. It's only logical.

[Fumblerooskies]

The whole issue points out the need for bike and pedestrian pathways through the city...and the university. I can't count the # of times I've almost gotten picked off by a bike rider not paying attention to where they're going around campus. Most of the time...they are checking out the scenery instead of having their eyes on the road.

[JDUB]

most of the time I"M checking out 'scenery' when i'm driving, then look back on the road and theres some idiot crossing right in front of me. last semester i almost killed about 5 people on campus. and while were talkin about people getting hit, i was on a bus 2x last semester that had to lock the brakes and was like an inch fromkilling someone

[Knucklehead]

Let's examine Bicycle vs. Car for a second:

• One is sixty times heavier than the other.
  
  One moves at twice the speed as the other.
  
  One has all sorts of safety features built into it in case of collision. The other pretty much guarantees that its operator will become a human lawn dart.
  
  Thanks to lights, horns and sheer bulk, one is highly visible. The other could disappear behind a utility pole.

Why, yes, of course. These two vehicles should share the same traffic lanes. It's only logical.

Wow, I don't have to post on this one, Lib did it for me!
GET OUT OF MY WAY WITH YOUR CUTE LITTLE BIKER SHORTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RubberMallet]

a guy on a bike slammed into the back of my prelude a few years ago....i wouldn't let him leave until the cops came and then i made them do something....they initially were like "theres nothing we can do"...finally they gave him some sort of citation...then i got all his information and hounded him until he wrote me a check...

[ATrain]

Just be glad the Amish don't live in Lynchburg...out in Charlotte County, you gotta watch out for those horse and buggies, especially at night.

Also, speaking of cyclists, Brandon Duke crashed into my car (it was parked and I was in my dorm room right above it when it happened) my sophomore year over on East Campus. No damage was done to my car, but Brandon did get a scar on his leg from that.

[LUconn]

is he famous?




I watched a girl walk right into a bike rack on the back of a truck one night in the keyhole. Man it was funny.

[ATrain]

He's on the football team here.

A girl walked into a bike rack? Now thats funny

[JDUB]

i love watching people walk into stuff/fall (esp down the steps during convo)

[Knucklehead]

i love watching people walk into stuff/fall (esp down the steps during convo)

Sicko!

[JDUB]

what? its funny! especially when they jump up and keep walking like nothing happened

[LUconn]

we used to take 10 minutes or so every once in a while to hang out on the road right next to the Vine's center. If there was ice on that sidewalk next to dorm 1, you can be sure every 4 people or so would slip and fall pretty hard. It was stairs made of those railroad ties. They then changed it to a steep concrete ramp which made things much worse. Then later they put up a railing and people didn't fall there anymore.

[shukcb04]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think it's time that anyone who operates a bicycle on a state road or highway be licensed, registered, inspected and insured.

I like that idea, never thought of it. Now some people may think it IS crazy lol.

The whole issue points out the need for bike and pedestrian pathways through the city...and the university. I can't count the # of times I've almost gotten picked off by a bike rider not paying attention to where they're going around campus. Most of the time...they are checking out the scenery instead of having their eyes on the road.

I'd like to see how the cyclists propose raising the money for that and how they will like it if the City goes and tears up the roads to add these pathways in, because you know they are going to decide to tear up all the roads all at the same time instead of planning, well at least to me it has seemed like the past few years the City has conducted very poor planning for road construction.

[JDUB]

i haven't lived here long, but from what i can tell the entire road system in Lynchburg is absolutely terrible. i don't know what they did when they were making it, but it looks like a drunk person designed it

[shukcb04]

i haven't lived here long, but from what i can tell the entire road system in Lynchburg is absolutely terrible. i don't know what they did when they were making it, but it looks like a drunk person designed it

The roads up AND down the road for me have been under construction for nearly two years now. the first project was about 3 months late, the current project is supposed to be done in 4 days and they aren't even half done with it. I wish I could have gotten away with finishing projects so late when I was in school.

[El Scorcho]

I'd like to see how the cyclists propose raising the money for that...

Me too! I know exactly how we could pay for some of it.

[LUconn]

i haven't lived here long, but from what i can tell the entire road system in Lynchburg is absolutely terrible. i don't know what they did when they were making it, but it looks like a drunk person designed it

agreed. I bet every single one of you wound up on 460 trying to get to Wards when you first got here. People have actually told me that Lycnhburg was voted something like "best road system" or some junk. That has got to be one of those stupid rumors that LU has so many of. No acceleration lanes, all cloverleaves, no direct route across town, 29S somehow magically turns into 501N, etc. It is impossible to give someone directions who has never been here. They always seem to contain the phrase "now I know this sounds dumb, but" or "I know this doesn't seem like it makes sense, but"

[Sly Fox]

Agreed. The Lynchburg highway system is a disaster. The bypass system has helped but only to an extent.

[Libertine]

Why do people stop at Yield signs here? Also, when they are turning left, why do they always first turn their cars to the right?

[ATrain]

The only good thing about the expressway is it cut down on the time it took for me to get to City Stadium than if I had gone down Candlers/Wards/Fort.

From my dorm:
460 E to Expressway to Stadium: 5 minutes tops
Through town: 20/30 minutes

[El Scorcho]

Why do people stop at Yield signs here?

No acceleration lanes...

Mostly. And well, because sometimes yielding means you actually have to stop.

Lynchburg's roads are the result of it being a very old town built on a lot of hills. I like the confusion. It adds character to the town.

[LUconn]

Why do people stop at Yield signs here? Also, when they are turning left, why do they always first turn their cars to the right?

See the stopping thing used to bug me until I realized there's no acceleration lane and nobody in the right lane will get over! You have to stop a lot of the time.

As for the left turners, I think they do that so you can't turn right behind them while they have to wait there. Spiteful people.