Jean Tam - I agree with you about drivers who don't look both ways, but you describe an intersection with a stop sign, which suggests that you shouldn't have been planning to just enter the roadway. The bicyclist should stop as well. In fact, as a kid, I was taught we were supposed to dismount our bikes and walk them through the intersection. I bike now as an adult and, while I don't dismount, I do stop for intersections rather than darting out in front of cars as if I'm somehow magically not going to get run over.

Bicyclists have to take responsibility for their own safety. Yes, drivers should look both ways and yield to bicyclists, but often bikes are moving much faster than pedestrians and drivers simply do not see them or misjudge how close they are. When the bicyclist breaks the rules, then they're part of the problem. Biking doesn't make you a special person exempt from the traffic rules.

Labels: moderation: safe