08-23-2006, 09:59 AM
I agree, it is a different skill for a driver to be aware of bikes than compared to peds. Bikes can really come up fast, unlike people on foot, and they're not as big as a car or truck so they can be hard to see.
One time my dad was pulling out of our driveway onto the street (it's a one way street), and even though he looked both ways before pulling out, a bike came up pretty quick down the sidewalk and was right in front of him when he started to let off the brake. I said 'stop!' and he did, luckily. No harm done, sure scared the beans out of that bicyclist though.
Perhaps if she hadn't been riding on the sidewalk... Maybe that's why bikes aren't supposed to be there. Drivers are not expecting anything faster than a jogger on a sidewalk, so they don't look that much farther ahead to compensate for bikers.
One time my dad was pulling out of our driveway onto the street (it's a one way street), and even though he looked both ways before pulling out, a bike came up pretty quick down the sidewalk and was right in front of him when he started to let off the brake. I said 'stop!' and he did, luckily. No harm done, sure scared the beans out of that bicyclist though.
Perhaps if she hadn't been riding on the sidewalk... Maybe that's why bikes aren't supposed to be there. Drivers are not expecting anything faster than a jogger on a sidewalk, so they don't look that much farther ahead to compensate for bikers.