Is it any wonder why bikers, or those who ride on motorcycles, continue to get a bad name?
Having ridden a bike myself for years, I know how things can be. But just because a person is riding a bike, or with a pack of other riders, doesn’t give them permission to ignore common rules of the road, including following laws like stopping at red lights before turning right and yielding the right of way.
Now, I am just as annoyed when people “fail” to see a biker cruising down a street and turn in front of them, causing the biker to make a hasty stop, or worse becoming the spring board for biker gymnastics. But sometimes, and maybe it’s just because they are in a group and get group mentality, bikers are as much at fault as the other people on the road.
What am I talking about?
Sunday morning broke beautiful with bright sunshine and the kind of weather that makes a biker shiver at the thought of heading out on the highway. Why not? Is there anything better than taking off with a bunch of friends, hitting the highways, and just chilling along Virginia’s byways with 20 or 30 biker buddies? Not really.
But not Sunday. Sunday, as I was at the intersection of Conduit Road and Temple Avenue, heading south on Conduit, about 20 bikers pulled up in the right turn lane, two by two. The first couple bikes stopped, checked the intersection, and made the turn and headed to the I-95 North ramp. The next two bikers followed suit: stopping to make sure the intersection was clear, then taking off. The next two, however, were in a bit more of a hurry since it was apparent that the left turn lane from the north bound side of Conduit Road now had the right of way. They bolted without stopping or looking. The pair behind them follow suit, only this time, the cars turning onto Temple Avenue were in the middle of the intersection and had to stop to avoid running over the bikers.
So what about the next two? Do you think they would stop and allow the normal flow of traffic to resume? Heck no, spotting the opportunity to stay close to their buddies, they too bolted. The next pair of bikers had a little better sense and waited the few seconds it took for the lights to change, giving them a green for the right turn.
Now, with my experience riding bikes, I am certain that any bike that made that turn within a few minutes could easily have caught up with the bikes that had gone before them. In fact, I would be very surprised if the group as a whole didn’t slow down long enough for everyone to coagulate on I-95, creating a bit of a clot in the right hand lane. So, why was it necessary to cut out in front of people, turn against a red light, and create a nuisance by stopping on-coming traffic that had the right of way?
No, don’t get me wrong. This wasn’t a bunch of hard core Hell’s Angels we are talking about. These were a bunch of gray beards out to prove they still had it, whatever it is. It just rankles a bit that a group like that would have such disregard for the very laws they want imposed on people driving cars.
It’s not that I am totally out of my mind, nor is it that I have something out for the bikers. The reason I don’t ride today is because someone in a car thought he had the right to run a red light and be in the middle of an intersection when I was trying to get through. Given the old choice of over or under, I chose to go over the top of the car and managed to survive my somersault with only a few bumps and bruises. Had I been speeding, it could have been a much different result. The driver opted not to stop, and took off down the road. He was not caught, and I was left with a damaged bike and torn up clothing.
What is really needed on the roadways is a little courtesy. It’s just as important for the bikers to obey the laws as it is for the people in cars.
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