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Gregor Robertson: Rule-breaking cyclist

July 27th, 2010 · 61 Comments

This was the Province’s front-page, full-picture story today.

Not a good moment in the ongoing cyclist-car driver wars in Vancouver.

Categories: Uncategorized

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  • Brenton

    @Jason King and others

    This is from Councillor Geoff Meggs’ blog:

    “Cycling trips, meanwhile, are jumping as a share of overall traffic, rising 24 percent across the Burrard Bridge and up 400 percent to about 2,000 a day on the Dunsmuir route since the downtown Dunsmuir lane opened.”

  • cashisking

    Sadly I have to wear a suit to work and be at my desk by 6 am. I’m also quite sure I have paid for (tax bill) 3 mayors of Vancouver salaries for at least the last 10 years. While I don’t mind the tax bill if used wisely (OV was a ZERO out of 10) I do mind feeling persecuted for my mode of transportation.
    If I could ride, I would, but I can’t, so I won’t.

  • Booge

    I have been riding bikes for over 30 years. All over Vancouver and the environs. I am also a driver with only three infractions over the 4o years that I have been driving.

    So what? I say this to put in context my views on cycling:

    I never ride on sidewalks. Never . But approx 60-70% of traffic by-laws are not made for bicycles and should (and I do) be ignored, within prudent reason. That is all.

  • Winston

    Amen Booge.

    The strange thing about this driver/cyclist debate is that, notwithstanding certain extreme accusations from the former camp, everyone actually benefits from an increased number of two-wheeled commuters. If you have to drive, then by all means drive, but don’t discourage others from a healthier, less polluting, and less infrastructure-dependent form of transportation.

  • Omoishiroi

    I don’t think folks get it – it’s not the running of the red light it’s the blame everyone else attitude! Call people f**ing hacks and blame the ‘long arduous meeting’ (isn’t being in politics by definition a lot of long arduous meetings?) and blame the city engineers for this gaff by having them look at ways to make it safer. C’mon. The funniest excuse was Meggsie’s – yes Mr run a red and nearly get killed bicycle boy blames the irresponsible riding habits on the fact that the City has made it so safe for cyclists they have become complacent!!! I guess the Mayor is really just a regular guy – avoiding stop signs, trying to skip transit fares and calling his constituents names. Sorry – but I expect more from an elected official – I know many of you on here – including Francis would rather make excuses for him because he is so left wing cool. Sorry but I judge a politician by what’s between his ears – and I don’t see much.

  • Dave 2

    At the end of the day, hizzonner’s defence that he didn’t run a red light because he turned right into the crosswalk fails because:

    A) cyclist are not permitted to ride in the crosswalk
    unless they dismount and
    B) the stop line is before the crosswalk line; even if he illegally turned into the crosswalk, he still was obligated to stop at the red light.

  • Bobbie

    Damn, I’m happy that I’ve found this website. This site is amazing.
    Here we have the finest collection of upstanding citizens.
    I have for once never felt safer in my life.
    After all, the car drivers in here obviously follow all of the rules of the road to a ‘T’.
    I mean, you’ll probably never find a single car driver in here that pulls a ‘Californian Stop’ at a stop sign. Everyone in here obviously yields the right of way to all pedestrians at all intersections on undivided roads. Sure is nice to see you guys yield the right of way at all of the intersections in the west end.
    And of course none of the car drivers in here suffers from the affliction where the ‘STOP’ sign magically disappears at pedestrian controlled intersections, right? You all of course realize that you must stop and give the right of way to pedestrians, right? The Walk light doesn’t make the stop sign disappear.

    No, we have the finest collection of car drivers in here.

    Some of you guys could actually stand getting on a bicycle once in a while. Just might reduce the risk of a major coronary before you’re 40.

  • Booge

    @Bobbie Jolly good. Well said!

  • Paul C

    The fact remains that their are idiotic car drivers, their are idiotic pedestrians and their are idiotic cyclists.

    I know that is true, because I’ve seen those idiots as a driver, a pedestrian and a cyclist.

    I’ve seen car drivers stop for no reason other than they are an idiot. Yet I’ve seen car drivers no stop when they are supposed to.

    The same applies to cyclists and pedestrians. Because I’ve seen both those groups being idiots as well.

    I have more to say, but well my anger level on this issue is so high, that if I said what I really felt I would be probably be arrested.

    Just an added note. When I mentioned “this issue” I was referring to the battle of the different modes of transportation and not the fact of the Mayor running the red light. Not that I support that either. 🙂

  • A. G. Tsakumis

    I love the way the left have come out to defend the Mayor for being tired, and taxed (poor fellow–it’s his goddamned job!) and that he reeeeeally didn’t mean to swear and use and ad hominem.

    The same people who jump up and down when I refer to the cycling mafia or fascists in the town.

    Hypocrites.

    I’m pulling oxygen out of the room? Ah, no, not with all the hot air coming from the likes of spartikass. What a joker..I tell you Solomon’s payroll knows no bounds.

    As for my being Vancouver’s Glenn Beck, that’s a huge compliment Todd. My very great thx.

  • spartikus

    Oh Alex, you of the limited imagination…the conspiracy goes much deeper than you think.

    I’m on the payroll of George Soros and the Climate Dept of the University of East Anglia.

    Keep digging, cub reporter! There’s a Webster in the offing!

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