There's an important perspective that is missing here: one of the main reasons for regulating vehicle behavior on the roads is to guarantee the safety of pedestrians. From this perspective, allowing bikers to use their own judgment on whether to fly through a stop sign is a really terrible idea. As a pedestrian in Chicago(!) I have had more close shaves in crosswalks with sociopathic bikers than I have had with idiots in cars. At least the idiots know they're supposed to stop.

In addition, it's hard to make the case that bikes are over-regulated after witnessing actual biker behavior on bike paths, especially paths shared with foot traffic (the Chicago Lakefront trail is an example). Once set free on bike paths, many hyper-athletic bikers appear to believe in their absolute right to proceed at unlimited speed, regardless of annoying impediments such as slower bikes, pedestrians, kids, pets, etc. They are, quite simply, a menace, and are the source of multiple accidents every month . A rash of expensive speeding tickets on bike paths would be an extremely welcome corrective.

OK, sorry about that, I feel better now.

For every anarchist cyclist on bike paths there are 10 oblivious morons on foot. I ride along the coast in california. There is a foot path AND a bike path, but that doesn't stop herds of morons from walking on the bike path, not infrequently taking up its whole width and blocking it entirely. Then there are the idiots who walk across the bike path without looking.

I go 18 to 20 miles per hour on the bike path and I have never crashed, nor do I believe I would ever be the cause of a crash, but I have had a few close calls with oblivious/rude/selfish morons.

I agree. In NYC bikers fly through traffic lights all the time running down pedestrians. They also cause accidents riding between cars in heavy traffic. I have no sympathy when I hear of a biker getting run over by a cab.

To kuruman:

Isn't this the exact same complaint car drivers have with cyclists not obeying traffic laws?

Also, where is the excuse for the MANY cyclists I have seen who suddenly decide they're pedestrians as well, going back and forth between street and sidewalk when it suits them?

This establishes a hierarchy among equals, I suppose, with pedestrians being the least among them.

oenomaus:

Not at all. The bike lane is painted at regular intervals with "Bikes only" signage. I don't recall roads being for cars only.

I totally agree with you regarding bikers on sidewalks...I would never do that if there were pedestrians around.

I wouldn't agree that pedestrians would be the lowest members of the hierarchy. I think pedestrians are quite clearly a protected class...bikers are lumped in with cars and are expected to have the same legal obligations as car drivers while at the same time dealing with at least the same risk of injury and death as pedestrians.

oh that's rich, an nyc pedestrian complaining about cyclists crossing against the light. there have been times when i couldn't cross an intersection with the light on a bicycle because there were no cars coming to herd the sheep back to the kerb.

in my years of riding a bicycle in new york city, i've ended up in the emergency room exactly once. it wasn't a cab or a car that sent me there, it was a pedestrian who was jaywalking.

"oh that's rich, an nyc pedestrian complaining about cyclists crossing against the light. " What about the old saying "two wrongs don't make a right" do you have so much trouble with? Because pedestrians get in your way when they break the law you think you're justified in putting law-abiding pedestrians at risk? This is not complicated guys. Personal feelings aside, if you're breaking the law -- on foot, on a bike, or in a car -- you're a menace. Quit using self-righteous self-centered self-loving stupidity to try to justify your own free ride at someone else's expense.

It would seem that there are plenty of scofflaws among motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Who annoys you the most? The two modes of transportation you're not currently using. And then it changes when you use a different one.

The fact is that all motorists and cyclists are also pedestrians at times. Most cyclists also drive a car at times (assuming they are older than 17) I have feeling that it is the same oblivious person causing all the trouble depending which mode of transportation they are currently using.