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Sunday, April 20, 2014

A Letter To The Editor: Bike Lanes In Salisbury

Joe:

Note of interest of my experience yesterday!

Yesterday I was driving home from work at 5:00 p.m.on Route 13 North. As I approached the north end of town near the Tastee Freeze, I saw two bicylists riding in the bike lane beside one another. It is almost impossible to pass one bicycle that rides in the bike lane, let alone, two! A car ahead of me, actually pulled close to edge of road to almost to the curb near the light at Zion Road so the bicyclist could not continue in the bike lane. With that, one of the cyclist pulled into the middle lane between traffic and weaved in and out till he was back in bike lane. When I got to the intersection of Zion Road, this same crazy man, is riding in the right car lane and would not move over. I blew the horn continually and he just looked at me and would not move I did call the State Police because this man was being totally obnoxious and I am sure he was going to show the cars that he was in charge. He still would not move over, so I had to pull in the passing lane as a driver was courteous enough to move over for me. Someone not as nice as me would have ran him off the road. I was a nervous wreck by the time I got through that area.

The morale of this story is, there is NOT enough room on Route 13 for a bike route, and by the way there is a running pavement all down the side of Route 13. So, to the idiot who put the bike lane on Route 13, I do not know what you were thinking, especially when you get a jerk who is trying to take over the road on his bicylce.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

That idiot would be Salisbury's boy mayor, Jimmie Ireton. He uses the bike lanes as political payback since he can't do anything of substance.

Anonymous said...

If your looking for a way to commit suicide these bike lanes seem like the way to do it.
Or maybe you can get a big payoff, if you live.

Anonymous said...

Wife have you going to Food Lion again?

Anonymous said...

Those bike lanes were a joke to start with. Fake Day and Mayor Liarton worked hard to promote them. It was a stupid idea to start with. I have had several problems with those bikers on rt 13. I am just really shocked they have not been hit or killed yet. Rt 13 is not a safe place to put a bike lane.

Anonymous said...

i have some bad news for you sunshine. bicycles have as much right to be on "most" roads as cars do. bicycles are supposed observe the same "rules of the road" as cars do. bicycles also have the right to "take the lane" and the motorists must yield. the bike lanes are marked so that motorists might be "more aware" of their presence. lets leave politics out of this. i'm no fan of the mayor, or any other politician. but i am an avid cyclist. why don't you try to be more courteous to people on bicycles? i will say though, if your account is accurate, the cyclists need to be more courteous also.

Anonymous said...

anon 209

what about people that a bicycle is their only means of transportation?

the only reason Rt.13 is "unsafe" for cyclists is that some motorists make it that way.

Anonymous said...

you will love seagull century

Anonymous said...

i'd also like to add that it's illegal for a bicycle to ride on a sidewalk. the sidewalks are for pedestrians.

Anonymous said...

I keep a 7 layer burrito in my truck, at all times. Perfect biker grenade.

Anonymous said...

Seagull Century goes by my home every year. They do as they please. It's easier just to stay home for that weekend than it is to try to be on the road with them.

Anonymous said...

The only thing worse is those darn tractors/combines/manure spreaders hogging up the roads all spring/summer/fall. :) LOL!

Anonymous said...

I've heard a rumor that the city and county are actively recruiting the amish to relocate here and then we will have to put up with horse and buggies on the road too.

Anonymous said...


"bicycles also have the right to "take the lane" and the motorists must yield."

2:20 - I don't know that I would fancy myself a 'cyclist', but i like to ride my bike. Many years ago, even tho' I had the technical right-of-way, I was damn near flattened by a Buick. Still have the scars to remind me that being in the right doesn't have a whole lot of meaning at the moment of impact.

Anonymous said...

Right of way or not, I find cyclists to be the most incosiderate folks on the road. The farmers a least.try to stay as far over as possible and will occasionally stop to let folks by. Cyclists will take the whole lane, ride so no on can pass, and generally be complete ___holes. Rarely do they stop for stop signs or yield to oncoming traffic. I despise Seagull Century, most who participate are the epitome of arrogance.

I suggest a new reality show called Survivor Bicyclist, farmers versus bikes.

Anonymous said...

The bike riders who ride on busy streets and road haven't the sense God gave them to begin with so trying to reason and teach them to be considerate isn't' something they are capable of understanding.
If you handed them a gun and told them to play Russian Roulette they would act all offended. Then being the hypocrites that they are, will go and ride bikes down these busy roadways. In the end, if you get hit and you are killed or disabled it really doesn't matter whose fault it is. The bicyclist did a stupid thing and pays for it. A bike is no match for a vehicle.

Anonymous said...

I hate these people. Theyre stupid to want to ride on the roads they do.and they think that theyre untouchable on bikes. Theyre gonna get hurt when a rolling cage nails them. They need to stick to places other than the highways. And yes rt 13 is a hwy.

Anonymous said...

Ride the bus or walk on that expensive sidewalk i have to clear but dont own

Anonymous said...

Lets start charging for cycling permitts for certain roads. Theyre taxing everything else.different fees for different routes. Annually. Wrong route get fined.

Anonymous said...

They should have to buy permits to use the bike lanes, after all they need maintaining as well and it's not fair to those who pay tax on gas for road repairs. It won't happen though because the bicyclists would raise holy hell because it's in their genetics to be takers. They are s common and in the same class as the welfare kings and queens. Bums with their hands out wanting tax payers to pay for their hobby.

Anonymous said...

Most weekend warrior cyclists are very well to do individuals…those fancy tights they wear are expensive and those bikes costs thousands of dollars. Not quite welfare class.

Anonymous said...

Single file, as close to the right edge as you can get safely.

What is so hard about that that most bike riders cannot do it?

Anonymous said...

First of all, if there is a bicycle "LANE", where is the painted "LANE" line??? A traffic lane is marked with a painted line. A $300 picture of a bicycle does not make a lane, but it may bait idiots to ride their bikes there, LOL!

Anonymous said...

Can't we all just get along and share the road?

Anonymous said...

We have bike lanes to avoid camden avenue. nobody uses them or they go in the wrong direction in the bike lane. Look out on the sidewalks, though. They'll run over you. Don't they know the same laws apply to them as they apply to motor vehicle drivers?

Unknown said...

What some people don't realize....The bike lanes were put there; because eventually, we will notice alot more people using bicycles and public transportation. All one needs to do is read agenda 21. Then all your questions will be answered.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...
Most weekend warrior cyclists are very well to do individuals…those fancy tights they wear are expensive and those bikes costs thousands of dollars. Not quite welfare class.

April 16, 2014 at 6:54 PM"

In their minds maybe, so don't fool yourself. The truly "well to do" would never ever do anything so stupefied.
They'd never hear the end of it from their spouse, for one thing. Something happens to the breadwinner and those millions quit rolling in, is always in the back of the minds of the "well to do."

Anonymous said...

Bike lanes on 40-45 MPH highways are irresponsible ..

Only in Smallsbury can a driver ride down the wrong way of a National Highway like they do to merge on Rte 13 bypassing the Priscilla St light by taking Monument Street to go South across from Pep Boys.. it is the most outrageous dynamic I have ever seen anywhere in the USA on a Highway..even UPS trucks who have a huge blind spot do it

Anonymous said...

There are not dedicated bike lanes on Rt 13. There are lanes with "sharrows" which incidate that a bicycle may take the whole lane just like a car. Those sharrows were put there by the State Highway Administration. The bicycle is not obligated to move over for a vehicle in a sharrow lane not matter how hostile your attitude.
99% of cyclists also drive cars so they are already paying gas taxes to maintain roadways and many own property in the county so they are paying property taxes too. If you do some research you will see that communities that are pedestrian and bicycle friendly are doing better financially. With the state of our local economy, it might be a good idea to be more tolerant.

Anonymous said...

11:27
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. In addition, cyclists are allowed to use ONLY the RIGHT road lane UNLESS:
1. They are making a left turn or passing slower traffic.
2. It is explicitly banned (Think the bypass) or
3. There are bike lanes available. Bikes MUST use lanes if there are available, until making a left turn or passing a slower vehicle.

Anonymous said...

There are no Bike Lanes on Rt. 13, there are only decals. Bike lanes have the decals and a long stripe making it an official lane. What Jim Ireton and Jake Day have done has set the city of Salisbury up for future law suits. No one, but a few use Rt. 13 as a bike lane. Only an idiot would ride on Rt. 13 on a bike. You are putting your life in your hands by doing so. The driver who drove close to the curb had every right to do that. If there was a separate bike lane then the care would not be riding in that lane. When you go to real cities and counties with real leadership you see real bike lanes. If you want to live I would recommend that you stay off Rt. 13 if you are riding a bike.

Anonymous said...

Bike riders are like school bus drivers. They think they are experts on traffic law and think they deserve special treatment.

They are not experts and their driving skills are questionable.