is bicycling a right or a privilege???

[Blackhawk2001]

On what planet does someone need a law to tell them not to ride on the tracks?

This one: it's Darwin's Law

And exactly which bicycle produced to date would actually "get in the way" of a train?

Any bicycle produced to date would cause a train to stop - after it thoroughly mangled the bicycle and rider. What a bother...

There is a difference between regulation (we all drive on the right side of the road, maintain speed limits, etc) and revenue generation. I'm perfectly fine with the former as it standardizes the expectations for sharing publicly owned roads. I'm even okay with citations for violations of those regulations. But requiring licensing, plating, registration is nothing more than a means to pad the coffers of the state. There are no legitimate reasons to require licensing and registration of vehicles except to steal more money from the people.

...

 

[kevinj110]

I think they should have to register them and pay a tax on them every year if they use the roads they can help pay for em.

 

[bstewrat3]

^ failure to yield the right of way to a cyclist? I thought that once riding on the road you had to operate as a motor vehicle. I was and still am unaware of any yeild right of way to a bicycle.

IC 9-21-11-2
Roadways; rights and duties
Sec. 2. A person riding a bicycle upon a roadway has all the rights and duties under this article that are applicable to a person who drives a vehicle, except the following:
(1) Special regulations of this article.
(2) Those provisions of this article that by their nature have no application.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.9.

As of July 1, 2010 the law requiring a vehicle overtaking a cyclist to give a right of way no less than 36" went into effect. Once again this is where the public education comes in. This is why I do not get charged for the damage to peoples cars when they hit me.

 

[kevinj110]

I would like to see the code and this must be a city thing as I am unable to find it in any of the Indiana Codes.

 

[bstewrat3]

Also I think about the greatest way for a town like oh say Bloomington to generate money is just to enforce current bicycle laws. Like maybe giving some of the bike punks with no brakes on thier bikes or no reflectors or ticketing them for riding wider than 2 in the same lane.

Brakes are not required. The law only says you must have a means of causing the back tire to skid. Watch the "punks" next time you see one going down a hill. If they have any experience riding a fixed gear bicycle, meaning it has no ability to coast, with no brakes it is a very fluid motion and just as effective as a traditional hand operated or coaster brake. In case you are wondering I am not a 20 something bike messenger who is bent on causing civil unrest on this board. I am a 40 something with a respected job who has been riding 7500-10000 miles a year for the last 15 years and is tired of the uninformed "thinking" they have some higher status on the roadway. As one of the posts above showed from the excerpt from the Indiana Code, bicycles are to operate similar to a motor vehicle on the roadway. There are some small extra requirements.

Rant Over.

 

[kevinj110]

Looks like to me it can be either wheel and I doubt anyone can make a fixed gear bike can do what is required in the code. I am not ranting just stating Indiana Law
IC 9-21-11-10
Brakes
Sec. 10. A bicycle must be equipped with a brake that will enable the person who operates the bicycle to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.9.

 

[Arthur Dent]

And a coaster brake will do just that.

 

[bstewrat3]

Looks like to me it can be either wheel and I doubt anyone can make a fixed gear bike can do what is required in the code. I am not ranting just stating Indiana Law
IC 9-21-11-10
Brakes
Sec. 10. A bicycle must be equipped with a brake that will enable the person who operates the bicycle to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.9.

Anyone riding a fixed gear who can not make the rear tire skid in accordance with the IC does not belong on one. It is one of the simplest things to do. Lean forward and stop pedaling while resisting the pedals= locked rear wheel. I can do it going uphill, downhill or on level ground. A police officer would have a hard time winning a dispute over that ticket in court and hopefully would have a better reason for the stop to begin with.

 

[kevinj110]

And a coaster brake will do just that.

I am not talking about a coaster brake I am talking a fixed gear bike. And I seriously doubt that alot of them in bloomington can do it.

 

[kevinj110]

Anyone riding a fixed gear who can not make the rear tire skid in accordance with the IC does not belong on one. It is one of the simplest things to do. Lean forward and stop pedaling while resisting the pedals= locked rear wheel. I can do it going uphill, downhill or on level ground. A police officer would have a hard time winning a dispute over that ticket in court and hopefully would have a better reason for the stop to begin with.

That maybe but I still think that it is something that should be enforced. A bicycle does not get to operate without rulles as so many believe is what I am trying to get across.

 

[Arthur Dent]

I seriously doubt a lot of things. Doesn't make me right.

What you quoted does not specify what constitutes a brake. So a coaster brake falls under those guidelines.

 

[kevinj110]

I seriously doubt a lot of things. Doesn't make me right.

What you quoted does not specify what constitutes a brake. So a coaster brake falls under those guidelines.

Once again I am not talking about a back pedal brake I am talking about a fixrd cog bicycle that will pedal backwards.

 

[bstewrat3]

If the IC had a more specific definition of a brake then I would have no argument, but it doesn't. On a case by case basis it may be enforceable but in general it would be very difficult to prove that a person could not lock the "braked" wheel on a fixed gear. Just run on down and buy yourself a fixed gear Kevin and join the club. You can put brakes on it if you want. It is the most efficient form of transportation for energy used vs distance traveled.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Once again I am not talking about a back pedal brake I am talking about a fixrd cog bicycle that will pedal backwards.

Which will lock up the rear wheel when you resist the forward motion.

 

[kevinj110]

If the IC had a more specific definition of a brake then I would have no argument, but it doesn't. On a case by case basis it may be enforceable but in general it would be very difficult to prove that a person could not lock the "braked" wheel on a fixed gear. Just run on down and buy yourself a fixed gear Kevin and join the club. You can put brakes on it if you want. It is the most efficient form of transportation for energy used vs distance traveled.

No thanks

 

[kevinj110]

Which will lock up the rear wheel when you resist the forward motion.

If you were able to overcome the motion and strong enough to hold it from a speed great enough for you to cause a skid for a distance on dry level pavement.

 

[kevinj110]

And most of this is not even a factor as most people are illegally riding bicycles on the road with out a device that produces a sound audible from over 100 feet.

 

[trnsplntfrmohio]

Come to Indy and get horn heavy and come very close on me. It usually turns out very bad for your headlights. I am tired of being buzzed by cars so I have mounted a 3 foot fiberglass rod with a 4oz lead ball on the end. The smart people don't stop. The dumb ones get a ticket on top of their broken headlight for failure to yield the right of way to a cyclist.

smash my car with a fiberglass rod and i'll be putting you under citizens arrest and you can explain to the cop why you damaged my car. Even if I get a ticket, I'll be seeing you in civil court. And just wait til you smash some pissed of gangsters car and he shoots you.

 

[eldirector]

And most of this is not even a factor as most people are illegally riding bicycles on the road with out a device that produces a sound audible from over 100 feet.

That got repealed the same time the "3 feet to pass" rule took effect.

Of course, there is a helmet law for children now, too.

 

[dross]

smash my car with a fiberglass rod and i'll be putting you under citizens arrest and you can explain to the cop why you damaged my car. Even if I get a ticket, I'll be seeing you in civil court. And just wait til you smash some pissed of gangsters car and he shoots you.

He didn't say he'd smash your car, he said he mounted something on his bike that you will only hit if you break the law by passing too close to him. You would be smashing your own car with a fiberglass rod.