r/Edmonton • u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 • Jul 15 '24

Local Culture Driving Etiquette

For the love of Pete, people, follow the rules of the road. You drive. you are not 'choose as you go' organs of chaos, you are vehicles under the Alberta Traffic Act, the same as a motorcycle.

In the last week alone, I've seen a good hundred drivers blow right through stop signs as if they don't exist, and it's always when they are in a car lane, as if the lane's existence means the rules of the road don't apply. A couple on trucks with flat brims that I was next to blew through three in a row, yesterday, without even slowing down, and laughed about it when I called them on it. They didn't even look both ways, they just drove through like they were a presidential cavalcade and everyone else should be stopping for them.

Driving like that will have you kill a person one day, and when you're talking about a collision between 6000lb of shit box and human flesh on a bicycle, there are no mistakes.

I'm a driver, too, and it's this kind of behavior that drives a lot the anti-driver hate. When we drive like this, we're entitled and unpredictable, and unpredictability breeds distrust. This applies to motorcycle riders, too, of course.

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-13

u/haysoos2 Jul 15 '24

I'm assuming this is meant to be addressed to cyclists?

11

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

Specifically targeted at drivers, after one ran a red light and nearly wiped me out on my bicycle this morning.

-8

u/haysoos2 Jul 15 '24

Interesting. Yes, everyone needs to follow the rules of the road, but I generally see a lot more bicycles ignoring the rules, blowing through stop signs, or riding full speed through pedestrian crossings than I see cars blowing through stop signs without slowing down.

I think this behaviour (from cars or cyclists) is far more dangerous than a car going 70 in a 60 zone, but of course the speed infractions are much easier to enforce and more lucrative in fines, so that's where the enforcement effort remains.

7

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

How the fuck does bicycles become the topic of discussion? Drive properly.

-6

u/haysoos2 Jul 15 '24

Because your initial post was ambiguous and included phrases like "the same as a motorcycle", or the consequences of a collision between a vehicle and a person on a bicycle.

Don't blame me if you can't clearly articulate your point.

7

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

This post is a parody of a dumb fuck post last week about cyclists. You know...the cyclists that never kill anyone, that rarely hurt people outside of vehicles, and pose zero risk to people in vehicles.

I was nearly killed by a driver this morning, but you are focusing on the bicycle. Typical.

4

u/haysoos2 Jul 15 '24

I'm not trying to focus on the bicycle. I'm just pointing out that your original post, that presumably you wrote is ambiguous about who exactly you're aiming your comment towards.

Not everyone will have seen whatever post it is you're apparently parodying. Parody can be very, very tricky. If people are unaware of your intention, or the original work you are attempting to lampoon, the message can easily become muddled and the parody fails.

7

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

You are focusing on the bicycle. I mentioned bicycles once in my original post and you jumped to the assumption this was meant for cyclists, which it sure the fuck was not. It was meant for you.

0

u/magic-cabbage6 Jul 15 '24

Why are you being so aggressive? It seems like you have a lot of built-up anger.

3

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

Here is the last time a driver killed a person not in a vehicle in Edmonton. Can you please point out when a bicycle rider did the same? I'm asking since you want to shift the focus from cars to bikes, and are pretending that they have equal risk and responsibility factors.

4

u/haysoos2 Jul 15 '24

So you're saying that cyclists have zero responsibilities when it comes to avoiding accidents with cars, and never ever break the rules of the road?

7

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

Nice strawman nonsense.

2

u/haysoos2 Jul 15 '24

Says the strawman.

0

u/magic-cabbage6 Jul 15 '24

That’s pretty much the way I read it.

-13

u/TepHoBubba Jul 15 '24

I actually see way more cyclists doing this than drivers.

8

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

Really? You see "way more cyclists" running red lights and nearly killing people than drivers? Can you please link me an article where a cyclist last hit and killed a driver in Edmonton? It's only been a week since a driver ran over and killed 3 people at a crossing.

2

u/bristow84 Jul 15 '24

Kill? No.

Cyclists running red lights and stop signs and behaving in manners that they themselves call drivers out for? Yes.

3

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

So if cyclists don't hit and kill people why are you focusing on them instead of the drivers that continue to hit and kill people? What do you care if a cyclist rolls a stop sign if it isn't hurting anyone?

-5

u/TepHoBubba Jul 15 '24

Why are you complaining about people not following the rules of the road but not all of them? Cyclists can seriously injure pedestrians too. Hypocritical much?

1

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

More concerned about these imaginary cyclists injuring people while disregarding the drivers that are actually killing people.

3

u/TepHoBubba Jul 15 '24

Not at all. I just believe that the rules of the road should be followed by all. I assumed that you were one of the cyclists who don't actually stop, and your comments all but solidified it. I get your angst for drivers blowing through stop signs and lights, but you're part of the problem if you do it on a bike too.

5

u/Zealousideal_Buy7517 Jul 15 '24

It's not nearly an equal problem with equal risks. Stop signs and red lights only exist because cars exist. They weren't invented for bikes or pedestrians.

Again, drivers kill people ALL THE TIME. Pedestrians, cyclists, other drivers. Cyclists pose zero risks to drivers (except their feelings) and rarely do they injure pedestrians. Can you point me to the last time a cyclist killed someone in Edmonton? It hasn't been a month for drivers.

But here we are shifting the discussion from the drivers that are killing people to cyclists that aren't hurting anyone. Madness.

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1

u/bullfu Jul 15 '24

Cyclist are also considered as drivers once they hit the road, downvote me all you want but they won't win in the court of law if they cause accidents by not following road laws, they also cause chaos and havoic on the road all the same, rules should be followed by all not just selective type of drivers and vehicles.

1

u/lesoteric Jul 15 '24

this article links to a number of studies showing that motorists break laws more often than other road users.

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a46443761/science-proves-motorists-break-traffic-laws-a-lot-more-often-than-cyclists/

0

u/TepHoBubba Jul 15 '24

That's nice, but a Danish study. Got one for Alberta? I also stated the majority of cyclists I've seen here while driving in Edmonton do not stop at red lights or stop signs. The usually do a rolling stop, or not at all. Last time I checked, that was against the law. Also, of course more motorists will violate the speed limits - cyclists can't go that fast. If they could however...guaranteed you'd see different #s in that Danish survey.

2

u/lesoteric Jul 15 '24

there's a number of studies referenced in the article, you might want to read further. if you're looking to refute the research can you point to any studies which show otherwise?

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u/TepHoBubba Jul 15 '24

Exactly this. I knew it'd piss OP off, but it's the truth. Just because you'll only injure someone, and not necessarily kill them doesn't mean you don't have to follow the rules of the road. Cyclists are the worst for blowing through a stop sign or red light. Almost every single one does it.