Fit City

By David

March 16, 2011 11:14 AM | Link to this

Hey Pam, great piece. As a driver, I get ticked off during ACL when I cannot drive on or through Rollingwood. There are officers stationed at the intersection of Barton Springs & Rollingwood that stop drivers and ask to see driver’s licenses. If the driver’s address is not a Rollingwood address, they are not allowed to drive on/thru that municipality.

By Bob Winchester

March 16, 2011 11:16 AM | Link to this

I think the sign is a great reminder that traffic laws also apply to bicycles. I see many bicycles on the streets totally disregarding the laws of the road. When I drive near another car I’m not near as concerned about a danger developing as when I’m near a bicycle. There is nothing wrong with a general warning just to keep things safer. I would like to see more signs like this. They are not meant to offend anyone.

By David

March 16, 2011 11:19 AM | Link to this

As a driver, I’m upset that Rollingwood will not let me pass through on Rollingwood drive during ACL. I’m stopped by the cops at the bottom of the hill, asked for ID, when my driver’s license reflects that I’m not a resident of Rollingwood, I’m told not to use the road. If this is applied for all forms of transportation, that’s sad.

By Gareth

March 16, 2011 11:43 AM | Link to this

Pam,

Our office just moved to Lost Creek/360 so Rollingwood is now part of my 2-3 days of bike commuting (coming from Cherrywood neighborhood). I get a chuckle every time I pass these signs as it’s almost like they’re saying “We really keep an eye on you bikers, we know you’re trouble”. At least it’s a nice wide road so I’m not too worried about getting taken out by a speeding driver or cars rolling stop signs (seen that a bit already myself).

I agree, it’s about the driver or cyclist individuals, they’re are good and bad in both groups.

Now, if someone could just get the traffic light sensors in Westlake to be more sensitive to bikes, my commute would be a little better.

By Darryl from Loving the Bike

March 16, 2011 11:46 AM | Link to this

Yeah, when I first rolled through the area that sign caught my eye and made me think for a minute. Now I cruise through just like I do on any other street in Austin.

Darryl

By Fed Up Driver

March 16, 2011 12:06 PM | Link to this

I want those signs all over the city of Austin. Sorry, but it’s not just a few cyclists breaking the rules. If you drive through central Austin at all then you know what I’m talking about: the biggest problem is the people (I should say guys, bc I suspect testosterone is fueling this stupidity) who fly right through intersections without any regard to who currently has the right of way. I see it way too often and it risks lives - not only the cyclists’ life but the lives of everyone in the vicinity who has to slam on their brakes, veer aside quickly, etc.

By Mio dolor

March 16, 2011 12:21 PM | Link to this

As a former bike only commuter, I am not offended and actually thankful for the sign. I would get annoyed every time I saw a cyclist run a red light or stop sign because it reflected poorly on the biking community as well as myself. My allergies are so horrible that I am no longer a bike commuter, but I still get irritated every time a cyclist avoids a red light by hopping onto a sidewalk and riding through a light or doesn’t signal when turning. This feeling of entitlement or “above the law” strains bike/car relations.

By THAD

March 16, 2011 1:12 PM | Link to this

I’ve been a bike commuter for 15 years.

The sign is a pretty backhanded ‘welcome’ but truthfully it serves a purpose. While it backhandedly welcomes a cyclist, it also backhandedly informs drivers that cyclists have the same rights as cars.

win/win, loose/loose, backhand/backhand. Whatever.

PS - as a cyclist who obeys posted laws, all the d-bags who flaunt traffic laws just make the road more dangerous for me. I was almost killed by a crazy cabbie who tried to run me off a bridge on 360. I didn’t do anything to the guy, one of these stop sign running, mirror whacking, middle finger throwing jerk-on-a-bikes did and I almost died for it.

By LPaulo

March 16, 2011 1:50 PM | Link to this

Really Pam? This is what you have to write about? Thanks for spreading negativity because we could all use some of that these days! I’m a biker as well as a Rollingwood resident who lives on Rollingwood Dr. Every nice weekend there are at least a hundred riders that come through Rollingwood making their way over to 360. Most of them obey the traffic laws just like most drivers do. Please remember this is a neighborhood, people live here. It’s meant to be a main road like Bee Cave. So Pam how about you look out your front window and see what irks you in your neighborhood and write about that instead of being catty about a sign.

By civilperson

March 16, 2011 2:12 PM | Link to this

LPaulo: wrong. Tilt. Boo. Your tone is pretty wretched and your interpretation of Pam’s article is way off. Stop to think before you fire off a comment. This is civil discourse. Keep your tone civilized.

By Andrea Fisher

March 16, 2011 4:01 PM | Link to this

I agree! For years this sign has greeted me during rides, and typically at the end of a ride as I head back home. Everytime I read it I get aggitated and annoyed. It’s assuming manner points a finger at every cyclist who rides down that road and screams, “HEY YOU! You’re on a bike, and we assume you are going to disregard any rules of the road and cause problems as you ride through our neighborhood!”

NOT EVERY CYCLIST runs stops signs, or cuts cars off, or disregards the rules of the road! Yes, there are some that do but like Pam pointed out there are SOME drivers who do the same thing. You’re taking the “bad ones” and lumping them into the “good ones” with an arrogant assumption.

I’d like to see the equivilancy of this sign posted on Mopac! “Cars are welcome but must adhere to traffic laws!” I wonder if it would have any effect?

Oh, and BTW I do “adhere to to the traffic laws” while on my bike! So Rollingwood you can kiss my law-abiding bike rubber!

By Thomas

March 16, 2011 4:01 PM | Link to this

I love that sign. I saw a biker today run a stop sign at Westover and Jefferson, darting in front of a FedEx truck. I’ve learned that, when I see a biker coming to an intersection, to stop and wait, as they will inevitably ignore the sign or light.

By Andrew

March 16, 2011 5:02 PM | Link to this

I was struck by the comment: “When I drive near another car I’m not near as concerned about a danger developing as when I’m near a bicycle.”

Think about it. Each year tens of thousands of drivers are killed by other drivers… but I’ve never heard of a driver being killed by someone on a bicycle… yet this driver is concerned about danger around bicycles? I assume the writer meant he is concerned that he has trouble predicting what the person on the bicycle might do, while he is so accustomed to watching out for drivers trying to squeak through red lights, speeding, turning without signaling, etc., that he doesn’t even notice these frequent violations.

Every road user… driver or cyclist or walker… should obey every rule of the road. That said, every study I’m aware of indicates that as bicycle traffic increases in a community, death and injury rates drop for everyone, including drivers. It seems that having bicycles in the traffic mix makes everyone more careful.

Learning new things… and learning to understand people who aren’t just like you… is hard, but it’s worth it.

By greggo

March 16, 2011 6:16 PM | Link to this

Come on, Pam. Cyclists do it WAY more than cars. WAY more. Have you been downtown? Well into a red light it’s not unusual to see 1, 2, 3 … 12 people on bikes fly on through because they are special. THEY ARE BIKE PEOPLE. Would be nice of the cops actually ticketed them, but …

By Mongo

March 17, 2011 12:53 AM | Link to this

I could never understand why the signs were there & it seems like I was not the only one, so thanks for the article

As for the bike vs. auto who breaks the most laws, you can always hilite that there are a few people, bikers as well as cars, who go thru red lights. I personally hate rolling thru stop signs when I’m on bike, but I have a greater issue coming to complete stop since feel it is a waste of time. But instead of fighting that issue, I now go down Burnet Rd. instead of Shoal Creek when going from the Domain to 45th Street. It may inconvenience a few cars for a few seconds, but it can easily take 10-15minutes off my commute.

By Tanner

March 17, 2011 4:49 PM | Link to this

As a cyclist, I like the sign. We are all so quick to say, “But I am not like those other cyclists” because we know that there is a good percentage of cyclists that do not adhere to traffic laws. Don’t wear helmets. And typically do not pay attention to cars at all. And, I think that for the most part, those “other” cyclists, just don’t know any better. Perhaps having more of these signs would remind them that they need to obey traffic laws.

By gman

March 17, 2011 10:12 PM | Link to this

As a competitive cyclist, I only ride because I have to train for the sport I love. I’m a competitor, not a spectator. That being said, when I’m training I’m not racing and there is no need to run through a stop sign. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred I will obey all rules of the road, which is a higher percentage than most drivers. I know a lot of cyclists blow through stop signs and it really ticks me off, but these “athletes” tend to be the weekend warriors—not the guys out there all the time.

For me the sign implies a popular position taken by drivers, which is: if there is a problem then the cyclist is at fault. It’s like saying, “ok, if I hit you with my car then it’s your fault for being on the road.” Actually no. If you hit me with your car then it’s your fault for not obeying the law as a driver. It’s your fault for not being a member of a society—as mandated by law. If you hit me while I run a stop sign, then I’ll be the first to say I was at fault. But, it isn’t going to happen.

For me the sign is funny, and isn’t needed. You could replace the word “cyclists” with any other noun. It might as well say: White people are welcome but must adhere to all traffic laws.