Message to bicycle riders

I applaud people who ride their bikes. I really do. They single-handedly contribute to the biggest reductions in pollution and traffic congestion in our cities all while keeping fit. That's a lot of good karma if you ask me. But I have a teeny bone to pick with some cyclists. Oh yes I do.

The bone has to do with where they ride. The road is only so big and it has to accommodate everybody - big-ass trucks, buses, automobiles of every size and ability. Add bicycles. There is nothing more annoying than getting stuck behind a bicycle on the road doing 15km/h. But you know - in most cases - it's not their fault, because at least in Calgary, we don't give them a lot of choice when there isn't a bike lane on the right hand side of the road. So I am willing to live with the fact that from time to time, I will have to linger behind a bicycle until I can get into a left lane somewhere or find the opportunity to pass safely. Many motorists are not so understanding.

But it really freaks me out when bicycle riders decide to play the 'switch' game. One second, they're behaving like a vehicle, obeying the traffic laws and riding in the street. The next second, they switch to pedestrian mode and either:

1. Cut across the street and ride inside a pedestrian crosswalk;
2. Get onto the sidewalk and almost bowl innocent pedestrians over;

Or they do the reverse, which is even worse and more dangerous. They are behaving like a pedestrian, riding on the sidewalk, then suddenly switch to vehicle mode and either:

1. Cross an intersection at full speed from sidewalk to sidewalk. This may or may not involve a complete change in direction;
2. Change from riding on the sidewalk to the middle of the street. This may or may not happen at an intersection.

It's hair-raising. When I approach an intersection, I'm not expecting and therefore am not looking for fast moving bikes to come flying off the sidewalk. I'm expecting and therefore watching for slow moving people on two feet. So if I'm negotiating a turn and you (the cyclist) come out of nowhere and almost hit me - it's me who should be giving you the dirty look, not the other way around.

Here's something that really puzzles me. If you're biking on a street where the speed limit is greater than 50km/h (35mph) and there's a parallel bike path within 100m going in the same direction..... USE THE FREAKING PATH! They built it just for you!

As far as I know, there are laws regarding riding a bicycle. Those laws include the provision of being allowed to ride in the street, not on the sidewalk. It also stipulates that if you want to use a crosswalk to cross the street, you dismount from the bike like the other pedestrians. Otherwise, stay on your bike and cross the street like every other vehicle - in the middle of the street, when it's safe to do so, signalling as you go. I think the reason why bikes are supposed to stay on the street is a very logical one. You go quite a bit faster than a meandering pedestrian, so we need to see you.

Stop pretending you're both a pedestrian and a vehicle and switching back and forth when it suits you. Thank you.