Hey Anthony's Landscaping

Hey Anthony's Landscaping truck driver at 2nd and Sloan, 7:40 am on Tuesday. I'm calling you out.

When you see a group of boys on bikes at the crosswalk, probably commuting to school, you should stop for them. Barreling through the intersection, as you did, is dangerous and obnoxious. A big truck doesn't give you the right of way.

Learn some courtesy and learn some driving laws.

I believe bicyclists are required to follow the rules of the road. They are not considered pedestrians. I agree that it would have been nice for the truck to stop, but I don't think what they did was obnoxious or illegal or particularly dangerous. Kids on bikes are aware that there are cars and trucks on the road and are generally capable of waiting for them to pass. Which is what happened, it sounds like.

Kids on bikes should not be in crosswalks. They are not pedestrians. When They are riding bikes they should follow the rules of the road. If they want to use a crosswalk they should get off their bikes and walk them through the crosswalk. Otherwise the are endangering themselves and others

Further detail, kids were nosing into the crosswalk when the truck was at least 30 feet from getting to the crosswalk. He could have stopped. He should have.

Eta: the word "feet"

Children on bikes on their way to school shouldn't be in the crosswalk? The truck was correct to blow past them?? I'm with you, Henry.

No one should be in a crosswalk on a bike. When anyone is on a bike they are on a vehicle and must follow the rules of the road. If the crosswalk was at an intersection then the bikers should have obeyed the stop sign and they should not have been in a crosswalk to begin with. Cyclists who ignore traffic laws put everyone at risk. Yes the truck should have stopped but it was cyclists who were breaking the law.

Bike riders don't have the right of way at a crosswalk.

Regardless of the situation, car drivers shouldn't actively try to kill bike riders... unless it's Hitler and Stalin on a tandem.

Thread over?

Please say thread over.

OhHenry said:
Further detail, kids were nosing into the crosswalk when the truck was at least 30 feet from getting to the crosswalk. He could have stopped. He should have.


Eta: the word "feet"

I'm all for shaming bad drivers. I often think about starting a thread titled, "Companies I refuse to do business with because they drive like an a-hole."

That said, 30 feet isn't enough room for a car, let alone a truck to stop while driving 25-30 mph. Heck, it would take just a second or so to register someone stepping off a curb, and in that time you've already traveled more than 30 feet, before you've even hit the brakes. Stepping out into a crosswalk that close to a vehicle is a death wish.

RobB said:

Regardless of the situation, car drivers shouldn't actively try to kill bike riders... unless it's Hitler and Stalin on a tandem.

I hear all of you, really. However, he was not going too fast to stop in time. I will never convince you, I know, but he could have and should have stopped. There's another thread today about drivers not stopping, this is nothing new. I'm done, carry on.

I rarely drive with a trailer, but often enough to know I drive differently when I have the trailer behind me. I change lanes more cautiously, but I also brake to a complete stop more cautiously. If there is a situation where I'm not sure I can safely come to a complete stop, I may roll through, when I would not have otherwise.

Yeah...stupid kids. They should have known better. Let's teach all these brats a lesson the next time they don't understand adult laws and run em all.over...that'll teach the next one to dutifully follow every rule so that adults don't have to worry about using common sense. Or, we could live in a society and let the kids cross the street safely on the way to school. Jeez.

Guess I missed the part where somebody got run over? Nobody called the kids stupid. They behaved correctly, as did the driver. Everyone did what they were supposed to here and it worked out the way one would hope. People on MOL want to make everything a controversy, but in this case I just don't see it.

.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/bike-tips.html

My understanding is that it depends on the age of the child as to whether they are allowed to ride on the sidewalk and thus, I'm assuming use the sidewalk. Young children are typically by law allowed on the sidewalks. I'm not sure how old these children are.

(973) 763-6566

Know what that is? It's the phone number of the company whose truck committed the reported transgression. I'm not at all sure that Anthony's Landscaping has assigned an employee to monitor MOL for traffic safety reports.

[Hello, Anthony's Landscaping!]

Hi, I just saw one of your trucks do something and I'd like to report it.

[Oh, really? That's very concerning. Please tell us what happened.]

The truck obeyed the rules of the road and everything was fine.

[Okay, sounds troubling. Tell me more.]

Everyone got where they were going without incident.

[Got it. Thanks for this important information. I will investigate it immediately and take the proper action.]

You'd better. Otherwise I will go on MOL and call out your business by name with this shocking information.

[Don't worry. I am on it. Thanks for letting us know.]

Click.

Actually, based on the original post, the kids on bikes did not behave correctly. They were on bicycles and were supposed to follow the rules of the road. They did not. They were supposed to come to a full stop at a stop sign, but instead they were nosing into a road with oncoming traffic. They were riding their bikes in a crosswalk which is dangerous to other pedestrians., As vehicular traffic they are supposed to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, not ride with them.

Of course trucks should stop for kids, no matter what the situation. But kids ( and adults ) on bikes who do not know or follow the rules of the road endanger themselves and others.

imonlysleeping said:
Guess I missed the part where somebody got run over? Nobody called the kids stupid. They behaved correctly, as did the driver. Everyone did what they were supposed to here and it worked out the way one would hope. People on MOL want to make everything a controversy, but in this case I just don't see it.

smurfette said:
My understanding is that it depends on the age of the child as to whether they are allowed to ride on the sidewalk and thus, I'm assuming use the sidewalk. Young children are typically by law allowed on the sidewalks. I'm not sure how old these children are.

This.

According to nj.gov there are no statutes about bicycles not being allowed on sidewalks, just that it is frowned upon. They did say that some towns do have laws on the books about this, but that it is a town by town thing. I will try to post the link later, the desktop internet is down so I'm stuck on the phone for now and I don't know how to do links on here

Bicycling in New Jersey is regulated under Title 39 of the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulation laws.

The statutes governing bicycles are as follows [emphasis added to show where the kids on sidewalks could come from and that otherwise it is not permitted to ride on sidewalks]:

39:4-14.5 Definition.
“Bicycle” means any two wheeled vehicle having a rear drive which is solely human powered and having a seat height of 25 inches or greater when the seat is in the lowest adjustable position.

39:4-10 Lights on Bicycles.
When in use at nighttime every bicycle shall be equipped with: 1) A front headlamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front; 2) A rear lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the rear; 3) In addition to the red lamp a red reflector may be mounted on the rear.

39:4-11 Audible Signal.
A bicycle must be equipped with a bell or other audible device that can be heard at least 100 feet away, but not a siren or whistle.

39:4-11.1 Brakes.
A bicycle must be equipped with a brake that can make wheels skid while stopping on dry, level, clean pavement.

39:4-12 Feet and Hands on Pedals and Handlebars; Carrying Another Person.
Bicyclists should not drive the bicycle with feet removed from the pedals, or with both hands removed from the handlebars, nor practice any trick or fancy driving in a street. Limit passengers to only the number the bicycle is designed and equipped to carry (the number of seats it has).

39:4-14 Hitching on Vehicle Prohibited.
No person riding a bicycle shall attach themselves to any streetcar or vehicle.

39:4-14.1 Rights and Duties of Persons on Bicycles.
Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway is granted all the rights and subject to all of the duties of the motor vehicle driver.

39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations.
Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. A bicyclist may move left under any of the following conditions: 1) To make a left turn from a left turn lane or pocket; 2) To avoid debris, drains, or other hazardous conditions on the right; 3) To pass a slower moving vehicle; 4) To occupy any available lane when traveling at the same speed as other traffic; 5) To travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded, but otherwise ride in single file. Every person riding a bicycle shall ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic.

In New Jersey, the law states a bicyclist must obey all state and local automobile driving laws. A parent may be held responsible for the child’s violation of any traffic law.

Also http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/bike/faqs.shtm

While riding a bicycle on a sidewalk is not prohibited by New Jersey statutes, some municipalities have passed ordinances prohibiting bicycle traffic on certain sidewalks. This prohibition is usually posted. It should be noted, that sidewalks are for pedestrians. Riding on sidewalks can cause conflicts with pedestrians and, like wrong way riding, can lead to crashes since it places bicyclists in situations where others do not expect them. Except for very young cyclists under parental supervision, sidewalks are not for bicycling.