Pedestrians have the right of way.

For those of you that don't know my complete lifestyle, let me tell you that I am a full time pedestrian and infrequent bicyclist.  I know the rules that I have to obey as both of those stations in society.  I was, at one time in my life, also a licensed driver, so I know those rules as well.  So when I have my rights as a pedestrian trampled on by some c-bag with an undeserved sense of entitlement, I get a little miffed.

Excerpt from MN Statute 169.222...
"Every person operating a bicycle shall have all of the rights and duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle..."

Now this would lead me to believe that a bicycle must stop at the same line as any other vehicle at a light controlled intersection.  Wouldn't you agree?  Well, this is what happened today...


We went for a walk and were headed back to our apartment and we were waiting for the light to change at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Lasalle/Blaisdell Avenue.  The traffic slowed and stopped as the light changed and we began to cross the street.  Just as I stepped out, a bike in the bike lane pulled ALL the way in the crosswalk and directly into the path of my child and me.

I walked right up to her and smile and said, "Hi!" in a friendly tone.

She looked at me, matched my tone and said, "Hi!"  But... she didn't move back.

I said, still with a smile, "Crosswalk," and placed my free hand on her handlebars and pushed.  THEN she got the idea... Sort of.

She backed up.  However, she said, "Yeah, but I'm on a bike! (pause) Bitch." And her friendly tone was gone.

And I turned around, still walking with my kid, and yelled, "But a pedestrian has the right of way at a F@&!ING GREEN LIGHT!"

And we continued on our way.  But man! that pissed me off!  The sheer audacity of that woman just has me flabbergasted.  I hope my fellow pedestrians will also stand up for themselves (and I hope it goes without saying that it be in a non-violent fashion) while still being considerate of vehicles, both motored and non-motored.  And I hope that, after reading this, my fellow cyclists will be more considerate of pedestrians and cars.  I also hope that the drivers of motorized vehicles show that same consideration to everyone else on the road.

*steps off soapbox*

Before I completely step off...  I just realized that my last 2 blogs, both posted this week even, are about how inconsiderate this society has become.  What are you doing about that?  Are you making it worse and feeding the beast with your own inconsiderate treatment of others?  Or are you trying to lead by example and show your children, your friends and peers and the rest of the world that you can be kind and considerate without being weak?  Hmmmm...