Hacker News Reader

Why do you think they're ever illegally on the sidewalks in the first place? Probably because the road is, to them, more dangerous than them being on the sidewalk.

While there are imperfect operators of every mode of transportation, don't forget that also applies to drivers and pedestrians.

View on HN

Cyclists on sidewalks while pedestrians are present should walk their bikes. A pedestrian is not expecting a piece of metal moving at 20+ MPH to whiz past them as they are walking, and could step right into them. Cyclists who hurt a pedestrian on the sidewalk are culpable for any damage they cause, and I would argue they should be penalized very harshly.

I've seen papers that evaluate the behavior of cyclists and see that when they do break the law (e.g. not stopping at a stop sign) they actually do so to increase their safety. Less time in an intersection means less chance to get hit.

Increase whose safety? Cars get "safer" every year by being more dangerous to everyone else.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com