Idiot Points for Bikers

As summer inches its way to Portland, more and more people are starting to bike around town. Now, I'm totally for biking: great exercise, fun, good for the environment, etc. However the way people go about biking leaves much to be desired (kind of like Portland drivers, but that's a different soapbox). Half of the bikers I see on a day to day basis do a numbers of things that make it unsafe for themselves and other people, cars and pedestrians included. I see enough hazards that I've started keeping score in my head.

Idiot Points for Bikers

+1 Riding on the sidewalk

+1 Riding on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the street

+1 Riding on the wrong side of the street

+1 Not wearing a helmet

+1 The helmet is hanging from the handlebars

+1 Riding on busy streets with narrow lanes, no bike lane and no shoulder

+1 Blocking the crosswalk when stopped

+2 Riding in the blindspot of a car

+5 Weaving through motor vehicle traffic

+5 Ignoring red lights or stop signs

Please Note: this is not a complete list, this is merely off the top of my head. Feel free to propose other additions. Point values are based on risk, annoyance, and idiocy of the behavior.

Note, the Second: This is not to discourage anyone from biking, merely to point out neglected safety concerns.

Note, the Third: An excellent manual on how to safely bike on the street: http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/intro.htm