u/Botched_Euthanasia

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or professional of any kind. Not even close. That being said, I created these while reading the Ohio Revised Code. Some may still be legally inaccurate. I may have misinterpreted laws. Also there are local laws at the neighborhood, city and county level which I have not read and I am unsure where to find. These were written by a stranger on the internet. Use your judgement wisely.

• Cyclists, under Ohio law, are considered vehicles. They should ride on the rightmost lane, as far to the right as they can, without going off the shoulder, onto the sidewalk or into parked cars.

• It is against the law for local governments to ban cyclists from public roads. They can say no bikes on sidewalks but not on roads. Freeways are a little different, they must have a sign saying no cyclists.

• Some sidewalks count as shared-use or multi-use trails. They are usually wider than normal sidewalks. Cyclists are usually allowed to ride on these, including electronic bicycles.

• For the most part, ebikes and regular (analog) bikes work interchangeably in the laws. Ebikes do not count as motor vehicles when it comes to signs that say 'No motor vehicles'. Emotorcycles do.

• Cyclists coming up behind any pedestrian, cyclist or any other non-automobile traffic, must make some noise except do not whistle. Ring a bell or say "On your left/right" and do it early enough for them to be able to react. This is not required if the bike is on a road, unless there is no sidewalk and the pedestrian is walking on the shoulder.

• It is illegal to whistle or use a whistle while riding on a bicycle. Seriously, I'm not making that up. Think twice before buying a bike that has 'all the bells and whistles' because it would be illegal.

• When a car is passing a cyclist, there needs to be at least three feet of clearance from the closest end of the bicycle handlebars to any part of your vehicle, including your side mirrors. Personally, on narrow roads or roads with intermittent parked cars, a foot or so is enough in my opinion. That might just be me, so be careful. I'm not the law.

• To pass a person on a bike, move partially or fully into the adjacent lane when it is safe to do so. You can do this even when there are double yellow lines, if it appears safe. If there is a middle turning lane, you can use that for passing if it appears safe. Again, only do this when it appears safe. That's the most important part, safety, which is why I say it 4 times here and probably will a few more times.

• When passing, the law says not to exceed the posted speed limit. That's according to the law. Me personally, I know some of y'all are doing 50 in the 25 regardless, so please, just don't hit me.

• If you see a cyclist speeding, immediately alert the authorities with your cell phone (if your phone appears safe) and remember to put it on speakerphone, then roll down the passenger side window so as you pass the cyclist can hear too. You might have to hold the phone towards them as best as you can. It helps to hold the wheel with your knees, just don't spill your beer. Make sure you maintain eye contact with the cyclist during the call the whole time. If you can't tell if I'm joking here, please grow a sense of humor.

• Passing is preferable to slowly following behind a cyclist for a long time. The 'slow follow' can create anxiety for the rider and for the drivers behind you.

• Do not slow down or stop for a stationary cyclist on the side of the road who looks like they want to cross or enter traffic. For example, places where the bike path crosses the road and there's no light or a stop sign for drivers. It may seem courteous, however, most cyclists prefer that drivers maintain the flow of traffic. Most will wait until they know it's safe. The cyclist might also just be catching their breath or waiting to pick a massive wedgie.

• If you still feel obliged to stop and wave to the cyclist to get them to go, please check for oncoming traffic first. I don't care how much you wave, if there's oncoming traffic, I'm not gonna cross. Also keep in mind that there are crazy people out there, who will wave at a biker to cross, then hit them purposefully. Yes, that's actually a thing that happens. Maintain the flow of traffic, even if there is no other traffic.

• Drivers, if a cyclists waves you on, make sure it is safe for yourself first. Please keep in mind the outdoors have insects. The cyclist might not be waving for you to go, they might be waving gnats and mosquitos away. They could be fanning themselves to cool off. They might be on meth or mentally ill or many other possibilities. If unsure, smile and stare at them with a wistful longing while you block the flow of traffic. The cyclist will soon feel uncomfortable and after a few short minutes will attempt to exit the awkward scenario rather than risk feeling affection.

• Avoid honking or yelling at cyclists unless it is genuinely an emergency. Trying to scare or surprise a cyclist by yelling random shit or honking at them while passing is something idiots do. In certain situations it is also a felony. Sudden noises can cause a cyclist to lose control. Not just control of their bike, control of their emotions. Note the recent tragic news involving a cyclist being shot and killed by police. Some cyclists are armed. Most aren't. Some are. Take that chance if you want to but that's on you.

• When turning right after passing a cyclist, remember that the cyclist might be going straight. You're supposed to yield to them before making your turn in this situation. It's like being in the far left lane (the passing lane) of the highway, then crossing an entire lane or two to get to the exit ramp. Turning right across a cyclist's path is one of the most common and serious cyclist involved vehicle crashes, not just for the cyclist.

I hope these points help to clarify some things about bike riders on the roads. I've noticed while riding that some drivers appear to lose all sense of logic if a bike is on the road and I hope to prevent more of that in the future. The amount of bike and ebike riders I suspect is about to grow exponentially in the greater Dayton area over the summer. Let's all enjoy what freedoms we have, while we can.

Thanks for reading, enjoy those gas prices.

This happened here in Dayton and I wanted to put the warning out there in case others are getting it too.

I went to a housing resource fair recently at the rec center on west third three weeks ago. I've been trying to find a house to buy for awhile now but it is difficult because I'm disabled. I mentioned that at a few tables, hoping to find someone who might have experience helping disabled people buy homes.

One realtor overheard me and insisted on getting my contact info. The gave me a separate, blank sheet of paper, telling me not to use their sign-up sheet. I was told there was a group that would be able to help me buy a house and also had possible work I could do.

Fast forward a couple weeks. I get a voicemail and text message from the realtor, telling me there was going to be a zoom call with a group that could help me. There was no mention of what the supposed work would entail or how they were going to help me. The call started and I instantly new it was an MLM pitch.

This was not the usual MLM. It was an MLM that sought to replace services instead of selling a product. It was a group of business working with supposed 'wealth management' agents. New enrollees would pay $300 a month and have their finances managed with savings and benefits, including cash income. One company would become the new electric supplier, another would cover health insurance, others I didn't get the chance to hear about but it included house payments, investing, internet service and more.

I searched the name of each company as i heard them and on my other monitor looked them up, specifically looking for scams and controversies. The bad reviews said it all: The companies were consistently difficult to communicate with, had surprise fees and fines come out of nowhere, refused to end services after cancellation and would continue to charge and I even found a class action lawsuit involving one of the companies and the current sitting president, for recommending them while misrepresenting what the company did.

The healthcare company had hundreds of reports of them refusing to pay hospitals for covered services, to the point that some victims were refused treatment until they made out of pocket payments.

Eventually one of the people running the call asked an open question, one too complicated to recall perfectly but was effectively "if you couldn't get first place, what place would you want to be?" with the obviously answer being second place. That's when I responded, by saying I would not be in any place, because it sounded like an MLM scam to me. Naturally instead of providing any evidence to the contrary, the host acted shocked and kicked me out of the call before I could say anything else and ruin their remaining prospects.

I had to share this story because of the particularly repulsive tactic of seeking victims from a resource fair for low income people. Targeting people who would not be able to afford a lawyer. I want to also underline the point that I was singled out immediately after revealing I was disabled.

I would name and shame the person that initially made contact with me, but there is a small chance that they were not aware of their part in this fleecing operation. Unlikely, but still a chance. If they were fully aware however, they are a particularly disgusting person and I hope they see this post and change their ways.

Please use caution out there. Scammers will not hesitate to go to any lengths to find victims. Know what an MLM is. Familiarize yourself with ponzi schemes, pig-butchering and remember, anything that promises you income only if you spend money first, is almost always a scam.

Thank you for reading, I hope you have a nice day.