Motorcyclists blocking traffic for bike convoy

[Mr Nice]

I saw two motorcyclists blocking traffic last Sat on a busy 4 lane road (kind of like the way Police motorcycle cops do for a funeral) for about 2 minutes while about 60 motorcyclists pulled out from a RaceTrac gas station. I noticed some cars were driving around the two motorcyclists that were trying to block traffic.

Would you be annoyed if you were held up while the convoy of bikes were allowed to enter the busy road ?

 

[HK_Ace]

Not at all. An extra 5 mins isn't going to kill me, and I like seeing bikes. I am pretty considerate around motorcycles and bicyclists, especially since they are very vulnerable on the road. I don't believe in getting worked up over small stuff either. It works out well for my state of mind.

 

[Win]

Probably.

It's a misdemeanor crime to block a highway here.

What makes motorcycles so special?

 

[UberxG]

i wouldnt mind at all also , BUT here in los angeles they block cars on the highway from going ahead of them to do stunts while they tape the whole thing to promote there "clubs" that is just plain stupid.

Motorcyclist like that give them a bad name.

 

[Papa Bear]

Would the bikes wait for 60 cars to leave ??

 

[abycat]

Originally Posted By: HK_Ace
Not at all. An extra 5 mins isn't going to kill me, and I like seeing bikes. I am pretty considerate around motorcycles and bicyclists, especially since they are very vulnerable on the road. I don't believe in getting worked up over small stuff either. It works out well for my state of mind.

Good point but they are still not following traffic rules. the bikes sitting in the middle of the road caused cars to drive around them and potentially cause an accident. What if someone in their car didnt see the road blocking bikers and ran over them. Follow the rules of the road and nobody should get hurt. I Do respect people on anything two wheeled cause me and my father have bikes but i do get annoyed when they think they are special like when they drive around a line up of cars on the shoulder. I think that is dangerous for them and others. and I dont like it when they ride side by side and take up more than their lane, which is obviously dangerous as well.

I dont yell at anyone that doesnt deserve it but the other day these two street people where riding their bikes on the pedestrian sidewalk against the flow of traffic and some old couple pulled out of a gas station and could not see them so they got kinda close. The street people got off their bikes and started yelling at them. So of course I had to verbally shoo them away after giving them a lesson in the proper bike safety. It was a good thing too cause a made a customer out of the old couple which looked very scared and the street people looked a little rough. But i guess for your question that situation would be a shake my head one. unless someone got hurt then Id make a point in telling them that they were in the wrong.

 

[dwcopple]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette


Would you be annoyed if you were held up while the convoy of bikes were allowed to enter the busy road ?

Only if it was a bunch of "RUB's" riding Hard-ley Davidsons.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Would you be annoyed if you were held up while the convoy of bikes were allowed to enter the busy road ?

Not necessarily. Even though what they did was probably illegal, this may have been the safer thing to do rather than having 60 individual motorcyclists trying to join a busy road one by one.

For bigger groups like that, they should have requested police escort to take over such traffic management duties rather than trying to do it on their own and get some car drivers annoyed.

 

[Silk]

I've been on group rides where the traffic has been stopped to let the group stay together, sometimes we do it at traffic lights too, get all the bikes through at once. I don't care what the car drivers think, but I think they would prefer waiting than being stuck in the middle of 30 to 50 bikes. On official rides like toy or blood runs the cops stop the traffic - on our biggest charity ride the whole Auckland motorway system is shut down and hundreds of bikes go en mass. I don't go on those rides.

 

[bepperb]

They block traffic because idiots in cars think it's a good idea to pull out right into the middle of the pack. If car drivers would have a little common sense and the decency to wait 15 seconds for the group to pass riders wouldn't have to do this.

If you're so annoyed you have to wait 30 seconds for the pack of motorcycles, kid on a bicycle, ducks crossing the road or whatever that you get bent out of shape and have to try to drive around them you need your head examined.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I saw two motorcyclists blocking traffic last Sat on a busy 4 lane road (kind of like the way Police motorcycle cops do for a funeral) for about 2 minutes while about 60 motorcyclists pulled out from a RaceTrac gas station. I noticed some cars were driving around the two motorcyclists that were trying to block traffic.

Would you be annoyed if you were held up while the convoy of bikes were allowed to enter the busy road ?

LT4 Vette knows if this happened in Miami Dade County some crazy guy in a large SUV would probably just run down the two motorcylists and just keep on going.

 

[mechtech2]

Groups of scooters do this sort of thing all the time.
Usually no big deal.
We liked to keep together - all sorts of little tricks helped.
But it is the bikers who should wait .

 

[morris]

i would rather see that than see stupid car drivers running over bikes. i bet i can tell who has rode bikes and who hasnt.

 

[65cuda]

Unless they were on some kind of charity ride or funeral then I would say they should have gotten a police escort. If not then I don't see where they are so special that they decide that they should block the road for their buddies to get through. I would hope that someone would have got on their cell phone and taken pictures and called 911. Just because you are a group and it would be a impossion for you to have to have to wait some yourself doesn't give you the right to break the law while making others wait.

 

[01rangerxl]

On one hand I think it is kind of an ***hat move to direct the traffic for your own benefit without getting prior approval. Anyone else would need to get permission to block the normal flow of traffic, so why make an exception for a big group of bikers?

On the other hand, I don't really care that much, it's not much of my time, and it's probably safest assuming all car drivers will stop. In Charlotte it would probably be pretty dangerous and asking to be plowed into.

That said, I've never run into bikers doing this, and bikers are usually very courteous and easy to deal with in traffic. They are at least aware of what's going on around them whereas a lot of people in cars are not.

 

[javacontour]

This is the question right here. Would the bikers wait for a car club to get 60 cars into the street so they could stay together during some cruise?

It's a pretty selfish move, but not one of those things worth getting worked up about.

Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Would the bikes wait for 60 cars to leave ??

 

[Chevys_n_Hawgs]

Another question is - How often does this happen? Once a day? Once a week? month? year? I bet you can count one one hand, how many times this has happened to you in your lifetime. It's really not a big deal. I'd rather have a large group of bikes all together, rather than to have them sprinkled out through traffic. It's much safer for you, and the motorcyclist. It really couldn't of taken more than 5 minutes, anyways. I really wouldn't sweat the petty stuff, or for that matter, pet the sweaty stuff.

 

[65cuda]

If it was so petty then why do they think that it is OK to do it then? If it is so important why not get permission from the authorities? I'd almost rather have them sprinkled out in the traffic so that if you need or want to try to get around them it is easier than when it is a big clump of 60 of them. So actually I think it is more dangerous.

 

[crinkles]

I have been blocked like this on a major highway by bikie gangs, literally hundreds of bikers.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: 65cuda
Unless they were on some kind of charity ride or funeral then I would say they should have gotten a police escort. If not then I don't see where they are so special that they decide that they should block the road for their buddies to get through. I would hope that someone would have got on their cell phone and taken pictures and called 911. Just because you are a group and it would be a impossion for you to have to have to wait some yourself doesn't give you the right to break the law while making others wait.


I am with you although IMO a 60+ group trying to stay together needs a police escort period. I actually have ridden( no motorcycle anymore - I have MS and it isn't safe now ). I have to say I get real sick of these entitled groups( motorcycle groups, old car cruise nights, charity walks/runs/drives, etc... )that tie up our roads for events or just because they want to( i.e. a group ride or run ). The roads are for cars to travel on not for that kind of stuff. Even your average jogger or bicycle rider these days block traffic and seem to feel they have the right to the road and the vehicles don't. Drives me nuts.

I am not against charity, I am not against someone riding a bike or jogging, and I am not against motorcycle groups or old car night cruises. Just understand that the roads are not there for your purpose. They are there for people to travel on. Charity runs and walks should take palce on a sports field/track, if you want to jog or ride your bike fine but stay out of the road and out of the way!!!!!, and car cruises or motorcycle rides need to do what they can to not inconvenience the rest of the traffic on the road.

I see all of this around here and do so often. It is such an inconvenience it is not funny. People need to remember the roads are there for vehicles to travel on not for charity events, a personal work out, nor for motorcycle and car clubs to tie up with groupd cruises and rides. Not at the expense of everyone else having to wait for and watch out for them anyway. They are the ones who need to do what is needed not to tie up the roads and interfer with the drivers using the roads for their intended purpose.

Had I been there when the motorcycle group was holding up traffic I would have been on the phone to the local PD complaining. It was dangerous and it would also be illegal.