Hate for Cyclists - Cyclist Intentionally Hit

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Yesterday, along a road I occasionally ride, a cyclist was intentionally hit by an SUV. Thanks to a helmet cam worn by one of the victim's friends, the perpetrator was ID'd and arrested. Thank God, the cyclist is OK and only suffered some cuts and bruises, but obviously it could have been much worse.

Very disturbingly, the perpetrator is (was) Dean of Students at University School of Nashville. It could have been one of his students that he hit!

But, other than the disgust and anger I've felt about the crime itself, I've been equally shocked, disgusted and angered at the hate for cyclists that's been expressed in the comments sections on the Facebook pages of local news media, which reported the story. Many people are blaming the cyclist, saying it's his own fault that he was hit, because they were riding side-by-side. Well, this was on the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a federal recreational road. While I personally believe that the safest and best policy when riding on a highway is single-file, there are signs along this highway stating that cyclists may use the full lane, and that motorists are allowed to cross the double yellow line and pass cyclists in the oncoming lane, when safe to do so.

Really people? You actually let yourself get angry because you got delayed by maybe 30 seconds at the most until such time as it was safe to pass a cyclist? Astonishing.

Links to news stories:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/loc...ideo/462473001/

http://wkrn.com/2017/07/08/cyclist-hit-by-car-in-williamson-county/

http://www.wsmv.com/story/35842161/arrest-made-in-bicyclist-hit-and-run-on-natchez-trace-parkway

Be careful out there, riders. And, if you're one of the people who tends to be prone to anger at cyclists, please just stop and think for a second - it's not that critical! Geez, lighten up! You're delayed by maybe half a minute until you can get around. Believe me, I understand. I drive a WRX and ride a Yamaha R1 and I've been held up plenty of times by bicycle races out in the backroads. But you will live. Have some patience. It will BE OK! I promise!
 
I never cycle on a highway, too many idiots on cell phones... even when it's Illegal. I try to cycle on the shoulders when possible, and I have equal rights as vehicles, but I don't got no 5 star safety rating.
 
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Portland cyclists are a different breed, and I stay away from that place as much as possible, due to the rage I experience every time I'm there. The ride like they are on private property and in a tank, they have no regard for anyone on the road but themselves. I had to slam on brakes/evade too many times to avoid hitting them, which I feel would have been well deserved.
Sure there are others with their head screwed on correctly, but seemingly too few.
As far as this clown goes, he is just another homicidal [censored], only he used a vehicle instead of [insert weapon here]. There is one every so often. We hear about them more often due to improved efficiency/availability of news.
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I don't get why so many cyclists go out of their way to assert their freedoms on the roadway, deliberately inconveniencing the drivers around them. This happens a lot where I live, they will give the finger and make all sorts of deliberate gestures that essentially say "what i'm doing is legal, [censored] with everyone else." I treat it as just that-- an inconvenience. No different than a semi passing another semi on a 2 lane highway that's going 0.000000001 mph faster than the other-- which takes an eternity, and you're stuck forever going 5mph under the speed limit. An inconvenience is not worth getting road rage or being stupid over. I treat those cyclists the same, cuss at them under my breath and move on.

Obviously that's not to say that all cyclists are that way. But really, just because it's legal to do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do that. I have freedoms to do a lot of things, but I don't go around doing things just because I can. If I can make simple gesture that saves the time and aggravation of another, without inconveniencing myself, I certainly try.
 
I cycle 2X per week and would never consider riding side-by-side anywhere...except maybe in the Tour de France.

I don't want to be one of those whose tombstone reads: But, he had the right of way.
 
The biker is also nuts for riding side by side instead of single file with traffic present. I am not sure that was intentional or really bad driving(dui?). Risky cycling the smarter ones stay on edge of road.

Glad no one hurt.
 
I do quite a bit of cycling. I find the dumbest cyclist think they have the right of way. A battle they are too stupid to realize they will never ever win.
 
Like anything else, it's the few that do bad who give the rest a bad reputation.

My personal complaint are the ones that don't obey traffic signs. If they want to share the road, they need to follow rules like everyone else.
 
Wow...he was lucky. And the "dean of students" just embarrassed his employer and forgot his position.

I do understand the anger from a drivers standpoint as a few, some, will get political, organize massive rides to completely block a popular roadway, bringing it to a crawl.

Or here, some ride very narrow, twisty, hilly roads, with no shoulders, at peak traffic times because THEY want to, greatly endangering themselves. They could CARE LESS about the traffic they're backing up.

There are jerks on bikes and jerks behind the wheel.

As a rider myself, I never force any issue with a vehicle, obstruct traffic, pull in front of cars, etc. because I'll certainly lose. Not worth the risk. The law may be they have to yield to me, but I yield to cars.

Austin Tx is currently going nuts with removing car lanes, to add bike lanes, restriping roads, all the while doing nothing regarding their traffic problems & grid-lock. The mayor & city council actually believe commuting by bike is an answer to traffic congestion. Needless to say, many are quite frustrated by them continuing to ignore a problem they created.
 
Last week in western Nebraska, four riders on two motorcycles were killed when a SUV driver crossed into their lane. Reports are not published yet but there is some talk of driver impairment. The driver won't be the only inmate at the state prison serving time for vehicle manslaughter. And two weeks ago, three riders on two motorcycles were killed when the motorcycles collide at an intersection.
 
I'm glad my weekly group ride is at a metro park, on paths reserved for bikers and joggers. No worries about vehicles.

The rules state that pedestrians have the right of way. A bicycle bell is much appreciated by everyone.
 
I think this happens more than we think. There was a case here where the car veered across the road and hit a bicyclist dressed in very bright bicycling togs going in the opposite direction. He was DWI, but it's hard to see that as anything but intentional.

Local auto writer chalked it up as "tropism" the same impulse that draws a moth to a flame.
 
I think hate for cyclists is not the correct phrase. I think hate for ignorance is. Most cyclists I see ride like I would if I was 12 years old. 2 aside, slow, and nowhere near the curb. If there is a bike lane on a road, I usually try to avoid the road entirely.
 
Amazing, this thread has gone to page 2 without going totally sideways. Riding way on the right always is mentioned. Not a good idea for several reasons. You have no margin for anything if you have no road to the right. That's where all the road debris gets swept to by traffic, and that means flats. If you ride right on the edge people try more to squeeze past where it's unsafe. 2 across riding is arrogant but the safest place to ride is in the right tire track. Like anything, cyclists are always judged by the bad examples.
 
I used to ride on Friday nights with a large group in town. There was close to 200 people. We would start at the Alamo at 9 pm and ride all over, a different route each week. I stopped because for one, people don't know how to ride in groups. There is a massive concentration of people riding and some can't ride in a straight line. I didn't see any pile ups but I could see it might happen. The group stops at bars and drinks too on the way. Once time, I didnt go and my brother did. He said one guy ran right into a cop. Not sure of the outcome of that one. Then, they run lights. I've done my share of light running on a bike downtown, but I felt like I was invincible then I guess. I do enjoy biking but I don't want to get run over. I ride alone now or with a couple of friends and I don't go on highways or major roads with speed limits over 35. I actually prefer trail riding. Just gotta worry about trees and deer, not volvos and F150's. A couple got killer here a few years back near my work on a major road. It was an accident. I knew the guy who hit them. The couple left behind a young daughter. What they were doing was legal, but in my opinion stupid. You may have the right of way but you have no protection. When I was 18, I nearly ran over my neighbor in a wheel chair who was out on a walk with her husband. It was dark and they had no light and were not on the sidewalk. I was driving too fast in my van that had terrible headlights. She ripped me a new one and rightfully so. I did tell her she needed to have some kind of light because she was hard to see. All i got from her is she had a right to be there. I said ok and just apologized. That right wouldn't bring her back from the dead after she goes through my radiator.
 
I recently yelled out at a guy on my street, which is a busy street that I couldn't see him well. He was riding at night with black clothes and no light. I wasn't yelling because he was on a bike, but because he was being stupid and gonna get hit by someone. Ive already had two people drive through my yard and my dog hit on this street. The dog was my fault because he wasn't on a leash and he ran, but people aren't paying attention and they don't slow down even when they see dogs near the edge of the road.
 
Although I don't hate cyclists at all,in 40 yrs of driving in PA ans many other states, I haveYET to see one stop at a redlight or stop sign unless they knew they would get hit or even use hand signals! Same rights,same rules. Much safer for all
 
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