Hate for Cyclists - Cyclist Intentionally Hit

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Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
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.


This is an odd argument to me.

You are saying that some people should give up their legal rights for your convenience.

And it is not your legal right to travel at the posted speed limit. These bicyclists are not denying you of any right. The roadways are multi-use. That means they may have farm equipment, construction equipment, elderly and physically impaired operators and various types of vehicles that are following the laws and rules of the public roadways. They are traveling at a safe speed for the opersation of their vehicle or physical ability.

If someone can't function on the roadways without developing the anger you describe above then maybe scheduling more time to arrive at a destination might be something to consider.

And I am not even a bicyclist.

Personally, I am of the opinion that The Laws of the Public Roadways may entitle someone to ride a bicycle; however, the Laws of Physics win every time--mass wins !

But I fully support the Rights of all those who choose to exercise them.
 
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
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.


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.


Some might argue that encouraging bicycle commuting by the creation of dedicated bike lanes IS addressing the traffic problem and gridlock.

The reality is our current laws and roadways fail to provide for the safe operation of a bicycle. Cyclists are hit and killed daily even while following all the rules of the road and being courteous. The Laws in many States clearly stipulate that two vehicles are not to ride side by side in the same single lane of traffic. That goes for bicycle-bicycle, motocycle-motorcycle AND CAR-bicycle. A bicycle does not have the legal requirement to stay on the right shoulder of the road so a car can pass him in the same lane of traffic. The bicycle has a legal right to occupy whatever width of the traffic lane is required to proceed in a safe manner. That includes riding in the middle of that lane to prevent vehicles from attempting to pass in a manner that places the bicyclist in peril.

I have worked on road construction projects. The roadways are absolutely loaded with drivers who are distracted and who have no concept of the mechanical limitations of the vehicles they are operating. This is the reason all States now require vehicles to either move over one lane or slow down when passing an emergency vehicle stopped along the side of the road.

Bicyclists have no such law protecting them and they are exposed to the same risk. A smart cyclist is one who drives both defensively and offensively...and the same goes for my fellow motorcyclists.
 
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People seem to go out of their way to antagonize each other these days. The end result of too much societal fragmentation.

I ride mountain bikes. Never on the street if I can help it! I always give cyclists a wide berth when passing, but it seems I'm the only aware driver within a quarter mile radius most days.

The cyclists playing dress up like they're in the Tour de France are the most annoying, take up the entire lane to force you to pace them and then proceed to roll thru every stop and light they come across. I guess equal rights only to your benefit...

Personally I could care less who is being a jerk around me, but that sort of behavior triggers the less stable amongst us. And to think some other poor [censored] pays for the sin of the previous idiot.

No civilization without civil behavior.
 
I ride, but only on trails. It's just too dangerous on the road. Right, wrong, right of way or not, I don't want to get hit.

Around here, the bikes ride in large groups that take up the whole lane on curving roads making it difficult and dangerous to get around them. They're a hazard to themselves and the auto drivers to be honest. The bicyclists don't pay any taxes in support of the roads either.
 
Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
I wonder how this will affect the Volvo reputation for safety?

27.gif



Don't laugh - that's part of crash tests in many locations. Design to minimize damage to pedestrians/cyclists, frequently by making the hood further from rigid inside parts (like the engine)
 
I used to cycle a lot. I refused to ride in groups unless it was a closed road event. I never rode tandem with anyone on roads, only single file and one of us would slow so the other could pass quickly.

The issue is there are a lot of cyclists that ride with good manners, and a few bad apples that make motorists angry. Then some are angry at any cyclist due the the actions of a few.

Things like riding 2 or 3 wide , passing on the right at stoplights. The worst thing is groups that ride 30 or more bikers in a solid line with several 2 abreast. They should ride in groups of 3 or four with gaps in between each group so motorists can pass.


I have had only 1 unprovoked encounter with a guy driving a van, he stopped in the middle of the road and sat there a good bit , i sped up and as i got closer , I could see he was looking at me in his mirror. I had too much speed at that point to stop so i hammered it and was doing about 27mph. At the last second i swung wide on the left in the other lane ( nothing coming for a long ways) as i went around, we quickly flung his door open. I was way wide and as soon as i went around. i hit the brakes and got off the road. He hit the gas and came up and started yelling. AS i got off the bike and stood up, he realized i was an adult and he took off.

I will not ever pass a stopped vehicle in the road, at speed again.
 
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My area is littered with these idiots on bikes.
They think they own the road.
They ride outside of the bike lane.
And don't come across a large group that hogs the entire lane.
They dress like wanna be pro bike riders.
What a bunch of silly wanna be losers.
I hate bikers.
 
Riding two abreast is legal here (Saskatchewan), motorbikes or cyclists. In Ontario riders must move to single file when being passed by another road user. In the remaining eight Provinces and three Territories it's illegal.
 
I think double file is stupid BUT I will take the entire lane, deliberately, and with stage-like pantomime, when I'm on a (dangerous) bridge with no shoulder. The pantomime is to telegraph to drivers that I am absolutely owning that lane and they would need to cross the yellow line to get around... and not to try to "squeeze by".

In my state cyclists need to stay right when practicable, so it's legal.
 
Originally Posted By: NibbanaBanana
I ride, but only on trails. It's just too dangerous on the road. Right, wrong, right of way or not, I don't want to get hit.

Around here, the bikes ride in large groups that take up the whole lane on curving roads making it difficult and dangerous to get around them. They're a hazard to themselves and the auto drivers to be honest. The bicyclists don't pay any taxes in support of the roads either.


I pay a car registration and excise tax, an annual fee, and my car is still there being parked when I'm on a bike.

Gas taxes don't cover road maintenance, (source) so by bicycling on a lighter vehicle, I'm less subsidized than when on a car.
 
Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Some might argue that encouraging bicycle commuting by the creation of dedicated bike lanes IS addressing the traffic problem and gridlock.

The reality is our current laws and roadways fail to provide for the safe operation of a bicycle.

As previously stated, ALL the local politicians argue that line however the numbers just don't ad up. I'd be more convinced IF I noticed LARGE NUMBERS OF BICYCLE COMMUTERS. But I don't. Not only is this area NOT flat by any means, but SUNSTROKE is the number two cause of weather related deaths.

This isn't Portland or Seattle. Yet the local pols dream of it being so. They did "build it" and they "did come", but they made no provisions for the increased traffic.

Why? It's not politically correct. Doesn't fit with "The Vision of the Annointed".

The reality is Texas is a HUGE state and it's dam hot & humid throughout the middle N to S and all the way East. People want to be inside their SUVs in the A/C, not on a bike sweating up an incline when the solar heat index is North of 130°.

Very, very few people would ever consider commuting to work by bicycle. This isn't NY or NE or Portland.
 
Seem that the bad apple cyclist ruin it for those of us that obey the law and try to ride as safe as possible staying to the far right as safely can. I just got in a 70 mile ride this morning. Went out at 0630 to beat the heat and traffic since Sunday morning seems to be the best time and safest to ride.

I was passed one time to the point that I could have extended my elbow out and hit the truck. I was able to catch up to them at the next light. I asked why he had to pass so close and he lite up at me I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He hated cyclist and said we all need to stay off the road. Amazing. I was riding the white line. Not much farther I could have gone and the speed limit on that road was 25mph and he was clearly doing more than that when I was doing 18mph.

I hope I can ride safe and arrive home every time to my family. This is one exercise I really enjoy and my knees can handle it. I ride to stay fit, I feel better, have a better outlook on the day, it is my feel good drug. Sad that so many have hatred toward us.
 
I ride occasionally as a way to combat high blood pressure, stress, etc. It's been nothing but a positive thing for me. All of you that say you hate cyclists, do try to have some perspective. Would you rather pay for someone to be unhealthy? Most of those who are cycling are people who are out there working and producing, we are not your problem if you want to look at the big picture. Some manners would be great, from the cyclists and the drivers.
 
I am amazed by the number of people that are seizing on the allegation that two bikers were riding abreast of each other as somehow being of equal offense as someone attempting to commit vehicular homicide out of road rage.

Do that many of you not understand what the actual crime is here?
 
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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.


Because they have EQUAL RIGHTS to be on the roadway. They choose to be on the roadway, a legitimate legal way of transport on a bicycle, and in my State, you have as many rights has vehicles, and obey the same laws.

They do so as citizens enjoying cycling, a perfectly legal form of transport, you don't like that? THEN PASS THEM FOOL.
laugh.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: marine65
My area is littered with these idiots on bikes.
They think they own the road.
They ride outside of the bike lane.
And don't come across a large group that hogs the entire lane.
They dress like wanna be pro bike riders.
What a bunch of silly wanna be losers.
I hate bikers.


That's more like it.
 
Just said this on another forum... for all the hate towards cyclists I see on forums sure don't see that much on the road. I commute daily and do close to 3k a year. I follow the road rules fairly close. Yes there's bad cyclists as well as car/truck drivers, bad one's in every group! I've seen both groups do some pretty stupid moves which anymore is just entertaining.
 
Originally Posted By: AZjeff
Originally Posted By: marine65
My area is littered with these idiots on bikes.
They think they own the road.
They ride outside of the bike lane.
And don't come across a large group that hogs the entire lane.
They dress like wanna be pro bike riders.
What a bunch of silly wanna be losers.
I hate bikers.


That's more like it.


Calm down, an extra 3 minutes to pass those idiots won't kill you.
 
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