Bicyclists and you, sharing the road and everyone getting along....

[Cliff Beer]

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired of bicyclists taking up a whole lane and riding along at 15mph where the speed limit is 35mph, for example. Or riding double, and doing half the speed limit.

Obviously, that's particularly annoying....and frankly just plain dangerous for everyone....on single lane roads where the passing car has to pull out into the oncoming lane. Related, that's not "sharing the road" that's hogging the road on the part of the bicyclist.

Bicyclists should pull over to the right....hug the curb...and allow cars to pass safely. And, if they're going to ride on the road (instead of the sidewalk), then how about obeying the rules of the road? Use hand signals, stop at stop lights and stop signs, etc. Am I missing something?

I used to road race when I was a younger man in the early 80's. I constructed all of my own bikes including lacing up the wheels and brazing together the frames etc. I spent a lot of time riding the roads around my home town practicing for the next race. I would have NEVER expected a car to accommodate my presence on the road aside for the tiniest little bit of room to clear my shoulder as I hugged the curb while being passed.

Again, what am I missing here?

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Cliff,

I understand. In the '70s, I was a Senior I in the old ABA (pre-USCF) back when the general public in the U.S. didn't even know that cycling was a sport. I road all over St. Louis without worry of cars. I stayed on the edge of the road, and let others pass willingly. I would never try that today with the huge increase in traffic, so I now keep to the rural routes.
I never abused my right to the road, and must agree with you when I see others do it. Such is the times of today...drivers are less considerate of riders, and riders are less considerate of drivers...and so goes humanity in general.

 

[Frank3]

In general , the attitude is " I'm more important than you " .
Everybody is owed something , and I'm taking mine out of the middle !
You don't exist as any thing more than an annoyance to my clarity , and you are disturbing my calm .
As far as bicycles on the side walk , NO ! , that doesn't work either , traveling at walking speeds with young children on the sidewalk in VA Beech this past weekend with cyclist traveling 15mph around and through us is totally B.S. !
Bicycles should be on the street as close to the shoulder or curb as is safe , and riding with traffic single file , and paying attention to traffic , and traffic laws !
Kids aren't taught like I was ( and my kids have been ) to respect others , the law , or the big object that might cause them harm .
Of course the people in cars aren't much better !
But the natural state of the universe IS chaos , or maybe it's just the natural order of disrespect and thoughtlessness .
Maybe your not missing and thing , other than a nod to Darwin .

 

[Mark]

I had the same thing last week Cliff. Two fully geared up mature types cycling down a country B road, side by side filling at a minimum, 50% of the road. I came up behind them on a straight, in the distance. I was only pottering along myself and judged that I would catch them on a bend up ahead.

So I gave a gentle, friendly little tap on the horn to let them know I was approaching, expecting them topull in line-astern. NOTHING. Pipped the horn again as I got closer, and they both stand up in their peddals flipping me the bird and shouting aggresively etc etc.

I had no choice but to pull up behind them until we rounded the bend. The temptation to drive roight through them, stop, make sure they were dead and then drive off unseen was a very real temptation!

TOSSERS

 

[Dimi Terleckyj]

And I had the misguided thought that this was only a phenomenom unique to Australia.

I would to ask whomever is in charge, Could you please stop the world as I have just about had enough of all the madness that is now going on as I would like to get off and get my money back.
This ride is no longer fun.

Dimi

 

[Ian Anderson]

High time that all cyclists need to display number plates and carry insurance for the damage they cause scraping along cars etc.

If they jump the traffic lights etc they should be fined like the rest of the road users

Ian

 

[Nick]

double post

 

[Nick]

Hi,

OK as a cyclist ( I do about 75 miles a week to work and back) I agree with most of your comments, especially the not jumping lights moving over etc. Their are always two sides to every story though, there are good and bad cyclists, there are good and bad drivers. A quick search on youtube will give examples of both.

I used to take out liability insurance until I discovered like a lot of cyclists I was covered under my house insurance policy.

I have near misses almost every day as the road I use is a very busy single carriageway main road with a 50mph limit which most drivers ignore, as it is straight with some twisty double white line bends at one end. Most cars and lorries still try to pass me on these bends, with traffic coming the other way. They can't wait behind the 30 seconds or so before passing, and it is obviously easier to cut me up or force me into the ditch than hit the car coming in the other direction

Their are also man hole covers on the side of this road which I just miss by a few inches. Most cars I observed miss these covers by feet, and yet regularly I get drivers gesticulating to me to move over because again they have tried to pass me, gone on the other side of the road with a car coming the other way who has flashed them, nearly hit them or both. So obviously it can't be their fault so they take the frustration out one me.

Normally the most dangerous place for me is drivers entering a roundabout I am already on in winter. I have the most powerful lights I could find, reflectors on wheels front and back, flourescent jacket and yet they still don't see me. I don't want to tempt fate but I seem to have developed the knack of spotting these


I try to hug the side of the road but after yet another near miss going straight on at a roundabout, where the driver next to me who I thought was turning right, suddenly indicated he wanted to turn right down the lane I was passing, because he had not realised

1) I am capable of 30mph, so it is maybe not a good idea to try to overtake on a roundabout in a 30mph area and

2) I am not going to take the 1st exit that he wanted to turn down as that is a motorway slip road which as a cyclist I am not likely to go down.

3) The lane he was in had arrows for going straight on or turning right, my lane had arrows in for going straight on or turning left. So as I must be going straight on as I am not prepared to cycle down the motorway even if these guys are.

"Two Kenyan cyclists rode into trouble with the law after they were caught practicing for the Commonwealth Games on a motorway. The two men were stopped by police as they cycled along the M60 near Bolton yesterday morning.

Of course again this was my fault so demanded blowing of his horn and the two fingered salute.

So after some research this is what I try to do now.

From the New York Times

Claim your space: Ride too far to the right (or left in proper countries) and you blend into the surroundings. You also put yourself in the risky debris and gutter zone. If the lane is 13 feet wide or narrower, it's generally not shareable, During says, and you're best off claiming your legal right to the entire lane. "If you give cars the space, the average driver will take it and then you get squeezed," .

Sorry if my defensive riding style offends some but I have a lot of living left to do

 

[Nick]

I have been told (don't know if it is true) that in Holland if as a driver you hit a cyclist it is automatically your fault.

Always thought Holland was a very civilised country.


Even expert drivers can get it wrong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMjSZhXHiHo

 

[Mesa]

I also bike to work and in some light competition. The stupidity of some cyclists stun me, hogging the road, riding side by side in tight areas. Generally not giving a crap about how they effect others....hhhmmm just like many drivers I guess, sad. As noted in an earlier post I would have had a rough time NOT plowing down the guys who flippped me off. I ride on pretty thick tires as I would rather take a nail in my tire than a bumper in my leg via riding too far off the shoulder of the road.

 

[Mark]

But Nick, they're all stoned in Holland!

 

[Keith]

They are attempting a similar law here: if you hit a cyclist - you are guilty.

I live in the New Forest and there are designated cycle paths to avoid riding over the habitat of ground nesting birds.

Cycle clubs hold regular sprints through the New Forest.

Many families come down and hire bikes during their holidays.

It all sounds good, but:

Many drivers do not tolerate cyclists, or horses. They are usually locals whilst the (non cycling club) visitors are pretty much well behaved.

Extreme mountain bikers come down in force from London and ravage the off track forbidden areas and terrorise walkers.

The cycling clubs that hold "sprints" every weekend ride in bunches, deliberately block cars and throw their rubbish into the Forest ditches. They are also indulging in competitive activity on the Highway which is forbidden for any motor vehicle.

Worse, cyclists are not insured or traceable.

Conclusion: It's not the mode of transport - it's the people and the attitudes.

Fot example, there is a furore down here on the amount of dogs roaming the countryside and sometimes attacking the animals. Owners, not unreasonably, are requested to pick up their mess and there is a huge objection to this because: "Horses shit everywhere and no-one picks it up, so why do we have to"? (taken from the local paper last week).

Even if you live 10,000 miles away and have never been here can see the flaw in that argument and it is this ignorance of the rights and expectations of others that is the root of the problem. It happens everywhere. Anyone NOT know why horse shit is OK whilst dog shit isn't?

Anyone coming to the Olympics this summer will have a treat in store. Serried ranks of Stormtrooper cyclists defying lights and crossings, riding pavements at ridiculous speeds and I would bet, to a man (mostly) they were driving hot hatches 5 years ago.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

What he said:thumbsup: I ride but I also drive, it is the attitude that is the problem. Not the mode of transport .

 

[Nick]

Conclusion: It's not the mode of transport - it's the people and the attitudes.

What he said:thumbsup: I ride but I also drive, it is the attitude that is the problem. Not the mode of transport .

So true :thumbsup:

 

[Tom]

This a bit of a chicken & egg thing. I've been riding a long time, and have had shit thrown at me, been cut off, hit deliberately, brushed back (while riding single file on a open road) etc. To be sure, there is enough blame to go around. Yes, I've ridden with knucklehead cyclists in big groups (and yelled at them for doing stupid things), but it gets harder and harder to get your yah yahs out due to crowding, safety concerns, liability etc. I don't feel like driving 5 hours every weekend to go racing, so I do group rides instead.

What irks me is that we're supposed to follow all vehicular rules, yet we are NEVER in control of any interaction. I've been hit by a guy checking his blackberry, hit by another on purpose, and they can just drive away. Yes, I've taken some liberties as a cyclist, but I don't put myself in danger. For instance, what's one of the most common car accidents? The rear-ender. For that reason, I NEVER wait at the tail end of a line of cars waiting for a light to change, because if I did, and a rear ender happened, I'd be ground beef.

A little common sense, and common decency, goes a long way.