# Screw You, You Self-Entitled Arrogant Asshole Bicycle Riders **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 20, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371 "2012-04-20T04:08:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/41 "2012-04-20T18:00:37Z")
> [@Klaatu](#): > > I will probably run over and kill one of you dumbass morons one day and guess what, it won’t be my fault. My best friend’s sister did that. No lie. Cyclist shot in front of her on highway 1, she hit and killed him. I dont’ remember what kind of evidence there was to support her version of events, but she did not suffer any legal consequences. The psychological consequences, however, were significant and lasting. Including LOTS of anger at the man she killed for making her kill him. So, even though it won’t be your fault, it will still suck. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/42 "2012-04-20T18:12:29Z")
> [@Baboonanza](#): > > No lights? Asshole. No helmet? Massive prick. 900 lumens on my helmet, smaller lights on the front, sides and back. Plus safety vest at night and sometimes in the day. Constantly amazed by my fellow cyclists without helmets and the puniest, most pathetic lights. I got my monster light for ME… when I ride at night, I need to see where the hell I’m going. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Cyclists can’t get all self-righteous when so many of them are acting so badly. Well I take no responsibility for how other cyclists behave… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/43 "2012-04-20T18:18:30Z")
Question for asshole cyclists: A city bus slgnals for a right turn, then slows down, then pulls over to the curb. The doors open. Pick one: A) It’s a good idea to bike at top speed between the bus and curb. B) Get a fucking clue. You’d be surprised how many pick A. ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/44 "2012-04-20T18:41:40Z")
Is it Friday already? I was wondering why the weekly “cyclists suck” post hadn’t been made yet. Thanks for getting on that **Klaatu**. I was starting to worry we wouldn’t have one this week. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/45 "2012-04-20T18:54:32Z")
We also got the butthurt driver crying “But I pay taxes” in for good measure. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/46 "2012-04-20T19:16:24Z")
> [@cmosdes](#): > > Is it Friday already? I was wondering why the weekly “cyclists suck” post hadn’t been made yet. Thanks for getting on that **Klaatu**. I was starting to worry we wouldn’t have one this week. Yeah, this is a pretty good hatefest. But we haven’t had one in awhile, actually. . ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/47 "2012-04-20T19:27:48Z")
Portland is huge on bicycling, with bike lanes and even bike boulevards complete with vehicle choke points and no stop signs. Most of them behave themselves, but the ones who think they have special rights are dangerous to everyone else. I have a friend who was hit by a biker in NYC. She has nerve damage in her face and is in constant pain from it. She in turn has another friend who was also hit and who spent significant time in a hospital and who is also suffering from nerve damage to his back and shoulder. It seems that whenever a biker gets killed here, there’s a big outcry about the car drivers, but it’s more often the fault of the cyclist, usually riding late at night, wearing dark clothing and no reflective gear/lights. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/48 "2012-04-20T19:39:44Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > Passing a line of stopped or slower cars (in dense traffic for example) is a good way of accidently getting cut off by a right turning car. This is actually one of the negatives about bike lanes as they encourage passing on the right and, in cities with significant numbers of commuter cyclists, you can see these knots of five or six cyclists clustered at the stop line at intersections - it’s a treat to watch them get going when the light turns green. I am going to hit somebody someday - and I will feel very bad about it. I turn right at a busy interesection where I have a stop sign. I am watching for cars on my left and pedestrians on all sides. I am NOT watching for the cyclists that zip up the inside of my lane and keep going. I am going to turn when it is legal to do so, and they are going to either slam right in to the side of my car, or I am going to hit them going across. Hey idiot - the stop sign is there for you, too. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/49 "2012-04-20T19:46:44Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > If the street is wide enough for both cars and bikes to be side by side there’s no reason for the cyclist to not approach the light and stop at the front. It would be more disruptive of traffic to actually get in line with the cars." > > I am a very experienced vehicular cyclist and was an instructor for the Canadian Cycling Association’s CANBIKE program (Cdn equivalent to the US Effective Cycling course) and one thing we teach is to “take the lane” at intersections (in other words go in line with the stopped cars, between them). It does not disrupt traffic and it ensures your visibility. Passing a line of stopped or slower cars (in dense traffic for example) is a good way of accidently getting cut off by a right turning car. This is actually one of the negatives about bike lanes as they encourage passing on the right and, in cities with significant numbers of commuter cyclists, you can see these knots of five or six cyclists clustered at the stop line at intersections - it’s a treat to watch them get going when the light turns green. As a driver in a situation like this, I agree. In California drivers turning right are allowed to enter the bike lane a certain distance from the intersection, where the solid line becomes dashed. If I am turning right across a bike lane, I really want the cyclists to be in front of me where I can wait for them to enter the intersection before turning. I am unlikely to be looking behind me in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/50 "2012-04-20T20:04:52Z")
I support this pitting as well, except the hostility to bike riders without helmets. It’s my only pushback against the nanny state and I won’t wear one. [I’m well aware of the horrors of head injury.] ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/51 "2012-04-20T20:29:04Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > \ > > Well I take no responsibility for how other cyclists behave… True enough. I should have said that cyclists should not be surprised at the level of hostility from drivers and pedestrians, given how so many cyclists are behaving. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/52 "2012-04-20T20:30:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Portland is huge on bicycling, with bike lanes and even bike boulevards complete with vehicle choke points and no stop signs. Most of them behave themselves, but the ones who think they have special rights are dangerous to everyone else. I have a friend who was hit by a biker in NYC. She has nerve damage in her face and is in constant pain from it. To be truthful, in NYC, whoever is going the fastest _does_ have special rights (as well as special responsibilities, ie: look out for pedestrians). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/53 "2012-04-20T20:37:33Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I support this pitting as well, except the hostility to bike riders without helmets. It’s my only pushback against the nanny state and I won’t wear one. Wow, that’s almost as intelligent and effective as pushing back against the nanny state by refusing to wear a seatbelt when riding in a car. Why not really stick it to Nanny Gummint by developing a crippling methamphetamine addiction? That’ll show those jackbooted thugs that they can’t jerk you around with their freedom-hating drug laws! 'Course, if you then end up dependent on Nanny Gummint’s Medicaid as a result of tragic consequences from any of your courageous self-jeopardization efforts, it’ll be a little ironic. Mind you, I’ve ridden slow commuter bikes in separate bike lanes and paths in the Netherlands without a helmet, as everybody else does there. But IMO anybody who rides fast and/or in traffic, especially US traffic, without a brainbucket is being a bit reckless about their personal safety. Anybody who would do that merely for the sake of making what they imagine is a defiant gesture towards government regulation… might not really have any use for a brainbucket, come to think of it. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/54 "2012-04-20T20:38:01Z")
As a guy who commutes via bicycle nearly everyday, I agree with lots of the sentiments in this thread. Just as there are asshole drivers, there are asshole cyclists. Fuckers. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/55 "2012-04-20T20:40:07Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > It annoys me that an encounter with a bad driver usually just makes someone angry at that specific driver, but an encounter with a bad cyclist often makes people curse all cyclists everywhere. Actually, people do generalize about drivers in general due to negative encounters (sometimes on a regional basis, like the earlier gripe about New Jersey women driving SUVs). And some cyclist activities (like [Critical Mass](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass)) invite dislike and disdain.\* \*I was interested to see that a bicycle group called Critical Manners holds rides to encourage obeying traffic laws and to counter negative publicity. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/56 "2012-04-20T21:02:23Z")
So many people here are surprised that bicyclists don’t stop for red lights. A majority of the bicyclists where I worked were on [fixies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixie#Brakeless) and could not stop, at least quickly. And for those without brakes fast stopping becomes a poorly-controlled crash. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/57 "2012-04-20T21:03:59Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > So many people here are surprised that bicyclists don’t stop for red lights. A majority of the bicyclists where I worked were on [fixies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixie#Brakeless) and could not stop, at least quickly. And for those without brakes fast stopping becomes a poorly-controlled crash. I guess that means they don’t get to ride on the street then. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/58 "2012-04-20T21:07:25Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > So many people here are surprised that bicyclists don’t stop for red lights. A majority of the bicyclists where I worked were on [fixies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixie#Brakeless) and could not stop, at least quickly. And for those without brakes fast stopping becomes a poorly-controlled crash. :rolleyes: I regularly use a pedestrian crosswalk on a tremendously busy street, where cars have to stop for me (because it’s a red light crosswalk). I’d say half the time, bikes don’t stop. If one crashes into me one day, I’m sure I’ll have tons of sympathy for that poor bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/59 "2012-04-20T21:12:05Z")
I go to work before it’s light. I once nearly ran over a foolish bike rider. His clothes were dark, his bike was dark and had no reflectors, his skin was dark, he just didn’t stand out. Since I was alert I saw him at the last minute, as he crossed the street in front of me, going from one sidewalk to another. I heard him yelling at me, but didn’t stop. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371/60 "2012-04-20T21:14:04Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I guess that means they don’t get to ride on the street then. Au contraire! It means they can blast through red lights during rush hour. Oh, wait– [QUOTE=Municipal Code of Chicago] (b) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake that will enable the operator to make the braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement. [/quote] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-you-self-entitled-arrogant-asshole-bicycle-riders/619371.md?page=4)