When I bike, I have a bell that I ring several times when I’m coming up behind someone. I give them as wide a space as I can and slow down when I pass. Sometimes though, those people don’t hear me anyway, because they’ve got their iPods blasting away in their heads. Some cyclists are inconsiderate, but some pedestrians are just as inconsiderate.
This is indeed shitty, and I am sorry. I have definitely observed this behavior in many drivers dealing with bicyclists–people will ride legally as far into the shoulder as they can and some dickhole driver will still lean on the horn and then swoop past people honking with their middle finger raised. FWIW, I hate those people and they can die in a fire.
At any rate, as a few people earlier in the thread mentioned, I just don’t want to kill anybody on my commute. Being buzzed on foot is scary and annoying, but ultimately if I get hit by a guy on a bike, neither of us is going to die. And I’m really sorry that some drivers are shitty about law-abiding cyclists, but there are many of us who just want everyone to get home safe. TL;DR: please don’t run stop signs, kthxbye.
Anyway, Mr. Miskatonic, thanks for not running stop signs and lights, even if people are dicks to you about it. This driver appreciates it.
Yes. Road rage occurs regardless of one’s vehicle.
Good to know, nameless.
And I do understand the problem with bikes buzzing. Its not fun, which is why I avoid MUTs as much as possible. and never ride on sidewalks.
Actually, there are probably a host of safer alternatives. Walking, taking a cab, carpooling, taking the bus, catching a ride with a neighbor, etc.
And, as Giles mentioned, some are deaf. I never even considered that until he mentioned it, and I will try to keep it in mind. Blind pedestrians are obvious, deaf ones are not.
Only if your presence on the road creates more problems for other people than it solves for the rider. So:
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Get off the cross. I’m not persecuting you.
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In my two specific examples, it is incontrovertible that, legality aside, the bike rider is creating a safety problem. So quit.
In other words, you think people shouldn’t be allowed to use bicycles as a means of transport, because it interferes with other people’s ability to use cars as a means of transport. Is there any justification for this bias?
I see an awful lot of automobiles create safety problems that wouldn’t exist if the driver would simply choose another form of transportation. Sometimes even, their very presence on the road creates more problems than the problem that is solved for the driver. In fact I think I can say with some certainty that everyone - drivers, cyclists and pedestrians - would be substantially safer, the more automobile drivers chose alternative forms of transportation.
And yet, automobile drivers are never asked to get off the road for these reasons.
And you think that makes it OK? You think running stops is illegal in order to punish you, not that there might be some reason you shouldn’t run stops? Sorry to hijack and everything, but this attitude baffles me.
Bullshit. The rider is riding legally and safely. Riding in the center of the lane is much safer than riding the curb. You’re just an impatient asshole who can’t deal with a little delay.
Oh Sauron, did you need another example of how these threads cascade into a get-off-the-road-cyclist hatefest?
True enough. I never really thought of that either.
OTOH, I think some of the iPod users are on their way to being deaf… 
Again, martyr-boy, nobody has any nails for you. All this persecution is a figment of your imagination. I don’t hate anyone, especially not bike riders.
Actually, as the first person to sling insults when I was simply trying to tell you my point of view, you’re the asshole. Yes, riding the lane on a busy road is legal, but it is not safe. No way is it safe. It creates higher traffic density, delays, and all sorts of messes. It creates an unsafe situation for both the rider and the drivers.
That’s not what I mean at all. Bicyclists are a small fraction of the traveling population. Bicyclists should definitely be allowed to use them for transportation, where their use does not interfere with the safety or needs of the greater portion of the population (the drivers on a busy road.) As long as you can ride without creating an unsafe situation in the form of snarled traffic, hey, ride all you want.
You just want them out of the way, gotcha.
Yes. It. Is. Do some research on the matter. Cyclists are in much greater danger if they
It causes a minimum of delay. There are hundreds of things that cause greater problems. I’ve said it before: blaming cyclists for traffic problems is like saying the green salad made you fat after eating a 40 oz. steak.
Nonsense. Riding in the middle of the lane discourages unsafe and close passing by motorists. Riding along the curb encourages drivers to pass within an unsafe distance,
Yet, one that is increasing with the addition of bike facilities and a rising price of gasoline. Nor is the road usage a case of ‘majority rule’.
Which, in essence means they are not allowed to use them for transportation. Gee, thanks.
I will ride where I need to, when I need to. I am legally allowed to do so. It is much safer to ride in the lane where it is not wide enough to share. If I can find a less populated route, I will use it. If that makes me an asshole, deal with it. There are much greater problems with the roads than cyclists.
What unsafe situations?? If someone fails to see a bike in the middle of the lane, or sees it and panics, then the driver is the one creating the unsafe situation.
By your logic, if someone runs a red light and causes an accident, I suppose it’s the fault of the red light (or the cross traffic) for being there and creating an “unsafe situation”?
Since the rest of your post was self-entitled blah-blah-blah, I’ll briefly address the crux:
That’s my point. You are legally entitled to ride, but it’s funny how I never see a biker wanting to take the safest possible alternative in these little dust-ups.
Rarely the case, and when it is, the safest possible alternative is to find a better way to get where you want to go.
Actually, that’s all I ask. Find a route where you’re less likely to cause problems. If you do that, you’re not an asshole. What’s making you an asshole right now is the fact that you’re taking such massive umbrage, and seem to be incapable of discussing the issue in a rational manner.
Sure, but we’re not talking about them here, are we?
I’m not talking about panic stops. I’m talking about creating higher traffic density behind you. Pack more cars in a smaller area, and you create a potentially dangerous situation that could easily be avoided. Again, simply find a different way to navigate the main road, and you minimize your impact on the safety of others.
I disagree. I think cars cause road rage.
(I have a theory about road rage that I’ve been trying to formulate, and you all can tell me if it just sounds like hooey, but here goes.)
I think road rage is caused by the lack of ability to communicate. When two people bump into each other on the sidewalk, the exchange is usually something where both people give a sort of grimace and say they are sorry, and the tension is diffused.
What happens in a car? That guy cut me off. He’s an asshole!
What happens in the other car? “Oh I cut that guy off! sorry” “They can’t hear you dear…”
and that’s the point. They can’t hear you. When you feel road rage, don’t you just want to give that guy a piece of your mind (and tell everyone on the dope what they did)? Doesn’t your inability to do so really chap your hide?
I think the fact that car drivers are in soundproof bubbles causes most of road rage. (If car drivers weren’t in that bubble, they also would never honk at a cyclist or pedestrian, because that shit is so much louder outside the car than in!)
Caveat: This post is not meant to assign blame to drivers, but, well, I guess to car manufacturers for not providing drivers with an electric signboard mounted on the car with which the driver could communicate with other drivers and cyclists.
How many times do I have to explain this? Taking the right lane on a multi-lane road usually is the safest way to travel by bicycle.
Yes, there are less-travelled back roads, but they don’t have shoulders, and they only have one lane in each direction. Which means the few cars who do come up behind me can’t pass me until there is a long break in oncoming traffic. And worse, they often misjudge the gap and turn back to my lane too soon, forcing me to do an emergency stop.
Or I could try to hug the curb on a major road, but then I’ll have cars trying to squeeze through without changing lanes, with literally an inch to spare. If I happen to swerve at that time to avoid a pothole I’m dead (possibly literally). Also if I’m at the edge of the road, I’m not visible to cars coming out of driveways and side streets.