I (dis)like bike riders

Mommyof3texans

I admit, I get really impatient when I get stuck in a line of cars because there is too much traffic coming the other way to go around the cyclist on the road. However, I am never rude. It is frustrating for both the cars and the cyclists and each feels justfied in being frustrated with the other.

I also wish we had bike lanes, I think it would help a tremendous amount. There are a lot of cyclists in our area who ride at the same time I am driving to work as any later and it is like 100 degrees out.

I don't think there is a great solution other than patience, tolerance and courtesy. And vote for bike lanes lol

Purplefly

We have a bike/walking/horse trail here that you can take all the way down to the beach if you were so inclined. My only peev is when a biker comes speeding past and doesn't say a word to let anyone know. I could step to the left and smash right into them. Use a kiddie bike bell I don't care what just let a person know you are back there.

There are signs posted along the way that say bike yields to walkers and both of those yield to the horses. I imagine stepping in front of a horse is probably a bad idea anyways rofl.

bstamps12

In my town, the roads are very narrow in many places. It sucks for me and the drivers and I avoid those stretches of the roads whenever possible and never go at rush hour. But when I do have to ride on those roads (less than half of a mile until I turn off the main road), I ride straight down the middle of the road. Why? Because if I try to ride to the right, cars think they don't have to move over at all to pass me. I've literally been 3 inches from being clipped by side mirrors and I only saved that accident from happening by going into the muddy ditch. The law says I have to ride as far to the right as is safe; on a two way road with no shoulder or bike lane, that means the middle of the road.

Sorry, but I live in southern AR, part of one of the fattest regions of the country....it's good for people to see others exercising!

Pandorian

We've got bike lanes here, but same as the last city I was in that had them, they are very often the parallel parking spaces that the car drivers use once they've got to work so we have to watch for those that are just sititng in their vehicle and decide to randomly open the door without checking for traffic.
There are trails and the like but you do have to drive or ride on the roads to get to them in the first place.

heathally

I've noticed that whenever I ask a question in the name of being a 'biker' I kinda get answers with a bit of animosity.
I'm not a hardcore bike rider, tho' I ride my bike most days for fitness reasons not endurance.
Today a lady yelled (barked really) at me when I passed her by. I try to shout 'on your left' almost every time to not startle peolpe

Why are bikers such an easy target?

Do you bike on the sidewalk? Here it is illegal to do that, we must ride on the road and follow all the rules that apply to automobiles. Or are you riding on pathways?

This is the point I was going to make. A bike is a vehicle (not motorized, but still a vehicle). Look up the laws for your state, but both of the states I've lived in require bike riders to ride on the road with a helmet, as far to the right as possible except when making left turns, and following the laws of the road like any other vehicle. I road my bike to college all last summer, followed these rules and had no troubles whatsoever with walkers or motorists.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

Same reason they hate motorcyclists. They don't like to share the road.

Really? We have the same problems as cyclists.. (which I am as well). We get people that almost run us over because they don't see us in their monster SUVs.

Drivers need to calm down and relax when passing/dealing with motorcycles and bicycles because they're dangerous to the bikers. A lot of us motorcyclists FOLLOW THE RULES. But, we still get a bad rep...

All bikers need to calm down and relax when passing/dealing with runners/walkers because they can be dangerous to them. A lot of us cyclists FOLLOW THE RULES. But, we still get a bad rep...

Hmm

Play nice and stay in your lane and it wont be as confrontational.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

so we have to watch for those that are just sititng in their vehicle and decide to randomly open the door without checking for traffic.

I got into an accident this way. Wearing just a helmet does not prevent injury from slamming into swung open car door @ 25 mph. Trust me.

So, don't mind us if we give ourselves a little buffer from the sketchy pot-hole ridden shoulder / the line of parked cars / etc.

DeBlue

One last rant...

I find I can get more respect from approaching cars to ride deep into their lane and weave a bit erratically, moving over before they finally come up near me. Honestly the drivers are wary and it gets them to be way more careful.

Sometimes they even pause from fooling with their cell phones while driving around me....