Dear driver who passed me today

seal57

Cyclists in my town can be a big pain in the butt......There are bike paths but there are some who won't use them.....Most think they own the road.....:grumble:

A lot of "bike paths" are not appropriate for those of us hauling at 20mph or faster. People mill about wearing headphones and oblivious to what's coming up behind them, kids weave back and forth slowly on bikes (rarely wearing helmets), people walking dogs with leashes that cross the entire path...these are all serious hazards when fast-moving bikes are added to the mix.

YOU may not like bikes on the road, but those of us on bikes have EVERY right to the roadway that you have. We pay the same taxes, but our miles on the bike don't do the damage to the roads that cars do.

So, yeah...we DO, in fact, "own the road."

I have never seen people walking their dogs on the bike path.....The council built the path to keep the pedal pushers off the road for their safety......No, they don't do damage but riding on roads they could do damage to themselves and other road users......

LizKurz

I always get annoyed by people who ride bikes.. Mainly because as another posted stated, they can't follow the rules.

We don't have bike lanes where I live in Illinois.. so that means you are weaving in and out of traffic in front of my car.. and if I need to stop suddenly and you get hit, well then it's not my fault. There are sidewalks for a reason.. Stay on them!

Would I ever honk, speed off and flip you the bird? No.. thats just uncalled for.

In many towns, like the last one I lived in, and this one I now live in, it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk.

wellbert

Your paths must be a lot different than mine. When I first started cycling around town for short trips, I'd go out of my way to use pathways that cut through town. ...Soon learned they are full of inattentive joggers, groups of pedestrians walking full across, or unleashed dogs.

I'll take my chances with the cars...

I get the odd jogger in the bike lane, but what can you do?

MiloBloom83

I always get annoyed by people who ride bikes.. Mainly because as another posted stated, they can't follow the rules.

We don't have bike lanes where I live in Illinois.. so that means you are weaving in and out of traffic in front of my car.. and if I need to stop suddenly and you get hit, well then it's not my fault. There are sidewalks for a reason.. Stay on them!

Would I ever honk, speed off and flip you the bird? No.. thats just uncalled for.

I live in Illinois, and you'd better learn the laws that pertain to you. In Illinois, a bike on the road is treated as any other moving vehicle. If we run a stop sign, we can be ticketed. We must signal turns. If a bike is in a left turn lane in front of you, you must yield right of way until safe to over take. When passing a bicycle, you must give the cyclist a MINIMUM of 3' clearance. And most towns have ordinances prohibiting bicycles on sidewalks(and skateboards). Sidewalks are for pedestrians.

The thing that pi$$es me off is when i see a bicyclist riding against traffic. It's the equivalent of driving the wrong way down a one way street. And we wear the spandex shorts so you know we are riding our bikes on purpose, not because we lost our licence because we got a DUI!

LaurasClimb

I live in a big city and have considered using a bicycle. I've gone to the meetings of a biking advocacy group and they always say the cyclist should be assertive. I always respond, Have you seen the motorists out there? In an argument between a truck and cyclist who do you think is going to win?

But by the same token, as a pedestrian I've had a lot of very close calls with some crazy cyclists, often messengers. A couple of them have cursed me when I complained about almost being run over.

There needs to be more education and enforcement on both sides.

This right here! I live in a small town. There are a lot of people here who don't have a driver's license or can't afford a car. I have absolutely no problem with cyclists until they decide the rules of the road don't apply to them!

When I was growing up, these things were drilled into me:
On the road, cyclists ride with traffic, pedestrians walk against traffic
Cyclists follow the same rules as other wheeled vehicles on the road.
This means - driving on the right
- stopping at stop signs
- signaling your intent (and we learned the signals, they are pretty easy)
This does not mean - driving anywhere on the road you want
- blow through a stop sign, who cares about right of way
- just shoot off across the street not bothering to look at what's coming up behind me, they will
probably stop anyway.

From what I see in our town, cyclists and pedestrians just figure cars are going to stop for them. After all, it's the car that's going to get the ticket and we can sue them ---that's not going to help you if you are dead.

Sorry, just venting. This does not apply to all cyclists.

LizKurz

You know, in my town, I see way more people blowing stop signs and lights in cars, and even 18 wheelers on the local one ways downtown than I see cyclists not following the rule od the road.

I see many more people in cars for some reaon, not understanding how a 4 way stop sign works, (really people?) than cyclists. That's mainly because as a cyclist, you just sit till its clear or you WILL be run over. We have at least one person hit and killed or seriously maimed every year here by car drivers who can't seem to not hit and kill people on 35 mph four lane roads.

So, in my town, if you were to just take the car drivers vs the bike riders, you would think every car driver is a flipping bloody idiot.

But I also know that there are places in which cyclists are being ignorant too.

The OP didn't make any sweeping generalizations about car drivers, she talked about one specifically, who acted like an a- hole.

So maybe the rest of you can stop making sweeping generalizations about cyclists.?

Yeah, thatd be great.

sjohnny

I was pretty annoyed when cyclists rode with complete disregard for safety or the law, but now that I'm a bit of an advocate... it annoys me even more. Sometimes I think I'm the only cyclist in California that stops at lights/stop signs. Seeing folks on the wrong side of the road ON the sidewalk is annoying too - but that's mostly people on department store mountain bikes that aren't really cycling for the sake of cycling. They don't necessarily know that cyclists are not pedestrians.

Right on to all of this.

Back in the days when I still wrote tickets I wrote several to bicyclists - some of which I pulled over while I was riding a bicycle. Most of them were shocked that they had to stop at stop signs.

dad106

I always get annoyed by people who ride bikes.. Mainly because as another posted stated, they can't follow the rules.

We don't have bike lanes where I live in Illinois.. so that means you are weaving in and out of traffic in front of my car.. and if I need to stop suddenly and you get hit, well then it's not my fault. There are sidewalks for a reason.. Stay on them!

Would I ever honk, speed off and flip you the bird? No.. thats just uncalled for.

I live in Illinois, and you'd better learn the laws that pertain to you. In Illinois, a bike on the road is treated as any other moving vehicle. If we run a stop sign, we can be ticketed. We must signal turns. If a bike is in a left turn lane in front of you, you must yield right of way until safe to over take. When passing a bicycle, you must give the cyclist a MINIMUM of 3' clearance. And most towns have ordinances prohibiting bicycles on sidewalks(and skateboards). Sidewalks are for pedestrians.

The thing that pi$$es me off is when i see a bicyclist riding against traffic. It's the equivalent of driving the wrong way down a one way street. And we wear the spandex shorts so you know we are riding our bikes on purpose, not because we lost our licence because we got a DUI!

In arlington heights, sidewalks are for people with bicycles..I see it all the time.. both serious cyclists and just leisurely ones. I cannot imagine people going down Palatine Rd on a bike.. Even tho I've seen it, and seen people almost get smashed because people come flying off the frontage, you pull out in front of car going 50 miles an hour and believe they will stop.. and no they don't because they are trying to beat the next light.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

Sounds like those stupid, smelly, ruthless, uneducated, drug-influenced PUV drivers here where I live. It's very annoying :mad:

rybo

It really doesn't matter who is right or wrong, the only rule that always holds true is that in a cyclist vs car collision, the car wins. Always.

I see lots of cyclists that don't obey traffic laws, at all. And I see cars that don't give cyclists an inch. Both may be at fault depending on the situation, but the car always wins.

chelso0o

I was of the SAME mindset as a lot of those who don't ride bikes..... annoying, don't stop at red lights, slow, not over on the edge enough.... until I started cycling a lot. Here is why we do those things:

Don't stop at a red light: Mainly because it takes A LOT of momentum to get going again, ESPECIALLY if we are on a hill. Legs DO get tired stopping and starting all of the time.

Not getting over far enough: In improperly maintained roadways, it is crucial to move away from drain grates, potholes, manhole covers, glass, etc. that is on the side of the road. You can flip over the handlebars or otherwise wreck yourself pretty badly if you should happen to hit a pothole wrong.

Riding the white line on "faster" roads: Rumble strips! If they rattle your car, think about what it does to a cyclist! Holy vibrations! And not in a good way!

Riding slowly: well, nothing I can say here other than... our vehicle is powered by two legs.

Riding two abreast: If there is enough room or two lanes I will ride two abreast, but we generally try to drop down to single file if we hear the car coming.... otherwise we just MAY NOT HEAR YOU! It's not that we're being jerks! Windy days are especially tough to hear cars coming behind us.

This is coming from a girl who drives a big SUV, and has been guilty of honking at slow cyclists in the past. Needless to say I'm reformed..... :flowerforyou:

Pinntucky

Cyclists in my town can be a big pain in the butt......There are bike paths but there are some who won't use them.....Most think they own the road.....:grumble:

A lot of "bike paths" are not appropriate for those of us hauling at 20mph or faster. People mill about wearing headphones and oblivious to what's coming up behind them, kids weave back and forth slowly on bikes (rarely wearing helmets), people walking dogs with leashes that cross the entire path...these are all serious hazards when fast-moving bikes are added to the mix.

YOU may not like bikes on the road, but those of us on bikes have EVERY right to the roadway that you have. We pay the same taxes, but our miles on the bike don't do the damage to the roads that cars do.

So, yeah...we DO, in fact, "own the road."

A lot of "roads" are not appropriate for those of us hauling at 50mph or faster, especially when people on bikes think they are not in the way when traveling 30mph under the speed limit.

wellbert

It's not that hard to start again, even one legged like those of us that have to unclip at the lights.

LizKurz

I was of the SAME mindset as a lot of those who don't ride bikes..... annoying, don't stop at red lights, slow, not over on the edge enough.... until I started cycling a lot. Here is why we do those things:

Don't stop at a red light: Mainly because it takes A LOT of momentum to get going again, ESPECIALLY if we are on a hill. Legs DO get tired stopping and starting all of the time.

Not getting over far enough: In improperly maintained roadways, it is crucial to move away from drain grates, potholes, manhole covers, glass, etc. that is on the side of the road. You can flip over the handlebars or otherwise wreck yourself pretty badly if you should happen to hit a pothole wrong.

Riding the white line on "faster" roads: Rumble strips! If they rattle your car, think about what it does to a cyclist! Holy vibrations! And not in a good way!

Riding slowly: well, nothing I can say here other than... our vehicle is powered by two legs.

Riding two abreast: If there is enough room or two lanes I will ride two abreast, but we generally try to drop down to single file if we hear the car coming.... otherwise we just MAY NOT HEAR YOU! It's not that we're being jerks! Windy days are especially tough to hear cars coming behind us.

This is coming from a girl who drives a big SUV, and has been guilty of honking at slow cyclists in the past. Needless to say I'm reformed..... :flowerforyou:

I agree with everything here but the not stopping at lights part. Not stopping is just asking for trouble .

I think you also bring up a good point about hearing cars. In town, the only car I didnt hear that one time was a Prius. I swear, it was silent. But yeah, at 20 mph trucking down a highway of sorts? The wind really does block out noise.

I do miss the days when if someone honked at you it was to let you they were there, now if people honk it's because they're all like "get outta my way!"

stenochick0417

Where I live (in OK) you're treated as if you're a vehicle. You CAN ride on highways, just not the interstate (though I'm not ballsy enough to even try a highway -- thanks but no thanks!) you have to stop at stoplights and stop signs or you can be (and should be) ticketed, and at least in the town I live in (not sure about the entire state) it's illegal to ride on the sidewalks. After all, it is called a sideWALK.

As a law-abiding cyclist, it's irritating that people get annoyed by a few cyclists that probably don't really know the rules of the road and then all of us are lumped into one category. Same with stupid drivers that probably don't know the rules of the road as it pertains to cyclists. And yes, I am a taxpayer, so technically I DO own the roads I ride on, thankyouverymuch, and I'll keep riding my bike like I do. (Following the law, of course)

jackburnt

I don't have a problem with cyclists as I don't have a problem with motorists. I have a problem with people breaking the law though.

When cyclist go through red lights, pass within three feet of a car (illegal in Auburn, AL), swerve in/out to get ahead, etc. That pisses me off. Just like when I see a motorist skip a stop sign, not give the right way, etc.

zoom2

You know, in my town, I see way more people blowing stop signs and lights in cars, and even 18 wheelers on the local one ways downtown than I see cyclists not following the rule od the road.

I see many more people in cars for some reaon, not understanding how a 4 way stop sign works, (really people?) than cyclists. That's mainly because as a cyclist, you just sit till its clear or you WILL be run over. We have at least one person hit and killed or seriously maimed every year here by car drivers who can't seem to not hit and kill people on 35 mph four lane roads.

So, in my town, if you were to just take the car drivers vs the bike riders, you would think every car driver is a flipping bloody idiot.

But I also know that there are places in which cyclists are being ignorant too.

The OP didn't make any sweeping generalizations about car drivers, she talked about one specifically, who acted like an a- hole.

So maybe the rest of you can stop making sweeping generalizations about cyclists.?

Yeah, thatd be great.

I just read a blog yesterday where the writer pointed out how easy it is for motorists to see every minor infraction cyclists make, but can and do remain completely blissfully blind to those same errors made by people piloting motor vehicles:
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2012/all-drivers-are-distracted-drivers/

maserati185

There are plenty of jerk drivers. There are plenty of jerk cyclists. Why can't we all just get along?

acarter9674

Love it!

HJCsDaddy

I was running yesterday and as a truck full of 20-somethings rolls past, they yell out, "get out of the f***ing road!" I was about three feet off the road on the shoulder. It's crap like that where I just want to get the license plate ad vehicle make and remember it so when I see them the next time we can have a discussion. I live in a smaller town so it's not like I wont see the douche again.