How do you deal with aggressive cyclists?
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Screw it, I'm just going to stay home and eat cheetos. It ain't easy bein cheezy but it beats getting speared by random cyclists.0
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Logically, the person walking has more control and maneuverability than the person on a bike. Cyclists have to maintain a certain minimum speed or fall over. It is easier AND SAFER for the pedestrian to step out of the roadway if it is too narrow to accommodate both at the same time. Traffic laws consider a bicycle to be a vehicle and they must follow the laws that apply to vehicles on a road. Pedestrians have more flexibility with regard to direction.There are rude cyclists and rude pedestrians. Don't be one of the rude ones.0
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Also it seems what you are talking about is a civil suit. Those are entirely different rules altogether. I was referring to criminal charges.
Yeah I get you, definitely, I just think it's a bad idea to tempt a lawsuit either way, much easier to just get out of the way of the cyclist.
Agreed.0 -
Aw, How sweet of you to offerMy advice remains the same tho. Just move out the way and keep moving. Or you can run behind me, and I'll push those jerks into traffic for you
Thank you
Thanks everyone for the input; cyclists and runners alike. I shall endeavour to be a bit more tolerant and stay out of the way! 0 -
Im sorry to burst a few peoples bubbles but as long as the pedestrian is moving in the same direction ( OP you need to be on the correct side of the road ) , regardless of speed and is continuously moving, the pedestrian has just as much right to be on the same path/ road as a bicyclist or a car! Common sense says the smaller and slower of the two moves aside but neither has a direct implied " i have the right of way cause of my mode of transportation" .
Wrong, a pedestrian does not have just as much right to be on a roadway as a car or bicycle. I know people believe this but it isn't the law in most places. Pedestrians have the right to be on the sidewalk, the shoulder of a road or crossing a road at a crosswalk or intersection. That's why there are fines for jaywalking and if a motorist hits a pedestrian who is jaywalking charges are often not laid because the fault was with the pedestrian.
I run and cycle so I see both sides of this. I hate getting off the paved road and running on the mushy shoulder for a cyclist but they do have the right of way. So does the car. You can take your chances with both but why bother just to make a point that they "could" get over? You could get over too and the cyclist is probably cursing that ignorant woman who won't get off the road and writing about it in a cycling forum.0 -
If I could refer you to my post immediately above yours ^^You could get over too and the cyclist is probably cursing that ignorant woman who won't get off the road and writing about it in a cycling forum.0 -
Observations:
A majority of posters hate cyclists and advocate actions that could easily result in serious injury or death (which also are grounds for getting convicted of a serious felony up to and including murder).
Way too many people do not know the rules of the road as it applies to pedestrians... Locally they must run against traffic and at the edge of the roadway and I do not know of any area where this is not the law. This is as important in less traveled areas as areas with high amounts of traffic since it is the vehicle you don't see or hear that is most likely to kill you.
A majority of posters believe cyclists are easy to hurt. This is very true. We have had several get serious injured by cars in my area and one killed last year by a pedestrian running with traffic that decided to turn right into the path if a cyclists who was unsuccessful in swerving and broke his neck. The pedestrian couldn't hear the cyclist yelling due to his use of two earphones and high volume on his iPod.
As for the anger, some is caused by cyclists who ride against traffic (illegal and dangerous) but most is caused by people who don't like to slow down and share the road from my experience. Personally I have been hit with rocks, driven completely off the road by semi trucks who did it on purpose when I was already to the right of the fog line), cussed at for wearing bike shorts, almost run into a rock embankment, and almost been hit by cars too many times to count. I always hear about cyclists running red lights but never here from drivers all of the times a car runs a red light or stop sign and takes out a cyclist (has happened to me twice this past year - I was lucky and swerved out of the car's path both times).
My personal pet peeve in my area is one road on a hill where walkers come out in the evening and walk in line across the road taking both lanes and leaving no where to go, however, unlike so many of the posters here I don't try to hit them - I will yell "rider" and hit my brakes but figure actually hitting them is going to her me more than them. I won't suggest we "all get along" but suggest people resolve their homicidal tendancies and reconsider their anger before someone dies.0 -
To all the people who can't get the attention of the ipod-wearers:
There's thing called an Airzound. It will blow your freaking hair off.
Very useful for safety.0 -
I run against the traffic, so at least I can see the idiots coming, and keep to the side of the road; it's not like I'm dancing all over the shop disrupting their way sooo... How do you handle them? Ignore?
Perhaps your problem is that you are running against traffic. Personally if I was on "MY" side of the road and you were coming at me, I would aim at you too! Just sayin, courtesy works both ways!
Maybe this is different in other areas, but legally bikes and cars travel in one direction and pedestrians go against traffic. A bike and a pedestrian on the same road, both heading West for example, should be on different sides of the road.0 -
Actually, it would be battery if they truly hit you. Assault is when someone is threatening another to do bodily harm. Though I think it would be hard to prove in this case.
I understand that some people are giving joke answers to try to hit the cyclists, but since you're serious, it helps to understand that bikers are not required to move out of the way of runners, it's the runners who are required to yield to the biker. If they hit you and were hurt, they would have a more legitimate case against you than vice versa.
No one likes to hear "you're the one who has to yield" but that's why we have rules like this.
Yes, that's true. I was simply trying to clarify the difference between assault and battery. People get them confused. If you hit someone, with your hand, a tire iron, a bike, a vehicle, or whatever, it's battery. If you threaten to harm someone, whether verbally or in some cases with body language, it's assault.
Also it seems what you are talking about is a civil suit. Those are entirely different rules altogether. I was referring to criminal charges.
This actually depends on the laws of your area, in some places assault is the physical action. I can't find battery in our penal law.0 -
True.This actually depends on the laws of your area, in some places assault is the physical action. I can't find battery in our penal law.
In Texas a threat of physical action is a lower level of offense than a physical action which is still assault.0 -
Where I live, if you happen to see a car with a wing mirror on the passenger side dangling down or missing, chances are he pissed of a cyclist, lol.
Clearly this is not in the USA. I can assure you that if a cyclist purposefully damaged my vehicle, they had better be able to pedal faster than my car can accelerate. The primary reason people destroy the property of others is they do not fear the consequences of their actions, and people in this country understand that a 20 pound bike is on the losing side of a battle with a 2000 pound vehicle.0 -
No, you're right, I will get out of the way/avoid in future. It was the intimidating attitude of the cyclist that angered me more than the actual yielding and wondered if anyone else had had similar experiences. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have tried to run a rugby player off the road....Maybe I'm talking crazy here, by why not just get out of the way? Why do you have to "deal" with them? They are on a bike moving with a ton of velocity. In a collision you will both look like you were in a motorcycle accident. If you get out of their way, are you moving backwards? Will you lose all your gainz? Will it throw off the reading on your HRM?
So we're talking about one aggressive cyclist.....it sounded like it was a daily occurrence.
I'm both a runner and avid cyclist and I can say, without reservation, that the vast majority of cyclists are considerate. The only real exception I can think of are bike couriers who seem to think riding aggressively on the sidewalk is acceptable. (My experience may differ from yours, I weigh 200lbs and have a bad attitude)0 -
In the UK you are not allowed to cycle on paths unless it is a designated cycle and pedestrian path...and then you have to give way to pedestrians...pavements are meant for walking only and you can get fined here if found cycling on them. If however you are on the road, then cars and cycles and other vehicles have the right of way there.0
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That made me smile, but it IS very interesting, thank youI find the 'clothes line' wrestling move works even better on a cyclist
Simple physics say that both that and an elbow are a good way to end up with a broken arm...
Lets say you are 175lbs, moving at 6 mph (80 kg @ 2.75 m/s). The bicycle is 200 lbs moving at 20 mph (90 kg @ 9 m/s). You've got 220 kg m/s momentum. They have 810 kg m/s momentum. You are going to take most of the impact. Assume you take ALL the impact, going from +2.75 to -9 m/s. Your arm would be absorbing about 2000 N of force.
Pretty lucky my arm is both big enough and strong enough to take this then. It would be like a workout really0 -
Sorry ONE cyclist really ticked me off by riding directly at me. Others have been very close, but not that bad. I found this irritating because there was bags of room to avoid shaving my legs. HOWEVER, I now understand the cyclists POV better and will a) exercise more tolerance and b) endeavour to get out of the way.
No, you're right, I will get out of the way/avoid in future. It was the intimidating attitude of the cyclist that angered me more than the actual yielding and wondered if anyone else had had similar experiences. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have tried to run a rugby player off the road....Maybe I'm talking crazy here, by why not just get out of the way? Why do you have to "deal" with them? They are on a bike moving with a ton of velocity. In a collision you will both look like you were in a motorcycle accident. If you get out of their way, are you moving backwards? Will you lose all your gainz? Will it throw off the reading on your HRM?
So we're talking about one aggressive cyclist.....it sounded like it was a daily occurrence.
I'm both a runner and avid cyclist and I can say, without reservation, that the vast majority of cyclists are considerate. The only real exception I can think of are bike couriers who seem to think riding aggressively on the sidewalk is acceptable. (My experience may differ from yours, I weigh 200lbs and have a bad attitude)0 -
Hahahaha, wonder if you can log it on MFP?
That made me smile, but it IS very interesting, thank youI find the 'clothes line' wrestling move works even better on a cyclist
Simple physics say that both that and an elbow are a good way to end up with a broken arm...
Lets say you are 175lbs, moving at 6 mph (80 kg @ 2.75 m/s). The bicycle is 200 lbs moving at 20 mph (90 kg @ 9 m/s). You've got 220 kg m/s momentum. They have 810 kg m/s momentum. You are going to take most of the impact. Assume you take ALL the impact, going from +2.75 to -9 m/s. Your arm would be absorbing about 2000 N of force.
Pretty lucky my arm is both big enough and strong enough to take this then. It would be like a workout really
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My favourite running route is a long, straight stretch of road with very little traffic. It's also very popular with cyclists who seem to think that they have more rights than I do. On more than on occasion I've been sworn at or been aimed at with their bikes and had to jump out of the way.
I run against the traffic, so at least I can see the idiots coming, and keep to the side of the road; it's not like I'm dancing all over the shop disrupting their way sooo... How do you handle them? Ignore?
If someone aimed their bike at me, I'd clothesline them.0 -
As runners you have a lot less to worry about than cyclists. About 40 miles north of my city a cyclist (and off duty deputy) was shot in the back by people in an SUV
http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/Off-Duty-Deputy-Shot-177586041.html0 -
Hahahaha, wonder if you can log it on MFP?
That made me smile, but it IS very interesting, thank youI find the 'clothes line' wrestling move works even better on a cyclist
Simple physics say that both that and an elbow are a good way to end up with a broken arm...
Lets say you are 175lbs, moving at 6 mph (80 kg @ 2.75 m/s). The bicycle is 200 lbs moving at 20 mph (90 kg @ 9 m/s). You've got 220 kg m/s momentum. They have 810 kg m/s momentum. You are going to take most of the impact. Assume you take ALL the impact, going from +2.75 to -9 m/s. Your arm would be absorbing about 2000 N of force.
Pretty lucky my arm is both big enough and strong enough to take this then. It would be like a workout really
Pretty sure clotheslining is in the MFP database?0
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