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MyFitnessPal Community

Dear driver who passed me today

stufie

Dear driver who passed me today while I was cycling:
Learn the rules of the road or get off it. As a cyclist, I have every right that you do, and I signaled before I made the left turn into my driveway. There was no need for you to speed off, rev your engine, honk abrasively, and flip me off.
Go @#$% yourself.

/rant

Replies

Justapartyofone

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

Precisely what I think. Austin cyclists drive where ever they damn please all up on the busy service roads, so people are constantly having to enter halfway into the other lane to go around, and from my experiences, can be hazardous. Cyclists drive me nuts, to be honest. At least pick a less busy road! Common sense.

How about no. Cyclists have as much right to use the road as drivers. Get used to it.

LizKurz

...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."

.
How much gas are you putting in your bicycle? None? Then how are you paying the same taxes as someone who puts gas in their car?

I have no disagreement with the "same rights" statement but folks who don't buy gas don't pay the same taxes as those who do.

Ahh in the UK, all taxpayers contribute to the roads, whether they have a vehicle or not, this includes cyclists.

Except people that drive cars pay an additional road tax. Carefully ignored there, I see.

I would have no problem with cyclists if the majority of them weren't asshats with no respect for the rules of the road.

So you know the majority of cyclists? Funny, because I'm an avid cyclist and I can't claim that.

Also, I do own a car and pay the same taxes. I know of not a single cyclist who doesn't also own a car.

The majority of cyclists I encounter, then, sheesh. I don't care that much about the taxes but was just adding a carefully avoided fact into the conversation.

Except that your "fact" is completely unfactual

KerriMx5

I wish our area was more bike friendly. I won't walk on the side of the roads here let alone get on a bike with the wackadoos. I try to give people space and then pass when it is safe for us both. Many times the biker and I both get passed. Usually on a blind hill or curve to boot. I don't mind the bike people who you can tell actually ride. I do mind the idiot kids who ride in the middle of the road swearing all over just asking to get hit. Usually on bikes to small. They aren't riders though. Just delinquents.

LizKurz

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

To answer your questions, yes, we do. Just not the insurance part. But the main reason cars have insurance is because you can hurt life an property. If you hit another car, what will happen? What do you think will happen if somehow a bike hit a car? Chances are, the car will be fine, and the cyclist will be hurt. I should also add, we pay the same as everyone else to register and gas up our car, along with insurance. We just don't drive as often as other people. We still have a car though. In most places in the US at least a couple months of the year, it's completely unsafe to bike in snow and ice and people still own cars. Just because someone bikes for transportation doesn't mean they don't own a car

We pay just as much as you do, and actually, what pays for the roads, is property tax. Do you own a home? If not, then what little from your rent, that is going to property tax, doesn't come near to what we pay for our house.

Perhaps instead of blaming everyone else for you problems you could do what most other adults do and thats leave your house in time to get where you need to be, leaving some room for things like accidents, cyclists, and other things that can impede your commute. If you're late it because of you, not because of the cyclist.

And it's people like this that make roadways dangerous for cyclists.

stenochick0417

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

Okay, well as most cyclists, I DO own a car and I DO pay thousands of dollars a year for my car through insurance, taxes, registration, what have you that makes you guys feel more entitled to use the road than us.

That being said, I have just as much right to be on the road that I PAY TAXES FOR whether I'm in my vehicle or on my bike. Just because I choose to ride my bike instead of drive my car doesn't make me any less entitled to use the same stretch of roadway.

As far as WHAT roads I PAY TAXES ON that I choose to ride on, sometimes, depending on where you ride, you don't have the luxury of a wide shoulder or two lanes. And riding in neighborhoods is pretty dicey -- having to dodge cars, people, etc. I prefer to ride out on wide open stretches so I can actually get a good workout and maybe increase my speed and stamina for whatever race/ride I'm getting ready to participate in.

Just because people may be *gasp* forced to wait a few seconds in order to pass me is not a valid reason to get pissed off. SERIOUSLY. Believe me, if I know when a car is behind me -- and trust me, most of us do -- we'll move over to let you drivers pass. I'm sure that most of us don't get all geared up for a ride and think, "gosh, I wonder how many people I can piss off today by making them have to pass me. . . tee hee!" Trust me. That's not our intent. We just want to be left alone and ride in peace.

Like I said in a previous post, it just boils down to BOTH sides being uneducated and likewise uncourteous about the rules of the road as it pertains to both. Just like people don't belong behind the wheel without knowing the rules of the road, I don't think that cyclists should be out on the road (with traffic) without knowing the rules of the road for them as well. It can be dangerous, if not deadly. Just like stupid drivers, there's stupid cyclists. But to lump us all in the same category is just wrong.

I'm just thankful after reading some of these posts that I live in a pretty bike friendly community. You'll get the occasional a$$hat, but they're very few and far between.

billgiersberg

I think that drivers thinking bikes don't pay taxes is a lame argument. The bike rider most likely has a car at home and pays taxes and insurance.

My gripe about bikes is that on our country roads, we often get a line of cars 5 and 10 deep behind these bikes as we wait for opportunities to get around them. One day a family of bike riders were making their way up a long grade. As they passed an apartment complex with a long law to pull in and out of that complex, this family could have pulled over to allow the long line of cars behind them to quickly and safely get around but for some reason all 4 of them stayed on the side of the man lane further frustrating the drivers. But anyway when you get around these bikes FINALLY and go up the road you might get stopped at a red light. Then here comes the bike rider(s) passing you and going right up to the light. Now when the light changes we all have to try and get around the jerk again. I thought bikes had to obey the rule of the road. Rarely do I see bike riders wait at the end of the line of cars ahead of them at a red light.

My other gripe are the riders who seem to think a penlight is enough illumination in the dark. It's like they are daring a car to hit them.

I not only drive a car but I also ride a motorcycle. One of the first assumptions we make is that the cars CANNOT see us. We ride with that in mind. RIding a motorcycle is not the danger, it's the cars on the road that are the danger to us. We know that and we accept the risk. At intersections I assume the cars do not see me. Bike riders seem to dare the cars. Maybe the answer is that bike riders should be licensed to ride on the roads. I'm not asking for taxes, I'm just asking they pass the same safe riding classes that we motorcycle riders take.

I would not ride a bike on country roads. You are just asking for it. Along comes someone texting and POW! You get hit. What then? Lie in your hospital bed and cry a river? A friend got hit on his motorcycle by a pickup from behind. The driver simply was not paying attention. Thousands of dollars in hospital bills later he finds out the guy in under-insured. Now he's fighting with his own insurance company for uninsured motorist coverage. Do you bike riders carry uninsured motorist coverage? What will you do when an uninsured or illegal hits you on your bike. Cry another river I guess.

Look.... if there are 10 cars behind you, I think it's a safe bet to say one of them is not paying attention or had a real bad day and the last thing he/she needs is some bike rider blocking traffic. That's why I ride a motorcycle.... I save gas and I have enough power to stay out of the way and not block traffic. Bike riders would do well to obey ALL the rules of the road like I have to on my motorcycle and they would do well to find a place to let a long line of cars get around them safely. I think Washington State has a law that says if 5 cars are lined up behind another car or truck, that car or truck needs to get over and let them pass. It's common courtesy, something too many car drivers, motorcycle riders and bicyclists should try to practice.

Justapartyofone

Then here comes the bike rider(s) passing you and going right up to the light. Now when the light changes we all have to try and get around the jerk again. I thought bikes had to obey the rule of the road. Rarely do I see bike riders wait at the end of the line of cars ahead of them at a red light.

I not only drive a car but I also ride a motorcycle.

So at a stop light you've never on your motorcycle squeezed inbetween lanes and crawled up to the front? Right...
Or how about on the freeway? I see plenty of motorcycles fly by inbetween lanes while I'm driving at 65+ MPH... talk about dangerous.

delipidation

We have a wonderful system of bike paths where I live and some cyclists still want to ride in the middle of the road. Taxes we pay when we fuel up our cars pay for these awesome bike paths that bikers refuse to use.

As one who rides for transportation rather than leisure, I avoid bike paths for three reasons. First, as others have pointed out, paths are generally poorly integrated with the road system, so they don't always go where the roads go. Second, and a corollary of the first, the intersections between bike paths and roads are frequently poorly marked, confusing to the driver, and therefore extremely dangerous for the cyclist (see below). Third, in many jurisdictions there is nothing in the vehicle codes that defines the status of a bicycle on a path: in Oregon, for example, a bicyclist on the sidewalk is essentially a pedestrian and prohibited from riding at more than walking speed, while a bicyclist on the road is a vehicle like any other, but a bicyclist on a path is completely absent from the vehicle codes.

How all of the above played out for me: some years back, I was nearly killed when a car driver ran a red light at a poorly-designed intersection of the road and the bike path, and the cop who responded was seriously considering citing me for violating an obscure rule about a bicyclist leaving a "sidewalk or other place of safety at greater than walking speed." In the end, I wasn't cited, but since then I ride on the roads: if somebody hits me, they have hit a vehicle, with all of the legal implications that pertain.

delipidation

when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late.

I used to commute by bicycle to my job as a truck driver, so on any given day I got to spend some time as both the smallest and largest vehicle on the road. It was a delivery truck, so I frequently had to drive slowly up a steep grade or while looking for a house, but I found it interesting that the car drivers responded very differently to my slowness when I was in truck mode: seldom did anybody honk at me, and never did anyone suggest that I belonged on the sidewalk ...

treetop57

Interesting perspective!

stufie

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.

^^THIS.

Kudos to all of the cyclists who have made some great arguments in this thread. It will make me feel prouder when I ride my bike tonight.

Di3012

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

Precisely what I think. Austin cyclists drive where ever they damn please all up on the busy service roads, so people are constantly having to enter halfway into the other lane to go around, and from my experiences, can be hazardous. Cyclists drive me nuts, to be honest. At least pick a less busy road! Common sense.

Common sense also says that a less busy road may not be available, it all depends on the cyclist's destination.

stufie

If I saw you cycling, I woulda gave you a sexy honk.

This cracked me up.

wellbert

I don't know if I already posted this, but at least in the US - cyclists pay as much for the road whether or not they own a car or not. Local roads are paid for out of property and sales taxes.

carolann_22

And the suggestion (at least for some bikers around here)... just be smart WHERE and WHEN you bike. A two lane country road with blind curves and hills where the speed limit is 55 during rush hour may NOT be the smartest place to bike. I drive carefully, slow down for curves and hills, ect... but there needs to be some common sense used by a biker. There isn't even a dang shoulder because we live in the mountains.

*Edit* Yes, I know as a driver we should drive as safely as possible and attempt to avoid accidents with a cyclist. I am just suggesting that there may be roads that should be avoided by a cyclist for the safety of ALL.

Oh I agree with this so much! And then, on the two lane, no shoulder, 50mph speed limit twisty road with blind curves at every turn, the ride two - or THREE- ABREAST!!!! This is what ticks me off - because if I hit someone *i* will be the bad guy even though they are riding illegally.

ETA: And in MD is it illegal to ride two abreast, I saw someone pointed out that Ohio law allows it, but here it is illegal.

wellbert

Oh I agree with this so much! And then, on the two lane, no shoulder, 50mph speed limit twisty road with blind curves at every turn, the ride two - or THREE- ABREAST!!!! This is what ticks me off - because if I hit someone *i* will be the bad guy even though they are riding illegally.

You might be surprised. The law favors motorists. Some have literally gotten away with murder.

zoom2

Oh I agree with this so much! And then, on the two lane, no shoulder, 50mph speed limit twisty road with blind curves at every turn, the ride two - or THREE- ABREAST!!!! This is what ticks me off - because if I hit someone *i* will be the bad guy even though they are riding illegally.

You might be surprised. The law favors motorists. Some have literally gotten away with murder.

Like that of Natasha Pettigrew:
http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/09/green-party-candidate-hospitalized-after-accident-12745.html
A woman hit her with her Escalade and dragged her bike under her SUV for 3 miles and didn't even call the police right away.
Bikeundercar.sized.jpg

You can see the bicycle still under the vehicle...

I don't believe the woman has been found guilty of any crime. And there have been several cases of people purposefully passing cyclists and then slamming on the brakes and forcing the cyclist(s) to slam into them. One infamous individual who did this was a doctor and his attorneys attempted to get the guy cleared of charges...because it would ruin his career. :noway:

CakeFit21

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

Precisely what I think. Austin cyclists drive where ever they damn please all up on the busy service roads, so people are constantly having to enter halfway into the other lane to go around, and from my experiences, can be hazardous. Cyclists drive me nuts, to be honest. At least pick a less busy road! Common sense.

This cracks me up. I'm thinking you should probably just move. The cyclists here in Austin aren't going anywhere and they will always be on the roads. All of the roads. Just the other day I was driving my son to school on a very busy cycling road, big groups all the time. Yes, there is a bike path, but cars also get to park there so they have to come into the main lane often, as is their right. I have no problem slowing down for them and if I can, I'll move into the opposing lane and go around. THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS ON BICYCLES. Someday, it maybe me in that bike lane or my son. Is my destination more important than that? Never.

I do wish that there were more ad campaigns like, "Be Kind to Cyclists" but for runners. Our visibility is even lower and I have almost been hit three times.