Rant About Bicyclists

[Diesel_Bomber]

And what if there had been a broken down car in the lane? A fallen tree? You are NEVER supposed to be driving so fast that you can't stop in the distance you can SEE.

This is absolutely correct............in theory. It would be absolutely correct in practice if everyone else did this. But they don't, and we live in the world how it is, not how it should be. If I slowed down that much, I'd be creating a larger problem than the bicyclists were; a truck doesn't scatter nearly so well. I'm choosing what I believe is the lesser danger.

Thank you for the agreement, folks. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels this way. Next time I may slow down and try talking to one of the bicyclists, see if I can explain the danger. It seems that they ride as a club sometimes and if they could address this at their club meetings then a change might happen.

Thanks all! :buddies:

 

[BentHeadTX]

I commute to work every day in Tampa, FL a total of 13.2 miles round trip. Quite a few things I have learned over the years cycling in 4 states and 3 countries.

First and foremost, DON'T ride on busy streets! Geez, I Googled my ride and picked all side streets... a total of 250 meters of streets above 30 MPH. (50 KPH) Take the time to figure out how to ride your commute on side roads. Heck, in Florida there is almost no traffic on them.

Second, there is about a 200 meter stretch were I take the sidewalk, yep... never ran into a person walking on that portion of sidewalk at 6:15 AM in the dark.

Third, make it OBVIOUS that you are a bicycle! Screaming colors for shirts, reflective tape on the seat, reflective sidewall tires, reflective rack bags and panniers and multiple LED lighting. I use a Planet Bike 1/2 watt LED rear light that stays solidly lit. A flasher on the left side of the bike (indicates width) and an auto-leveling flasher on my helmet (indicates height) A single flasher is hard to focus on to figure distance away...but two of them will. My third light is solidly lit to aid the older folks on the road to let them know I'm there. Oh yeah, a HELMET mounted light is great since the movement announces you and you can look at drivers. Aim a L1D CE at a driver from 30 meters and watch them wake up. A L2D RB100 on the frame aids in lighting to see (two equals one and one equals none) People tell me I am easy to spot up to 800 meters away. Since I ride a recumbent, I look like a rolling freak show... 5 lights and reflective everything announcing my shape to the world.

If you are stuck in rush hour slow speed stop-and-go traffic, take the lane! If you can pedal as fast as traffic is going... move to the slight left hand side of the lane and take the entire lane. Once traffic speeds up, shift to the right but if it is slow. Take the lane so cars won't turn into you since they are not used to bicycles on the right. They won't rear end you, those 3 red LED lights and reflective everything are easy to see. The car in front of you has the brake lights so it works.

Use good tires! Since I ride across glass, rocks, sand, road trash and potholes, my tires are wider, kevlar belted and have a very thick tread to handle thumbtacks (Schwalbe Marathon Plus) I can ride through road construction, water, potholes and through grass/gravel without any problems. My front is 47mm (1.75 inches) wide with the rear 32mm (1.25 inches) wide. I deal with sand so I went wider than my normal 40mm (1.5 inches) The ground is soft here and the front floats better across grass.

Use a rear view mirror on your helmet. A quick glance and slight movement of your head allows you to view everything behind you. Some people think it looks weird but fashion is contrary to common sense and survival. Funny how mirrors are considered stupid on a bicycle but vital on every other form of transportation.

For signaling a turn, I do it "California style" I point with my right arm when turning right, point with my left arm turning left. It makes sense, it is obvious what I am doing and since I am not in a car... the signal can be seen from behind no matter the hand.

If commuting, get a bicycle that has front suspension. Not only is it more comfortable, it will keep the critical front steering wheel on the street and not jump around when hitting potholes etc. The rear is not as critical although my recumbent is fully suspended. Even chopper motorcycles have front suspension.

Put a BIG visor on your helmet. It will keep the sun out of your eyes, the rain off your glasses and will protect the helmet mirror. An added bonus is it creates the illusion your L1D CE is impossibly small. The flood coming off the light will light up the visor to aid in visibility.

Practice emergency stops with the front brake. I cheat with a recumbent which is almost impossible to flip although I have stood it straight up on it's nose. This only happens at the end of the stop so no worries. Spend the bucks on good front brakes and use them! 99% of my stops are front brake only.

The last thing to remember is... if your mother was driving behind you... would she be happy with your riding style or horrified? Keep safe out there, don't **** off other drivers and be predictable while being seen in the dark.

Rant mode off

 

[Norm]

Similar things happen here.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/05/17/1021544070073.html
Norm

 

[Fallingwater]

Around here cyclists aren't really bad, but it seems to me 95% of them think that driving a vehicle that isn't motor-powered gives them the right of ignoring traffic lights.

I almost creamed one the other day when I came out of a parking lot with a green light, was about to speed away, and this idiot calmly crosses the road on his bike despite the VERY RED traffic light. I used the horn, and all he did was look at me badly and keep going at his slow pace.
I really shoulda gunned the engine and given him a scare!

 

[ET3]

If you had come upon a car or truck stopped in the road while you were outrunning your ability to see or stop what would you have done then? It sounds like you were driving too fast and want to blame someone else for your carelessness.

 

[RA40]

I'm a cyclist also and I echo many of the comments already stated. It burns me to see others disobey the laws and ride in a manner that is unsafe.

 

[NeonLights]

If you had come upon a car or truck stopped in the road while you were outrunning your ability to see or stop what would you have done then? It sounds like you were driving too fast and want to blame someone else for your carelessness.

Drive a car much yourself? Out here in the country where I live there are lots of blind or nearly blind curves, and in the summer and fall when the cornfields have grown high they block the views around a lot of curves too. Following your logic, a driver should slow to a crawl whenever approaching any kind of corner without complete visibility, and that can lead to a host of other problems, like getting rear-ended because the driver might be going 20 mph in a 55 mph zone. If another car or truck is stopped in the middle of the road (around a blind corner), that driver is acting in an unsafe manner, and if their car is disabled, they should have pulled it off the road.

If the bicyclists aren't aware of their surroundings, and the roads they are on, and are riding two or three abreast instead of single file and hugging the side of the road, they deserve to scatter and hit the ditch. We don't have any bicycle lanes around here, and I used to ride 20-30 miles a day when I was younger, sometimes on busy roads, but I was always aware of the roads and traffic around me, and stayed as close as possible to the white line at the side of the road.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Thanks Neon, I couldn't have said it better myself. Some people who don't live and drive in the country just don't understand.

:buddies:

 

[270winchester]

One method of discouraging cyclists from riding on the sidewalk is to shove a walking stick or furled umbrella through the spokes of their front wheel.

:thinking:

If only I can count how many times I had beer bottles, cans, and other assorted crap thrown at me when I rode my bike in the bike lane observing laws.

But this is a new low.

so riding on sidewalk justifies premeditated murder these days in England?

 

[IlluminatingBikr]

Drive a car much yourself? Out here in the country where I live there are lots of blind or nearly blind curves, and in the summer and fall when the cornfields have grown high they block the views around a lot of curves too. Following your logic, a driver should slow to a crawl whenever approaching any kind of corner without complete visibility, and that can lead to a host of other problems, like getting rear-ended because the driver might be going 20 mph in a 55 mph zone. If another car or truck is stopped in the middle of the road (around a blind corner), that driver is acting in an unsafe manner, and if their car is disabled, they should have pulled it off the road.

If the bicyclists aren't aware of their surroundings, and the roads they are on, and are riding two or three abreast instead of single file and hugging the side of the road, they deserve to scatter and hit the ditch. We don't have any bicycle lanes around here, and I used to ride 20-30 miles a day when I was younger, sometimes on busy roads, but I was always aware of the roads and traffic around me, and stayed as close as possible to the white line at the side of the road.

You have to manage the risks. If there's nobody behind you, you should slow down when you can't see what's up ahead. And even getting rear ended (you going 20mph and the car behind you going 50mph) is a heck of a lot better than getting into a head on collision going 50mph vs. a stationary object, or even worse - veering into oncoming traffic to avoid a collision (combined speed of 100mph).

I think people get too used to the norm when driving. Sure, most people don't slow down at all when going around a blind corner. But the fact is that you should. Slowing down so you'd be able to stop in time as soon as you see something may not be reasonable, but there is a middle ground here. Rather than going with the status quo, you could try to slow down by 5 to 10 mph.

 

[Dark Vapor]

". . .those cyclists are motor vehicles and have as MUCH right to that lane as you do (and yes, better live wrong than dead right)"

I have a bicycle (although I haven't used in a while), and not once did the salesman tell me it came with a motor when I bought it. Did I get gypped?

 

[NeonLights]

You have to manage the risks.......... but there is a middle ground here. Rather than going with the status quo, you could try to slow down by 5 to 10 mph.

If you read the original post, the OP was in a 55 mph zone, was travelling 45 mph, and the normal flow of traffic on that stretch of road was 65 mph or more. I would say that Diesel Bomber was managing the risks, wasn't going with the status quo, and was driving slower for safety sake.

 

[turbodog]

I live in a college town with lots of 'bike' lanes on the roads. The thing that gets me is the bicyclists that RIDE IN THE ROAD when there is a 3.5 foot shoulder SPECIFICALLY there for them to use. No, no. They have to ride 3 feet into the car lane. Typically, these riders are the 'wannabe professionals' with the expensive bike gear and shiny pants. The normal people typically ride in the bike lane. Then, just to top it off, they never stop for a stop sign. Ever. I've almost had several plow into the side of my car because we both had a stop sign and they felt the privilege of right of way, nomatter what. *twitch* Now, I ride a bike to class. I'll roll a stop if absolutely no one is in sight, but if anyone is even close, I stop. If there isn't, I still slow down.


Now, in areas where there is no bike lane, I have no problem sharing the road. I understand that.

Careful you don't confuse wannaba bike pros with wannabe light pros with their fancy gear and shiny lights.

pot, kettle, black?

 

[turbodog]

If you had come upon a car or truck stopped in the road while you were outrunning your ability to see or stop what would you have done then? It sounds like you were driving too fast and want to blame someone else for your carelessness.

Riding 3 abreast is illegal in practically every part of the nation as well as being immensely stupid.

 

[turbodog]

You have to manage the risks. If there's nobody behind you, you should slow down when you can't see what's up ahead. And even getting rear ended (you going 20mph and the car behind you going 50mph) is a heck of a lot better than getting into a head on collision going 50mph vs. a stationary object, or even worse - veering into oncoming traffic to avoid a collision (combined speed of 100mph).

I think people get too used to the norm when driving. Sure, most people don't slow down at all when going around a blind corner. But the fact is that you should. Slowing down so you'd be able to stop in time as soon as you see something may not be reasonable, but there is a middle ground here. Rather than going with the status quo, you could try to slow down by 5 to 10 mph.

Not to veer this thread into a physics lesson, but hitting a stationary object (tree/bridge/etc) at 50 is the same as hitting another car head on at 50, provided the other vehicle is of similar mass.

Counterintuitive isn't it.

 

[270winchester]

in most parts of the United States, in the eye of the law bikes are considered motor vehicles because they have wheels, so they are subjected to the same laws as motor vehicles. A cop could give you a ticket for running a stop sign and it carries the same penalty as a stop-sign ticket in a car. I once got stopped by three, count them, three cops on motor cycles because I didn't put my foot down when I stopped for a stop sign, which apparently motorcycle riders are required to do. Had to call up a friendly judge to get it dismissed as being nonsense.

I have seen skate boarders getting tickets for speeding. I'm not kidding.

It;s been that way for a while

". . .those cyclists are motor vehicles and have as MUCH right to that lane as you do (and yes, better live wrong than dead right)"

I have a bicycle (although I haven't used in a while), and not once did the salesman tell me it came with a motor when I bought it. Did I get gypped?

 

[270winchester]

wow, that would be real brave of you.

I really shoulda gunned the engine and given him a scare!

hmm, a person on a bicycle, a driver in a 1000 kg+ car. Maybe Europe wasn't as bike friendly as I thought it was.:thinking:

 

[jtr1962]

Riding 3 abreast is illegal in practically every part of the nation as well as being immensely stupid.

+1

Besides that, cyclists riding in a line instead of abreast have a slight speed advantage.

 

[chris_m]

Given the attitudes on display here, I'm so glad I don't live in the US.

At least over here most drivers do consider it their responsibility to be able to stop and avoid other road users, rather than expecting them to get out of the way because they can't possibly stop their vehicle in time as it's too big and heavy and they're going too fast. It's not even as if you'd have had to come to a complete stop to avoid hitting the cyclists. At least to me, some of the anti-cyclist attitudes on display here are quite shocking - note to drivers, it's not the cyclists who are dangerous, it's quite clearly the big lump of metal you're sitting in, as without you there would be no danger at all.

ISTM the line about the normal traffic speed being 65 is totally spurious if the limit is 55.

 

[Helius]

Diesel_Bomber, the fact that there were 3 cyclist across the road is irrelevant. You came round a bend at a speed that was too fast to allow you to stop if there was a hazard. What if there had been a broken down car or stationary queue of traffic? You wouldn't have been able to stop in time.

For the conditions that you described, you should be driving very slowly around the bends simply because you can't see the road & any hazards ahead.

It's like driving along a straight road and closing your eyes for a short time every now and again and then blaming whoever you run into, because you couldn't stop in time when you opened your eyes and saw someone in front.