Drivers who disrespect cyclists

I just got the news today that my cousin's husband was recently hit by an SUV when he was out riding his bike, and injured pretty badly. It'll be months before he walks or cycles again. As a fellow cyclist, I was not only pissed at that driver, but also made very aware of how high a risk I am of having the same thing happen to me. I bike 18 miles a day for work, now that I don't have a driver's license. It's gotten me in shape, but at the same time made me realize what a real law of the jungle kind of place New Jersey's roads are.

I take the bike path along the abandoned canal as far as it'll take me, when it's light out. But I still need to do a lot on public roads, including a few four-laners.

I have had people yell at me as they drive by, and worst of all, had them honk at me when I'm obeying the road rules and not getting in their way. Occasionally an asshole will swerve at me to scare me. Any of these things will make me jump, so I'm lucky I haven't had an accident so far. I've come close though, and have had no problem yelling and giving the finger.

I never had this problem in New York City or Taipei. I felt bikes were just more welcome there as a real form of transportation.

What is your home area like when it comes to cycling? Do drivers there respect the presence of bikes on the road, or is biking seen as strictly a sport, that ought to be kept in parks?

i live in (or around ) san francisco and, while i have a car now, bike is my preferred method of getting around the city.

generally, i find sf to be very tolerant of cyclists. there are bike routes everywhere and i've never really come close to an incident with a vehicle.

alasdair

bicyclists can often be very obnoxious when riding two across, not signaling to cross the street, etc.

that said, a person in a car is in a position where they have to mindful and considerate of all pedestrians, those actually on foot and those on bikes, skateboards, etc.

most people where i live (long island) are very good about it. i've been biking my ass off this summer (literally).

Minneapolis has a huge cycling community and a great bike lane system throughout downtown. Most people know what they're doing and don't cause any trouble. The only real problem here is something called "everyone get out and bike together day" or whatnot that happens once a month and at some point throughout the day there is no doubt you will see an enormous group of 200+ cyclists coming at you. Causes real traffic/safety issues and the cops here are working on putting a stop to it.

Atlanta is a very dangerous for cyclists. Roads and traffic patterns aren't designed for cyclists, and when you do encounter one, its a surprise. And ya, it is angering to have to rapidly slow and attempt to pass somebody going one third your (and everybody else's) speed. Many cities today are designed strictly for automobiles, and most cyclists try to minimize their impact on drivers (which is pretty much always picking the safest route for cycling).

I do get terrible angry when I see a cyclist on the winding, hilly, shoulderless road I use to get to the highway. There are steep grades, blind corners, and lots of traffic. There's an excellent park just on the other side of the river where they can wear their hot pants and ride until 10 at night.

Sometimes sharing the road means letting motorists use it.

In New York City, we as a society have decided with our actions that 99+ percent of us will commute via automobile, taxi, subway, bus or by foot.

And in my experience, MOST (NOT all) bicyclists pose a HUGE annoyance and a significant danger to pedestrians and drivers alike.

Point being, in my opinion, just as if you can't afford to tip the waitstaff, then you shouldn't go to a restaurant, if you can't afford a car, then you ought to either walk, take a cab, or take VERY reasonably priced public transportation.

For the greater good.

If you want to bike as a hobby or for exercise - feel free to use any of the HUNDREDS of miles of places that were SPECFICALLY BUILT for bicyclists, so you can get your kicks without scaring the shit out of (and/or injuring) the 99 percent of people who commute by the accepted and safer methods.

In.

My.

Opinion.

I live off of a1a and there are shitloads of cyclists here. Personally i hate the cyclists here. Since this road is packed with cyclists that want to talk to eachother they have to be assholes and ride side by side (not only two next to eachother but sometimes three or four. Since it is only one way they block the whole road. Maybe its different in other places but here they are dicks.

L O V E L I F E said:

In New York City, we as a society have decided with our actions that 99+ percent of us will commute via automobile, taxi, subway, bus or by foot.

And in my experience, MOST (NOT all) bicyclists pose a HUGE annoyance and a significant danger to pedestrians and drivers alike.

Point being, in my opinion, just as if you can't afford to tip the waitstaff, then you shouldn't go to a restaurant, if you can't afford a car, then you ought to either walk, take a cab, or take VERY reasonably priced public transportation.

For the greater good.

If you want to bike as a hobby or for exercise - feel free to use any of the HUNDREDS of miles of places that were SPECFICALLY BUILT for bicyclists, so you can get your kicks without scaring the shit out of (and/or injuring) the 99 percent of people who commute by the accepted and safer methods.

In.

My.

Opinion.

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Funny, I've biked from the Village all the way to Riverdale, and I never had a problem finding streets with a mini lane marked specifically for bikes in New York. I found the greater annoyance there was the fact that taxis and delivery vehicles also considered that lane theirs, and saw it as their right to pull into and out of that little lane at a moment's notice, AND OPEN THEIR DOORS, without even glancing to see if a cyclist was close by. If most NYers share your attitude towards cyclists, why do about a quarter of the streets there have a designated bike lane? If it weren't for the taxis, I'd consider biking one of the most practical ways to get around NYC...

... except for the financial district, Fruitfly. Narrow cobblestone streets with narrow, packed sidewalks that have noplace to chain a bike are obviously unwelcoming to cyclists.

I always ride as close to the right edge of the road as possible, and never dart in front of moving cars to make a left. When I bike with other people (which is not usually), we go single file. Sometimes during rush hour, I'll pull off the road to let a long stream of backed up cars pass me. That's why it angers me when people honk or try to fuck with me out the window of their car. I'm trying to juggle being considerate to motorists with being frugal and self-reliant when it comes to transportation.

Anyone here who says cyclists are a nuisance, I sure as hell hope you never bitch about pollution, global warming, or the obesity epidemic.

L O V E L I F E said:

In New York City, we as a society have decided with our actions that 99+ percent of us will commute via automobile, taxi, subway, bus or by foot.

And in my experience, MOST (NOT all) bicyclists pose a HUGE annoyance and a significant danger to pedestrians and drivers alike.

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sounds like a lot of supposition with fairly little evidence - are you sure '99+ percent' of people don't cycle? furthermore, isn't it unreasonable to expect that a person should decide on one sole method of transport to the exclusion of all others?

if new york is anything like london, you'll probably find that far more cyclists are killed or injured by car drivers than pedestrians or drivers are injured or killed by cyclists. i'd be willing to bet good monies on it!

Point being, in my opinion, just as if you can't afford to tip the waitstaff, then you shouldn't go to a restaurant, if you can't afford a car, then you ought to either walk, take a cab, or take VERY reasonably priced public transportation.

For the greater good.

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what is 'the greater good'? is it the general health and wellbeing of your populace? what about the thousands of people who die in car accidents in new york every year? what about the pedestrians who are hit by cars in new york every year? are you including (for example) carbon emissions in your somewhat strange analysis?

If you want to bike as a hobby or for exercise - feel free to use any of the HUNDREDS of miles of places that were SPECFICALLY BUILT for bicyclists, so you can get your kicks without scaring the shit out of (and/or injuring) the 99 percent of people who commute by the accepted and safer methods.

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try as i might, i have yet to find any evidence that driving a car is safer than riding a bike. and, as stated before, i think when bikes and cars interact one half of the equation tends to come off worse...

fruitfly said:

I often find it's cyclists who fuck with drivers, particularly in the Financial District. Goddamn bike messengers.

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you're on their turf mon petit

ll you want to tell me exactly how a cyclist on the road presents any threat whatsover to a pedestrian in any city?

i live in the city regarded as the most bike-friendly in the country and the shit described in this thread still goes on. apparently the feeling of annonymity and invincibility that your ford focus gives you still farrrrrrrrr out weighs the false sense of superiority that cyclists peddle [sic] around with

dr seuss said:

what is 'the greater good'?...are you including (for example) carbon emissions in your somewhat strange analysis?

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ah seuss the love affair continues

some might consider "the greater good" to be the generation or two more who has the privlage of inhabiting this planet thanks to people who are concious of what they consume

MyDoorsAreOpen said:

Anyone here who says cyclists are a nuisance, I sure as hell hope you never bitch about pollution, global warming, or the obesity epidemic.

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hey look, its that smug attitude I was talking about! :D

atlas said:

hey look, its that smug attitude I was talking about! :D

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Sorry dude, but it's just too hard to resist being smug about cycling when it's not only beneficial, but feels fantastic. Besides, as a good bleeding heart liberal who cares about the environment, I'd rather be smug than be a hypocrite.

I show plenty of respect and consideration for motorists. I don't think asking for reciprocation on this is asking too much.

all cyclists deserve to be hit by cars fucking arrogant twat smokers

fuck off cyclists if you want to ride a bike then fucking pay taxes to build your own track

I don't think its asking for too much either, but if your options are biking 9 miles, and making everybody else's morning commute more dangerous, or taking mass transit, The bus/train is the option that you can still feel smug and self-satisfied about, while keeping everybody safer.

L O V E L I F E said:

In New York City, we as a society have decided with our actions that 99+ percent of us will commute via automobile, taxi, subway, bus or by foot.

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Source?

And in my experience, MOST (NOT all) bicyclists pose a HUGE annoyance and a significant danger to pedestrians and drivers alike.

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I disagree. Tourists pose a huge annoyance and significant danger to everyone in NYC.

Point being, in my opinion, just as if you can't afford to tip the waitstaff, then you shouldn't go to a restaurant, if you can't afford a car, then you ought to either walk, take a cab, or take VERY reasonably priced public transportation.

Click to expand...

Poor analogy. Cabs in NYC are overpriced, sometimes the subway doesn't go where you need it to and walking will take too long.

For the greater good.

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What's good about taking bikes off the road?

If you want to bike as a hobby or for exercise - feel free to use any of the HUNDREDS of miles of places that were SPECFICALLY BUILT for bicyclists, so you can get your kicks without scaring the shit out of (and/or injuring) the 99 percent of people who commute by the accepted and safer methods.

Click to expand...

Like the miles of bike lanes SPECIFICALLY BUILT for cyclists?

Chicago is becoming more and more bike friendly with each passing year whether the general population likes it or not. In lieu of our ailing public transit system, it also becomes a more viable form of transportation when no one seems to be able to manage our trains and buses effectively while our legislators downstate don't care enough to properly fund either our city transit or the regional transit...but I digress. I don't think I even need to mention gas prices.

Not only are you contributing positively to the environment by cycling you are also contributing positively to yourself by getting out and exercising. I don't think it's too much to ask for drivers to pay attention when pulling in and out of bike lanes or opening their doors after parking. If I wasn't hyper-aware of my surroundings while biking I'm sure I would have been creamed on the pavement by now due to drivers just not paying attention to what the fuck they are doing. I don't know many cyclists who ride around the city with their heads up their asses, but I know plenty of drivers.

Yes, some cyclists ride like jackasses (re: bike messengers), but most obey the traffic laws. Of course, I'm in the camp that doesn't see the big deal about treating a traffic light as a stop sign if there isn't any traffic or rolling through a stop sign if there aren't any cars waiting at the intersection. I can see how this is a problem for some people, but as long as a cyclist isn't blatantly blowing through busy intersections or exhibiting other dangerous behavior I don't see a problem.

As cities become more dense, you're going to see more cyclists, so drivers may as well get used to it. Share the roads.

i don't have a problem with cyclists on residential roads, or non busy larger roads and highways. I have a problem when they decide to take up a lane, on a busy road, during rush hour when there's a perfectly good sidewalk about 3-4 feet away from them.. and more so i hate that it's technically illegal for them to use the sidewalk.

Last time i checked around suburbia.. most people had cars or were so fucking fat you know they're not walking, so it's not like the sidewalk gets used anyways.

atlas said:

Atlanta is a very dangerous for cyclists. Roads and traffic patterns aren't designed for cyclists, and when you do encounter one, its a surprise. And ya, it is angering to have to rapidly slow and attempt to pass somebody going one third your (and everybody else's) speed. Many cities today are designed strictly for automobiles, and most cyclists try to minimize their impact on drivers (which is pretty much always picking the safest route for cycling).

I do get terrible angry when I see a cyclist on the winding, hilly, shoulderless road I use to get to the highway. There are steep grades, blind corners, and lots of traffic. There's an excellent park just on the other side of the river where they can wear their hot pants and ride until 10 at night.

Sometimes sharing the road means letting motorists use it.

Click to expand...

I'm going to have to agree with this as well. Especially when they're biking for exercise and not for transportation.

First off, why put themselves at risk.. and 2ndly, why piss off everyone who has a car..when there's plenty of low impact areas to go biking in. Right down the street from me there's a business area that other than during rush hour has zero cars going through it most of the time. Lots of pretty scenery.. man made lakes/ponds (whatever you want to define them as), woods, etc.. and they have little impact on drivers.

But no, they want to exercise on busy roads creating a potential hazard for themselves and possibly others, while making everyone's trip to their destination slower.

If it's transportation, that's one thing..but don't do your exercise routine in a busy road and make me late for work or wherever i'm going.