Bicyclists are such assholes.

[vanillacourage]

OMG. There should only be two available options:

1. Wear a helmet (if applicable by state law) and follow all road safety rules, and you can take up a lane in the street.

2. Mosey along on your retro Schwinn with a milk crate tied to the back, but stay the F on the sidewalk.

Bikers, you cannot have it both ways. Either act like a car to be treated like a car, or stop trying to kill yourself by weaving in and out of traffic.

Bah!

[Deleted]

Word.

I actually think some of the cyclists near my work want to be hit. I'm not sure else you would casually ride your bicycle through a red light.

[Deleted]

Agreed.

I once had one roll up next to me at a stop sign where I was trying to take a right turn and then get pissed when I almost ran him over. Uh - no one should be to my right in the right lane taking a right. Watch out for yourself or f off.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2012 12:28:08 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

OMG. There should only be two available options:

1. Wear a helmet (if applicable by state law) and follow all road safety rules, and you can take up a lane in the street.

2. Mosey along on your retro Schwinn with a milk crate tied to the back, but stay the F on the sidewalk.

Bikers, you cannot have it both ways. Either act like a car to be treated like a car, or stop trying to kill yourself by weaving in and out of traffic.

Bah!

This is not a cyclist. This is an asshole on a bike.

And it's illegal in a lot of states to ride on the sidewalk if you're over the age of 15.

[explorer2001]

There is this truck that I see pretty frequently on my drive to work. The back window of the camper shell has all these "I give 3 feet", "share the road", bicycle awareness stickers on it. The driver drives like an ass and doesn't give 3 feet to other cars or leave reasonable following distance, etc. I find it ironic and mildly annoying.

[Deleted]

Drivers are assholes.

As a cyclists I have the right to take up the whole fucking lane and you better give me my 3'

[Deleted]

I probably should add that I passive aggressively drive down the middle of my street every morning much slower than I can actually peddle as a human traffic calming device. Cars think they can go 50 down my street (posted limit 20) while kids are biking/scootering/walking to school.

[noonecareswhoiam]

This morning I almost got hit by a man in a van who turned right on red without stopping. He then changed lanes multiple times without signalling, and pulled over and stopped mid-block to let out a passenger while I was on his right hand side--also without signalling. He easily could have hit me 2 times in 3 blocks. And that's just 1 vehicle.

On the regular, I see people putting on makeup, shaving, and eating cereal while driving in downtown Chicago. Texting and cellphone use are almost universal. People turn right from left hand turn lanes, turn left from right-hand turn lanes, and avoid use of the directional as though it were verboten.

I sure wich they'd follow safety rules before taking up a lane of the street!

[kadams767]

Where I live, it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk, whether I am riding my speedy road bike or my cruiser with a basket of flowers. And my cruiser and I have as much a right to ride in the road as any car or bike you deem to be going an appropriate speed.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2012 12:47:27 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Drivers are assholes.

As a cyclists I have the right to take up the whole fucking lane and you better give me my 3'

And I have a right to "accidently" not see you and run you over.

I would never do such a thing though. ;D

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2012 12:49:19 GMT -5 papiercherri said:

Aug 16, 2012 12:47:27 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Drivers are assholes.

As a cyclists I have the right to take up the whole fucking lane and you better give me my 3'

And I have a right to "accidently" not see you and run you over.

I would never do such a thing though. ;D

And you end up in jail for vehicular homicide and my estate sues your ass.

[kadams767]

Aug 16, 2012 12:47:37 GMT -5 gravytrain225 said:

Aug 16, 2012 12:28:08 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

OMG. There should only be two available options:

1. Wear a helmet (if applicable by state law) and follow all road safety rules, and you can take up a lane in the street.

2. Mosey along on your retro Schwinn with a milk crate tied to the back, but stay the F on the sidewalk.

Bikers, you cannot have it both ways. Either act like a car to be treated like a car, or stop trying to kill yourself by weaving in and out of traffic.

Bah!

Thank you!! They drive me nuts! I am so glad that I live in Buffalo and it snows almost year round

I am so glad I live in Buffalo and ride my bike all the time and have no idea who you are.

[Deleted]

Really, people are assholes.

Unfortunately, IME, cyclists seem to break the law in a greater variety and in less predictable ways than cars.

The biggest offense in my area involves cyclists riding the wrong way. I have NO idea how to predict what their behavior will be. I have a friend who rides the wrong way on the sidewalk sans helmet. Drives me crazy.

I try as a motorist to be respectful of cyclists, but the reality is that all people are assholes. As a pedestrian, I've nearly been run over by both cars and bicycles - when I had a walk sign. Good times!

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2012 12:51:40 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Aug 16, 2012 12:49:19 GMT -5 papiercherri said:

And I have a right to "accidently" not see you and run you over.

I would never do such a thing though. ;D

And you end up in jail for vehicular homicide and my estate sues your ass.

Nah. I'm sweet and always innocent. Hopefully your estate can pony up some witnesses. lol

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2012 12:52:04 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Really, people are assholes.

Unfortunately, IME, cyclists seem to break the law in a greater variety and in less predictable ways than cars.

The biggest offense in my area involves cyclists riding the wrong way. I have NO idea how to predict what their behavior will be. I have a friend who rides the wrong way on the sidewalk sans helmet. Drives me crazy.

I try as a motorist to be respectful of cyclists, but the reality is that all people are assholes. As a pedestrian, I've nearly been run over by both cars and bicycles - when I had a walk sign. Good times!

this.

I actually witnessed a really bad runner vs. cyclist accident in Boston. runner jaywalked across Beacon as a cyclist had the light and was probably going 30mph down a hill. Runner hit her head pretty hard and was having seizures.

[aurora]

Aug 16, 2012 12:49:19 GMT -5 papiercherri said:

Aug 16, 2012 12:47:27 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Drivers are assholes.

As a cyclists I have the right to take up the whole fucking lane and you better give me my 3'

And I have a right to "accidently" not see you and run you over.

I would never do such a thing though. ;D

I'm not sure what kind of "right" you're talking about here, but it's certainly not legal anywhere I've ever lived.

Seriously, people can be jerks. Cars break the laws in more predictable ways because most of us see other drivers more often and know what to expect.

Frankly, even though I've met jerks using all kinds of transport, those operating 1-2 ton death machines are by far the worst because they kill others, not just themselves.

[milkrations]

[quote author=angryharpy board=mm thread=45586 post=719334 time=1345139524

Unfortunately, IME, cyclists seem to break the law in a greater variety and in less predictable ways than cars.

[/quote]

Bicyclists in my area break the law in very predictable ways. They never stop when the have a red light or for stop signs and always take right of way regardless of whether or not they actually have it. I don't know if this is actually breaking the law but on streets with dedicated bike lanes that will maybe hold two across, packs of cyclists will ride 5+ across and spill over into the car lanes.

My absolute favorite is sharing the road with a cyclist on a two-lane mountain road and having the cyclist gesture for my to swing around to get by them. Um no, I'm approaching a blind curve, there is no way I am going to swing into the oncoming lane of traffic. There is a reason for the many 'no bicycles' signs on these roads.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2012 12:54:45 GMT -5 @septimus said:

I actually witnessed a really bad runner vs. cyclist accident in Boston. runner jaywalked across Beacon as a cyclist had the light and was probably going 30mph down a hill. Runner hit her head pretty hard and was having seizures.

I was walking to meet some friends for drinks about a mile away one day. While crossing one street - with a walk sign - a cyclist turned right and nearly clipped me. I'm not exactly a shrinking violet, so I yelled something like "Nice stop!" at him. A couple of blocks later, a car trying to turn right on red nearly hit me while I had a walk sign. And a couple of blocks after that, a car nearly hit me while turning left, and again I had a walk sign.

I also nearly got clipped a couple of weeks ago by a cyclist riding northbound on the sidewalk of a southbound one-way street. I may have yelled, "That's why you don't ride the wrong way on the sidewalk!" to him.

And then there are the jaywalkers. I'm an admitted jaywalker extroirdinnaire, but some people even put me to shame.

Bottom line: people are assholes.

[vanillacourage]

If it is illegal to ride on sidewalks where you live, then follow road safety rules (including signaling a turn, holding a lane, and stopping at lights) and ride in the street.

I did not say that taking up a partial lane was "weaving in and out of traffic" in my OP. I meant literally - going faster than some cars, then whipping around others to get a bit ahead, then riding in-between stopped cars at a red light, etc. Basically, stuff that is just asking to get you majorly F'd up.

[simpsongal]

Obviously drivers adn cyclists have committed plenty of crimes against one another. It comes down to the individual and a lack of understanding.

Cyclists - stop giving drivers a heart attack by weaving in and out of blindspots or running red lights.
Drivers - give me some space from your 2 ton killing machine and understand that I need to catch this light b/c the next 6 blocks are uphill, it's 95 degrees, and losing all my momentum for a yellow light would really suck.

Having been a driver, cyclist, and walker in DC, I can say that being a cyclist is the worst, followed closely by walker. Driving is no picnic w/the crazy cabbies.

[Deleted]

I have no problems with most bicyclists, however the road I take home is frequently used for bike events/races so people practice on it all the time. The road is very curvy in spots and hilly. The speed limit is 50. There have been times where I'll be driving home from somewhere and come around a blind corner and there will be 4-5 bicyclists in a row riding next to each other (not one behind the other) taking up the whole lane of traffic (there is one way in both directions)--one of these days, one of those idiots is going to be killed. That is just plain dumb, especially when its getting dark out.

[noonecareswhoiam]

I am totally heading for that bike box in front of the stop line at every intersection, because that's where I am most visible and least likely to get fucked up. And if cars are turning right, the law says I have to be on their left.

Oh, and I have to turn left from the left hand lane, too. So that's why you might see me over there.

I don't want to die, so I follow the laws pretty closely (although I will run a red if it's a one-way street crossing a one-way street).

I just think that drivers don't like bikes because they point out a driver's own lack of awareness about anything that isn't a couple of tons of metal.

[crazygame]

I dislike sharing the road with bicyclists (although I appreciate it is legal). There are very few in my area that use it as a form of transportation. Instead they all think they are in the Tour de France. Therefore, stop signs and other traffic signals seem to not apply. They ride next to each other, taking up a whole lane, so they can chat. Most of the roads I take to work/daycare are two lane roads. It's hard to pass even a single bicycle, so traffic gets very backed up. I know they have a right to be there, but I am still annoyed.

[kadams767]

Aug 16, 2012 12:56:43 GMT -5 gravytrain225 said:

Aug 16, 2012 12:51:52 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

I am so glad I live in Buffalo and ride my bike all the time and have no idea who you are.

Haha!

I am mostly kidding, as I am sure that you are a perfect driver. In which case, you aren't one of the drivers that follows directly next to me and beeps and screams loudly that I should get out of the road, or the driver of the car that insisted on riding directly behind me yesterday while I WAS IN THE BIKE LANE and then beeped at me for going too slow.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2012 13:04:38 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Cyclists - stop giving drivers a heart attack by weaving in and out of blindspots or running red lights.

I think this is the heart of the matter right there. Drivers need to be more aware and look for cyclists, and cyclists need to remember that they are small and therefore not as visible.

[chessie]

Aug 16, 2012 12:34:03 GMT -5 @ameliapond said:

Aug 16, 2012 12:28:08 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

OMG. There should only be two available options:

1. Wear a helmet (if applicable by state law) and follow all road safety rules, and you can take up a lane in the street.

2. Mosey along on your retro Schwinn with a milk crate tied to the back, but stay the F on the sidewalk.

Bikers, you cannot have it both ways. Either act like a car to be treated like a car, or stop trying to kill yourself by weaving in and out of traffic.

Bah!

This is not a cyclist. This is an asshole on a bike.

And it's illegal in a lot of states to ride on the sidewalk if you're over the age of 15.

Ditto, I am fine if you dont want to wear a helmet its your life, those that don't take other in consideration though on the road are assholes completely. DH bikes 20+ miles daily and quite often will stop biking with people that don't follow such a simple code, he actually switched to mountain biking since there are plenty of ass drivers out there that gun it for bikers that are following the rules of the road. Goes both ways. As for sidewalks, rural areas don't have them, your lucky if you have a break down lane. Bikers, walkers, riders, have right of way anyway so slow down.

[mskitkat]

I don't mind cyclists on the road, but for the love of all things, red lights apply to you! I just barely avoided killing someone the other day who decided to ignore the red light when I was going through a blind intersection on green.

[takeonyou]

I think humans in general are assholes.

1) NJ drivers suck. Bad. Cell phones, staring at GPS vs the road, random stops in the middle of 40mph traffic, etc. I hate when drivers use the bike lane to go around someone waiting to make a left. Not cool. Also, cutting people off is an assholish thing to do. It happens to me at least once a day and I WORK FROM HOME.

2) Cyclists suck. They ride past my house at 6am on Sundays in a pack of 50 people all screaming/talking to one another and they wake up the whole house. They weave into one lane 50mph traffic even with a bike lane. WTF! The bike lane is for you this 8 foot wide one is for me. Stay in your lane! And have lights at night or you WILL get hit.

3) Pedestrians suck. Stop wandering out into the street on a busy road just because. We have a shit ton of crosswalks. At least LOOK before you wander into traffic or push your poor kid in the stroller out in front of you. And stop crossing from behind a vehicle -- I CAN'T SEE YOU!

[Deleted]

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