Revenge of the Cyclist

[41magsnub]

Personally I do not have a problem with bikes on roads.  I do have a problem with asshat bike riders who do not think the traffic laws apply to them, same as with asshat drivers.  Just because someone is on a bike and feels morally superior to the drivers they do not automatically:

1. have the right of way unless you would also have the right of way when in a car
2. get to sneak up on the right of me while stopped at an intersection while I am making a right turn and then get pissed when I cut you off
3. ride multiple abreast and impede traffic
4. expect me to stop for you at an intersection just because you are on a bike.  You are either on a bike or a pedestrian, you do not get it both ways.  If you want the right of way, get off the bike and walk it across the road at a crosswalk

One thing that would be nice, when in cities that have good bike routes use those bike routes as much as possible even if it adds slightly to your trip.  They are generally safer with a nice wide bike lane and you will not be impeding traffic.

At the same time drivers need to recognize bikers have the same right to use the road they do and cannot deliberately cut them off, try to run them off of the road, or assume because they are bigger they get to make the rules.

[Balog]

Bikes and cars can both be aholes, this is true. But public roads are intended to be traveled by motor vehicles at a certain speed. If a bike can't keep up they shouldn't be riding on that particular stretch of road.

[Nick1911]

It's hard to be smug about being right when you're dead.

People are, and always will be idiots.  Eventually, everyone traveling the road stands a decent risk of getting hit.  Do you want your body surrounded by two tons of stamped steel, or surrounding twenty pounds of aluminum pipe?

I mean, it's your life - do what you will.  But if I were to forgo the protection of my metal cage, I'd much rather be able to move at the speed of traffic, with a bright headlight, and 600+ cc's of maneuverability.

[Jamisjockey]

Oh, I'm sorry that while I was out cycling I slowed you down for 5-10 seconds.  Hey, if you were that late already, you're still late.  And maybe you really don't need that Mcendy'skingbell burger anyways...or that fourth mfing latte.
Share the road, get over yourselves, you don't own it, we all do.
No wonder Amerika keeps getting fatter. 


PS:
How many of you people would indignantly open carry, not caring about the ruckus it makes among the sheeple?  That's what I thought.

[Balog]

Oh, I'm sorry that while I was out cycling I slowed you down for 5-10 seconds.  Hey, if you were that late already, you're still late.  And maybe you really don't need that Mcendy'skingbell burger anyways...or that fourth mfing latte.
Share the road, get over yourselves, you don't own it, we all do.
No wonder Amerika keeps getting fatter. 


PS:
How many of you people would indignantly open carry, not caring about the ruckus it makes among the sheeple?  That's what I thought.

What does this have to do with anything? Are you really saying a bike doing ~10 mph on a 40 mph road is not a hazard to themselves and others?

It's not a matter of causing a ruckus. If your vehicle, be it a bike, motorcycle, car, truck, tractor, mule, whatever, can't keep up with the flow of traffic, you shouldn't be on that bit of road. Why are we even debating this?

[Jamisjockey]

Oh, I'm sorry that while I was out cycling I slowed you down for 5-10 seconds.  Hey, if you were that late already, you're still late.  And maybe you really don't need that Mcendy'skingbell burger anyways...or that fourth mfing latte.
Share the road, get over yourselves, you don't own it, we all do.
No wonder Amerika keeps getting fatter. 

What does this have to do with anything? Are you really saying a bike doing ~10 mph on a 40 mph road is not a hazard to themselves and others?

40mph is the MAXIMUM speed limit on that road. 
Its legal.  And its safer than you think, I and tens of thousands of others do it all the time.  Inattentive drivers are a hazard to everyone, no matter what they're riding or driving.

[Balog]

Oh, I'm sorry that while I was out cycling I slowed you down for 5-10 seconds.  Hey, if you were that late already, you're still late.  And maybe you really don't need that Mcendy'skingbell burger anyways...or that fourth mfing latte.
Share the road, get over yourselves, you don't own it, we all do.
No wonder Amerika keeps getting fatter. 

What does this have to do with anything? Are you really saying a bike doing ~10 mph on a 40 mph road is not a hazard to themselves and others?

40mph is the MAXIMUM speed limit on that road. 
Its legal.  And its safer than you think, I and tens of thousands of others do it all the time.  Inattentive drivers are a hazard to everyone, no matter what they're riding or driving.

Ok..... so if you're tooling along on a one lane each way road with a 55mph speed limit, and a qtip is putting her Buick 225 along at 30mph you'd be cool with it?

[Racehorse]

Oh, I'm sorry that while I was out cycling I slowed you down for 5-10 seconds.  Hey, if you were that late already, you're still late.  And maybe you really don't need that Mcendy'skingbell burger anyways...or that fourth mfing latte.
Share the road, get over yourselves, you don't own it, we all do.
No wonder Amerika keeps getting fatter. 


PS:
How many of you people would indignantly open carry, not caring about the ruckus it makes among the sheeple?  That's what I thought.

Wait, what exactly does being fat have to do with anything? Just because I'm in a car doesn't mean I'm fat or lazy. This seems to me to be the smug attitude of superiority that pisses a lot of drivers off. I drive carefully and respectfully around cyclists. They usually do the same around me. But it does piss me off when they're riding 2 or 3 abreast on a busy road holding up traffic and acting like they own the place.

And for the record, I would not open carry, precisely because of the ruckus it would make.

[BlueStarLizzard]

i live on back roads. curvy backroads. and i don't find it fun to get caught by a bycyclist on a blind curve with traffic coming the other direction and i can't swerve to avoid hitting the bike without causing a major traffic collision.
i also don't like getting stuck behind one for 5 or 10 minutes on those same curvy roads with blind spots because i can't pass the jerk safley.

its fine if you want bike lanes, its fine on certain roads that have plenty of room and plenty of space for a driver to pass you.

its not alright, when it becomes dangouroues to both the ones on the bike and the ones in the cars.

and don't give me that selfrightous crap about you being healthier. i work on my feet all day, walking dogs, wreastling them down on the grooming table and picking them up to put in the tub. i have ever right in the world to drive my freaking car the 20 miles to and from work!

[MechAg94]

Open carrying does not inconvenience anyone even 1 second if they don't want it to.  No one who open carries is cutting in line or doing anything different just because they have a gun strapped on. 

The problem I have with these discussions is similar to what I assume cops get upset about when people start bashing all cops.  You bicycle riders start getting cranked up complaining about a handful of idiots you come across while riding and start implying that all of us drivers are idiots.  I try to drive politely and I expect you to ride the same way.

Most often, I have no issue with bicycle riders around where I live.  I actually get more upset at some of the timid drivers who have room to pass the cyclist, but act like they have to get 12 feet clearance before they can pass.  Even that is mostly minor.

[MechAg94]

So what I gather from the OP is that if the S-10 driver had not hit the breaks and let you in front of him, the car that rear ended him would have plowed right over you.  Should you be thanking the S-10 driver?  (maybe I didn't get the picture right)

I hate to quote myself, but did anyone else see the OP as describing the situation like this?  That the car who hit the S-10 would have hit him had that truck not stopped?  I still might be misreading this.

[drewtam]

I would also like to point out that bicycling is your HOBBBY! Not a constitutional right or otherwise natural right. So don't even it compare it to firearms. Its not even in the same class. Bicycles are a hobby that freeloads on the roads built by fuel taxes, licensing fees, registration fees, plate fees, etc. Who cares if bicycles came first. Walking and horses came first, we don't allow those on public roads.

The fact is bikes cannot go much faster than 25mph (on level ground). If the speed limit is above 35mph, the difference in speed is dangerous and impedes commercial and commuter traffic. So if you can't find a place to exercise your HOBBY on PUBLIC roads where there is a bike path or the speed limit is <35mph - too bad.

I have personally seen cyclist on a public road with a 55mph limit. OTR trucks dodging around them in rush hour traffic as they hold up the entire right lane.

[G_P]

Bicycles should be held to the same laws as cars. the law states that they must obey and follow all rules of the road but they never do.

when a bike rides through a stop sign or red light they should be ticketed. when they fail to use hand signals to turn they should be ticketed.

they should also be expected to maintain a reasonable speed and not ride 5mph on a road with a 45mph speed limit holding up traffic. if you cant go fast enough to be safe then get off to the side and let the cars pass. any car driving that slow would be ticketed.

im sick and tired of having to risk my life swerving to avoid some jackass on a bike who thinks he is special and can ride through busy intersections without looking or giving right of way.

thankfully the police around here understand this and when a bike rider was recently hit and injured for blowing a red light and getting t-boned he was sued sucessfully by the owner of the car that hit him and had to pay for the damage done to the car and the medical bills of the cars driver who hit a pole trying to avoid the bike.

if he had simply stopped for the red light like the law required him to do he would be fine and the accident never would have happened.

children are the worst offenders by far tho... they ride in packs and dart out into the road without a care in the world. parents need to teach these kids simple physics that states that a 2 ton car impacting a bike will not have good outcomes for the bike rider.

[taurusowner]

Not to mention that in many states cyclists are required to ride on the road.  When they do, cyclists have the same rights and privilages as car drivers.

But they're on equipment that can't handle obeying traffic laws in many cases. Would you drive a 45 mph top speed scooter on a 75mph speed limit interstate? So why are bicyclists a protected class who can break the law and endanger others with impunity?

sorry, but aren't we all looking at this backwards? after all what came first, the bike or the car?

Fail.  What were most modern paved roads built for?  Bikes or cars?


Is anyone else getting some Fark flashbacks from this thread?  The bike-bashing, the use of the term asshat, all we need now is some Christian or Bush bashing and some photoshopped lolcat pics.

[Brandon]

Cyclist should really stay off public roads that are busy and have speed limits above 35mph. Its not safe for anyone. As your experience and example shows.
Its a public right of way.  Any vehicle recognized by the government has a right to that right of way.  Be it a tractor, wagon, horse and/or buggy or grandma as long as they can safely obey the traffic laws and maintain their lane.

But they're on equipment that can't handle obeying traffic laws in many cases. Would you drive a 45 mph top speed scooter on a 75mph speed limit interstate? So why are bicyclists a protected class who can break the law and endanger others with impunity?
Most of those scooters are prohibited from the interstate just like bicycles.  Interstates were built for high speed travel unlike regular roads.  Most of the mentioned plate and gas tax goes toward these interstates.  You wont find tractors or horse buggies there either.

Just because someone is on a bike and feels morally superior to the drivers they do not automatically:

1. have the right of way unless you would also have the right of way when in a car
2. get to sneak up on the right of me while stopped at an intersection while I am making a right turn and then get pissed when I cut you off
3. ride multiple abreast and impede traffic
4. expect me to stop for you at an intersection just because you are on a bike.  You are either on a bike or a pedestrian, you do not get it both ways.  If you want the right of way, get off the bike and walk it across the road at a crosswalk

At the same time drivers need to recognize bikers have the same right to use the road they do and cannot deliberately cut them off, try to run them off of the road, or assume because they are bigger they get to make the rules.
This is all true.  Bicyclists are held to the same traffic laws and I wish more violators would be ticketed.  ESPECIALLY wrong way cyclists.  But this is seen as a jaywalking thing.  The only way to solve it is to contact your PD or local govt.

But public roads are intended to be traveled by motor vehicles at a certain speed. If a bike can't keep up they shouldn't be riding on that particular stretch of road.
NOPE.  It is a public right of way that has been improved to ACCOMMODATE automobiles not cater to them.

Do you want your body surrounded by two tons of stamped steel, or surrounding twenty pounds of aluminum pipe?
I will never go through the windshield of my bicycle.  I will never have to be cut from my bicycle with the jaws of life.  I will never have to  have my bicycle lifted off of me.  Etc.

It's not a matter of causing a ruckus. If your vehicle, be it a bike, motorcycle, car, truck, tractor, mule, whatever, can't keep up with the flow of traffic, you shouldn't be on that bit of road. Why are we even debating this?
If you cant share the road with those other people who have a right to it you shouldnt be driving.

So if youre tooling along on a one lane each way road with a 55mph speed limit, and a qtip is putting her Buick 225 along at 30mph youd be cool with it?
As long as she can maintain her lane and obey the laws safely you have to deal with it.  More people should observe the courtesy of pulling to the right when more than 2-3 cars pile up behind them.  I do this in my truck when I am carrying a large load.

But it does piss me off when theyre riding 2 or 3 abreast on a busy road holding up traffic and acting like they own the place.
This is true.  They shouldnt do that.  Not to justify it but many do it to prevent passing in a dangerous place such as around a curve.

I dont find it fun to get caught by a bicyclist on a blind curve with traffic coming the other direction and I cant swerve to avoid hitting the bike without causing a major traffic collision.
You are driving too fast for the conditions and/or road.

Bicycles are a hobby that freeloads on the roads built by fuel taxes, licensing fees, registration fees, plate fees, etc.  If the speed limit is above 35mph, the difference in speed is dangerous and impedes commercial and commuter traffic. So if you can't find a place to exercise your HOBBY on PUBLIC roads where there is a bike path or the speed limit is <35mph - too bad.
Bicycles are a hobby just like fancy trucks or expensive sports cars.  Doesnt change the fact that it is the public right of way and the bicycle is a legitimate form of transport.  Nobody NEEDS a corvette that can do double the speed limit do they?  Those plate and gas taxes go mostly to interstates and cover very little of roads and highways.  Roads and highways are built mostly by local gov't taxes such as property and sales.

Bicycles should be held to the same laws as cars. the law states that they must obey and follow all rules of the road but they never do.
True.  And most do.  Contact the authorities for wrongdoers just as you would a motorist.

What were most modern paved roads built for?  Bikes or cars?
Built to accommodate automobiles, not cater to them. Covered before.

[BlueStarLizzard]

i hate to blow some bubbles but round here there is a LAW that if your going so slow as to hold up ten (i think) or more cars you need to pull over and let the others pass you. i see trackers do this, i see horse buggys do this. i have never once see a bike do this. in fact i have seen trackers and buggys pull over an let ONE car pass out of commen courtsy. but the cyclists always seem to just sit in the middle of the road no matter how much traffic they back up.
 
and there are someplaces where the road can't safley accomadate bikes and cars. which is why you either need to pass a rule that only cars (which is the majority) can drive there OR make bike lanes avalible.

i don't give a crap which one. but something has got to give.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i have never once see a bike do this

strange that  we had a lady killed a week or so ago

[Brandon]

I mentioned that business in my post.

I pull over to the right as soon as it's safe if a car is having a hard time finding a good time to pass.  Many times the edge of the road is too abrupt to pull over immediately.  The law only requires that you give the cyclist three feet of space when you pass.

If it's against the law and you feel that someone is interrupting your life call the police and file a complaint just like for any other vehicle on the road instead of raving over what you want to do and your supposed entitlement just because you drive a car.

For a bunch of people that rant and rave about emotional liberals not seeing logic and facts there sure is a bunch of wierd stuff going on in this thread.

[The Annoyed Man]

Revenge is an active process, an end you accomplish by your own actions.  There is no revenge in the original incident.

Finding glee in a traffic accident?

Imagining that such an accident is "revenge?"

Nope, not for me.

[MillCreek]

As to the issue of cyclists being freeloaders on the roads, I point out that I, and most other cyclists, also have drivers licenses and cars.  We pay the same road taxes, gas taxes and license fees as anyone else and also drive on the same roads upon which we ride our bicycles.  I know I do.

[mtnbkr]

i have never once see a bike do this. in fact i have seen trackers and buggys pull over an let ONE car pass out of commen courtsy. but the cyclists always seem to just sit in the middle of the road no matter how much traffic they back up.

i have never once see a bike do this

Neither of you have never been on the same roads as me and the folks I ride with.  We only ride in the middle of the lane if we're on traffic-free back country roads, otherwise, we're single-file on the right.  I always wave cars by if the lanes are clear.

Chris

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

you are the exception
i rode the back way through catlett frommanassas to fredericksburg. the ones where the locals so love the bikers they have the circle slash signs in their yards with the bike in em, encountered many bikes  never got waved by  even when it was some less fast guy flopping from side to side crawling up a hill. and those roads passing in many places requires a death wish

[mtnbkr]

you are the exception
i rode the back way through catlett frommanassas to fredericksburg.

Are you talking about Rt28-Rt17?  I haven't seen those signs.

Chris

[LadySmith]

Appropos to this thread, I think I caused an accident by bicycling a few hours ago. 
I was trying to ride to work on the dark, windy country road from my house. I heard a car approaching, stopped and pulled off the road as far as I could, winding up in between some bushes and trees.
I suspect the driver may have seen my blinking rear reflector and swerved to give me room like we do for bicyclists out here. Unfortunately, he swerved into the path of a car coming down the opposite lane. I heard brakes screeching behind me and the impact. It sounded like they hit each other's front quarter panels. The car who had swerved around me slowed briefly and then kept going. I peeked around the brush and saw the other driver slow almost to a stop, seem to realize that the other car wasn't coming back, and then he took off as well.
I very carefully road my bike back home.

[Sergeant Bob]

Bicycles do not pay road taxes when they are on the road, nor are they required to have liability insurance to ride on the road. So, what exactly entitles them to be on the road?