I would never think about trying to harass or injure a bicyclist. In fact, I try to give them a wide berm even when they’re being idiots.
But I’m an observer. I have yet to see a single bicyclist signal their intentions before turning or stopping, stop at a stop sign or stop light unless there was so much cross traffic they had to, or have the common courtesy (as I do when I’m towing a trailer and can’t go the speed limit) to pull out of the way when there is a line of other traffic stacked up behind them.
Granted, the sample size is small. Most people in the northern Ohio won’t even attempt to bicycle for a good part of the year because of the weather, and nobody wants to live in the cesspool central cities where the jobs are.
And what is it with bicyclists having to use main roads? If you’re commuting, I can understand, but I see bicyclists who are obviously out for recreation or exercise on four-lane main roads with curbs and no space when there are parallel side streets with virtually no traffic. The downside of side streets is the stoplights, but since those appear to be inapplicable to bicyclists, that would seem to be a non-issue. So why is it that bicyclists feel the need to put themselves in a dangerous situation when there are alternatives?
Not to use the same example, but when I tow a trailer and have to go slow, I take as many backroads and side streets as possible so I’m not a nuisance blocking traffic. Is it unrealistic to expect bicyclists to do the same? I have every “right” to use the main roads and tie up traffic, but I don’t if I can avoid it. I certainly don’t make an effort to tie up traffic so I can demonstrate “travel trailer rights”.
Sometimes you just get trapped, or surprised. I avoid the main roads whenever possible. But when I go out for a ride, I generally go exploring -- looping around the city, exploring the parks, or looking for pleasant streets and attractive neighborhoods. Or I'll be heading out to a destination. In other words, I don't just ride a regular loop to get my miles in.
So it happens with some frequency that I'm peddling along, and suddenly ... a BARRIER. It's an arterial road. Suddenly there's no sidewalk. The nearest crossing is a three mile uphill backtrack. There's just no good way to get from A to B, so I suck it up and dodge cars, and never go that way again.
Two of the worst times I've been caught in this way were when I took my car in to be serviced, and threw my bike on back to ride home (the dealerships not being metro accessible). Two different cars, two different dealership, several years apart. Anyhow, homeward I go, and suddenly there's no good way forward. Sheesh ... this is in the near suburbs, heavily urbanized areas, and there's no way to get across the street. Stupid design. Neighborhoods that get these kinds of arterial roads shoved through them are blighted for years, perhaps permanently, because neighborhood traffic and pedestrians are also inconvenienced.
Suburbanites tend to be oblivious to this because they generally won't move more than 50 feet without getting into a car, and because they rarely explore the neighborhoods across which they drive. They don't realize the costs they impose on other people.
“...But I’m an observer. I have yet to see a single bicyclist signal their intentions before turning or stopping,...”
I don’t think I ever see automobile drivers signal their intention to stop before they actually apply their breaks. This is what you seem to be asking bicyclists to do.
If you have ever ridden a road bike, you would know that they have front and rear hand breaks which require both hand to operate. When they must stop, how do you expect them to signal their intention to stop when both hands must be operating the breaks? This is a completely unreasonable complaint.
When you apply the breaks in your car, *you* do not signal your prior-intention to stop. You just hit the breaks and the car’s break lights are automatically activated.
In regard to signaling for a turn, it is often dangerous to take one’s hand off the handlebars and attempt a signal, especially while on the dropped handlebars. This is because the area of road close to the curb (where the cyclist is riding) is often rough, has stones, glass, sewer grates. I have also noticed that it is fairly evident, just by observing the biker’s posture when he or she is preparing for a turn. pay attention!
Most people here are also generalizing a great deal about bicyclist’s behavior, perhaps from a few incidents, you generalize about all bikers.
Give these people on bikes a break. they are working much harder than you to get where they’re going, they are in harm’s way and they’re not hurting anybody.