Posted on 07/05/2013 12:11:47 PM PDT by Kevin in California
It's bad enough looking at these idiots in their colorful tight spandex garb and the stupid looking shoes they wear but are most bicyclists ignoramus's who think they own the road?
Here I am sitting at a red light and to the opposite side of the intersection, there are 7-8 bicyclists turning left to ultimately be in front of me. My light turns green and as I approach the cyclists, everyone one of them is darting in and out of their bike lane causing me to brake, then go, then brake, etc. to the point I couldn't go around them without going into the lane to my left that was congested with cars. A couple times I had to float over the middle line to avoid these dumbasses.
I'm not a cyclist but is it that hard to stay in a bike lane and/or are these just stupid liberal California cyclists?
I’m very familiar with the back roads in Ohio as I grew up in a small farming community in Ohio! Let’s just say the “back roads” in El Paso county are similar to what you’d find on a nicely paved state highway in Ohio with even more asphalt to the right of the white line. And for the most part, Midwestern manners are non existent amongst riders:)
Here is the CHP interpretation of the law, which in CA says they have to ride as far to the right as is possible, and they may, but are never required to ride on the shoulder. [In PA, the vehicle code explicitly says no riding on the shoulder but that is never enforced.]
“Riders do not have to ride single file in CA, as long as they are going with the flow of traffic,” [A CHP spokesman] said in a statement. “If traffic traveling in the same direction (a car) approaches them, then they must move as far to the right as practicable. So, even if it is only one car that comes up behind them, if there is a rider that is alongside another, and in the traffic lane, they must pull in behind or ahead of the other rider. If they can safely ride abreast in a marked bike lane, they would not have to do this.
So, bottom line, in the most annoying possible situation where cyclists do this, they aren't allowed to, even in Kali.
Some cyclists are smart and some aren’t. I appreciate the smart ones and I acknowledge them. I abhor the stupid ones, and I tend to let them know also.
Easy there biggun. Not all of us are assholes. I do what I can to stick to the back streets and I do everything I can not to piss off the autos. No future in picking a battle with a 2-ton mass of iron when you are in bike panties and riding a 20 lb. two-wheeler.
I’ve been riding in Dallas for nearly 40 years and I have seen plenty of stoopididity by my fellow cyclists, but not every day like I see from cars.
Well, it was humorous to me, not to him. Back to the subject at hand. Cyclists are like any other group. Most are harmless and obey traffic laws. There’s always some that are a-holes, just like there’s always some hunters and gun owners who give the rest of us a bad rep. Lots of cyclists around here where I live. Most are situationally aware and ride in a manner that keeps them and the passing cars safe. Every so often we’ll witness a Darwin candidate in action, though and we have to give them a wide berth.
No, and YES!
It's not just California. In my town, they come out like mosquitoes every spring, flying in every direction for no apparent reason, causing drivers to dodge and break all over the place. They ride through red lights, don't notice stop signs, and fly from the sidewalk to the road with no warning. They drive right on the painted line of the 50-60 mph road I take home, almost daring drivers to hit them.
So, why do they ride? Do they think they are being "healthy", or that it makes them seem cool? Maybe they can't drive?
All I know is that these people put me, themselves, and others at risk, and I resent it. All we can do is be careful, because all the responsibility seems to rest with the automobile operator.
LOL, not nice? That's downright dangerous. Just the way bicyclists seem to like it.
You are TOO good! Thanks! :)
Yea, well, I don’t think so. Most everyone is walking on eggshells around these bicycle morons. Who wants to be in court for years because some cyclist wants to put his life at risk? I could legally run over one or more of these idiots every week, and while it might be a public service and fulfill his sick desires, I am not going to play.
I just take my time, take it easy and watch the cyclists go ballistic every time someone honks the horn or gives them a close pass, or blocks them from lane straddling in traffic lines.
And, if one of these aggressive self destructive sh!theads ever does try to start something with me, they are gonna get 13 oz of bear spray.
That’s right. I was being facetious. LOL
LOL, of course. I just don’t get their death wish.
Riding motorcycles two abreast is legal in my state, Washington.
I am in a more conservative part of Washington State and have noticed the road bikers (bicyclists) over here are mostly sans the swollen heads and inflated egos because they tend to be...well, conservative. Have never witnessed the militant tactics on this side of the state but understand they are common in Seattle.
I don’t get it, either. Have you ever noticed that when crossing a street, the young people usually take their time but the older people hurry? The old folks don’t want to risk getting hurt.
In California those cyclists have equal priority rights on public roadways.
Technically if there is no bike lane, they can ride in the vehicle lane.
You may not like or approve of that but it is the law.
Not all cyclists are created equal. Some are common sense, and some are arrogant about their rights.
Being both a motorist, and a cyclist on the same roads, I noticed the different perspective. In the car you wonder, why do they drift out into the car lane? On the bike, you wonder why do they come so close to me?
When I commuted on coal creek parkway I used a bike lane all the way. I didn’t slow down traffic. I noticed I passed so many cars that one day I counted. I passed over 300 cars but roughly 100 of them re-passed me in a stretch where traffic speeds up. My commute was actually faster by bicycle. It was my shortest bicycle commute - 9 miles.
In Kentucky now it’s 62 miles one way on back roads, and I use a Scion FRS. A lot more fun. The roads here have no shoulder, much less bike lane, but there is so little traffic that it’s actually MORE bicycle friendly. But I ain’t doin’ 124 miles every day.
The bike path wasn’t built to accomodate the road bikes and the roads weren’t wide enough to accomodate them either, so what are they gonna do?
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They’ve obviously chosen VERY POORLY when purchasing a bicycle... Just as if I had bought a Formula 1 car to drive to work. Since only 0.01% of them are actually race bicyclists the rest MUST be out for fun and exercise... you certainly cannot arrive at work sweaty, smelly and dressed like an insect. If you’re out for exercise go buy a $70 HUFFY at Walmart , save $1000 or more over the “road bike” from the fancy shop and I can guarantee you’ll get more exercise in the first 200 yards than you’ll get in a mile of pedaling that 700c carbon fiber framed zoomy bike.
>People don’t like it when others have the ability to get through traffic in a way they can’t.<
No, people don’t like it when they safely pass some arrogant p***k on a bicycle and then when they’re stopped at a traffic light, said p***k passes them yet again, so they must repeat the process.
On occasion, I drive an F350 dually pickup. When some horse’s patoot on a bicycle passes me multiple times, in heavy traffic, it puts us both in danger.
>At the time, I was driving a 1995 F-250 with a Powerstroke diesel engine.
As soon as I could get around the arrogant bastards and bitches, I would floor that thing, fire up the turbo and cover them up with black diesel smoke for 1/2 mile.<
Depending on the diameter of your exhaust, you probably gave them quite a start at the noise. Heh, heh.
Let another reason I’d never put stacks on my pick-um-up!
No, people don’t like it when they safely pass some arrogant p***k on a bicycle and then when they’re stopped at a traffic light, said p***k passes them yet again, so they must repeat the process.
Where I live now, for both cars AND bicyclist, stop signs are really yield signs. In the city, I saw them as yield signs when on my bike, but stop signs in my car. The reason for the latter has nothing to do with safety or obeying the law. Rather, it was fear of getting a ticket. They are way too arbitrary and are very energy costly on a bicycle, especially when the ONLY reason you are stopping is because there is a ridiculous sign there.
The pics in your reply are pretty good. :0)
Unfortunately, a large number of people in the world are jack @sses. Some are jack @asses on a bike and some are jack @sses in car. And more than a few manage to be jack @sses both in cars and on bikes.
Saddly an number of the jack @sses in a car post on this formum. Versus, persuadable, the large number of jack @asses on a bike that enhabit DU.
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