Cyclists are the bane of the planet

LOL! So true.

 

Bravo

 

I was hit by a cyclist riding who was riding on the footpath and travelling against the grain of traffic. I was stationary at a side road intersection and about to pull out onto the main road. At the exact instant I moved to join, he hit me, flew over the hood, and wound up in the opposite lane with a car turning in almost running him over. Even if he hadn't hit me, he probably would have been pretty close to hitting the turning car. Witnesses said he was riding with headphones in his ears, no hands on the handlebars, and was looking up at the sky.

We exchanged addresses and I offered to give him a ride to the hospital, but he declined. His mother then came by later in the day demanding money to get the bike fixed. I refused and went down to the police station to file a report. I later called this woman on the phone from the police station and said I was about to file a report with the police and encouraged her to do the same. She then said she didn't want me to do that and so I went around to their place to discuss the situation.

In the end, I signed a bit of paper for them saying I wouldn't sue them for damages to my car (minor scratches to the plastic bumper) as long as they dropped the ridiculous claim for bike repairs and I never heard from them again. If they'd pursued it, I would have counter-sued for the bumper and my time to defend a frivolous suit in the small claims court.

I wouldn't have a problem with cyclists if they would obey traffic laws. However, cyclists seem to think that car drivers should look out for their personal safety while they abdicate it. They seem to think that they can breeze through intersections, red lights, and ride the wrong direction on one-way streets and rely on car drivers to be alert to their asinine shenanigans. I hate cyclists.

Obey the rules of the road, or **** off.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Thanks for sharing the story. I'm not a cyclist - the only bikes in my garage belong to my two young daughters.

I'm quite lucky because, in my area, there are long dedicated bike paths through scenic countrysides, and most cyclists take their hobby there. I'm not going to rail against them too much because it's a form of exercise and a means of getting people outdoors (both of which I support) but I agree that some cyclists ride very poorly.

I have, on occasion, been known to harass a cyclist a little bit if they are taking up too much roadway. I'll downshift one or two gears right next to them. Usually makes them a bit wobbly...

 

While I agree that many, many cyclists have no idea what it means to "share the road" and receive my ire as well, it irks me to read posts like this. I was a professional cyclist for years, a national team member, a national champion, etc. etc. To see someone ignorantly paint them all with the same brush is disturbing to say the least.

I was hit by a car once. It made the New York Times. The driver blamed me but it was clearly her fault. I used my GPS data to prove that not only did she hit me and was 100% at fault, but she was lying through her teeth. I think that at the time I was national champion and ranked in the top 40 in the world and could have probably sued and won for serious damages but the only thing I asked her insurance to do was fix my bike.

I should go on about how fat people are a drain on our health system and I'm paying to subsidize their lazy, unhealthy lifestyle. Until they get their weight down, they should be penalized monetarily. How would that go over?

 

I live in Manhattan. There are far, far too many cyclists that disobey rules of the road. I wouldn't care much if it was just their lives at stake, but many risk the lives of pedestrians. It is the fault of law enforcement here that they are way too lax on couriers riding at high speeds, wrong way down one way roads and through red lights. If you walk around the city during the day for more than 15 mins, you are bound to see someone almost getting knocked over by these thugs.

Sherpa, I think it is the bad apples (likely about 1/3rd to 1/2 of cyclists) that cause the bad rap. I say up to 1/2 are bad apples because I think up to, or more than, 1/2 of cyclists don't obey stop signs or red lights. I am probably being conservative, given how rare it is to see cyclists stop at intersections at all, absent heavy traffic. Now, this is NYC and pedestrians are just as bad, but they are not traveling at 20 mph+ and carrying great momentum.

I enjoy cycling and when I drive respect cyclists on the road and give them space / check blind spots... but I think that the culture around cycling has helped create this big rift... there are no doubt many bad drivers too but as a percentage (and because of enforcement) we don't see 50% of cars just zipping through red lights...

 

I've like the idea of carrying a couple of 1' lengths of old hockey stick and if a cyclist passes me on the sidewalk and obstructs my progress, I just casually toss one into their rear wheel and go whistling merrily on my way.

 

You are funny! The "share the road" concept is just plain ridiculous. Too dangerous. Have some common sense and not try to bully vehicles on public streets. We are not impressed and you do look ridiculous. Sweating in spandex while blocking public roadways and flipping off drivers as you pretend to be an athlete is no way for a responsible adult to act.

 

He's not the cyclist, he's telling you the cyclists that he and his friends have encountered in his area of residence

 

So, I guess I'm ****ed then?!?
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Looks like you were in my 'hood. Woulda walked down to say hi. That's a pretty good ride down from MDR!

 

I know that. Maybe I wasn't clear. The 'you' in my post was not him but the jerks he was referring to. They are everywhere it seems. The real idiots are those that come and 'practice' the week before a biking event. Riding four across and blocking the roads. Dozens and dozens of them. They don't realize the danger they represent and how ridiculous they look. When I bike I stick to the four inch white line or outside the line to stay safe and not irritate the driving public. I also don't buy gear with phony sponsor names but that's another story.

 

I have no problem with cyclists riding a marked bike path, but when they're on the public road going a few miles an hour and blocking traffic, I say a prayer that they face plant- hard.

Mike

 

Gotcha

 

Cyclists love a stretch of road close to my house. It's slightly up and down with turns. I was going up and around a right turn - ie. ZERO visibility for what was around the turn - and almost hit a cyclist head on who was riding AGAINST traffic. There is absolutely no shoulder on the road, just a curb. What makes me most angry is that there are literally miles and miles of bicycle paths available, even off-roading paths. Why mess up traffic and risk your life when there's a safe way to do it?

 

I hope that is not true, but it would not surprise me in today's United States. IMO a bicyclist who is too incompetent to avoid a stationary vehicle should have his or her license revoked and should be prohibited from riding on public roads.

 

It's inexcusable for a cyclist to disobey traffic laws, and all it takes is one to make the rest of us look bad, same can be said for Ferrari owners too.
On the other hand it is absolutely legal for cyclist to ride on a street and share the road with drivers. Too many times car drivers feel they have a right to the road that cyclists don't, and that is not right.
Cyclists can choose the route they want, sometimes we choose a specific route for pleasure or because it is a commuting alternative.
Let's be respectful of others rights to use the public roads too and not put ourselves and others in danger because of preconceived notions or opinions built up on incorrect information.
I have seen too many incidents where cyclists are hurt or killed because of road rage on behalf of a car driver. You would not believe the hassle cyclists go through daily from ignorant drivers who make cycling dangerous in the United States. That said, there are plenty of idiot cyclists that put themselves in serious harm as well.

 

I would be surprised if that were true. In most cases cyclist injured by accidents in the U.S. are ignored and have little recourse. That is slowly changing, but in most cases the police are reluctant to act or even write a citation. There is a clear bias against cyclists here in the U.S., both from the public and from govt.

 

Most cyclists don't behave in a bad fashion, and who are you to judge what people like to look or dress in?
Share the road works just fine when everyone obeys the laws and has a little respect for the others on the road. It seems these days in the U.S. It is all an us against them attitude. A little understanding goes a long way.
To use an analogy there are plenty of ****** Ferrari owners out there that think they own the road, most people use them as examples of all Ferrari owners. The stigma exists even though it only applies to a small percentage of the group. Let's not do the same to cyclists.

 

I enjoy riding my bicycle, motorcycle, as well as a fun spirited drive in my car on great roads. When riding my bicycle, I make sure that I strictly follow the rules of the road. When on my motorcycle or in my car, I ensure that I am concensous of bicycles on the road. One of the rules of the road (both for safety as well as required by law) that apply to both bicycles and motorcycles is single file and not side by side (though staggered formation is okay).
Though bicycles are allowed to utilize a lane, tractors and over burdened trucks on a hill have more get up and go then a bicycle. Bicyclist need to be aware that they are a slow moving vehicle and ride accordingly to help prevent the obstruction of traffic flow. Over time, I have noticed that bicyclists have become less cooperative on the road and more confrontational. Over the summer, I have been out looking for and driving some great roads. The remote roads are fairly clear of bicycles, and of course, as to be expected, the roads close to urban areas have a significant number of bicycles. Just the other day, while enjoying a spirited driving on a two lane mountain road I encountered a solo bicyclists. Instead of staying on a straight path, or moving over to the shoulder, he pulls directly in front of me, and then proceeds to turn his head to give me a dirty look. Because of the blind corners I had to remain behind the guy until I could go around him completely in the on coming lane. Was the guy doing anything illegal, technically, no. Was he being an a**hole, being a biker myself, yes he was. I do agree that bicyclist in general are becoming bigger a**holes. That is why I typically prefer to ride by myself, and not with a group where inevitable there are jerks in the group.

 

I live in Seattle so I observe cyclists on a regular basis.
- I regularly see cyclists running red lights and stop signs.
- I regularly see cyclists riding on the sidewalk, they're not supposed to.
- I regularly see cyclists using pedestrian crosswalks while riding, they're supposed to walk their bikes.
- The City of Seattle removed one lane of traffic on 2nd Ave and made it a dedicated cycling lane. 2nd Ave was fairly congested beforehand, now it's just a mess. Yet, I see cyclists riding in the non-dedicated lanes on 2nd Ave. The city did the same on another major artery: Broadway.
- I've encountered cyclists who won't let you pass them even if they're slowing everyone down.
- The same type of cyclist will usually ride up all the way to the front of the line at a stop light, making the problem even worse.

I have no problem with law obeying cyclists, but in my experience most of them are hypocrites who want to "share the road" but none of the laws.