I Shall Not Appease Motorists!!!

Well, they won't get that from me.

 

It is indeed. The mountain roads here are a little wider than you might think, but since they are filled with bikes I know to look out. And so do they, of course.

 

"Side Streets" are residential areas that do not go always go where the destination is. Keep in mind bicycles must also obey stop signs. I'm not going to add 30 minutes and another couple of miles to my commute just to appease motorists. They are more than welcome to give me a lift if that is the case. I have to get to work.

I own a car... so I could drive. That would cost me gas, maintenance, and over $1,000 in annual parking expenses that I choose not to pay. Heck, I'm doing a coworker a favor by not taking up a parking space.

 

A road outside of town is a strawman argument for the following reasons:

1) They usually have massive shoulders. Bicycles ARE permitted on the shoulder, provided the road is not a limited access highway (bicycles are not permitted on such roads)
2) There is no door zone or parked cars on a 45-65 mph road.
3) I live in the city, so it doesn't generally apply to me or the OP. Most rural / suburban locations are best served by cycling paths separated from road infrastructure.

 

I despise cyclists who don't follow the law and ride in unsafe ways. But I also despise drivers who do not follow the law and put cyclists in danger.

I ride my bike in the road a lot. When there is a bike lane that's safe I use it. When there is no bike lane or the bike lane is unsafe then I take to the traffic lanes. If there are multiple lanes I ride right square in the middle of the lane to increase visibility. And no I do not care that I'm slowing traffic down behind me. There is a whole other lane they can go to. I'm trying not to be forced off the road by idiots who think cyclists belong on the side walk.

 

Your attitude seems to be:

1) No Argument
2) No Argument
3) No Argument
4) Cyclists need to move over because I am more important

- - - Updated - - -

Precisely.

Your safety is your primary concern. A lot of motorists don't understand how much danger a cyclist can put himself in by appeasing their 15 second rage. Moving to the right makes sense when the applicable lane is there. It does not make sense if that lane is unsafe or nonexistant.

 

I've never had a problem with people behind me. I get honks and shouts, sure. But that means they see me. That's music to my ears. Most people do look straight ahead when they're driving. The biggest killer of bicyclists isn't rear enders. It's people who turn in front of cyclists. And that usually happens because the cyclist was too far to the right and was not visible. Being in the middle of the lane increases your visibility.

 

I live off a two lane farm road with little or no shoulder, that is very popular with the week-end cyclists. It's not unusual to see three or four cyclists in groups, trekking up and down the road. They're generally very courteous, as are the motorists and farm equipment drivers. The cyclists stay as far right as possible, allowing motorists to pass. Motorists on the other hand will go out of their way and move far to the left to avoid any sudden surprises from the cyclists. When there is oncoming traffic, the motorist behind will slow until it passes before passing the cyclist. In the 7 years I've lived out here, I've never see a cyclist or group of cyclists occupying the whole lane. Nor have I seen a motorist behave in anything less than the most courteous way.

It's also not uncommon to see local residents along the road set out coolers at their gates with water and Gatorade type drinks for the cyclists.

 

A motorist has to see you to get pissed off and honk

 

LOL! A few weeks on a bike and already a biking activist looking to agitate others on behalf of his cause.

This is how the left thinks and why they are so dangerous.

PS, I'll burn through enough gas for the both of us in my gas-guzzling SUV

 

On two lane roads with lots of curves I do tend to get over and let traffic pass. These roads generally don't have a lot of driveways and intersections anyway so I'm fine with riding close to the shoulder on them. But on roads with multiple lanes or roads with a clear and open passing zone? Nope. Not moving. You can pass me like any other slow vehicle and quit whining. I'm not jeopardizing my safety so that you can shave 10 seconds off your drive.

 

A rural two lane road is a little different than an urban four lane road. There are no parked cars to contend with. There are few intersections with turns. There isn't a second lane to pass. The amount of conflict points are significantly less, which potentially merits the cyclist riding further right.

However, who's fault is it if a frontal offset collision between two motorists occurs because of an attempted half-lane bicycle pass?

 

And the speed limits are 70. The point is, a little courtesy from both cyclist and motorist would make everybody's day a little more pleasant.

 

Two lane roads with no shoulders are pretty tough for cyclists. We want to take the whole lane but we also understand that there isn't a good way for motorists to pass us.

In these situations I will ride the shoulder but when approaching intersections and driveways I hand signal that I'm taking the lane and I ride the center until the danger is passed. Intersections are huge kill zones for bikes and the biggest danger is from people who don't see the bike because they're looking in the center of the lane and not in the gutter.

I hope you and other motorists understand I'm not doing this to (*)(*)(*)(*) you off or to slow you down. I'm doing this because I value my life.

 

Certainly I understand. I value your life too and scraping your guts off my grill is not on my to-do list today.

 

All it takes is a few weeks to understand how terribly bikes are treated on the roads. I follow all the laws. I do not block traffic, I ride only in areas were a passing lane or passing zone is available. I stop at traffic lights. I don't cut ahead of a traffic line.

And yet my commute is riddled with honks and shouts. And I don't even mind those. It gets worse than that. People who physically try to intimidate or attack me with their vehicle. People who pass me within inches of my handle bars. Or people who use their diesel engines to blow smoke in my face purposely.

90% of motorists pass with a safe distance without fret. But that 10% is enough to plague every single ride.

 

I've never seen a rural two lane road with a 70 mph speed limit.

Yep, your gas-guzzling SUV is more dangerous than me freeing up a parking space for your gas-guzzling SUV.

If you want to continue to blow money all your life guzzling gas and health care costs, be my guest. Just don't terrorize cyclists. And don't (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) about people getting welfare or gas prices being too high just so you can have more discretionary income. Try not spending it all on gas...

The amount of money one saves by bike commuting is astonishing.

 

I can't attest to what you have or haven't seen.

"As with other state-maintained highways in Texas, all Farm or Ranch to Market roads are paved. Speed limits along these roads vary, but may be as high as 75 mph in rural areas"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm-to-market_road

 

It's funny how you've been biking a couple weeks and already feel the urge to take on all of us motorists. A few weeks ago, you were a motorist!

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.410...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sWc-tXt6f_TTg2Iv4BrRK5Q!2e0

ZOOM ZOOM

 

I usually slow down and let them exit the intersection in those situations.

 

What does healthcare have to do with fuel efficiency? You clearly started this thread so you could talk trash to auto drivers because of what happened to you..I think it's pretty clear by now that you are in the minority and your sense of entitlement will do nothing but hurt your fellow bikers.

 

Let me provide my perspective.

I live in San Francisco- home of many cyclists with entitlement complex.

Am I a jerky car driver who makes that statement- no I am a cyclist who has ridden more than most and commuted to work across San Francisco for several years.

First of all- there are jerk car drivers who will do stupid jerky things- and there are more drivers than there are cyclists.

But I regularly watched my fellow cyclists break the law, and in general be jerks to drivers.

Laws- stop signs are not recommendations, and traffic lights do not stop existing for cyclists- I have regularly watched cyclists blow through stop signs and red lights. Yes, they are endangering mainly their own physical health, but also the anguish of any driver who runs them over because the cyclist broke the law.
Cyclists blowing red lights and stop signs also hit pedestrians.

Lighting is not optional for bicycles- you ride at night- have lights- don't be wearing black, riding without lights and expect drivers to miraculously see you.

Single gears are required to have front brakes- have them- use them- I have watched too many single gear track bikes sliding desperately to a stop because all they had was their rear wheel to brake them.

Treat drivers the way you want to be treated- I watched a cyclist right ahead of me one time stop and yell at a woman pulling into a Gas Station, complaining that she had cut him off- BUT- as I told him- she had been signaling that turn for half a block- I saw it- the cyclist just wasn't paying attention and blamed the driver.

Sorry- a pet peeve of mine- drivers can be jerks- but so can cyclists.

As I cyclist I have no compunction about taking up a full lane when my safety requires it- at the same time we all share the road- when safe- I will ride in the bike lane and free up the lane for cars.

 

Yeah I'm a big stickler for cycling safety and I'm gearing my fiancee up for cycling on the road. Every time we drive I point out every cyclist I see doing something stupid. If you're a cyclist you need to follow certain safety rules and laws or you will die. Maybe not today maybe not tomorrow but it will happen.

Motorists have the luxury of playing a little lax on the laws. They've got a steel cage and airbags and seat belts and lots of nice safety features protecting them. Sure if they could still die in a car crash. But not from a minor one. On a bike even a minor crash could kill. Cyclists have died from running into doors of parked cars when they were opened without looking. Cyclists need to pay attention on the road and be safe more than anyone else on the road. If you're not riding with perfect safety in mind then you should get off the road before you die.

 

One of the laws you did not state, which may not be the case in your State but I would check, is the law here where if you have 3 or more cars backed up behind you then you must pull over to let them pass.

I got nailed when a guy did a U turn right into me while I was crossing on a green light. I was lucky and did not get injured.

A friend of mine got nailed while crossing on a green. A pickup truck didn't see him. Broke his bike in half and he got injured but not too seriously.