bicyclists are self-entitled assholes who think they can run red lights

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senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,197
126
Both times I've been in accidents with cars, it was because of their breaking the law, not mine. They either make a right turn over a bike lane and cut me off. Or one time a guy made a right turn on red without stopping into the bike lane. Both times I was uninjured and the guys had nice scratch or broken taillight to remind them to pay attention. These idiots just look at me in the bike lane and still go over it as if I am not even there. Also, you don't have to tell me it's more dangerous to bike to work than ride in your car. It's also more dangerous to go mountain biking than sit at home and watch TV. That's part of the fun though.
 

oboeguy

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 1999
3,907
0
76
Originally posted by: senseamp
If I bike, and there is no bike lane, I take up the whole right lane. As far as running the red lights, yeah, I do it after looking both ways, though it's not a very busy traffic area here. It's all about conservation of momentum. Guess what, a lot of idiot motorists make right turns right in front of me over the bike lane, as if they expect me to stop even though I have right of way, then they complain I didn't stop and broke their taillight, or scratched their car. I just laugh at them.

It's about more than conservation of momentum. Waiting a light for more cars to catch up is stupid. Go through when it's safe and you spend less time on the road.

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
I love the argument I've heard from cyclists for not stopping, "It takes a lot of energy to get going again." By that reasoning, I shouldn't stop the car either, I'd get much better mileage if I didn't stop.


See above. Also, there's really no reason for rules that are designed for cars to apply to bicycles. IIRC, in some areas, there's legislation (pending?) for cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs. It makes a lot of sense. Well, if you've ever ridden a bicycle on the road it does.

...

And you pull over all the time to let cars pass on back roads then, right? You're aware that it's illegal to hold up traffic and that if there are 5 or more cars in line behind you and you're going under the speed limit you are required by law to pull over and let them around you, right? (It's common courtesy to do this even for one car.) Since you're so well-versed in the laws of the road I'm assuming that you're doing this.

You know what? I wish more cyclists were aware of that fact that this indeed the law in a lot of places. If I see that I'm holding-up a line of cars, I will do my best to move out the way. However, drivers who take a double-yellow line too seriously need to realize that's if there's a good sight line, there's no reason to not straddle the line to pass a cyclist when possible. Really, why not?
 

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
24,117
2
0
Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Originally posted by: mfs378
Originally posted by: compman25
Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Not this tired old sh!t again. :roll:

Some drivers are assholes.
All cyclists are assholes.

/thread.

fixed

You must be one of those idiots I see on the road. You talk tough online, and act tough when you are driving a car, but something tells me in real life your tone would be a touch more meek.
Well he is British so his tone is naturally meek;)

Compman edited my original post, clever clogs. :roll:
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: oboeguy
Originally posted by: senseamp
If I bike, and there is no bike lane, I take up the whole right lane. As far as running the red lights, yeah, I do it after looking both ways, though it's not a very busy traffic area here. It's all about conservation of momentum. Guess what, a lot of idiot motorists make right turns right in front of me over the bike lane, as if they expect me to stop even though I have right of way, then they complain I didn't stop and broke their taillight, or scratched their car. I just laugh at them.

It's about more than conservation of momentum. Waiting a light for more cars to catch up is stupid. Go through when it's safe and you spend less time on the road.

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
I love the argument I've heard from cyclists for not stopping, "It takes a lot of energy to get going again." By that reasoning, I shouldn't stop the car either, I'd get much better mileage if I didn't stop.


See above. Also, there's really no reason for rules that are designed for cars to apply to bicycles. IIRC, in some areas, there's legislation (pending?) for cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs. It makes a lot of sense. Well, if you've ever ridden a bicycle on the road it does.

...

And you pull over all the time to let cars pass on back roads then, right? You're aware that it's illegal to hold up traffic and that if there are 5 or more cars in line behind you and you're going under the speed limit you are required by law to pull over and let them around you, right? (It's common courtesy to do this even for one car.) Since you're so well-versed in the laws of the road I'm assuming that you're doing this.

You know what? I wish more cyclists were aware of that fact that this indeed the law in a lot of places. If I see that I'm holding-up a line of cars, I will do my best to move out the way. However, drivers who take a double-yellow line too seriously need to realize that's if there's a good sight line, there's no reason to not straddle the line to pass a cyclist when possible. Really, why not?

Your post is flawed based on the soul premise you are dictating how you think laws should be handled (read: bent to suit your needs).

You should not pass a double yellow, and unless it's a law, momentum or not; stop signs and redlights mean anyone on the road needs to stop. You burn a redlight and someone clips you that you did not see chances are the state is going to have to eat some of that cost.

This is why seat belts and helmet laws exist...not so much to protect you, as more so to protect others for paying for you.
 

spaceghost21

Senior member
May 22, 2004
899
0
0
Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Not this tired old sh!t again. :roll:

Some drivers are assholes.
Some cyclists are assholes.

/thread.

Whoa... wait a second there. Are you trying to say that I can't make a snap judgement about an entire group of people based upon my own limited experiences?
 

Tiamat

Lifer
Nov 25, 2003
14,068
5
71
I just witnessed a biker 2 weeks ago, who just got plowed over by a truck, both were hydroplaning, the biker ran the red, the truck was proceeding normally as it had green. Unfortunately, the biker was killed instantly and the scene was very gory.

His guts and blood formed a pool in the middle of the street, very nasty way to go :(
His helmet was split into 3 pieces and his bike was barely discernable as such.

While I hold high disdain for bikers and them braking the laws that are supposed to protect them, I cannot say that I would wish upon them what I saw after that incident.
 

hanoverphist

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2006
9,867
23
76
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Around here is obnoxious pre-teens riding around on their bike who dont give a flying fvck about traffic or any kind of rules of the road. I'm really thinking about getting a train horn for my truck to scare the sh!t out of those kids when I drive by.

it usually makes them fall down. i had a 145db triple air horn on my montego back in the day, used to do this all the time. bad part is, sometimes they fall into traffic. not the safest or best way to go about it. but ive also kicked the crap out of plenty of asswipe bicyclists here in AZ. dont lean your face into a vehicle to tell them how close they came to killing you unless you want a fist or a 9mm barrel in your mouth.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
166
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Originally posted by: hanoverphist
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Around here is obnoxious pre-teens riding around on their bike who dont give a flying fvck about traffic or any kind of rules of the road. I'm really thinking about getting a train horn for my truck to scare the sh!t out of those kids when I drive by.

it usually makes them fall down. i had a 145db triple air horn on my montego back in the day, used to do this all the time. bad part is, sometimes they fall into traffic. not the safest or best way to go about it. but ive also kicked the crap out of plenty of asswipe bicyclists here in AZ. dont lean your face into a vehicle to tell them how close they came to killing you unless you want a fist or a 9mm barrel in your mouth.

ooooohhh! Mr. Tough Guy!!

I always stop for red lights (but, I'll admit, I slow down and yield for stop signs). If you were a pedestrian, you wouldn't want to get hit by me on my bike.
 

3chordcharlie

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2004
9,859
1
81
Originally posted by: hanoverphist
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Around here is obnoxious pre-teens riding around on their bike who dont give a flying fvck about traffic or any kind of rules of the road. I'm really thinking about getting a train horn for my truck to scare the sh!t out of those kids when I drive by.

it usually makes them fall down. i had a 145db triple air horn on my montego back in the day, used to do this all the time. bad part is, sometimes they fall into traffic. not the safest or best way to go about it. but ive also kicked the crap out of plenty of asswipe bicyclists here in AZ. dont lean your face into a vehicle to tell them how close they came to killing you unless you want a fist or a 9mm barrel in your mouth.

Ahh, yet another responsible gun owner.

retard.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: 3chordcharlie
Originally posted by: hanoverphist
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Around here is obnoxious pre-teens riding around on their bike who dont give a flying fvck about traffic or any kind of rules of the road. I'm really thinking about getting a train horn for my truck to scare the sh!t out of those kids when I drive by.

it usually makes them fall down. i had a 145db triple air horn on my montego back in the day, used to do this all the time. bad part is, sometimes they fall into traffic. not the safest or best way to go about it. but ive also kicked the crap out of plenty of asswipe bicyclists here in AZ. dont lean your face into a vehicle to tell them how close they came to killing you unless you want a fist or a 9mm barrel in your mouth.

Ahh, yet another responsible gun owner.

retard.

I bet he is so swole in real life too.

Freaking train horns/air horn asshats.

However, I beg you to put your gun into a peds mouth...you will be taught a great lesson when they press charges, tough guy.

 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: Tiamat
I just witnessed a biker 2 weeks ago, who just got plowed over by a truck, both were hydroplaning, the biker ran the red, the truck was proceeding normally as it had green. Unfortunately, the biker was killed instantly and the scene was very gory.

His guts and blood formed a pool in the middle of the street, very nasty way to go :(
His helmet was split into 3 pieces and his bike was barely discernable as such.

While I hold high disdain for bikers and them braking the laws that are supposed to protect them, I cannot say that I would wish upon them what I saw after that incident.

exactly.
 

alimoalem

Diamond Member
Sep 22, 2005
4,025
0
0
yea but you only remember the incidents where a biker screws up...not when some do it right. we used to bring friends from around the bay to bike in SF and basically were considerate of the drivers.

davis, on the other hand, has dedicated bicycle two-way sidewalks so it's a little harder for them to screw up here :p
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
I'm more concerned about perpetually drunk illegal Mexicans speeding in Escalades and lifted F150s with Altezzas blatantly ignoring every traffic control they encounter with their Central/South American bred socialist "me me me me first, screw everyone else, I don't give a fvck esse" entitlement mentality. Whether in Walmart with their shopping carts or on the streets in their welfare funded "bling bling" rides, push and shove is all they fcking know.

Why Mexicans and nobody else? Because most everyone else has a sense of danger of getting busted and having their lives ruined because they have identities, addresses, social security numbers, etc. Mexicans with stolen or anonymous identities and nothing to lose can just disappear and run to Mexico to evade responsibility for their destructive lifestyles, and they all like to cover and lie for each other.

I've lost count of the times I've found myself standing in line at Autozone waiting to buy a case of oil or a filter and there is a drunk or stoned Mexican in the line and you can smell the Bud Light the moment you walk in the door.

/rant after my long and annoying drive home in Southern Arizona
 

toolboxolio

Senior member
Jan 22, 2007
872
1
0
Anyone who dresses in spandex and parades around town on two wheels deserves nothing from me. Especially if they don't yield to traffic.

OP, I concur with your feelings and furthermore would like to see cyclists forced onto sidewalks. Sharing the ****** road with 20mph captain spandex is outrageous.
 

3chordcharlie

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2004
9,859
1
81
Originally posted by: toolboxolio
Anyone who dresses in spandex and parades around town on two wheels deserves nothing from me. Especially if they don't yield to traffic.

OP, I concur with your feelings and furthermore would like to see cyclists forced onto sidewalks. Sharing the ****** road with 20mph captain spandex is outrageous.

Except that would be the stupidest idea anyone has ever had, at least WRT traffic.
 

Passingout101

Member
Jan 15, 2007
113
0
0
I hear ya!!

I myself just started biking but I do stop at the reds, freaking shoot im not going to put myself in harms way on a bike with nothing to really protect me, I do enough nutty stuff in my car but in that case I do have 3k lbs protecting me for the most part!!
 

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
Originally posted by: LordMaul
Yeah, it's pretty funny how they think they "have all the same benefits as a car gets" and they ride on the road and right down the middle of the lane and whatnot, but as soon as traffic stops, they love to just ride between the lanes, barely missing side mirrors, and blow through the red light. Same as a car, my ass; let's see that car behind you cram itself between the lanes and drive through the light. Jackasses.

Running red lights is obviously a problem, but filtering through stopped traffic is actually safer and faster for everyone, be it a bicycle, scooter, or motorcycle. The largest peer reviewed study on motorcycle crashes in the US supports this, and the rest of the world rides that way, but only Cali actually allows lane splitting. Bicyclists are a bit more lucky in that most cops don't care if they ride between cars, but the drivers, rather than welcoming the fact that the bicyclist is now at the front of the line and less likely to slow them down, tend to get upset and irrational. The thing is that Americans can't keep their tempers in check when behind the wheel.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
On my bike I will run red lights if cars aren't around. I would in a car, too, but I think a cop would nail me and would be less inclined on my bike.

Not directed at the OP, but I think a lot of people resent cyclists because they resent something inside themselves, that nagging feeling in their head telling them that they are unfit, look like hell, and should probably be doing what the cyclist is doing.

Every time a person gets on their bike and goes for a ride there is that tiny fear that they'll get it. So, if you're driving your car and see a guy on a bike, please realize that it's no joke if you hit him; he could die. Don't honk or do stupid sh*t like driving one foot from him to make some kind of point (the point you always leave is that you're a dumb hick).
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
They have a right to the road. The sidewalks here are too packed with people.
On the road = obey road rules
Well said. Cyclists should be on the road, obeying the same road rules including waiting at red lights. It isn't legal to ride on a sidewalk in business districts here anyway. And sidewalk riding is quite unsafe compared to operating by normal road-user rules with the flow of traffic. Skeptics are welcome to try riding a bicycle 30-45mph down a sidewalk every day ;)

I'm sometimes left with no option but to run a red light with my bicycle, if I'm in a left-turn lane by myself (I live in the USA, where this puts me in the middle of the street). Many traffic sensors aren't sensitive enough to pick up my bicycle. Some US states have specific laws regarding faulty stoplights; wait one cycle, then proceed with due caution on red if necessary.

OT: Skoorb! You're ALIVE! :shocked:

Sharing the ****** road with 20mph captain spandex is outrageous.
Feel free to move to a country where federal and state laws are more to your liking.
 

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
Originally posted by: mechBgon
They have a right to the road. The sidewalks here are too packed with people.
On the road = obey road rules
Well said. Cyclists should be on the road, obeying the same road rules including waiting at red lights. It isn't legal to ride on a sidewalk in business districts here anyway. And sidewalk riding is quite unsafe compared to operating by normal road-user rules with the flow of traffic. Skeptics are welcome to try riding a bicycle 30-45mph down a sidewalk every day ;)

45mph? You must have legs of titanium.

Sidewalk riding is safer at low speeds with few pedestrians, road riding is safer at high speeds with few cars. In Tokyo, EVERYONE rides on the sidewalk, but they have nice wide sidewalks and they're riding single-speed bikes of a dated design.
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: mechBgon
They have a right to the road. The sidewalks here are too packed with people.
On the road = obey road rules
Well said. Cyclists should be on the road, obeying the same road rules including waiting at red lights. It isn't legal to ride on a sidewalk in business districts here anyway. And sidewalk riding is quite unsafe compared to operating by normal road-user rules with the flow of traffic. Skeptics are welcome to try riding a bicycle 30-45mph down a sidewalk every day ;)

45mph? You must have legs of titanium.
No, just an ample supply of hills. I hit 48mph on my mountain bike :camera: the other day, descending a 15% grade (not the day in the photo, obviously :D). I considered going for more, but there was a bit of sand/fine gravel on the road, and it's moderately curvy with a STOP sign at the bottom. The road-racing bike has seen ~60mph a few times.

As a cyclist, I sometimes get stuck behind slow motorists. It's a two-way street ;) and that's part of being a grown-up road user. But I still appreciate the irony :D
 

oboeguy

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 1999
3,907
0
76
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: oboeguy
Originally posted by: senseamp
If I bike, and there is no bike lane, I take up the whole right lane. As far as running the red lights, yeah, I do it after looking both ways, though it's not a very busy traffic area here. It's all about conservation of momentum. Guess what, a lot of idiot motorists make right turns right in front of me over the bike lane, as if they expect me to stop even though I have right of way, then they complain I didn't stop and broke their taillight, or scratched their car. I just laugh at them.

It's about more than conservation of momentum. Waiting a light for more cars to catch up is stupid. Go through when it's safe and you spend less time on the road.

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
I love the argument I've heard from cyclists for not stopping, "It takes a lot of energy to get going again." By that reasoning, I shouldn't stop the car either, I'd get much better mileage if I didn't stop.


See above. Also, there's really no reason for rules that are designed for cars to apply to bicycles. IIRC, in some areas, there's legislation (pending?) for cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs. It makes a lot of sense. Well, if you've ever ridden a bicycle on the road it does.

...

And you pull over all the time to let cars pass on back roads then, right? You're aware that it's illegal to hold up traffic and that if there are 5 or more cars in line behind you and you're going under the speed limit you are required by law to pull over and let them around you, right? (It's common courtesy to do this even for one car.) Since you're so well-versed in the laws of the road I'm assuming that you're doing this.

You know what? I wish more cyclists were aware of that fact that this indeed the law in a lot of places. If I see that I'm holding-up a line of cars, I will do my best to move out the way. However, drivers who take a double-yellow line too seriously need to realize that's if there's a good sight line, there's no reason to not straddle the line to pass a cyclist when possible. Really, why not?

Your post is flawed based on the soul premise you are dictating how you think laws should be handled (read: bent to suit your needs).

You should not pass a double yellow, and unless it's a law, momentum or not; stop signs and redlights mean anyone on the road needs to stop. You burn a redlight and someone clips you that you did not see chances are the state is going to have to eat some of that cost.

This is why seat belts and helmet laws exist...not so much to protect you, as more so to protect others for paying for you.

What is it with people who see a double yellow as some kind of electric fence? Be realistic and understand that such things are abstractions. If it's safe to cross a double yellow for a moment to pass a cyclist there is no reason not to do it. Are you trying to tell me that if there was debris in the roadway in your direction you'd stop, do a "K turn" to double-back to find a new route? Nonsense.

That aside, FYI, apparently at least Idaho has it's @#$% together. Snippet:

A person operating a bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a
steady red traffic control light shall stop before entering the intersection
and shall yield to all other traffic. Once the person has yielded, he may
proceed through the steady red light with caution.

(FYI first link from Google search for "bicycle stop sign red light yield")

 

tomywishbone

Golden Member
Oct 24, 2006
1,401
0
0
Originally posted by: beer
I swear to ****** god, one of my goals in life is to cripple one of these assholes that thinks they don't have any reason to stop at red lights. I live in SF where motorists/bicyclist run-ins are common, but their sense of self-entitlement just really, really pisses me off.

I got into a shouting match at 2nd and Brannon about 30 minutes ago- the light turned green and I took off, and a bicyclist entered the intersection and fell to the ground in an attempt to avoid my car. I had 100% right of way. Somehow it is my fault the mother ****** ran the red light - they just don't feel they need to stop.

The city here does not enforce red light rules against bicyclists at all. Therefore, it seems, they do not think the have any reason to stop. At any red light. Ever. One of them got mowed down by a cement truck onto turning onto 101 last month. What the hell do you expect, you choose to not stop at red lights, you get killed, and it's the city's fault for not protecting your ass? Now we can't turn right at Market and Octavia because your worthless ass thinks you don't need to stop. And it's a perfectly useful intersection - the reason why we can't turn is simply because you complained to the city. And guess what? I think a few more got hit since the cement truck incident - for not stopping.

/rant
It's a dude on a bicycle. JFC, how mad can you get?
 

Atlantean

Diamond Member
May 2, 2001
5,296
1
0
I think some of them don't realize that they have to obey the same rules as any car on the road (in terms of lights, signs etc.) a cyclist should be more aware of his surroundings... many are but the few that aren't will eventually be run over.
 

Dessert Tears

Golden Member
Feb 27, 2005
1,100
0
76
Originally posted by: jagec
Bicyclists are a bit more lucky in that most cops don't care if they ride between cars, but the drivers, rather than welcoming the fact that the bicyclist is now at the front of the line and less likely to slow them down, tend to get upset and irrational.
While I acknowledge that drivers seem to think, "I'm waiting for this light, it's unfair for anyone to cut in line," I don't understand the bolded text. Assuming that the cyclist travels at a slower speed than prevailing traffic and given enough distance, each passed car will catch and overtake the cyclist. If it is a single narrow lane, the drivers must pass with care.

I understand how advancing at a light may be beneficial to the driver immediately behind the cyclist, especially if the cyclist is slower to accelerate from a stop, e.g. not geared down or unfamiliar with clipless pedals.