Bicyclists have started doing a new thing that makes me furious

[IHateMyJob2004]

Bicyclists have to obey traffic laws.

And there are minimum speeds:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States#Minimum_speed_limits

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Ha,

In Massachussets cyclists must yield he right of way to traffic! Well, sort of. You must read single file in traffic.

http://massbike.org/resourcesnew/bike-law/

I'm sure everyone wears reflectors on their ankles if the bicycle peddles don't have them.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Not yielding the right of way is illegal.

A driver has not yielded right of way if he or she forces other highway users to slow or wait.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Texas law:
(b) An operator of a vehicle on a roadway moving more slowly than the normal speed of other vehicles at the time and place under the existing conditions shall drive in the right-hand lane available for vehicles, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway,

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Yep, and these are mostly recent laws. People are fed up with the selfish cyclists.

You all need to start shunning these idiots screwing up traffic and riding dangerously rather than support them as a group, like the motorcyclists figured out a long time ago.

 

[Venix]

Indeed. And for the conditions it was completely safe. Since I was paying attention I was able to avoid a collision no different than if a deer, stalled vehicle, or prone motorcyclist was in the road.

Straw man.

If you had to slam on your brakes, you were driving too fast. I typically drive between 7,000 and 10,000 miles a year purely for recreation, mostly through mountainous areas in the west, and I've never almost rear-ended a bicycle or any other vehicle.

The correlation between "poor driving skills" and "rages about bicycles" isn't a coincidence. Enroll in a driver training course and you'll find that bicycles suddenly aren't much of a nuisance anymore. Even the douches who disobey traffic laws aren't particularly problematic for skilled drivers.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I guess I am lucky where I live. There's not alot of traffic normally and i rarely see people riding double wide. It's usually single file or solo.

 

[OutHouse]

Not yielding the right of way is illegal.

A driver has not yielded right of way if he or she forces other highway users to slow or wait.

I think learning what yield means is optional on driving test now. everyday i see people on my commute not yielding when merging.

 

[child of wonder]

If you had to slam on your brakes, you were driving too fast. I typically drive between 7,000 and 10,000 miles a year purely for recreation, mostly through mountainous areas in the west, and I've never almost rear-ended a bicycle or any other vehicle.

The correlation between "poor driving skills" and "rages about bicycles" isn't a coincidence. Enroll in a driver training course and you'll find that bicycles suddenly aren't much of a nuisance anymore. Even the douches who disobey traffic laws aren't particularly problematic for skilled drivers.

No, I wasn't driving too fast. The right side of the road was obscured by rock face and as I rounded the curve the space between the now visible bicyclists and I vanished quickly since they were traveling so slow due to the incline.

Simply slamming on the brakes does not equal bad driving. It often means an unexpected obstacle has suddenly entered your path and quick action is needed to avoid the collision.

Legacy roads (those without bike lanes or extra wide shoulders) were not designed with bicyclists in mind. It's a simple fact and the presence of bicycles on roads where cars are attempting to drive 45+ mph is a hazard to motorists and bicyclists.

 

[Mide]

What's this shit about bike riders having rights to be on the road. No they don't. They can get their asses on the sidewalk or on the bitter edge of the pavement. They are not cars and cause a road hazard when they are wandering in and out of CAR LANES within 25-50mph areas. They have no business being there except almost being run over.

 

[MagickMan]

I think that you are being overly sensitive and are just looking for anything complain about!! They have the same right to mhe road as you do!!

Not unless they're doing at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit. The cops would ticket them around here, and rightfully so because it creates a safety hazard.

 

[redhotiron2004]

Not unless they're doing at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit. The cops would ticket them around here, and rightfully so because it creates a safety hazard.

Really, people here in india are such good freaking drivers. They tackle everything from bullockart to rickshaw to pedestrians to trucks, bicycles and even animals on the same road at the same time and still manage to get there way without any accident. It might look like choas. But, tolerance and patience is one of the reason why this works here.
And making so many rules have only made people less attentive and less patient.
We would like to see better boarder roads and safer rules. But, would never want to loose the tolerance, respect and patience for others.
Everybody voter have a right to use the road in accordance to rules. But, it's impossible to make seperate roads for numerous different types of transport which includes trucks, cars, pedestrians, cycle, motorcycle, bullockart, animals etc at the same place as the space and resources is limited.

I can't beleive that just because you travel in a car, you have the right to feel that you own the road and no lesser than a person who too owns a car have a right to use the road.

 

[MagickMan]

I can't beleive that just because you travel in a car, you have the right to feel that you own the road and no lesser than a person who too owns a car have a right to use the road.

Correct, bikes do not have the same rights to use the highways in my area. When they start paying taxes; road, tire, tolls, and "fuel", then maybe we can talk. Until then, the roads belong to the people who pay the taxes for their use (as said by my state congresswoman). Bicyclists who cause traffic issues get ticketed all the time here, and repeat offenders get their bikes confiscated and community service, and that suits me just fine. We got sick of them getting splattered everywhere and causing a nuisance.

 

[Newbian]

Really, people here in india are such good freaking drivers. T

If that was true then India would not be the #1 in traffic accident rates in the world.

http://www.dw.de/india-has-the-highest-number-of-road-accidents-in-the-world/a-5519345

 

[BikeJunkie]

You want fair treatment? Start acting that way instead of constantly crying like selfish children.

Since you're so amenable to glossing over facts and points grounded in those facts, I'm not going to bother with reading your drivel or trying to talk sense to you.

At the end of the day, the status quo favors my position and it's up to you to make a compelling (read: rational, factual) argument to the contrary. Cyclists already get fair treatment from the law. What you need to do is learn the law and obey the law. The fact that you continue to assert that the cyclist was at fault in the earlier video is probably the single largest chunk of proof there is that you are clueless, ignorant, and blinded by emotion.

 

[BikeJunkie]

The correlation between "poor driving skills" and "rages about bicycles" isn't a coincidence.

This. It seems to boil down to motorists who don't really understand the laws. The whole "cyclists don't belong on the road" is such a flawed, unsound argument given the rights afforded to cyclists by ACTUAL LAWS. It's a very ignorant statement to make.

In the face of that, some then try to appeal to the safety of it all:

"Cyclists shouldn't be on the roads."

Maybe, maybe not. But if such a choice is supported by the law, then arguing to them that they don't belong there is plain idiotic. Yes, they DO belong there. In fact, they belong specifically there. They're not allowed on the sidewalks and the law states that they are to act and be treated as any other vehicle, within the physical limits of the bike itself.

If you think they "don't belong there," then take it to your state representatives. Raging at a cyclist for participating in a legal activity is retarded.

Now, if you want to flip off a cyclist because he cruised through a stop sign or won't use the bike lane when required by law, then go for it. Most cyclists make ZERO excuses for those who break the law. In fact, if people like SpatiallyAware bothered to learn anything about the cycling community, they'd find that cyclists come down on other cyclists like HAMMERS for doing shit like that, and for obvious reasons. That's why painting us all with the same brush is so misguided.

So:

- If you don't like the law, rage at your legislators.

- If a cyclist is breaking the law, that's a different story.

Just make sure you know which is which for fuck sakes... and a few people here obviously cannot tell the difference.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Since you're so amenable to glossing over facts and points grounded in those facts, I'm not going to bother with reading your drivel or trying to talk sense to you.

At the end of the day, the status quo favors my position and it's up to you to make a compelling (read: rational, factual) argument to the contrary. Cyclists already get fair treatment from the law. What you need to do is learn the law and obey the law. The fact that you continue to assert that the cyclist was at fault in the earlier video is probably the single largest chunk of proof there is that you are clueless, ignorant, and blinded by emotion.

? I have glossed over no facts, and everything I've stated is based on the reality of how people feel and treat bicyclists and more importantly, WHY they are treated that way.

If "not going to bother with me" equates to "incapable of having a logical debate" then I'll just assume that you're unable to accept the facts as they are - which is that pro-bicyclists laws are essentially stagnant over the last 5 years.

The ciclist lobbying groups have almost no power any more, and as a matter of fact we've seen more anti-bicyclists laws than pro.

So.. If you want to talk about status quo, then get used to either paying taxes/tag/licensing or staying on the edge of the road and pulling over for faster moving vehicles.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

This. It seems to boil down to motorists who don't really understand the laws. The whole "cyclists don't belong on the road" is such a flawed, unsound argument given the rights afforded to cyclists by ACTUAL LAWS. It's a very ignorant statement to make.

In the face of that, some then try to appeal to the safety of it all:

"Cyclists shouldn't be on the roads."

Maybe, maybe not. But if such a choice is supported by the law, then arguing to them that they don't belong there is plain idiotic. Yes, they DO belong there. In fact, they belong specifically there. They're not allowed on the sidewalks and the law states that they are to act and be treated as any other vehicle, within the physical limits of the bike itself.

If you think they "don't belong there," then take it to your state representatives. Raging at a cyclist for participating in a legal activity is retarded.

Now, if you want to flip off a cyclist because he cruised through a stop sign or won't use the bike lane when required by law, then go for it. Most cyclists make ZERO excuses for those who break the law. In fact, if people like SpatiallyAware bothered to learn anything about the cycling community, they'd find that cyclists come down on other cyclists like HAMMERS for doing shit like that, and for obvious reasons. That's why painting us all with the same brush is so misguided.

So:

- If you don't like the law, rage at your legislators.

- If a cyclist is breaking the law, that's a different story.

Just make sure you know which is which for fuck sakes... and a few people here obviously cannot tell the difference.

Drivers treat bicyclists exactly like they would treat a vehicle on a 45mph road going 15mph and refusing to allow people to pass.

Drivers treat bicyclists exactly like they would treat a vehicle who, at a red light, drove around the line of cars and cut into the very front - and then proceeded to go 15mph holding the lane on a 45mph road.


It's not about breaking the law. It's about not being a selfish disrespectful asshole. And that's how the VAST majority of bicyclists, in my area anyway, behave.

You all scream about inequality whenever anything holds you back for 20 seconds... Then act like it's the drivers who are impatient. No, you all are idiotic little children, and need to learn that pulling over for 20 seconds to let traffic pass (so they can go to work and pay the taxes for the road you're cicling on) does not affect your morning workout. If you can't handle a 20 second pullover then you need to keep your heartrate up by doing something else, like raging on the internet.


And FYI... It's not a "few people here". Like I said, I drive 2 lane 'small' roads to my office, which are frequently used by rude, inconsiderate bicyclists. It's very common for there to be a line of 15+ cars behind some moron who is 'holding the lane'. The VAST majority of these cars will zoom around these idiots at the very first opportunity. Every now and then, I mean maybe 5%, will not pass and help the cystlist hold the lane.

Internet raging turdcyclists aside, look at how drivers treat bicyclists on the road. They are upset for good reason... And instead of trying to fix it within your group, you all come online and just rage on about how rude and mean motorists are.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

And you keep crowing about laws supporting you...... They really don't, and many states (mine included) are pushing to pass laws which correct these assumptions you all have broadcasted within your group about your legal "right" to behave so selfishly on the road.

My state is pushing a good one through the house next year.. It will require tags and registration for all bikes ridden on a road with double yellow lines, require you to ride single file and at the edge of the road, will not allow large/disruptive group rides, and will makr many public roadways in our mountain communities "off limits" to bicyclists.


A good number of our state reps have made it clear that they will back these bills, as their tax-paying constituents are fed up with the rude and dangerous behaviour.

Rumor has it that in 2015 they are going to push through a bill which will require bicyclists to stay within a certain distance to the edge of the road.

Law enforcement groups are running training on the proper way to ticket these people who act this way.


Your days of running wild on the road are short lived.

 

[child of wonder]

Drivers treat bicyclists exactly like they would treat a vehicle on a 45mph road going 15mph and refusing to allow people to pass.

Drivers treat bicyclists exactly like they would treat a vehicle who, at a red light, drove around the line of cars and cut into the very front - and then proceeded to go 15mph holding the lane on a 45mph road.


It's not about breaking the law. It's about not being a selfish disrespectful asshole. And that's how the VAST majority of bicyclists, in my area anyway, behave.

You all scream about inequality whenever anything holds you back for 20 seconds... Then act like it's the drivers who are impatient. No, you all are idiotic little children, and need to learn that pulling over for 20 seconds to let traffic pass (so they can go to work and pay the taxes for the road you're cicling on) does not affect your morning workout. If you can't handle a 20 second pullover then you need to keep your heartrate up by doing something else, like raging on the internet.


And FYI... It's not a "few people here". Like I said, I drive 2 lane 'small' roads to my office, which are frequently used by rude, inconsiderate bicyclists. It's very common for there to be a line of 15+ cars behind some moron who is 'holding the lane'. The VAST majority of these cars will zoom around these idiots at the very first opportunity. Every now and then, I mean maybe 5%, will not pass and help the cystlist hold the lane.

Internet raging turdcyclists aside, look at how drivers treat bicyclists on the road. They are upset for good reason... And instead of trying to fix it within your group, you all come online and just rage on about how rude and mean motorists are.

Imagine a future where my suggestion becomes a reality. Bicycles require license plates and a yearly fee. The fees go towards building more bike lanes on busy roads. Bicyclists now have their own dedicated lanes specifically for their use.

Soon the new health trend is "power walking" where people walk at 5mph for an hour. They decide to use the bike lanes. One day as Johnny Bicyclist is riding 15mph on his way to work and automobiles are happily whizzing by at 45mph to his left, he encounters a group of power walkers traveling shoulder to shoulder. He slows to 5 mph to avoid hitting them and badly wishes to pass but the car lane is very busy and doing so would be dangerous. His other option is to hop onto the sidewalk but this is illegal. For some reason, despite his protests, the power walkers refuse to move either due to rudeness or because they can't hear him over their iPods.

Just as he's about to decide "fuck it" and hop onto the sidewalk, finally, one of them moves over a bit and Johnny takes advantage by quickly accelerating past them to which one walker yells "fucking idiot!" as he goes by then quickly takes down Johnny's license plate.

Who is in the wrong? No laws exists saying power walkers cannot use the bike lanes. Shouldn't Johnny simply stop being in such a hurry and wait 5 minutes to pass? Is he being selfish for wanting his "bike" lane that, as a bike owner, he pays fees to use? Are the power walkers in the right for ridiculing him as an "impatient, chicken legs" because their power walking with small weights works their upper AND lower body so they're obviously superior to the lazy bike rider who relies on a machine?

Or should the power walkers stay on the sidewalk where walking is intended rather than the bike lane where bikes are intended?

 

[BikeJunkie]

If "not going to bother with me" equates to "incapable of having a logical debate" then I'll just assume that you're unable to accept the facts as they are

Quite the opposite. It equates to recognizing that you're incapable of recognizing their right to the road, as granted by law. Case in point: your refusal to acknowledge proper fault re: the driver who cut the cyclist off when turning across the bike lane.

Proof positive that you can't separate your own emotions from reality, or that you're just an idiot. I don't know which it is, but the end result is the same.

Furthermore, you keep arguing straw men that I've debunked numerous times, hence your "glossing over" of the facts. For example, I've stated several times I don't object to tagging, etc., yet you keep arguing as though I somehow, somewhere objected to it. Link please???

You don't read and you don't comprehend.

Then we come to the number of times you've blatantly contradicted yourself in this thread. Several of your contradictions have been called out, while other contradictions have gotten a pass because we know you just ignore the fact when it's brought to your attention. In fact, here's one:

The ciclist lobbying groups have almost no power any more

You've gone from whining about these supposed lobbying groups (laughable in and of itself) blocking blah blah blah, to now saying they have almost no power. So which is it? You can't make up your fucking mind

we've seen more anti-bicyclists laws than pro.

My point all along has been your ignorance of the laws that exist, not your absurd fallacious appeals to popularity.

You keep trying to make some vague point by saying "well everyone thinks blah blah blah." You want to know what everyone thinks? They think you're an idiot. You should have seen the PM response I got to my earlier question as to your possible role as one of the village idiots. How's that for an appeal to popularity?

Cycling as a mode of transportation is BOOMING in metropolitan areas all around the country, and given how far behind Europe we are, you can bet your McD's ass that life for you is going to get much, much more rage-inducing.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

It all goes back to the spoiled, selfish, childlike mentality that many of these bicyclists have.

Even in this thread, read about people who refuse to ride in the bike lane due to "pebbles" and "slower cyclists holding them back".


The entire thing reminds me of the selfish child, who didn't get that one favorite game to go along with his new $500 game system on xmas morning pitching a fit, crying, and screaming in front of the entire family that he hates his parents who paid for all of it so he can use it for free.

He screams and shrieks about how he does the dishes, he vacuums, which is basically help PAYING for it all and thus he DESERVES that specific game.

He ignores the fact that they bought him a $500 game system, he just can't see past not getting that one game to go along with it that he asked for.


The selfish child ignores the fact that they pay the mortgage, the electricity, for his clothes. He focuses on the fact that he does the dishes so he DESERVES this stuff. He refuses to get a job mowing yards to pay for the game because his parents OWE him for all he provides by loading the dishwasher now and then.

 

[redhotiron2004]

Correct, bikes do not have the same rights to use the highways in my area. When they start paying taxes; road, tire, tolls, and "fuel", then maybe we can talk. Until then, the roads belong to the people who pay the taxes for their use (as said by my state congresswoman). Bicyclists who cause traffic issues get ticketed all the time here, and repeat offenders get their bikes confiscated and community service, and that suits me just fine. We got sick of them getting splattered everywhere and causing a nuisance.

I think that cyclist too would also be paying the income tax etc. Just because you pay toll doesn't mean that you own the road!

Anyways, it doesn't really matter who pay the taxes. The one who can must pay. And the less fortunate must be supported by the government. This is what any responsible and legitimate nation stands on. There are always going to be poor and unfortunate people in any country. It would be extremely unhuman to take away there right to equality just because they are poor and can't pay there taxes.

Having said that. I don't support law breaking by any cyclist. They should be punished if they do that as any other motorist would be if they break the law.

You simply needs to re-develop patience and tolerance towards others. That's the only best humane solution.

If that was true then India would not be the #1 in traffic accident rates in the world.

http://www.dw.de/india-has-the-highest-number-of-road-accidents-in-the-world/a-5519345

The density of people, different types of vehicles etc is the highest in the world. Looking at the number of people using the road at any time and reaching there destination would be far better than most of the countries in the world.

Stats really don't make any sense. You can make anything out of them and show them according to your own propoganda.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

<snip>


You've gone from whining about these supposed lobbying groups (laughable in and of itself) blocking blah blah blah, to now saying they have almost no power. So which is it? You can't make up your fucking mind

<snip>

People are sick of the BS. in the late 90's, early 2000's you all got a lot of support from the community. I mean it is logical, to help put bicycles on the road to curb traffic and pollution.

But everyone has realized that these people claiming to help traffic/pollution are actually a huge cause of it. You cause us to sit in our cars for combined hours as you breathlessly peddle up a hill at 10mph refusing to allow anyone to pass. You cause us to lose combined time at work, as 20+ motorists each have an additional 10 minutes of sitting in our cars as you insist on holding a lane at 15mph on a 45mph road.



So my point is that while you still have lobbyist groups who TRY to get stuff changed, it's really no longer working. Like I said, the only pro bicycle law I've seen in 5, maybe 10 years is the 3ft law. And I keep up with what goes on, in my state at least.

 

[lupi]

Got to cut off a guy on a motorcycle this morning, felt great.