Killing Bikers is NOT a game!!!!

[Digitalpotato]

For such a bike friendly town I get run off the road a lot. And No, I'm not driving in the car lanes...Car lanes are for cars, bike lanes are for bikes. Yet so many people abuse the large bike lanes out here and try to hit bikers. They're either tailing me or are just driving in the lane and honking at me. Seriously, GET OUT OF THE BIKE LANE!!! They make these to keep us from holding up traffic!

[Buglady]

Get an AirZound horn and honk back. Those things are at the maximum legal decibel level...

I feel your pain, I'm a biker too. If I ride on the road (not only legal but mandatory in this city - riding on sidewalks is illegal unless you're a small child) people yell at me. If I ride on the bike paths, I have to dodge a million dog walkers and meandering moms with gigantic strollers, and I get yelled at there too (the bike path speed limit is 20 kph; I usually go about 15...).

Just keep smiling and waving, it confuses them. Blowing kisses helps too

[blas]

Dear lord, how hard is it to comprehend?

The road is for cars, bike lanes are for bikes, bike trails are for bikes, and walking trails are for people walking.

Personally, if you're riding a bike on a trail clearly marked as a walking trail, I'd expect some dirty looks, as when my bf and I take weekend walks on walking trails, sometimes I really want to jam something into the spokes of cyclists wheels as they go whizzing past us, nearly sending me into the bushes. Likewise, I don't understand why people taking a stroll or jogging insist on using bike trails sometimes as well! They must want to die early.

As such, when driving, if I see a bike driving in the traffic lanes, I get furious as well, because where I live, there are bike lanes everywhere. You are not Lance Armstrong, and no matter how fast or fit you are, your bicycle cannot go 35-50 mph like my car can. So get out of the road and into the bike lane where you belong.

And as far as cars in bike lanes...just why? Why? Why?!

[edible_hat]

bike lanes are for bikes

Someone should tell the bike riders in my part of the world that, they ride next to the bike lane.

[blas]

I can't believe the city I live in went through all the trouble to make this city bike friendly and put bike lanes all over, and bikes still ride with regular traffic. Oh sometimes I just want to plow someone onto the curb. Get off the road. I do not enjoy being stuck behind you on a 2 lane road while you are peddling at 10-15 mph.

[Athaelia]

Oh sometimes I just want to plow someone onto the curb. Get off the road. I do not enjoy being stuck behind you on a 2 lane road while you are peddling at 10-15 mph.

Exactly!

I have to take a road to work w/ lots of twists and turns, and this biker guy (same one every time!) Rides in the MIDDLE of the road, going 10 mph in a 35...grrr..and refuses to get over to the side of the road so the CARS can go past him, noo, instead, you are forced into the other lane, contending with oncoming traffic!

Not fun.

On the other hand, I've been in my very quiet suburban neighborhood minding my own business on my bike(riding on the side of the road, mind you) and this asshat in an SUV almost tries to hit me!

[Yurimaru]

We have a bike trail nearby our homes... But, the cyclists will not use it. 95% of them do not obey traffic laws, either. They blow thru stop signs and red lights on a regular basis, at really busy intersections. They curse at the cars who come close to hitting them when they pull these stunts. They ride 4 or 5 abreast, so cars cannot pass, every morning.

If they are asked to use the bike trail by the neighborhoods, they complain that there are "too many strollers and dog walkers". Not at 6am on a weekday, there aren't. They could easily use the bike trail during morning rush hour, because there's no one out there but them. There must be some sort of Secret Bike Marathon, where they are trying to see how many dangerous law-breaking stunts they can get away with.

One mean group said some snotty things to my friend and I, because we had our dogs in those dog carry-alongs made for bikes, while riding on the bike trail. I called them "spandex-wearing, potbellied Lance Armstrong wannabes". They slunk away, tails between their padded behinds. (I found out from one lonely nice cyclist, that those spandex biker pants are really padded, which is why the long hours tooling around on the bikes doesn't hurt their heineys).

I only WISH we had some more nice cyclists in our area, and did not have to put up with the EW Brigade.

[tphillip]

I only WISH we had some more nice cyclists in our area, and did not have to put up with the EW Brigade.

Let me know when you find some. I'd like to import them to Ithaca NY as an example as how to properly ride a bike. We're also recruiting intelligent pedestrians too.

I know following the law is difficult, but when cyclists are cutting me off (A motorcyclist) something is wrong. Just because we're both on two wheels doesn't mean the unwritten law of gross tonnage has been suspended.

[blas]

In the past year, two cyclists have been killed because they ignored red lights/stop signs.

Most cyclists around here defend their actions of blowing red lights and stop signs by saying "It's hard to stop and then have to get going again."

Well, tough shit. It's hard on gas for cars to brake, go, brake, go, brake go....but that doesn't mean I can blow red lights and stop signs. It makes gas mileage even worse when you're behind an ignorant Lance Armstrong wannabe on a 35 mph road who is peddling along in the middle of the road at 15 mph.

[edible_hat]

Most cyclists around here defend their actions of blowing red lights and stop signs by saying "It's hard to stop and then have to get going again."

Around here they say "I don't pay registration, so I don't have to follow the rules". And so a group of anti-cyclist people are pushing to force bikes to be registered.

[jedimaster91]

That might not be a bad idea, although I don't know how enforceable it would be. My dad is a proponent of bikers who ride with traffic to be licensed to do so. Love the idea, but I don't think it would work very well.

A couple of the main roads into downtown used to be three-lane one-way streets. When the city repaved the last time, the cars lost the right lane and it became a bike lane. It really grinds my gears when some jerkwad comes flying up the bike lane because they can't be bothered to sit in line like everyone else. Sorry, kids. That's not a driving lane anymore. Yeah, I'm irked about being down a lane, but get over it.

[Kogarashi]

A couple of the main roads into downtown used to be three-lane one-way streets. When the city repaved the last time, the cars lost the right lane and it became a bike lane. It really grinds my gears when some jerkwad comes flying up the bike lane because they can't be bothered to sit in line like everyone else. Sorry, kids. That's not a driving lane anymore. Yeah, I'm irked about being down a lane, but get over it.

I have the same peeve with some of the streets around here. Most of the city has insanely narrow streets (made that way by on-street parking and it being a New England city), but there are a few areas where the lanes are actually comfortably wide. Sometimes double-wide. Usually for much more comfortable on-street parking (go figure). No, idiot driver behind me, that does not make it a passing lane. It's still only one lane wide. I don't care if you think you're late for your important date or whatever, I don't want to see you gunning past me at well over double the speed limit just because no one bothered to park on the street today. I'm sorry my doing the speed limit (or a little over) in the middle of a residential area bothers you so much. ::grumble::

One more reason among many why I tend not to ride the bike around town here.

[wolfie]

Most cyclists around here defend their actions of blowing red lights and stop signs by saying "It's hard to stop and then have to get going again."

Well, tough shit. It's hard on gas for cars to brake, go, brake, go, brake go....but that doesn't mean I can blow red lights and stop signs.

You think it's hard on fuel for cars to do that - try it with a 53 footer loaded with 20 tons of newsprint. I can just imagine reaction if truckers followed the cyclists' "logic" and blew through red lights and stop signs.

If you're travelling on wheels, whether it's 2 or 18, you follow the rules of the road - stop for red lights, stay off the sidewalk (including crosswalks), and slower traffic (if someone's trying to pass you, then you are slower traffic) keep to the right lane.

[ADoyle90815]

After too many close calls with drivers not bothering to look before going into the bike lane, I decided that the only places I'll ride a bike are at the gym or the bike trail at the beach where there is sand between you and the parking lot.

[infinitemonkies]

Part of the problem (around here anyway, but I suspect it's the same everywhere) is that many cyclists not only don't follow the traffic laws, they don't even know them in the first place. Even worse, most of the drivers have no idea what the traffic laws are concerning bikes.

There's a parking garage near my apartment with a really badly placed exit. It's on a hill, next to an intersection, and has almost zero visibility. About once a month, there's an accident (through rarely a serious one) with a car pulling out hitting a cyclist, and vice versa. To be fair though, every single time, the cyclist is on the sidewalk instead of the clearly marked bicycle lane, at night, with no lights, and no helmet.




As a cyclist with a valid driver's license, who knows and follows the laws, I support the idea of requiring cyclists to have a license and registration (which is already in place here, but only for bike couriers/messangers), coupled with a police crackdown on those who demonstate they shouldn't be allowed on the road.

I also think that if any driver gets a certain number of points on thier license within a year, they should have to re-take the written test on the spot, with no preparation; If they fail, they should have thier license revoked until they re-take driver training and have to start over again with a learner's permit.