Bike-riders attacking cars?

[undatc]

I'm going to complain here a bit.  Bicycles do not belong on the road.  They belong on the shoulders, or in bike lanes.  Its suicide to think the a two wheeled bike can complete with a 5000+ pound car.  Case in point, today going to class, I was going down university about 30mph, this bike whips out in front of me and rides in the middle of the lane!  Not only did he not use the bike lane (there is about a 5 foot lane on university ave for bikes only) but he slowed down traffic and could have possibly cause an accident.  Its completely unacceptable for bikes to take over a road, the road was built for auto traffic, not bicycles.

I remember taking bicycle safety class as a kid, bicycles do not have the right of way on a road, cars do.  Bikes are always to yield to auto traffic and remain clear of traffic lanes.  I'm all for sharing the road, but taking an entire lane is unacceptable.

[spacer]

Negative.
In most states, if not all, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities. You expect a cyclist to ride on a sidewalk at 20mph or so, with shoppers walking around laden with packages, walking out of storefronts with no clearance?
I'll tell the two wheeled dickheads the same as the four wheeled ones. Share the road.

I'll take the road, thank you.
If a motorist has enough of a problem with that to threaten me with their vehicle (a deadly weapon), I have a good response for that... a rather loud and accurate one.
I've little patience for assholes regardless of how much steel surrounds their overfed asses, or how colorful their spandex undies. (Yeah, I have some of that, too... )

[tundra_flier]

The issue of bikes vs Cars vs pedestrians is all about common curtesy and respect for others.  As a frequent bike rider (at least in the summer) I use the sidewalk, bike path, road shoulder or street lane as appropriate.  For example, along a busy, fast road I'll use the bike path if available, if not then the sidewalk.  But if there's a lot of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk, then it's the shoulder.  When I'm down town, where there's no shoulder and small busy sidewalks I use the street lanes, since the speed limit is only 20mph I can pretty much keep up with traffic between lights.  Heck, I don't even mind the 4 wheelers on the bike paths when they travel at bike speeds.

But what can I say to the motorist who yells at me for riding on the 6 foot (2m) wide shoulder when there's a bike path?  He didn't give me time to explain that the bike path had 4inch (10cm) wide cracks in it and my tires were only 20mm.      

Phil

[airtac]

Hey, I concur that there are jerks on bikes and jerks in cars--I alternately surround my overfed butt with a huge SUV and cram it into colorful spandex (no pictures please ) and I've been assaulted by idiots on both sides with curses and lots of single digit hand signals----I do not know if there is an answer to the problem of the incompatibility of bikes and cars, I just try to grin and remember that the other person is only human like me, subject to the same biases and perceptions that guide my actions. 
When a car swerves at my bike or a bike cuts off my car I try real hard to remember that the other person might not know they have offended me and that  I AM THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON THE PLANET    and my rights, privileges, liberties and space should never be infringed upon by some mere human who mistakenly imagines him or herself as     THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON THE PLANET
Sometimes I have to try REEEEAAAAL HARD !!!

[TheSoccerMom]

Heyyyyy.........  do you wear that spiffy Spandex while you're air attackin'?!?   Is that why your voice sounds different sometimes?!?   

[airtac]

Heyyyyy.........  do you wear that spiffy Spandex while you're air attackin'?!?   Is that why your voice sounds different sometimes?!?   
[/quote
NAW, that's just when I buy the wrong size pantyhose

[Gulfstream Driver]

Are the bikes jumping out in front of everyone trying to make a left-hand turn?  That's the correct way to do it, you know.  Slide through the traffic lane to make a left onto another road.  When I do it, I always make sure it's clear behind me, both with the mirror on my helmet and by looking over my shoulder. 

Because of their nature, bikes are protected on the road.  Some choose to take advantage of the rules, so everyone needs to watch out for them.  If a bike makes you slow down from 40 to 20 for a few seconds, are you going to arrive at your destination any later?  Chill out and enjoy the butt in front of you for a few seconds.   

I'm not saying that bikes are always in the right, but there are situations when bikes simply can't stay on the shoulder (like when there isn't one.  Been on a little used country road lately?) and need the lane.

[spacer]

I'm not saying that bikes are always in the right, but there are situations when bikes simply can't stay on the shoulder (like when there isn't one.  Been on a little used country road lately?) and need the lane.

In Arkansas, the same boob in the pickup who rolls down his window to cuss the cyclists is the one who uses the bike lane to dispose of his empty beer bottles. A lot of debris gets moved to the right, and my 23mm wide Axial Pro tires aren't suited to riding in that sort of stuff. Hell, a lot more stout tires meet their end in road debris, so the best place to ride is in the clear strip made by the cars' right tires. I move over when I need to, but don't expect me to wallow around in the car drivers' dumping field just because I'm on a bike.
A couple years ago, a driver blew through a stop sign and ran down a doctor who happens to be in my riding club. The driver claimed he'd always run the stop sign before, and that he didn't see the brightly colored (Tour team outfit... the cyclist equivalent of having a NASCAR racing number on your car) cyclist at all. So, he was so used to blowing through the intersection, which is a blind one, and wasn't even watching.
The guy on the bike pulled through, but the driver is still pretty disturbed by it. Oh, yeah. The car driver is also a cyclist.

[Baradium]

How is "I always run that stopsign" a good excuse and not just more self incrimination?

That's a pretty blatant disregard and traffic laws and safety.

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How is "I always run that stopsign" a good excuse and not just more self incrimination?

That's a pretty blatant disregard and traffic laws and safety.

Hey, there's no accountin' for intelligence.
An old lady backed into me from her son's driveway once. I saw her backing, so I yelled. She stopped. I stopped yelling, thinking she'd stay stopped, but I eased over to the opposite side of the road anyway.
As soon as I stopped yelling, she hit the gas again, clipping me in the rear wheel.
Her son saw the whole thing, and got on my case for thinkin' that an 89 year-old woman could possibly see a cyclist from inside a Suburban.
His face turned a lovely shade of red when he got the $220 bill for the wheel. Lucky for him I hadn't upgraded to Ksyriums yet...

[Gulfstream Driver]

How is "I always run that stopsign" a good excuse and not just more self incrimination?

That's a pretty blatant disregard and traffic laws and safety.

Hey, there's no accountin' for intelligence.
An old lady backed into me from her son's driveway once. I saw her backing, so I yelled. She stopped. I stopped yelling, thinking she'd stay stopped, but I eased over to the opposite side of the road anyway.
As soon as I stopped yelling, she hit the gas again, clipping me in the rear wheel.
Her son saw the whole thing, and got on my case for thinkin' that an 89 year-old woman could possibly see a cyclist from inside a Suburban.
His face turned a lovely shade of red when he got the $220 bill for the wheel. Lucky for him I hadn't upgraded to Ksyriums yet...

My question to his lawyer would be, "Why is she driving the Suburban if she can't see out of it?"

[spacer]

I'm figuring that, at her age, she was a bit stiff and didn't want to  trouble herself with craning her neck around to check for traffic.

[tundra_flier]

On a side note I took my dog out Bike-joring last night!  All kinds of new fun for both of us.  Especially when she stopped suddenly to say hello to another dog.   

Phil