And a few crazy cyclists ...

I hate driving past the engineering campus at commute hours. So many cyclists around there who do NOT behave predictably or even legally. Had to stop there this morning, then up to my own campus, so took the car. Leaving campus 1 I was just feet from a crosswalk when a cyclist -- with no helmet! -- darted straight off the sidewalk from my left and crossed right in front of me. Luckily my reflexes hitting the brakes were good enough, but then I froze up and didn't manage honk or roll down my window to explain some traffic laws and laws of physics to him before he sped away. On wheels you do NOT have the right of way in a crosswalk! There is a reason for this. You might think a driver in a car would be happy that you're out of his/her way faster than if you were walking, but you also get IN his/her way faster. The car might not be able to stop in time :eek:. On wheels you are supposed to follow the same rules as other wheeled traffic. In Norway, that means that the vehicle coming from the left YIELDS to the vehicle coming from the right. So for both those reasons, I'd have been legally in the clear if I'd hit the guy ... but I'd have had to live with the horror the rest of my life. :mad: I think I need to insert a lecture on traffic sense to all my classes from now on, regardless of subject. Maybe even include it in the exams. Jeez!

Aarrrg, I know your feeling. Scary indeed!! :(

Thanks for opening this thread so I can vent too. Sorry for sort-of-hijacking, but this is also a case of crazy cyclist.

Yesterday, I was on my road bike with my sweet partner coming home from a long hilly ride. We need to cross a big, long (about 1 mile) bridge (Lions Gate, for those familiar with Vancouver). There is a great sidewalk for cyclists, one way only, that's shared with pedestrians. It's not very wide but works well. There are lots of people cycling and walking on that bridge.

As we turned the corner to start ascending the bridge, there was a woman on a mountain bike with a DOG on a leash :eek: and her small child (maybe 7 yo) in front of her on his own bike. I was so mad. My husband was ahead of me and, as he much dislikes confrontation, he actually jumped down the curb, passed her and somehow jumped back on the sidewalk (I suspect he stopped and walked back up). I, on the other hand, have no skills to jump off curbs on a road bike and no patience for people who thoughtlessly endanger others like that. As I approached her from behind I announced: "I will pass you on your..." and before I could finish my sentence (I was still trying to decide which way I would have to pass, the dog was moving around unpredictably) she tried to stop while the dog kept going forward and almost fell off her bike. I unclipped and stopped just in time not to hit her.

I was MAD and told her that the dog had no business there and that she was endangering everyone and that she should turn around immediately. There were parents with their little kids coming in the opposite direction (not supposed to be there either - it's a one-way path), and the little girl was right in the dog's path. The woman just looked at me and said nothing, so I left.

[In the meantime, no doubt my husband was annoyed and embarrassed but boy! was I mad.]

What are these people thinking???????? :( :(

I'm convinced that a lot of people who used to ride bicycles when they were kids, and are just starting to get back into riding as adults- are just in some sort of mental time warp where in their mind anytime they get on their bike the world suddenly turns into Mayberry where everyone smiles and waves and pokes along with their fishing poles whistling and life is grand and kids run safely into the street after their ball, old Aunt Bea doesn't drive, Otis the lovable town drunk is always safely locked up, and nobody rushes or does dangerous things and nobody ever gets hit by cars.

Now mind you, I myself always feel like a kid when I get on my bike- it's one of the things I love most about biking.
BUT... I don't RIDE like a kid when I'm in traffic! :eek: :mad:
I see 'Sunday bikers' out riding around in traffic doing absolutely clueless dangerous things all the time- stuff I would expect careless little kids to do on their bikes on the sidewalk maybe, but not in traffic. Weaving around, not signaling when turning, paying no attention to cars backing out of driveways, riding along blithely in the 'Door Zone', passing cars on the right without thinking any of them might 'possibly' turn right directly in front of them because they are in the blind spot....generally riding as though nothing bad could ever possibly happen to them and riding as though they are quite sure that all car drivers see them and will be charmed by them and their bicycle, and will stop for them ....because after all this is Mayberry where nothing bad ever happens. :rolleyes: :cool:

Oh I'm feeling this thread!!
Two weeks ago this past sunday two cyclists were hit here in my hood. They were riding single file in the bike lane just as they should have been. They had no idea that the car approaching them from behind was being driven by a guy that just dropped his coffee. He went for the cup, felt two big thumps, and then realized he had hit two cyclists. He's a paramedic!!! And according to a friend who is knows him (friend happens to be a cop) he is devestated by it. He just can't forgive himself for doing something like that. One of the cyclists was severely injured and had to be airlifted out. Bad bad news..

Of course all of this stirred the debate here in the hood about cyclists not following the rules- even though these two were??!!

And the icing... We have a small paper and they didn't bother to mention the accident, which really upset me. They did however post an editorial about how cyclists need to stop at stop signs. I was steamed when I read it. The editorial was written less than a week from when the accident occured. I had written a letter to the editor, but was trying to make sure I had some facts straight before I sent it. In fridays paper the wife of the severely injured man did respond. I felt so bad that she had to read that.
Well I still intended to send my letter when saturday I had a run in with a local group.
Our hood is a popular place for groups to ride up to, as there are nice bike lanes and generally light traffic. There are also enough hills to challenge you.
Well there is a large group that rides every saturday morning. They are a fast group- 20+ mph, and I get the feeling that they have a certain arrogance about themselves. Well I was coming up the road saturday morning when they pulled out of a side street and forced me to slam on my brakes- lest I hit them! The road I was travelling on has a speed limit of 45 mph, and cars tend to go at least 55 on that stretch. Apparently they think that since they are such a big group then everyone will magically stop for them??!!:mad:
So now I'm going to have to change my letter to acknowledge that there is a "large group of local cyclists" who do have a blatant disregard for traffic laws, but that most of us just want to get a ride in and arrive home safe...
arrgghhh!!!!

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

I'm convinced that a lot of people who used to ride bicycles when they were kids, and are just starting to get back into riding as adults- are just in some sort of mental time warp where in their mind anytime they get on their bike the world suddenly turns into Mayberry where everyone smiles and waves and pokes along with their fishing poles whistling and life is grand and kids run safely into the street after their ball, old Aunt Bea doesn't drive, and nobody rushes or does dangerous things and nobody ever gets hit by cars.

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What a GREAT description.

So your hubby hopped his bike off the road over the Lions Gate Bridge...Sheesh. No cyclist wants to do that. Hopefully there weren't a ton of cars...it can get thick there.

Chills anyone to think of the scenario that you described on any major bridge ramp where path is shared with cyclists and pedestrians.

Oh, I hear you on the crosswalk problem, Duck. The other day I had tacked onto a very fast Birken-type commuter, on the bike path, and as we approached a large intersection with a busy road I slowed down as I usually do to assess how to cross. A couple of cyclists had just finished crossing and the drivers were just going to start moving again - when Birken-type flew over through the gap like he had grown wings. I just stood gawping, and the driver waiting on my right looked at me and started grinning. So I gave him an headshake and an embarrassed "well, what can you do"-look and scooted over since they were all waiting again anyway.

I will usually ride over a crosswalk, but I slow down to a almost complete stop, catch the drivers eye and give him a nod or wave before I start pedalling again.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

So your hubby hopped his bike off the road over the Lions Gate Bridge...Sheesh. No cyclist wants to do that. Hopefully there weren't a ton of cars...it can get thick there.

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Actually it's the bit of the sidewalk before the main part of the bridge. There is a sidewalk, about 1-2 meters of asphalt to the left (East) of it and then the divider (with cars on the other side of the divider).

He didn't jump into traffic! It is a dangerous place!!!!! :eek: But if he could jump that high (about 30 cm) that would be pretty cool.... :)

Just to add another story.

Out riding today and chatted with a man for a while as we climbed. Come to find out he was in a horrible wreck about 18 month ago and just started to ride few month ago. He was hit by a car and cracked three vertebraes... Amazing that the man is not a paraplegic. Then he told me to be careful at stop signs. So I said "oh oh... sounds like you got a ticket?"

He said yup two in last three weeks. You would think he would have learned after near death accident.

Yes around where I live, you will get a ticket for blowing through a stop sign, red lights... And it goes on their driving record. "Hello to higher car insurance!"

Simply amazing,
smilingcat

Ugggh I so need to vent about the cyclists on/around my campus.

In Madison, WI, where I went for college, many streets went through the campus. Cyclists rode on the street, pedestrians were on the sidewalk... sure, plenty of people broke rules, blew stop signs, etc, but for the most part, cyclists seemed generally... aware.

Now, I'm at the University of Arizona for grad school, and rather than having mostly streets through the campus, there are a lot of wide sidewalks and bike paths, which are CLEARLY MARKED with icons for pedestrians or bicycles. All the time there are people walking in the bike lanes and biking in the pedestrian lanes (my favorite? walking a bike in the bike lane...).

Anyway, the paths through campus are an absolute nightmare during class-times, so I've taken to just riding on the streets. Because of the cycle/pedestrian 'segregation' in Madison, I feel much more in my element dealing with cars than pedestrians. So I merrily ride on the streets, signaling my turns (of course I'm not perfect at remembering but I do most of the time, especially at busy intersections), stopping at signals and stop signs (and getting passed by cyclists who have decided these silly things don't apply to them), yielding to pedestrians crossing, etc. But EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I see AT LEAST one person riding down the street while holding and talking on a cell phone. I even saw someone doing this once while riding AGAINST traffic on a street with no bike lane or shoulder!

I will admit to having talked on a cell phone while riding, once, in Madison. I answered my phone while I was biking on a path on a fairly non-busy side of town at a fairly non-busy time of day, ie I didn't encounter a single other human during the 30 seconds I was on the phone. HOWEVER. Riding down the street, completely ignoring traffic laws, and talking on a cellphone at 5pm in a busy campus area is just... so absurd.

Stuff like this almost makes me embarrassed to be a cyclist here, because I'm completely convinced motorists are probably somehow associating this foolishness with those of us who actually ride RESPONSIBLY and therefore holding some kind of grudge against me. I see dozens of cyclists around campus every day, but I can probably count on my fingers the number of times I've seen anyone, not including myself, signal a turn.

Things do seem generally better the farther you get from campus, as you tend to see less of the riff-raff and more serious commuters who tend to take traffic a little more seriously. But still.

ARGH UGH AAAAAAAAGH.

Ok, I'm better now. :D

BSG:

I could not have described the Mental Time Warp as eloquently as you have been. Perfect description. Absolutely perfect!

Here's another crazy cyclist for you:

It was 9pm, quite dark outside. A guy is biking down the street, no headlight, no taillight, dark clothes, no hands, talking on his cell phone... My boyfriend and I were gaping at this guy's obliviousness to the world as he passed by, and just when we thought we'd seen all manner of oddities on bicycles around here, we noticed what was sticking way out of his run-of-the-mill Timbuk2 messenger bag:
a CHIHUAHUA.

I hate to think what would have happened to the poor dog if s/he had jumped/fallen out of the bag, cuz this guy probably wouldn't have noticed. :(

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Originally Posted by spindizzy

BSG:

I could not have described the Mental Time Warp as eloquently as you have been. Perfect description. Absolutely perfect!

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Hey thanks! :)

Here's another Hazardous Clueless Cyclist report:

A couple days ago my husband and I are riding down one of the beautiful tree lined streets in our little rural town. It's a two lane, two way street with parking allowed on one side and beautiful wide sidewalks and curbs on both sides. Here's an antique 1930's postcard of that very street, and it has not changed all that much:
http://www.friendsofhudson.com/histo...tchat1930s.jpg

So, we are riding single file down the right side of the street (the side that allows parking) and of course we have to ride 3 feet out from the "door zone" for safety's sake. No problem so far, still room for cars to pass in both directions.

Up ahead, we see 3 people all going in the same direction as we are: a lady around 55 is actively jogging on the left hand sidewalk, a younger woman (35?) bike riding parallel to her in the street on the LEFT side of the street (going against traffic), and finally a preteen on a bike accompanying them again on the left side of the road but swerving in huge S curves in the left lane, apparently for fun.
I am like freaking out at how careless and irresponsible this whole trio is, and I tell my husband as we approach that I am going to say something.
As we pass them (and at this moment I can only imagine the risk if a passing car or two cars were in the mix as well, going in both directions)...I say politely to them "You should be riding your bikes on the right side of the road, with the traffic".
As we pass, the 35-something woman on her bike calls out after me: "I know! It's ok, I'm riding with my mother who's jogging!"

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

I was simply speechless as we continued on our way.
Would she do the same thing if she were driving her car instead of her bike??
Doesn't it occur to her that she is creating a dangerous traffic situation for all the rest of us as well??
Why can't the mother just cross the street to jog on the other sidewalk??
And what is all of this teaching the young bike rider, presumably her child??

Egads. People are hopeless.

I saw a guy reading the newspaper while riding his bike on the bike route (shared with cars) yesterday when I was riding home.

He was riding with both hands on the newspaper.

Grog, I really can't beat yours. But here's my recent ARRRGGGHHH biking story:

One afternoon I'm riding home from work and see another cyclist in the distance. All I can make out at first is that the bike is painted that same neon yellow-green as my Whisper vest. Then as I come closer, I see he's wearing a backpack. I think Cool, another commuter!. Then I get close enough to see he's not wearing a helmet...or a shirt. And he's not one of those guys who can get away with not wearing a shirt. He also has just regular, if remarkably dirty, jeans on, and is riding his bike extremely laboriously considering the terrain. He doesn't look like he's showered recently. At least he's not riding the wrong way.

I call "On your left," pass him, and move on. Then I come to a stop sign, where I stop behind and to the right of the car there. So it's a car ahead and to my left, then me, then a small gap to the sidewalk. I decide to turn right here, so as the car ahead of me goes, I start rolling forward, keeping the gap between me and the curb. All of a sudden, Mr. No Shirt comes (slowly) riding between me and this gap, just as I start to turn right. :eek: We nearly had a classic right hook, only with me playing the part of the car! (This just reinforced the fact that cyclists shouldn't creep up along the right of any vehicle.)

I slam on my brakes and shout "Hey!" in surprise. He mumbles something extremely slowly and incomprehensibly -- it sounded like "Ummmufmhmf, fuummll muffhl" -- as if he's got marshmallows in his mouth. I make my escape. Should I be irritated by this apparent drunk's terrifying cycling behavior? Or should I just be grateful he's not behind the wheel of a car?

Depending on where you ride here, you often meet either inebriated pedestrians or cyclists. I usually hope they are where I can get off the bike path and pass them on the grass. The bell or "passing you on your left," doesn't do a bit of good. They're completely unpredictable and oblivious.

The other night I came upon a family who had left the bike path to look at something in the creek. They left their bikes and burley on the path, effectively blocking the whole thing. Sigh.

Oh, I had a grandstand view of a couple of doozies on yesterday's commute, involving both brainless cyclists and brainless drivers. First I'm heading down a wide road with a narrow bike lane painted on the right, that I usually avoid using because you end up going "blindly" into a couple of intersections. The car lane is a lot safer because it gives you the space to see more. Sure enough, cyclist ahead of me in the bike lane gets "stuck" behind a bus, tries to pass on the inside :eek:, and wobbles to the outside without checking his back. So I hurry up and pass Wobbly Guy at a safe distance but to no avail, because he then blows through 2 red lights even though he has to squeeze past me waiting to do so. :rolleyes:

Then at a roundabout a little later a large truck ignores my right of way, and keeps on coming even though I'm RIGHT in the middle of the roundabout. I stop at his left front wheel and stare up at him exasperated. He finally hits the brakes. But not before a racer roadie dude behind me goes *swish* through the gap. :eek:

Next roundabout I'm also right in the middle, and a large SUV comes barrelling in from the right without even slowing down, as though it were a regular intersection. No-one harmed, but I'm glad I was on a laidback kind of commute yesterday. If I'd been just a bit more in a hurry I'd have had a few very close calls.

I road with a triathlete, I actually have nothing against triathletes... just ta couple I ride with at my school, I ride with several others and get along with them great. This particular one is the worst not necessarily in her likeliness of causing a crash as I have another to nominate for that but in the fact that she was doing it on purpose and not just oblivious. she kept swearing the entire ride about how stupid f-in drivers were and she refused to unclip. She even did some weird turn on the wrong side the road to avoid unclipping when she should have stopped at an intersection as the car had no stop sign. I've seen cars do dumb stuff around cyclists, but despite her swearing at every driver...this bike ride was perfect in regards to drivers. Not a single car we came across did anything wrong.

What I hate about this is then drivers associate her bad behavior with all cyclists. As the president of a collegiate cycling club, I dont want her back as when new riders see more experienced ones blowing through stop signs they start doing stuff like that. Additionally since she was swearing so much I didn't think she'd take my feedback very well which was that she was the only crazy person lacking common sense. Sometimes you really should just unclip your pedal. Its not that hard to get back in.

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Originally Posted by lph

So I hurry up and pass Wobbly Guy at a safe distance but to no avail, because he then blows through 2 red lights even though he has to squeeze past me waiting to do so. :rolleyes:

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Oooooo....it just grates my cheese when I pass slower cyclists, only to have them blow past me - and through a red light - when I'm stopped, waiting for a light to change. Grrr.....:mad:

Its so nice to hear other people share their anger with stupid cyclists. I am a student and I hate riding to campus. I love my commute if I leave fifteen minutes early, but those ten minutes between classes are like asking for an accident. Like someone else mentioned, its people who haven't ridden a bike as an adult and to them they are toys, not vehicles. They ride the wrong way down streets, hit pedestrians, have a blatant disregard for four-wheeled vehicles - of which the buses are the most dangerous.

I was in an accident not too long ago on my way to class when a rider crossed the center line while I was checking a side road for traffic and collided with me.

'I will usually ride over a crosswalk, but I slow down to a almost complete stop, catch the drivers eye and give him a nod or wave before I start pedalling again.' Me too.

I asked one person why she hated cyclists) on facebook) so much and she said, on the parkway( which is zoned for cycling, both on path and in one lane) - she saw a dad with two kids, on bikes. No helmets and the bikes had TRAINING WHEELS!!!:eek::mad:

When I rode in the Tour de Femme, sunday on that same parkway, there was a line of cyclists about a km long. So no one could MISS that the race went thru ( plus numerous signs). We were allowed one lane, but kept well to side, in bike path mostly. BUT even then, these totally aggressive cars trying to CUT IN between the groups, to pass people.:eek::eek::eek: I was pretty afraid, also as old people were riding and being downhill, somewhat fast ( 23 km), plus dont ride on streets much.
Oh man, when Im queen of the world someone will hear about that!!
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