Post-ride rants

[rapid cycler]

Just back from a ride and must ask questions for which I know there are no answers:

Why do certain folks, the kind who in my father's parlance could only be called "yahoos," think it's super funny to yell randomly as they pass cyclists in cars? Nothing at all useful or even particularly hostile, just human grunting like "Awooohaaa!" Loud. Just as they pass, in the moment calibrated to be most startling to the rider. While shopping at, say, Target, would they run up to random strangers and scream "Booga, booga, booga!"? I kind of think not, though I'd like to try it on them sometime.

Yeah, I hammered really hard to try and catch up to them, not that I have any idea what I would have said had I caught them. In hindsight I'd like to think I might have said something like, "Hey, that can be really startling to cyclists, who btw are already in a nerve-wracking situation simply by sharing the road with vehicular tonnage. Please try to be more considerate in the future." But I'm fairly sure that in the heat of the moment I might have said something A LOT closer to "What the %$#@ are you about?!"

Also, people who honk their horns unnecessarily, especially those who issue a "friendly" honk just to make cyclists aware of their looming presence—duh, like we could possibly forget about the cars relentlessly buzzing by—should be assessed a charge, like the fee we were charged by the LAPD when our house alarm was triggered by wind and they responded because we couldn't be reached by phone.

One more thing. Why do overly cautious drivers—and I do appreciate cautious drivers, I do, but we're talking about drivers so cautious they're actually dangerous—refuse to turn right at a signal, in apparent deference to cyclists' safety, until we're actually ready to cross? I could be standing beside my bike, swigging water, making direct, friendly eye contact, and nodding go ahead to the overly cautious driver the entire time the light is red, and they still WILL NOT turn given myriad traffic-permitting opportunities. But the moment that light turns green, with the walk signal ablaze and me clicked in and poised to cross, they invariably find their courage and, without so much as a glance, cut me off mid-crank.

Thank you. I feel better now. It really was a lovely ride after all.

[suzieqtwa]

This could be me writing that post. I experience the same thing when I ride. Random hollers...nothing about me ,just yells. The right lane thing also,,,I wave them to turn ,but they just wait. Usually older people. Sometimes I get the ones that just stay behind me because they don't think they can pass me (on roads with no bike lanes). That's the worse.
The honks I think are just because some people just hate cyclist. The friendly tap honk I get also. I just ignore them.
When I used to run I would get the same thing. Maybe people have nothing better to do in their cars.

[Tri Girl]

I hear you... and have nothing to offer that would answer your unaswerable questions.
The "yayhoos" you refer to are just the kind of people who are likely to be obnoxious on any given occaison. I can only assume that they are the adult bullies of our society that like nothing more than to bug/pick on others because it's fun/entertaining. I only hope that one day somebody scares the beejeebers out of them when they're in a stressful situation and makes them feel as vulnerable as we do.
Last week my cycling friends and I were joking about inventing some device that could be hooked up to our bikes that would spray paint on cars that scare us or pass us too closely. It could be triggered by our left braking hand as a little button. One press would release some paint that writes out "leave cyclists alone" on the side of their car. We also thought about installing some retractable device that would scratch their car (like in movies when the hubcaps of cars have knives that come out to flatten the tire of another car while driving). Ok- impractical and childish- be we laughed about insane ways to make cars leave cyclists alone. We just hate the feeling of vulnerability that we have at times. We, admittedly, had too much time on our hands...

[Kimmyt]

More of those 'overly cautious' types. The ones that hover right behind you, afraid to pass you (even when they have plenty of room to do so, say on a one-way road that is plenty wide for both of you), but instead hover behind you as you chug up a hill at 10 mph, looming behind you still even as you wave them to pass you.

When you're at a stop sign waiting for the road traffic of a street you're to cross to wane so you can cross. They don't have a stopsign, so you'll wait for a break in traffic to dart across. It's not a problem, you're unclipped and possibly sipping water. Except for the fool who decides he'll be a nice guy and come to a stop and wave you to pass, causing you to frantically get clipped back in, piss off the other drivers behind Mr. Nice Guy, and mutter to yourself about how people just need to pretend like you're another car.

And the ones that don't just pass you, they pass you completely in the other lane, sometimes while there is oncoming traffic (common sense my friend, leave me enough space to not get knocked over, and I will be fine, don't put yourself and as such me into an even more dangerous situation by swerving into oncoming traffic).

I mean, I feel bad because I appreciate caution from drivers as opposed to reckless i-could-care-less-that-you're-on-the-road-with-me attitude, but please still remember your own safety as well.

[Geonz]

For the past couple of weeks I've been practicing the Pre-emptive Wave, and it's worked around here. *Before* the Too Nice Person can (usually invisibly) try to wave me through, I'm waving theTNP through.
Hollering doesn't happen much around here but it seems to be on the increase ?!? As in maybe on some radio show or hostile forum (cafepress visitors?) it's the Great Anonymous Prank du jour? I hope not...

[HoosierGiant]

Our favorites are the I-pay-taxes-it's-MY-road types who get right behind us and lay on the horn to announce their exalted presence. Apparently, the sight of two cyclists riding abreast conjures up images of the end of life as they know it, and only massive amounts of pressure on the horn will fend off the death and destruction to be wrought by those perceived fitness fanatics chewing up the miles on the roadway in front of them. Now mind you, there won't be another vehicle in sight for a gazillion miles (okay, I exaggerate -- 37-and-a-half miles), and they'll still act as if we're supposed to dismount, adorn the roadway with red jerseys, and applaud as they motor by. YEESH!

[Running Mommy]

Up here we have the Overly kind motorists who give you a whole lane by going into the median turn lane for you. That would be grand except that the middle turn lane usually is filled with scree which their tires then spit in your direction!
Usually the types that do this are going at least 10-15 mph over the speed limit, so that makes it even worse. I feel like yelling out "just give me a tap of the brakes and three feet! Would it kill ya??"... sheesh...

[East Hill]

Just back from a ride and must ask questions for which I know there are no answers:

Why do certain folks, the kind who in my father's parlance could only be called "yahoos," think it's super funny to yell randomly as they pass cyclists in cars?

I don't think it's confined to cyclists. It's also probably the same people who feel it's socially acceptable to yell at women, especially women pedestrians.

East Hill

[northstar]

I don't think it's confined to cyclists. It's also probably the same people who feel it's socially acceptable to yell at women, especially women pedestrians.

East Hill

Yes. I've actually been yelled at more while walking than riding.

(YUCK.)

[mimitabby]

what about the Overly Courteous who won't pass you, and in fact, follow 30 feet behind you with a whole line of Irate Drivers behind them?
SO finally, when they do go, the others, who are angry cut by you too close, because they're tired of staring at her slow butt and they don't even see you until the last minute!

[Zen]

Booga Booga Booga!

[LadyinWhite]

Booga Booga Booga!

LMAO

[Eden]

what about the Overly Courteous who won't pass you, and in fact, follow 30 feet behind you with a whole line of Irate Drivers behind them?
SO finally, when they do go, the others, who are angry cut by you too close, because they're tired of staring at her slow butt and they don't even see you until the last minute!

I may be somewhat guilty... but I do refuse to do a dangerous pass... If I can't see around a corner or crest of hill, etc. I won't pass.

My favorite thing ever yelled at me out of a car window was.... do you know you are riding a bicycle... me: shocked look Really! I though it was an elephant!!!

I deal with Overly Courteous who want to stop in the middle of a busy street so I can go across by looking in the other direction and pretending I never noticed them stopped... its really dangerous, they are putting themselves at risk of being rear ended and if I cross I'm at risk from all of the other cars in other lanes. I just won't cross to make OC feel good.
A little girl pededstrian was killed out here when someone waved her across and she trusted them - she crossed without looking at the rest of traffic and was hit.

[Cindyloo]

I can relate to people in cars yelling ridiculous things. I was riding on the path in the rain one day (I love riding in the rain) and as I'm waiting to cross a street someone in a car leans out and yells "You're getting wet!!!". Talk about a duh moment.....