Why the Animosity from Some Drivers?

[MissMo]

So I've heard stories from my male cyclist friends about trucks pulling up beside them and remarking on their sexual persuation or throwing cans at them, and of coarse the close encounter when a driver feels it is OK to play chicken with a cyclist

But until now I have not personally experienced this negative energy towards myself.

Yesterday a car coming towards me started to head strait towards me then slowed down and swerved back into his side and gunned his engine right next to me and took off. WHAT THE????? I almost rode off the road. And I did not get their license...I was simply too stupified I suppose.

Is this high comedy for some insane drivers? Like "ahahhaha!! I almost killed that bicyclist!!!"
So I though for awhile pondering why the animosity toward cyclists?
Any theories?
Are we that annoying to some folks? Does spandex inspire homocidal thoughts?

[Nanci]

They just think we are in the way. I always try to get people's license numbers, but they are always gone so fast I can only get half.

My BF caught up with a guy, at a stop sign, who threw something at him, and pulled him out the window, and the police came and gave the motorist a ticket.

I hate how they always have to honk as loud as they can. Last Saturday, I was on a country road, middle of nowhere, coming up to rough RR tracks, and a truck was behind me and honking, so I glanced back at him, but stayed out in the road where I could negotiate the tracks safely, not pushed out to the edge if he tried to pass. After I was across, I moved way over, and then the truck passed me over in the other lane, so I waved thanks. I _think_ he started out being a d**k about it, but then realized I wasn't trying to hog the road, just negotiate an obstacle safely...

Nanci

[Running Mommy]

I think alot of it has to do with our society- and ignorance. Cycling has always seemed like a "fringe" sport here in the states, and I think certain sectors of society think we are freaks. Of course in my experience it's been the macho types that feel they need to feed their ego. I've also noticed that it depends alot on where you live. In nor cal there seemed to be alot of animosity by people that lived in the country because of having to fight the packs that ride 3-4 abreast on the weekends. I grew up in the country and I've dealt with it myself. You are going down a country road and all the sudden you come upon a club ride and they are riding like they're in the peloton at tdf- god forbid they move over to ride single file. I guess that comes w/ societies general feeling of entitlement. As if they are entitled to the entire road. Of course alot of drivers suffer from the entitlement complex as well. So I guess it's a double edged sword...
Now that I've moved to AZ it's totally different. In our area there are alot of active people, so I'm always waved through stop signs, given a wide berth etc. I've noticed when I ride up here that the only people I have trouble with are the construction workers.
I think the answer is to convert as many people to biking as possible! The more that understand our point of view the better it will be for all!
Of course as cyclists we have an obligation to follow the rules of the road as well.

[fixiegrrl]

Sometimes I think people are just plain jackasses. I've only been road riding for 6 months or so and usually ride 2 - 3 times a week. Occassionally, not very often and in certain areas, I've had similiar things happen. Mostly, it's cars driving in the lane next to the bike lane, honk (as if I'm suddenly in their way or am about to jump out into traffic) then slow down and cuss or give me the finger. I've had things tossed out the window near me and have had cat calls and multiple gestures. What a**holes! I'm not trying to be chauvenist in any way, but 99% of this has been perpetrated by males. I think when people see a female cyclist (very easy to spot because of their wee stature and riding posture), it flips a switch in their brains. I've also had people almost hit me in the bike lane because they somehow left justified that they needed to be driving in it. Mostly, I just cuss under my breath and try to refocus on riding safely. It's tempting to give them the finger but I don't trust drivers (especially upset ones) and am not looking to provoke a fight. Sometimes it makes a good ride suck, but only until I can focus on the positive feeling and the pleasure I get from being on the bike.

Keep you head up and ride safe....

[Trek420]

Personally I think it's a whole lotta things, and not necessarily in this order:

1) ignorance, drivers just don't know that bikes are traffic. Like the driver of the huge SUV who pulls along side of me on an overpass (my only option to get from point A to B) and yells in my ear "you're not supposed to be on the road".

2) they have been ticked off by cyclists who do not ride safely and then... they see you. I say to friends who ask me for advice on cycling "please ride safely and legaly, the driver you tick off will not hit you, they'll hit ME because I'm out there more often".

3) Angry at life in general. Driver is angry, upset, they feel and maybe rightly so that their life is a wreck, they get inside tons of steel and see us. They are not thinking at that moment "hey, maybe I should get outside and enjoy G**'s green earth", they are not thinking at all.

We...are....handy...helpless and available. Please watch out for them.

4) Super commuters, folks who drive sometimes hours each day to and from work. All they want to do is get outta the car. Sometimes I see them glaring at me on my way to work. They are stuck in a car, on the way to a job they might not enjoy, and I look like I'm having fun (I am!).

I've found that I get treated better on a bike to work wearing plain jerseys, the fun ones like the Iguana jersey ("Iguana ride my bike") I get cut off etc more often.

Hey, have you thought we're not the problem, we may be your solution?

there's more but....I gotta get to work

[MomOnBike]

Also, there is a (large) subset of the population that reflexively hate what they don't understand. A lot of the problem drivers just can't/won't understand the fact that a person would want to get out on a bike on a lovely day and just cruise - or go to lunch, or commute to work, or, well, whatever we are doing right then. It makes no sense to them, so they hate, and thus we are fair game, or at least fun to scare off the road (which belongs to them, doncha know ).

I'm not sure there is an answer to this problem, but we need to be aware and ride defensively.

[RoadRaven]

Yes, I agree with Mom... It really is a social problem... as in people being completely unaware that cyclists

1... have the SAME rights as a vehicle to the road, as they are a vehicle

2... most adult cyclists drive cars and pay road taxes and accident/health levies

I think that as well as that "why the heck would you choose to do that for recreation?" element, there is probably an element of jealousy there too - how dare we take the time needed to get somewhere on a bike when they are clearly in a rush and going to be late even though they an engine - how dare we choose a healthy lifestyle and make them feel guilty about their sedentary lifestyle...

Somehow, we need to raise the profile of cyclists worldwide - cause there a heckuvalotuvus worldwide on all the continents.

[Duck on Wheels]

Yes, it's worse when drivers of large, heavy vehicles are stupid. They're more dangerous. But I don't know that they're stupid more often than cyclists or pedestrians. When passing school and college campuses at commute time I see a lot of insane behaviour on the part of cyclists and pedestrians. Some seem to feel they're immune to the laws of physics! Or maybe it's that they feel they're so flexible in traffic that they can get away with anything. It's scary to drive a car at such times, or to be a pedestrian amongst the cyclists.

I've also encountered a few cyclists who are downright nasty. Other day I was at a demo, holding a sign saying "Defend the Constitution" and a cyclist riding by gave us all the finger and shouted "Traitors!" Hmmm. How'd he figure that? Defend the constitution = treason? Oh well. Somehow we expect more of cyclists than of drivers, but maybe we shouldn't.

[Eden]

When I went home for lunch today my husband had just come in from a ride. He said he saw someone yell "get off the #$*@ road" and throw something out of a truck at another cyclist. He turned around to see if he could get the plate, but it was uphill so the driver was long gone before he could go very far. So he turned around and offered the woman his cell phone if she wanted to report it. Turned out the dumb driver had tossed his cell phone at her. Hubby said it was a nice one too - color screen and everything. Best thing is the woman (or maybe the police even if they pay any attention)
will probably be able to figure out who assulted her as long as the phone wasn't stolen. Some people are really stupid...

[CorsairMac]

I had my first angry driver experience yesterday:
Someone was parked in the bike lane with their flashers on. The road is 2-lanes with the right hand lane merging into the left hand lane and she was parked close to the merge area. I had to actually ride in the street to pass her (since she was in my lane) and since the traffic Has to merge there because the lane ends, I stopped next to her car to see if she needed any help. Just as I offered assistance someone right behind me laid on their horn. I turned and it was a big white SUV and the driver was inching past me laying on their horn the whole time. As they drew level to me the passenger rolled her window down just far enough to yell "MOVE" and then they zoomed on. Almost took out another car because they were out of lane. Guess they were so busy being angry with me it never occurred to them they should watch where They were going. Saddest part of the whole story - the car with the flashers parked in my lane?......was a woman chatting with her son.

[Dianyla]

Turned out the dumb driver had tossed his cell phone at her.

OMG, this is the best thing I've read all week! Excellent!

[triflor]

this stuff happens to runners too! the other day, while running, I pushed the button to get the cross signal at a particularly tricky intersection (note that in montreal there are pedestrian crossing signals at maybe 1 in 10 intersections at most, usually where indeed necessary.) So I get my signal and cross the road, as I'm passing the oncoming cars waiting at the light, one drivers honks, glares at me, and is mouthing, "what the ****!?!" as if his two seconds delay warrants him taking out his anger on me. I just want to get home without getting hit by a car! Alas, I could go on and on about Montreal drivers and pedestrians... no one here gets along, everyone's impatient.

[betagirl]

I had someone yell at my friend and I to "get on the sidewalk." Thing was there was no sidewalk. We were like ooook. The worst part it wasn't even the driver, it was the passenger. She also proceeded to flip us off after we waved at them. This was on a relatively rural road with very little traffic. Knock on wood, I've never had anyone throw anything at me.

I really get annoyed by the drivers who are afraid to pass you, and they create a funeral procession behind you. You try to move over as far as possible, wave them to go by, turn around to LOOk at them and wave them to go by. Nothing. No really I see you there. It's ok to pass.

[MelC]

Of course you have to be careful not to jump to conclusions as to driver's intentions too... I was cycling away to work minding my own business and sticking to the right hand side of the road when a car came right up behind me and started honking...repeatedly...after about four honks it swerved around me and I raised my left hand to give the appropriate one finger signal...whoops...it was a friend of mine from work.

Mel