One Reason Cyclists Are Disliked

[ilima]

There's also that whole having to ride really fast to catch up with boneheaded riders so you can rip them a new one. Or politely tell them the rules of the road.....

Naw, just pull the old 'drop them from behind' move.

I've learned which groups play fast and loose with safety, laws and plain old common sense. And I don't ride with them.

[Mr. Bloom]

You did well to model good behavior to her. Some folks know the rules,nut don't follow them until someone they respect calls attention to it

[tctrek]

We did a ride yesterday where several in front of us refused to give up the road to any cars trying to get by. They would not form a paceline and had a line of cars backed up for a quarter of a mile.

I think Share the Road goes for both the cars and the bicycles. No wonder the drivers of the car get angry .

[Crankin]

I so agree. I pretty much have stopped going on group rides, except for the ones I lead, or with leaders I know. Otherwise, I ride alone, with my dh, or just a few friends. I always say something when I observe bad cyclist behavior! It probably just makes me feel better, but, hey.

[ny biker]

It's not just group rides. I have a favorite training route that is good for long rides by myself, and is popular with many cyclists. I used to think that popularity was a good thing, because if I had a mechical problem there were lots of other folks around who might be able to help. But last year I was so angry at all the idiots around me who were blowing through stop signs and stoplights, that I've decided to find a different training route with fewer cyclists.

I try to tell myself that I shouldn't waste anger on other people, but the fact is that they do affect me because they're the reason so many drivers hate cyclists.

I'm especially appalled at the number of cyclists who don't even look for oncoming traffic at intersections.

I've also quit a local cycling forum because there were too many members who thought that they were too good to stop at stop signs and who felt that it was perfectly okay to be rude to the other users of the road just because those other people were driving cars and trucks.

If I'm on a group ride with people running stop signs and red lights, I just say, it's not worth dying over, and I stop. I don't care if I fall behind.

[Thorn]

If I'm on a group ride with people running stop signs and red lights, I just say, it's not worth dying over, and I stop. I don't care if I fall behind.

Yep.

We have a popular starting point that is in the suburbs. It is conveniently located with a nice park and an easy route out into the country side. Right outside of the park you need to cross a highway. There is a stoplight. The stoplight has a pedestrian "press here to trigger the light" *facing* the road, just for cyclists. I've been on group rides where no one paused to press the button--they just ran the light. DH and I stopped and nearly caused a pile up--the light was red, guys. We signaled we were stopping. What more information do you need?

[Pink Diva]

Man, that's just pain scary! I've only ridden on group rides where there was a 'no-drop' policy, but even then every single stop sign and red light was obeyed and every single car coming from in front of the group or behind was announced so we could fall into single file...man, I thought that was just the way you were supposed to ride in a group!

I say if you can't obey the rules and be nice to your fellow cyclists, then you should just stay away from the 'group'! Here's to living in a city where there are more stop signs then cars !

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We did a ride yesterday where several in front of us refused to give up the road to any cars trying to get by. They would not form a paceline and had a line of cars backed up for a quarter of a mile.

I think Share the Road goes for both the cars and the bicycles. No wonder the drivers of the car get angry .

Oh man, that is awful! No reason for that besides ego and selfishness. Consideration should go both ways.

[fidlfreek]

Ok. Everyone has made good points here but I am going to play devil's advocate.

I think you must treat a stop sign differently as a cyclist. In a car it is ALWAYS safer to stop. On a bike however I believe that your safety is always #1 and that means that you must analyze the situation and carefully consider whether or not to stop. If I am at a place where cross traffic doesn't stop I am more likely to slow and analyze the situation. If there is ample room I will roll right through. Otherwise I'm stuck starting, clipping in, with a small chance of having a catastrophically slower than usual crossing. I am causing LESS risk to myself and other drivers by being in full control and slowing and analyzing and then possibly going through. This IMHO is defensive driving which is what excellent cyclists must do.

[smilingcat]

I watched:

1. redondo beach police issue tickets to four guys who ran a stop sign.
2. Palos Verdes Police issue tickets to two guys who ran a stop sign.
3. Palos Verdes Police warning a guy for running a stop sign.
4. Torrance Police lay in wait for cylists to run a stop sign.

Here in California, it goes on your drivers license and I think the fine is around $180.00 I've got better things to spend my money.

I've also been thanked by police for coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. That 2 seconds I "waste" by stopping at a stop sign is far better than becoming a bug splat on the road.

Is it really worth taking a risk to save 2 seconds??

I have yet to ride with a squad who abide by the law.

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to Aint Doody,

You were in the lead and called out "stopping". Your friend following is totally in the wrong by calling out "going" ("rolling"). It doesn't matter if there was a stop sign or not. If a lead calls out "stopping", there probably is a very good reason for stopping.

[salsabike]

The safest possible thing an excellent cyclist can do is to be predictable to everyone else on the road. That means: stop at the stop signs.

[OakLeaf]

I think you must treat a stop sign differently as a cyclist. In a car it is ALWAYS safer to stop. On a bike however I believe that your safety is always #1 and that means that you must analyze the situation and carefully consider whether or not to stop. If I am at a place where cross traffic doesn't stop I am more likely to slow and analyze the situation. If there is ample room I will roll right through. Otherwise I'm stuck starting, clipping in, with a small chance of having a catastrophically slower than usual crossing. I am causing LESS risk to myself and other drivers by being in full control and slowing and analyzing and then possibly going through. This IMHO is defensive driving which is what excellent cyclists must do.

+1. I always make sure that (1) I'm ABLE to put my foot down quickly when cross traffic has the ROW, and (2) I'm proceeding slowly enough and with enough visibility that I'll know WHEN and IF I may need to come to a complete standing stop.

But I agree 100% that a complete standing stop is not always the safest thing for a two-wheeled vehicle (motorized or non), even though it may be the legally required thing. Every intersection and every set of traffic conditions has to be analyzed individually; blindly stopping at every stop sign is not automatically safer, any more than blindly blowing every stop sign. IMHO.

[MyLitespeed]

Even when I ride by myself, if I see a motorist approaching a stop sign, I make sure that they see me stop, even if no one else is around. I want to make a positive impression on cars and not have them think that all cyclists don't obey the rules.

If there are no cars around, I will usually slow WAY down and then proceed through the intersection (only stop signs). I always stop at stop lights.

I have one friend I ride with who can be VERY unsafe when it comes to riding. I just don't want to be around when she eventually does get hurt. She doesn't like to be told what to do, so I just keep my mouth shut. Some people have to learn the hard way.

If there is a rider in front of me, signaling or telling me they are going to stop, I STOP. I figure they can see what's in front and have a darn good reason for stopping. I get to many close calls without disobeying the rules.

[Mr. Bloom]

Fidlfreek+1

I can think of several scenarios where a rolling stop is best... But, there are many more where a hard stop is a requirement.

My frustration comes at a four way stop, where I've stopped and the car waves me through. I expect to follow the rules and this totally breaks my rhythm

[Crankin]

OK. Mr. S. I agree with your assessment of the 4 way stop... the same thing happens here with cars! No one seems to understand the person who arrives first goes first. It worked like clockwork in AZ, but I guess drivers in MA are so indecisive, they can't handle it. We actually have cars stop dead in the middle of main streets to let approaching cars from the side street turn onto the main street. They don't get you never just stop dead in the middle of the road that has the right of way.
I do come to rolling stops on country roads with few cars. I always unclip and could stop fully. Mostly I do. I ride a lot around areas with tourists (downtown Concord), kids, etc. I get in the lane and act as predictable as I can.
TC Trek, my husband has run into a similar situation as you describe. Every Friday there is a group of riders who assemble to ride at about 6:15 AM, in the lot by Walden Pond. They are obviously serious racers who are training. If my husband is driving, he has to blow his horn every time, as they absolutely will not get into a single file line to let a car pass. They give him the finger, etc. Now, this is on a narrow, heavily travelled road that is in terrible condition (pot holes). If it is a day my husband is riding, he usually goes by their route a bit after they have come through. He notices a distinct change in the behaviors of the drivers because they are pissed at group, see another cyclist and take it out on him.
This is all so upsetting. Police here are beginning to ticket, also. Last Wednesday, my dh got in an argument with a guy on our ride who was bragging about being ticketed in the neighboring town. He felt he should NEVER have to yield to cars, just because he has the right to be on the road. When I asked him about common courtesy, he sneered.