One Reason Cyclists Are Disliked

[alpinerabbit]

Last year I went for a test ride with a couple tri buddies. They can't ride in even a loose paceline (not that I can ride a tight one). Squirreling left and right (specially in aero), into traffic, no signalling, unpredictable moves, and they missed pointing a piece of wood on the road, in fact they just rode a hair's width next to it and I ended up riding almost over it - I nearly wiped out and was soooo pished off. I won't ride behind them anymore. Ever.

[kenyonchris]

I'm a bike cop...and I bike off duty. On duty, I ride 12 hour shifts. I have given cyclists tickets for running stop signs (primarily). The law (for Texas anyhow) says that a bike is a vehicle, and as such subject to the laws of the road, just as one in a car would be. I have worked plenty of car v. bike accidents, seldom are they pretty.

I was driving one day (off duty but as I was coming from the range I was wearing plain clothes but had my weapon holstered and my badge on my jeans waistband} when I passed a guy on a bike. He was in the middle of the road, cruising around a set of curves. I waited until I could see around him, then passed him, giving him plenty of room....but he WAS riding to the center of the two lane road, I guess because it was more level there. I stopped at the light about 1/8 mile up and was startled when he pounded on my window. As I was armed and curious , I rolled my window down to see what he wanted (a little conversation? after all, the bike rack, specialized sticker, etc. should clue him in that I am a cyclist) only to have him start yelling at me about passing him at all. I gave him the blank cop stare until he was done (the light had cycled through...no one there but us so we didn't block traffic), calmly pulled my badge off my waistband and showed it to him (which also exposed my weapon) and explained to him exactly the rules of the road involving bicycles. He shut up at that point.

People are rude when they operate a vehicle...bike or otherwise. I theorize that it the anonymity of dealing with people you will probably never see again. The bike generally loses road rage cases...

As to iPods. Just like radios in a car, they are a distraction. On duty, I bike, of course, with my radio. The earpiece lets me hear as opposed to tilting my head to listen to the handset so if dispatch is looking for me to respond to a call I can hear. Off duty I have to admit to cycling with the ipod. I listen one-ear style and keep it low. I am aware that I have to be aware. Anything can be used unsafely...ipods are one of many distractions.