Mixed feelings about today's club ride

[thekarens]

FWIW I told the board members about the stuff I saw. NWCC is big on safety as a club and it's one of the things we're known for. I don't know what, if anything, can be done.

Erin, after I got to that spot I was thinking to myself that there's no way I would want to stop there and wished I had told you not to stop if it was inconvenient, so I totally understand. I did hear you call out and then I wondered to myself....who is that? I assumed it was someone from the club.

I'm glad you made your century. I was really impressed!

[smilingcat]

Years ago, some of the rides I've been on have had warnings that highway patrol will be cruising the route to cite anyone who were not obeying the law. Car drivers and cyclist were fair game to them. And yes I saw bunch of guys getting a ticket for running a stop sign. Those tickets went on their DL and it doesn't differentiate whether it was a car or a bicycle. Ticket was expensive I'm sure and increased insurance rate too.

You could ask local law enforcement to protect the cyclists and car drivers and to cite anyone breaking the law. That will put a damper on the yahoos!! Organization needs to put the warning onto the registration that police will be out to enforce the law and that they can be ticketed.

[ny biker]

There have been one or two centuries in this area where the local police have ticketed cyclists for running stop signs or red lights. Afterwards emails fly around the local cycling listservs with people complaining about it. If you strip away the whining, the emails always essentially boil down to, "I broke the law on purpose and got caught and I don't think that's fair, oh poor me." I have no sympathy for these people.

I will say there are also rides in this area where we do not have these problems.

Then there was the charity ride last April where I was riding on a narrow low-traffic road when a state trooper drove up behind me and told me to move to the shoulder. So I asked him what I was supposed to do when there was no shoulder, as was the case with this road. We had a long talk in which I thanked him for his concern for our safety and then reminded him that Maryland law specifies that when the lane is substandard width (not wide enough for a motorist to pass a cyclist with the legally required three feet of clearance) then the cyclist is not required to ride as far to the right as practicable. Good times.

[jsjcat]

Sometimes I don't understand the attitudes that some cyclists have. Why do they feel that if they are in a large pack that they can violate laws of the road and of common sense. Maybe they misinterpreted the OP and thought she was controlling traffic. I don't know but not a good idea if you're a civilian anyway. I'm a Highway Maintenance Manager and don't let any of my people out on the road without wearing at least class 2 reflective protective vests for maximum visibility. Motorists still run into us. Cyclists like to wear colors which blend in with the surroundings especially in shady, canopied spots. I guess they want to be cool looking. I prefer screaming yellow when I ride in traffic. Everyone please obey traffic laws. You'll live longer.

[jsjcat]

I know you were doing a good job. There are just so many different personalities and egos in this sport. My wife and I have met some very nice people and we have met some a$$#@&s. We have not gone on a bike ride yet where we haven't encountered a jackass(es). Either riding or in a vehicle. We even had a car with two young men come all of the way across the center line into oncoming traffic to try to run us off the road. At first we thought that maybe they were texting or something by the way they just drifted across the centerline right at us but the hand gestures and yelling they gave indicated otherwise. Now the bike riders are all different types. All I can say is stay alert to stay alive.