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OK, so yesterday and today I rode through the same exact speed monitor next to a school zone, at the same exact time. This is a 35mph zone when school's not either starting or ending. Yesterday, I get clocked going 31mph, today, 28mph. Yesterday, I think almost every single motorist who passed me through there honked at me and yelled at me to get off the road... I was going faster than your typical Sunday driver for freaks sake! Today, only ONE car honked at me and yelled to get off the road, and this was a coupla miles back before the speed monitor.
Seriously, when I go faster than a typical Sunday driver, you're gunna get all huffy at me, and when I go slower than a typical Sunday driver, you're gunna be all hunky dorey about it?
On my ride, I also go through this series of two red lights immediately following the other, and, no matter what, you will ALWAYS get stopped at the second one, and if you get stopped at the first one as well, oh well. This is true no matter how fast you go, because of the way the lights are timed, you simply cannot make it. Anyone who goes that route very often KNOWS that there's no point in accelerating when the first light turns green, yet every single time I go through there, at least one motorist decides it'll be fun to go into the right turn lane, accelerate crazily, swerve over in front of me into the left turn lane, and then squeal their brakes when they suddenly realize it's all for naught.
Finally, why do some motorists insist on taking turns at less than 1mph, and then accelerate so fast that they squeal their tires once the turn is over? For another motorist who might happen to be behind them, I suppose it won't be as much of a bother, kind of annoying, but it's not like they have to expend any extra effort to stay upright going that slow, and then even more extra effort to get moving since they weren't allowed to begin acceleration early enough.
It simply never ceases to amaze me how stupid motorists are.
BTW... I wonder if there's any way I can get a cop in trouble for using their siren and lights for the sole purpose of irritating a bicyclist? I mean, seriously, the other day on my ride, I had a cop come up behind me, follow me for a coupla minutes, turn his lights and siren on, and when I pull over and stop, he turns them off and drives away. Leaving me with a bike in topmost gear to try to get moving again on a busy road.
Comments
Check out the Goofy take...
Really, Disney had a Goofy short back in 1950, called "Motor Mania," that pretty much diagnosed road rage years before it even became an expression. Check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZAZ_xu0DCg
I have to agree that many, many people behave oddly behind the wheels. I really don't understand it. I was musing about this a few days ago -- my siblings and I very rarely get so much as a parking ticket. Yet I see people getting full decks of speeding tickets, reckless driving fines and such.
I think it has something to do with how we look at a car. Many people look at it as a status symbol; we (my family and I) tend to look at it in strictly utilitarian terms. We tend to drive practical cars and keep them for years; we don't care much about cool looks or fashion trends. My father still keeps this old giant station wagon (well, it would be called an SUV nowadays, I think) he bought in the seventies.
As for bicycles on the road... I admit I dislike being behind a bicycle (or a motorcycle, for that matter) -- not because of "pride" issues, but, well, because of liability. I worry about accidentally running over a cyclist if he hits a pothole or something.
I used to ride to college when I was young, but cold rain and a few close shaves in heavy traffic eventually drove me to a car. I tried a motorcycle a few years later, but again, heavy traffic scared me off. Nowadays I only ride for leisure -- although I'm considering buying one of those foldable bikes, now that the subway got close enough to my home.
Scared of hitting me...
I dunno, I ride this same route every day, at the same time, at least the MAJORITY of the motorists are probably ALSO all going the same route at the same time, since it's, you know, after work rush hour. You'd think they'd have figured out by now that I'm a very very experienced rider.
When I was at Uni, I'd frequently jump about a 10 foot flight of stairs from an upper sidewalk straight into the busy parking lot, maintaining perfect control and balance. I also watch the road around me, listen to the road around me, smell the road around me, taste the road around me, and feel the road around me at all times, like a giant sensory net. Trust me, a pothole is never going to surprise me, nor any combination of dumb motorist + pothole or whatever have you. Some bicyclists really can and do maintain perfect control at all times.
If you're a careful driver, you're my bestest friend on the whole road, but I'm still gunna keep every bit of my sensory net on you if you're within its boundary.
No ones ever accused me of sanity, but they've only accused me of stupidity, laxness towards personal security, or suicidal tendencies in jest or stupidity of their own, choosing to label me before knowing me. Yeah, I tend to be a little aggressive on my bike, but I know my abilities, their limits, and never push too far. If I wasn't at least slightly aggressive, I'd've been pushed off the road ages ago.
Abigail Drew.
rofl.
Man... spot on, that cartoon, spot on.
Legally speaking, bicyclists follow pretty much all the same laws that motorists do, therefore, by legal definition, we are the same. Somehow we seem to be immune to the "Mr. Wheeler" within us though. Oh, I'll get angry and all if a motorist does something really really nasty, but generally, I just do what I need to in order to stay safe and get where I need to.
Abigail Drew.
Get off the road you health nut
Every morning I go into a community at 4 AM. There are always two people out cycling, bunch of fruitcakes. They know who I am, they know I am the paper delivery dude with the long hair, dangly earrings, smart evening gown and a beard. Yet even knowing this they drive in the middle of the road when there is perfect room on the left and to the right, plus completely empty sidewalks. I don't know why they always get mad when I zip past them at 30 miles per hour, maybe it's because I clip them with my side mirrors and if I miss I peg them with a paper.
That said, I pay good money on gas so I can go faster than you, get out of the way.
K.T. Leone
My fiction feels more real than reality
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
Case in point.
Bicyclists are not legally allowed on public sidewalks. We have the same legal definition as a car. Cars don't drive on sidewalks, neither do bicycles.
Private sidewalks it depends on the particular rules of the entity that owns the property. Most schools permit it, but require you to ride no faster than the absolute dead slowest walker... at which point, there's no point in riding when you can speed walk and weave through the idjits that way. When I was at Uni I made a sport out of detection and evasion of Uni security, cuz I really really like my bike and always rode it to classes and back. Most rental housing also permits it, and are generally lax about how you ride on them unless you hurt any pedestrians, then they're on you like crazy.
As for your friends on your paper route, would it really hurt you to be a little more careful? Like it or not, they ARE following the laws, even a single bicycle has every right to take up a full lane of traffic if the road is too narrow for two full lanes of traffic and a bicycle to all fit at once. When two cyclists are riding together, they are permitted to ride abreast and take up a full lane of traffic. This is true for motorcycles as well, btw. Or a combination of motorcyclist and bicyclist, I've had a few motorcyclists hang with me on my ride for some reason I can't quite figure.
Oh, and I am most definitely not a health nut! My bike is my major mode of transportation, and when motorists are being dumb and cause a standstill, I can just weave around you lot and ignore the fuss. ;P
I don't even own a car and don't particularly feel a need to. When a car would get me home from work in about 25 minutes, and a bike in about 35... Why spend the money on gas? I'm a penny-pincher, not a health nut. I'm also not your typical slow-arse bicyclist, doing 10 miles in 35 minutes with all the stop and go traffic on my commute is no joke, and my current PB for the ride home is 30 minutes. Definitely not going slow here buddy.
Abigail Drew.
you missed the humor
I was trying to be funny. If a biker isn't a moron themselves, I have no problem. But some are just completely stupid and should be forced to carry their bikes for days on end. If you are going to go 5 miles an hour and enjoy the scenery, I don't want you in front of me, there is a minimum speed on roads as well. If you are going to dart across three lanes of traffic because you think you can, don't get pissed off at me if you almost get hit. Also, if there is a puddle and I wet you, it wasn't on purpose, you need to be aware.
K.T. Leone
My fiction feels more real than reality
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
oh... sorry...
You're right, I missed it completely.
Jeesh... 5 miles an hour, I think I'd kill myself before putting myself through that kind of pace.
As for darting across 3 lanes of traffic... don't think I've ever judged it safe to do so, but if ever I judged it safe, you can bet I'll gun it. I have done 2 lanes into the center turn lane, then merged into traffic when I got my gears back up.
And puddles don't bother me. I've ridden in hailstorms and on fresh snow. I'm much more concerned about my safety, not causing an accident myself, and getting to my destination than silly things like staying clean. They invented the shower for a reason.
Abigail Drew.
Dangerous drivers
when are people going to take notice that driving cars or other motor vehicles are potential lethal weapons? Most cyclist vehicle collisions are the fault of the driver and too often the cyclist is badly injured or killed.
Within the last day or two a British paralympic double gold medallist was hit off his bike and bady injured by a hit and run motorist, who police think they've found (yeah a white van) and the only reason the athlete is a paralympian is because someone hit him off his bike ten years ago and smashed his leg.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14561147
Angharad
Angharad
Oi!
I think Bev and I would like to take issue with you on White Van Men!
A significant number of us are (or were) courteous and considerate professional drivers who depended on our vehicles to make a living. We're not going to jeopardise that by getting into arguments with cyclists if we can help it.
Whenever I used to overtake a cyclist on a single-lane road I tried to get as far over as I could consistent with being safe. Only passing horses would make me go further over.
Of course, this is partly because I used to cycle extensively in an earlier life and I've seen the problem from both sides. Couriering around London has shown me that a significant number of those on bicycles (and a lot of those on motor cycles!) probably have trouble tying shoe laces. I wonder why velcro closures suddenly got more popular?
Couriering also let me see terrible White Van behaviour on various roads, usually builders or travellers. I kept as far away from those as I did from cyclists, but they were in the minority.
Penny
am I ever thankful for my sixth sense
There've been times that I've almost been hit like that when I've felt prompted to just get off the road with no apparent rhyme or reason the "normal" senses in my sensory net can detect. I of course obey the prompting, and not moments later a vehicle comes screaming down the road so fast my normal net would've had no chance of reacting in time.
I know, I know, many folks around here feel very uncomfortable about religion, so think of that sixth sense what you will. For me, however, I know it's God protecting me.
Abigail Drew.
Oy!!
A Nice ride around Manchester to finish off the Sparkle weekend.
Yeah! I drive a white van and I also cycle extensively so jus' you watch it. (The piccie says it all! That's my van as well.)
Like most cyclists in South Wales I have met Simon and he's a great guy. This accident is a terrible thing and I know the junction well. I travell that way about twice a month when I'm out riding myself. It's a dangerous place and I've nearly come to grief myself on it. That does not excuse the motorist who hit him and then ran. Fortunately somebody got his mumber. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes cos Simon was well liked and loved by all.
Now Angie please don't lump all white van drivers together. I ride my bike and drive my van with what I hope is full care and due attention though I will have to admit to the occasional lapses of attention, (haven't we all?)
If you see CP 55 OHU on the road, the driver will give you a wide berth, wait behind you if necessary and sometimes even loiter considerately with intent behind you just to protect your back from known dangers at particular junctions. If you see the Ferraro Rosher choccies and Guardian on the dash, you'll know the driver is probably in a particularly good mood. If Andre my laborour is with me you'll see a Yorkie bar and 'The Daily Sport' on the passenger dash. LOL!! And we do teeze each other about it. However at traffic lights or junctions I beseech you, please take care and please! PLEASE!!don't try to squeeze by on my left hand side between me and the sidewalk. Even with my fancy mirrors and CAMERA!!! I can still fail to notice you.
By and large though, sadly I have to agree with the author. Motorists can be a real pain and a serious danger to cyclists. All we can do is keep being alert and cautious.
Happy cycling.
White van man/woman.
Bev.
Road Idiots
Hi Slice,
I always thought my bicycle SHOULD have had a dedicated holster for an Uzi.(AND have the Uzi always available while cycling.)
A few years ago I had a job, for a few months, where I cycled to work every day on a main thoroughfare. My average speed at the time was about 30 KPH. (~20 MPH)(Not too bad for a mountain bike but not nearly what you are doing.) I would go quite early because then I would have a chance to cool down before starting work AND at that time there were VERY few other vehicles on the road. Several mornings this IDIOT in a pick-up would harrass me for getting in his way on a six lane divided roadway with fewer than ten other vehicles IN MY WHOLE FIELD OF VISION. One time he actually drove off the road ahead of me, parked his truck, got out and wanted to engage me in a donnybrook right there on the road, because I had the audacity to take up one lane out of three. I suppose changing lanes to get by me was TOO hard for his truck. I had to laugh, he had enough time to waste trying to engage me in a fight, but, was in such a big hurry he coudn't change lanes to pass me?
with love and co-miseration,
Hope
with love,
Hope
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
OMG!
LOL! Jeesh. If someone tried to go a row at me while I'm on my bike they might just find themselves on their back in the middle of the road whilst I keep riding like nothing happened.
Seriously... Bike = much much faster than foot. Not to mention much meaner. ;P And on a bike, whilst we have more speed and power than someone on foot, our maneuverability isn't nearly as severely handicapped as a motorists is. Getting out of your car to have a row at a cyclist... Definitely a moron.
Abigail Drew.
BTW...
BTW... they took the speed monitor down for some reason today, so I dunno what I was doing through that same spot today. I also did a half hour of overtime, so I left a half hour later. This time, the motorists weren't honking and yelling, but nor were they being friendly, they were actively trying to push me into the curb. I mean it. ACTIVELY trying to push me into the curb.
Abigail Drew.
Jeeze Slice! ...
A Nice ride around Manchester to finish off the Sparkle weekend.
What sort of country d'you live in. I cycle at least three times a week up the Afan Valley road and most motorists treat us cyclists with the utmost courtesy. In fact, because the road is quite twisty and windy, they invariable slow down and wait behind us. I'm certainly no speed merchant (best speed being 15 to 20 mph,) but most of the time they still slowdown and wait until it's safe to pass. Maybe it's because we are right next door to the Welsh National Mountainbike Centre and the locals know that cyclists bring lots of tourist business to our very depressed area.
I must confess though that the A48 where Simon was injured, is a very different road. Many motorists are total idiots on that road.
I was down the PT Wheelers Club this evening and the scuttlebut concerning the van driver who injured him is not very reassuring. Nothing was confirmed but it appears he might already be a banned driver and there were rumours of other issues as well but I hasten to add these are not confirmed and I'll not mention them here because of libel laws.
Bev.
Welcome to Northwest Ohio, United States of America.
Well, anywhere within the tri-state region surrounding Detroit, Michigan, really. I honestly wasn't exaggerating in Open Your Heart when Drew's thoughts stated that around here, any cyclist that doesn't put out a very thorough sensory net, ends up dead. Or worse. I've known riders who use just as complete a sensory net as my character and I do, and they still wind up hit by motorists.
And to be honest, bikes are actually safer. While motorists are evil and stupid, they're just as evil and stupid towards each other as they are to me... and I can maneuver out of the way more quickly and easily. Not to mention that I actually HAVE use of my full senses, while people cozy inside their cars have to rely mostly on mirrors, especially with how loud some of them play their music. At best, some of them have hearing as well, but not many.
I think this region has one of the highest motor accident rates in the country.
Abigail Drew.
speaking of motor accident rates...
The other day, I hadn't mentioned this one yet, but while I was on my ride, a car decided to hang a left onto a busy 4 lane highway across the two lanes going eastbound, and directly through the median and into the center lane going westbound. This isn't necessarily in and of itself too stupid, but c'mon, this was rush hour.
This idiot performed this deed when myself and another car were on the two eastbound lanes pacing each other going probably about 35mph, and there was only about 2 car lengths from where we were to the street he came out of when he did it. Through some clever maneuvering between the other eastbound car and myself, we all made it through unscathed... But yeah... This is the sort of thing that's common around here.
Basically, the car and I sent an unspoken message between us, and I veered so I was just barely staying off the curb, and he screeched his brakes and veered into the lane I had been occupying, narrowly allowing the idiot to make it out without collision.
Whatever else, had the driver of the other eastbound car not been able to pull it off, I still would have made it through, but then I'd've had to stop shortly afterwards to serve as witness.
Abigail Drew.
As a RETIRED street racer...
I think I've got a bit more of a right to say that people are stupid in cars. I freely admit that I was, but even durring my rading days, I tried to be as safe as possible. As far as I was concerned, if I hit you while racing, then it was your fault for being out on your bike at 2 A.M. on a "one-and-a-half-lane" road with no shoulder or sidewalk with a creek on both sides and no guard rails, go home and go to bed! (lol, I joke, I promice. I've never hit anyone or anything while racing.) But, on that same note, I tend to drive a bit more defensivly durring the day and even more so around cyclists due to the fact that I know they don't have as much protection as a car does. Bikes don't come with airbags and seatbelts. If you're in a suburban or an urban area, I don't take issue with cyclists on the roads. I do tend to take more of an issue with cyclists on roads that are dangerous no matter what you are operating.
There is no knowledge that is not power.
Peace be with you and Blessed be
around here...
It's the suburban and urban roads that are more dangerous. Alexis Road, the aforementioned 4 lane highway, has on average at least one accident every single day. And many many more near misses like the one I mentioned.
The more sane bicyclists in the area tend not to ride for transportation and take their exercise/training rides out on the country roads outside of town, and drive their bikes on racks out there. But I'm not exactly sane ;P
Abigail Drew.
002) Silly Motorists.
Try using your cellphone to capture the plod doing it, or possibly have or find a sympathetic motorist/cyclist who caught it on film. What if it happens at a place where the traffic is monitored? Many businesses video their parking lots.
May Your Light Forever Shine