Let me elaborate onmy story before I get flamed even more. Yes I know my actions were wrong and realize that and it was just one of those moment things and am completely sorry of those actions. However, I still can not understand the issue of some bicyclist choosing to use the street when there is a path set up just for them. I am taking the side of both motorists and cyclists. Where I live, a path was created SPECIFICALLY for cyclists to use due to a few accidents over the years involving cars and cyclists. I along with every other member of the board will agree, we do not want any accidents whatsoever. I can PERFECTLY UNDERSTAND a cyclist using the street when a bike path is not available to them. You all must understand, I am not telling them to use a sidewalk, but a bike path made specifically for their use. I myself have used the bike path numerous times and can say the surface of the path is better than the road. It angers me even further that since the path was created, some cycylsits still choose not to use it. Tax dollars from my city were spent to make it safer for motorists and cycylists, yet some still continue to choose not to use it. Am I being unfair??? It seems to be an accident waiting to happen. An accident that can be avoided.

 

I think many of you here do not realize that there are two (or more) kind of cyclists on the road:

A- Students or others who use bicycles to go from place A to B when the distances are not too much, like in a college town, etc.

B- Cyclists who are into "cycling" (the sport). They travel at much higher speed and their bikes are much more stiff with very delicate/thin racing/practice tires. For them, the bike tracks don't cut it - imagine driving at 80MPH thru trafic that's going at 40MPH. Not every bike track is smooth enough, anyways. So, these folks take a chance and join the cars on the road instead. Also, they have their shoes clamped on to the pedals which might be why they run stop signs or red lights, these clips are easy to get out of but difficult to get into. Still, this does not justify what they do just like it does not justify RoBD305's actions.

IMO, it's just one of the many anoyances on the road, since they are not doing anything illegal you gotta deal with it.

Peace!

 

No self respecting cyclist would be caught dead on a bike path. I've been a competitive cyclist for about 24 years now and usually have to put in 25-50 miles a day to get a decent workout. Bike paths are for children and casual bicyclists. I pay taxes and have as much right to a piece of the road as you do. P.S. I carry my Glock in an ankle holster on my right leg.

 

<<Hey, if they take up the street, then you take up their bike lane!!! >>

How many times have you checked to see that you do take up a cyclist's lane when you wait to turn right at a red light or when you park in the bike lane and force them to go on to the right lane?

 

<<Maybe someone in the pro-cyclist crowd can explain to me why 99 out of 100 cyclists I've seen on the road have utter disregard for traffic laws - running red lights & not stopping for stop signs?>>

did you actually do a real statistical count or are you generalizing?

In the same vein, I'd like to ask

"how come 99/100 SUV drivers are jerk?"
"how come 99/100 lawyers are greedy?"
"how come 99/100 mustang drivers are redneck?"
"how come 99/100..."

Now I have the right to hate all lawyers and SUV drivers and laugh at mustang drivers? I believe stereotyping people based on their (fill in the blank here) is just very 19th century.

 

i find it funny how car drivers will jump up and down about how a cyclist slows them down and makes for unsafe passing. if that biker was just a slow car, then would people complain? would they try to push that slow car off the road like they would the biker?

i don't know why the biker was riding on the far side of the road, maybe he was about to make a left turn. I know a lot of bikers will ride in the middle or two abreast--this has one particular effect, it forces people to pass in the left lane (or cross the white line). People will obviously pay more attention if they have to face oncoming traffic to pass. Too many times have people passed me too closely.

It also does not help to honk!! Unless you're driving a hydrogen car, most cyclists can hear you. It is not the cyclists' responsibilty to move over for the driver to pass, it is the driver's to find a safe place to pass.


i think all the drivers that complain about cyclists have never cycled regularly. I rode my bike 22 miles daily (to work) for about 2 years. If you experienced how little respect and crap cyclists have to deal with, you wouldn't complain so much about being held up a few minutes by a guy on a bicycle.

Really, how much of a PITA did that cyclist cause you?

 

<< It angers me even further that since the path was created, some cyclists still choose not to use it. Tax dollars from my city were spent to make it safer for motorists and cycylists, yet some still continue to choose not to use it. Am I being unfair??? It seems to be an accident waiting to happen. An accident that can be avoided.>>

There is no law AGAINST cyclist riding on the street but you still hate them. So you illegally threaten their life with a car (deadly weapon).

Even though the law allows smoking, I hate all smokers. My tax dollar will be used to treat the consequence of their stupid actions. Now every time I see a smoker I'm just going to shoot a gun in their general direction to "teach them a lesson".

 

<<This is a tough debate. Bicyclists irritate me too and aggravate me with their cocky attitude...I hate bikers for another reason... >>

Anyone from a particular group with a cocky attitude will also irritate me and I'll try to generalize that particular group so I can hate all of them. It's so much easier than actually judge people on an individual basis.

Let's see...I hate young people (cocky attitude), old people (cocky attitude), males (cocky attitude), females (cocky attitude), Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians....

 

I'm not as optimistic as John Lennon, "all you need is" more than just "love" but it seems that trying to understand another person and not judging all cyclists based on an action of a few is a a pretty good start.

I'm all for hating cyclists if you've never broken a law or inconvenience anyone...but as a great man once said "let him who has no sin cast the first stone".

 

Ok this is for everyone. Legally bicycles are considered vehicles, therefore we are technically required to ride in the street. We can actually be cited for riding on the sidewalk as it presents a danger to actual pedestrians. Check it out. Bicyclists are subject to the same rules of the road as a car. So next time you see a bike rider, instead of trying to run him off the road or be an @$$ and honk at him realize this, Bikes aren't the most stable things so you get a little close and the biker may have to ride around some pot hole and all of a sudden a person is flying through the air and you'll find yourself in court with a manslaughter suit against you. There are more stupid drivers than bicyclists. Stop b!tching.