Bicyclists and the pack mentality. - Page 2

There's plenty of blame on both sides. I never rode the streets, but stuck to shoulders and bike paths. I gave up my bicycle 20 years ago because a driver crossed onto the shoulder to try and force me into the ditch. Wasn't worth my health and life. It's a roadgame to knock down cyclists.

It is also annoying when cyclists don't follow the laws or can't keep up with traffic.

 

My brother got a speeding ticket on his 10 speed. Doing 50mph in a 35mph.

 

Imp- I tend to agree that anytime a cyclist or pedestrian enters the roadway, it's risking life and limb. Read somewhere that the life expectancy of walking along highways and freeways is 20 min.

It's the same o er here, running stop lights. Going through traffic lights on red, riding with no lights in the dark and in foggy weather. Going from the road to riding the pavement with no wrning even running pedestrians down. If cyclists want to be on the road oban the rules or get prosecuted like everyone else.

Very few roads in the US were built for "vehicle traffic".... The interstate system is built that way an horses, bikes an pedestrians are not aloud on it. Most other roads were built with horses, bikes an pedestrians also in mind.

 

Sharing is only an issue when someone fails to follow the rules. Both sides are guilty.

I live in the boonies so no "Bicycle gangs" here. lol  The only bikes I see on the road we live on are local kids and an occasional long distance rider. You can always tell them by their bright clothes and fancy helmets. We have a 25 mile per hour speed limit, and most stay close to that or even a bit under. I see a few bicyclist in town when I go, but never had a problem with any.

 

With that being said, I don't tolerate rude or crazy drivers on my road. I say my road, because I live on it. 

 

Most of the drivers, be it cars, trucks, bikes, horses, semi trucks, log trucks, buggies or whatever or very nice and tend to follow the rules of the road and there are no problems with them. The bicycles usually stay right on the edge of the pavement, (no bicycle lanes out here in the country). I have no problem with people sharing the EDGE of the road with me. I figure they are getting some exercise and saving gas. I might ride a bike myself sometimes if I was able to.

 

Every now and then we get someone, usually some idiot kid, that wants to drive 60 miles an hour through here, jump the railroad tracks, throw out beer bottles, have the dog gone radio thumping so loud it shakes the house and just generally being a pain in the hinney. Only one problem with that. If they live anywhere local, sooner or later they are going to get stopped by a train and as we live right at the train crossing and side track.....  And I take note of the idiot drivers.

 

 

Once I see one of them stopped waiting on the train I just stroll out and peck on their window and we have a nice conversation about speed limits, the fact that my kids play in the yard right near the road and how nice it would be if they could slow down a bit and use a little common sense and common decency. 90% of the time that's all it takes. The other 10%....

 

Well, I'm 6'5" tall, weigh about 280 and tend to have a short fuse. 

 

MFB lives on a nice quiet road.

We get a lot of "Bicycle gangs" cause we are in the boonies. We host several races here every year an see packs training all the time. The mountains attract that kind of stuff...

We've come across annoying bicyclists who don't move. And what I mean by that is there will be two of them and one is in the lane, one is in the road, and that person in the road should know that a car is behind but they decide not to move. We always pass them but still... Get out of the road!

You may want to look up the League of American Wheelmen. The first sealed roads in America were as a direct result of the efforts of LAW and others to have roads built that were safer for bicycling. The Florida DOT has an excellent write up on the history of roads. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/highwayhistory/road/s05.cfm

 

So the original intent was that roads were to be used by bicycles and not for cars.

I do not mind sharing the road.  I am careful and courteous when I cycle.  Because I have been cycling for so many years and there were fewer bike lanes, have been in many near misses, so when I drive I pay extra attention to where cyclists are in the road and how my turn might affect them.  I routinely slow and allow them past before I make a turn and not speed up to turn in front of them.  I drive like I would like others to when I ride.

 

Not every street has a bike lane, just those with high use by both vehicles and cyclists.  I have no issues with cyclists using the street, when they are doing it with the thought that both car and cyclist have to share and consider the other.  There is no pressing need to ride 6 wide to the double yellow on a 50mph road up hill with an 8 foot bike lane.  

 

I think that more groups could learn from  Bakerjw's group that uses the lanes to practice skills like leading, passing and falling back.  To me that is what a training ride is all about, training.  Taking up the entire road so you can prove you can do it....more about showing the lack of sportsmanship in your cycling group 

Note: I said "in my opinion". I don't care what they were built for. I didn't even say who was guilty of what. I don't care about that, either. It's my opinion and I am not changing it.

 

Since vehicles are the main traffic on all roads, original intent irrelevant now, bicycles and horses are not safe on them, for the riders of those or the drivers of the motorized vehicles.

Edited by speckledhen - 8/12/12 at 9:55am