Bicycle Rant

[Absalom]

The illogical and to me dangerous part of IL law is that the bicycles are required to ride WITH traffic; not against it. I'm a lifelong motorcyclist but think if I were into peddling a bike, I'd want to see whats coming at me.

Believe it or not, riding with traffic is how the whole world does it.

I’ve grown up in the saddle elsewhere. I’ve biked to school from 2nd grade through an MA.

As a kid I also survived being hit from behind going about 10mph by a car that was going about 30mph. The remaining speed differential of about 20mph still resulted in a spectacular flight backward over the car with a landing, fortunately not head-first, in the ditch, and moderate injuries. Had the collision occurred opposing, and thus adding our speeds to 40mph, I might not be here.

I’ve considered the American habit of riding opposing the traffic ill-advised and unsafe ever since I saw it the first time almost 40 years ago. Riding along a shoulder or a curb, seeing a car coming provides a bicyclist with no actionable information that would justify the added risk. The only exception might be if you’re so far out in the boonies that the appearance of a car as such would count as a surprise. But that’s not where the car-bike safety conflicts occur.

 

[llowry61]

It's amazing how lazy most Americans are, they get mad if someone on a bike delays them a few seconds on their trip to the convenience store to buy potato chips and soda pop. They probably get so mad because they're over weight and their lack of activity and poor diet has their blood pressure skyrocketing and if they just got off couch and jumped on a bike and got to doing a little cardio out in the fresh air they might be amazed at how much better and happier they felt.

I think there are 3 additional unrelated rant threads in this response.

1. How lazy americans are
2. How little they like to be inconvenienced by having to wait
3. How doing a little cardio might do the population some good

Personally, I have no issue with any of them, but I am concerned about bicyclists who have little or no respect for others on the road.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Bicyclists cry because they don’t get any respect. In these parts at least twice a year one of them gets run over. And most of the time it’s their fault. They think they are exempt from the rules of the road. We’re supposed to guess at what they’re going to do next.

Many roads have been narrowed to accommodate them. And there are many miles of bike paths available. I don’t get their mentality.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

During my 24 years as a cop I learned that bicyclists are subject to the same traffic laws as any other vehicle, and after a couple of dozen auto-bicycle collisions I can say that every single one was caused by the bicycle rider.

Over the past 10 years or so the City of Pueblo has developed miles and miles of designated bicycle lanes on the public streets, a process that always results in the loss of vehicle lanes. The only thing you will never see is a bicycle operated within the bicycle lanes! They will ride in the vehicle lanes, they will ride on the sidewalks, but none of them will ever ride in the bike lanes! I actually wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter to the editor of the local paper, purporting to have seen a bicycle being operated in one of the bike lanes. Only explanation I find plausible is that some local politico's daughter or son-in-law needed a job so they decided to create the new "bike lane czar" position.

We have a standing joke here in Pueblo:

Why should you never run over a bicycle in Pueblo?

Answer: It could be your bicycle.

 

[CH4]

Iam a motorist and avid cyclist. There are plenty of jackasses on both sides of this debate. Nevertheless, given the choice between riding on a busy road or nice MUT, I’ll take the MUT. Cyclists don’t like rude cyclists as much as motorist don’t like rude motorists.

p.s. similar and reoccurring discussion over on the bicycle forum where everyone is talking about rude motorists.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I live on a state hiway going over the Sierras. 8600 ft. at top. Our ex governor decieded to make a bike path the whole way. So during summer I see some bikers pedaling as fast as they can with saddle bags, sleeping bags, tents, etc. going up hill. Holding up traffic, red in the face & determinded looks on their faces. Guess I'm just an old guy venting.

 

[RobertJ.]

Shotgun has the responsibility to open the door and clip ‘em if riding abreast. (Single file is ignored. Zero points for clipping. Best avoid: Generally frowned upon in polite company.)

If three abreast and well clipped, taking out three at a go, double points accrue = 6. Two abreast gets ya three.

Various variations are possible, but most points by the time you get home wins.

Like that.

Ten points for nailing one with an empty beer bottle, but it must be a local micro-brew.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Ten points for nailing one with an empty beer bottle, but it must be a local micro-brew.

And that right there is why I long ago stopped riding bicycles in the USA. Even though I rode single file and as far right as possible, I was often targeted somehow if road riding during the daytime, often with thrown bottles or swerving cars.
Somehow, this type of aggression never happened to me while road riding in Europe.

 

[Kurusu]

You would blow a fuse in Portugal.

Bycicle riders have very protective laws. It is legal for them to travel side by side on the road. True that all the groups I found doing that, in low traffic roads, change to a single file when they notice traffic coming from behind so the cars can pass them.

The use of bycicles have been greatly encouraged by the Government.

I don't ride a bycicle since my teens. I live on the top of a hill.

 

[RobertJ.]

And that right there is why I long ago stopped riding bicycles in the USA.

Well, I certainly hope you know I was only having a little fun. I actually ride a bike myself. I was just adding to member Onomea's game. He lives in Portland, where bicyclists are out of control.

 

[soFlaNative]

I just don't get Spandex although I think it looks good on CH4 .

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I am a bicyclist and a motorist, have zero tolerance for obnoxious and inconsiderate behavior by anybody, haven't heard of too many cases of bicyclists arrested for DWI, etc. There's the old joke about people who buy the luxury car and think they bought the road as well.

 

[rubiranch]

Bicyclists have some amazing bike paths built for them. We have one here that is about 45 miles long.

A 8 mile stretch of it was built over a historic RR bed and has been repaved 3 times. The original 8 mile stretch cost over $1/2 million.

I would like to know what they contribute to the cost of this??

I will tell you, NOTHING!!

They ride $10,000 bikes that require no registration and they pay no fees for anything.

I am an avid ATVer. $30 of my annual registration goes into the states OHV fund to help pay for the trails that I ride on.

A small portion goes to the Utah Highway Patrol to help cover maintenance cost of their helicopter and their search and rescue who rescue hikers more than anyone else.

I worked at a resort at the end of one of those bike paths and everyone knew that a bicyclist brings two things with them.

A clean pair of underwear and a $20 bill and they leave with both of them.

Our county has built a nice off road course for them. They paid nothing for its construction and they pay nothing to use it.

 

[NYlakesider]

A thread near and dear to me.

I live on a large lake. about a 130 miles of shoreline and a big bridge sort of by the middle of the lake. So you can do the whole shoreline or about 1/2.

We get those spandex wearing upside down bed pan helmeted want-a-be Lance Armstrongs up here on a way too regular basis.

The roads around the lake are narrow, very hilly and curved and on weekends loader with traffic, many pulling a trailer In some places on the lake there is no legal passing zone for miles.

These biker bozos come up in their vehicles and take off in groups sometimes 25 or more. Our law is no two abreast with pedal bikes but that is violated as much as no cellphone in a moving vechicle. Sometimes real hard to get by these people. Stop & yield signs mean nothing to most of them. I for one have had way too many close encounters of the worst kind with them. Then they have the nerve to yell at you.

More than one has been hurt real bad and the nearest hospital is quite a ways away. Funny thing you tangled with a 3,500# or heavier vechicle YOU LOOSE.

For a few years we had a 24 hour race around the lake, but after enough got hurt and plenty of people on the lake complained they stopped doing the race. If there was a way to be more obnoxious these clowns found it. My favorite was the one guy tha had a huge sound systen that looked like it came off the Blues Brothers movie on his chase car that followed him with music blaring away. Real nice in the middle of the night you could hear that thing from a mile away.

The one or twos riding are normally not a problem the big groups are. I personally saw one one of our more serious Red Necks with his diesel PU truck lay down a smoke screen that could have hidden a Naval destroyer. Those bikes were well oiled. (I'm not condoning what happened just telling the story).

Could say a lot more, way more.

 

[steelslaver]

The percentage of jerk bicycle riders, is about the same as jerk car drivers.

The problem is Jerks.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Well, I certainly hope you know I was only having a little fun.

Sure, but unfortunately it is a real problem. Too many yahoos in cars think attacking bicyclists is good sport.



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[rubiranch]

We get those spandex wearing upside down bed pan helmeted want-a-be Lance Armstrongs up here on a way too regular basis.

That's the best description I've ever read. LOL

 

[IronSkillet]

After reading through this thread taking into the consideration many of you are incapable of peddling a bike around the streets you reside at what is the reason "why as a motorist you think you own the road?" None of us here have ever observed a person operating a motor vehicle outside the law causing congestion or unsafe travel? Regardless of the fact whether non-motorized or motorized idiot operators exist everywhere!

 

[Kurusu]

A thread near and dear to me.

I live on a large lake. about a 130 miles of shoreline and a big bridge sort of by the middle of the lake. So you can do the whole shoreline or about 1/2.

We get those spandex wearing upside down bed pan helmeted want-a-be Lance Armstrongs up here on a way too regular basis.

The roads around the lake are narrow, very hilly and curved and on weekends loader with traffic, many pulling a trailer In some places on the lake there is no legal passing zone for miles.

These biker bozos come up in their vehicles and take off in groups sometimes 25 or more. Our law is no two abreast with pedal bikes but that is violated as much as no cellphone in a moving vechicle. Sometimes real hard to get by these people. Stop & yield signs mean nothing to most of them. I for one have had way too many close encounters of the worst kind with them. Then they have the nerve to yell at you.

More than one has been hurt real bad and the nearest hospital is quite a ways away. Funny thing you tangled with a 3,500# or heavier vechicle YOU LOOSE.

For a few years we had a 24 hour race around the lake, but after enough got hurt and plenty of people on the lake complained they stopped doing the race. If there was a way to be more obnoxious these clowns found it. My favorite was the one guy tha had a huge sound systen that looked like it came off the Blues Brothers movie on his chase car that followed him with music blaring away. Real nice in the middle of the night you could hear that thing from a mile away.

The one or twos riding are normally not a problem the big groups are. I personally saw one one of our more serious Red Necks with his diesel PU truck lay down a smoke screen that could have hidden a Naval destroyer. Those bikes were well oiled. (I'm not condoning what happened just telling the story).

Could say a lot more, way more.

It seems. Everybody's getting big on rudeness and lack of respect in the USA.

Does not look good in the picture. That's all I have to say. It saddens me.

Deslike all you want. I got thick skin.

Edit. Hey! NYlakesider! I just quoted you because of the general picture you have shown. Nothing at all against you. Just to make it clear.

 

[bigwheelzip]

A 8 mile stretch of it was built over a historic RR bed and has been repaved 3 times. The original 8 mile stretch cost over $1/2 million.

I would like to know what they contribute to the cost of this??

I will tell you, NOTHING!!

I don't know the specifics of the project you mention, but we have a "Rails to Trails" project called the "Swamp Rabbit Trail" that is a glowing success for the community and has become a development engine for our closest town, Travelers Rest.

Rails to Trails: The Impact of Upstate South Carolina’s Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail System | Coldwell Banker Caine



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