I do not like bicyclists

Bob Noel

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Bob Noel
So I'm riding my motorcycle in the left lane of a 2 lane access road (2 lanes in each direction). There was a bicyclist ahead of me riding in the middle of the 2 lanes on the dashed lines. wtf?

As I approach I lightly toot the horn to let the bicyclist know I'm there.

He looks back, and then pulls into the left lane in front of me. wtf is wrong with that @#$@#$ idiot?

Unfortunately I did a poor job on the panic stop and dumped the bike.

The good news: I didn't hit the @#$# bicyclist and all my protective gear worked (full-face helmet, padded jacket, gloves, crash bars).

The bad news: broken collarbone, 4 broken ribs, hairline fracture in a neck vertebra (that sounds worse than it is). Albeit no surgery to repair.

I would like to have a conversation with that idiot.
 
So I'm riding my motorcycle in the left lane of a 2 lane access road (2 lanes in each direction). There was a bicyclist ahead of me riding in the middle of the 2 lanes on the dashed lines. wtf?

As I approach I lightly toot the horn to let the bicyclist know I'm there.

He looks back, and then pulls into the left lane in front of me. wtf is wrong with that @#$@#$ idiot?

Unfortunately I did a poor job on the panic stop and dumped the bike.

The good news: I didn't hit the @#$# bicyclist and all my protective gear worked (full-face helmet, padded jacket, gloves, crash bars).

The bad news: broken collarbone, 4 broken ribs, hairline fracture in a neck vertebra (that sounds worse than it is). Albeit no surgery to repair.

I would like to have a conversation with that idiot.

Wow!

Get well soon! As a fellow motorcycle rider, I feel your frustration.

David
 
omg that sounds horrible. I also can't stand road bicyclists, it is so dangerous. I don't have any other suggestions on how or where they should ride, but I know it shouldn't be on the road. wishing a speedy recovery for you!
 
Reminds me of the time some jackass was crossing the ring road in Central Park (not in one of the designated crosswalks, which have traffic signals) as I was riding my bicycle there. I veered towards where had come from, he saw me, froze, then just as I was about to pass behind him, he took a giant step backwards.No other bikes were coming... he just "went full retard". I barely had time to brake, and it did no good at all. Knocked him on his ass, I went over the handlebars.
No serious injuries or damage (although his pricey SLR went flying out of his hands when I plowed into him, like I give a damn)... but it goes to show: some people are a hazard on pavement no matter what they're operating- even their feet. :rolleyes: I could have been a total cycle weenie and passed in front of him, like the guy who nearly ran over my toes while running a red light as I crossed in a crosswalk elsewhere in Manhattan... he shouted "A**hole!" at me as he flew by. :rolleyes2: But no, I tried to adjust to his needs; even slowed down a little, but that was no prpoer defense against the power of stupidity.
This dumbass who ruined your day is probably still a dumbass behind the wheel of a car, and who knows? He might also be one of those motorcyclists who makes so many motorists say "damn, I hate motorcycles"...:rolleyes2:
 
Unless he was making a left turn (unlikely since an access road was mentioned) he shouldn't have been in the middle like that.

He may have gotten into your lane because he turned to look at you- if he's in the left lane, looked over to the right, he would tend to drift right.

I hope you recover quickly- did he even stop to help at all?
 
I ride both motorcycles and bicycles. That was indeed an idiot bicyclist.

I'll take the lane if I have to move over to make a left hand turn, but I certainly won't force the issue or cut somebody off. I suspect the next person that he does that to may not be so successful at a panic stop and he may end up weeded out of the gene pool.

Hope you recover quickly.
 
Was the bicyclist carrying a helmetless child in one hand? No child, no foul.
 
Sorry to hear Bob! Get well soon.

I ride a bike (and a motorcycle for many years in the past) and here in Texas we are required to abide by the same laws as cars--great huh? Anyway, I try to be courteous and find the gene pool to be about the same as car drivers. I've hit a runner that jumped right back in my path, had another biker cause pretty bad soft tissue damage when he came around a blind curve on my side of a narrow bike path. Several cars have cut me off or turned in front of me where I couldn't stop after passing me -- sigh. But, I've pretty much had the same experience driving, but with a big metal box around to protect me and four wheels so I didn't fall during a panic stop.

I still bike a bit, but took up something much easier on my body--Brazilan Jui Jitsu. Bruises after every roll, but nothing broken yet!

Get well soon.

Best,

Dave
 
Ouch Bob - no fun. I panic stopped and dumped my bike when a lady in an escalade made an illegal turn in front of me. Hope you recover quickly and completely!
 
I almost picked off a Harley in the shopping center parking lot last week. He was riding a black bike, wearing black riding gear and helmet when he (evidently rounded a corner in the lane between the buildings and the parking area at higher speed than cars can attain. He was in the shade of the buildings and the remainder of the lot was in the late afternoon sun.

He popped out of the shade just as I was turning left into the parking area and seemed to think it was my fault that he almost had a "Yukon" imprint on his forehead. So we exchanged hand-signal greetings and carried on.
 
He didn't even stop to see if you were OK?!?! Stupid's one thing, but that's inexcusable.

no, the idiot stopped. But I was in no condition to ask wtf he wasn't thinking.
 
I do not understand why many bicyclists do not use a parallel sidewalk when it is available. I am a cyclist and I use it out of practicality.

It seems to me that the reason some cyclists use the street instead of the sidewalk is because they feel a need to assert their right to use the street--just like cars. On a macro level, this is perhaps noble :rolleyes: but on a micro level, it is incipidly stupid; for in a collision between a car a cyclist, the cyclist would inevitably come out the loser.

Where I bike, pedestrian traffic is so sparse that it is hardly a factor as far as traffic conflicts are concerned.

I have been confronted only once by a pedestrian who addressed me in a sternly passive aggressive tone so commonplace in Minnesota that, "This is a sidewalk".

In response I was left with no choice but to respond in only the most directly aggressive tone possible, "I DON'T FüCKING CARE!".

And so concludes my bicycling anecdote for the day.
 
omg that sounds horrible. I also can't stand road bicyclists, it is so dangerous. I don't have any other suggestions on how or where they should ride, but I know it shouldn't be on the road. wishing a speedy recovery for you!

Bicycles are vehicles, vehicles are meant for roads.
 
I do not understand why many bicyclists do not use a parallel sidewalk when it is available. I am a cyclist and I use it out of practicality.

It seems to me that the reason some cyclists use the street instead of the sidewalk is because they feel a need to assert their right to use the street--just like cars. On a macro level, this is perhaps noble :rolleyes: but on a micro level, it is incipidly stupid; for in a collision between a car a cyclist, the cyclist would inevitably come out the loser.

Where I bike, pedestrian traffic is so sparse that it is hardly a factor as far as traffic conflicts are concerned.

I have been confronted only once by a pedestrian who addressed me in a sternly passive aggressive tone so commonplace in Minnesota that, "This is a sidewalk".

In response I was left with no choice but to respond in only the most directly aggressive tone possible, "I DON'T FüCKING CARE!".

And so concludes my bicycling anecdote for the day.

Because in many places, it is illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk.

Bob - Just like there are jackass motorists, there are jackass cyclists. It sounds like you encountered a jackass cyclist. The only time I ride away from the edge of the road is when I know that not doing so is going to cause me harm. Like going around a blind bend with a car behind me with obviously no intention to let me clear the bend before passing me.

I have been on the other side of this discussion and watched my wife endure 3 years of recovery from being hit by a car whose driver decided to make a left hand turn into her while we were both on an approved road bike path.

Cyclists and motorcyclists have a common threat - the text reading car driver...
 
I do not understand why many bicyclists do not use a parallel sidewalk when it is available. I am a cyclist and I use it out of practicality.

It seems to me that the reason some cyclists use the street instead of the sidewalk is because they feel a need to assert their right to use the street--just like cars. On a macro level, this is perhaps noble :rolleyes: but on a micro level, it is incipidly stupid; for in a collision between a car a cyclist, the cyclist would inevitably come out the loser.

Where I bike, pedestrian traffic is so sparse that it is hardly a factor as far as traffic conflicts are concerned.

I have been confronted only once by a pedestrian who addressed me in a sternly passive aggressive tone so commonplace in Minnesota that, "This is a sidewalk".

In response I was left with no choice but to respond in only the most directly aggressive tone possible, "I DON'T FüCKING CARE!".

And so concludes my bicycling anecdote for the day.

Sidewalks aren't made for high speed travel, as evidenced by the numerous poles, meters, cracks, potholes, and pedestrians that call the sidewalk their home. When biking a short distance, I normally use the sidewalk, but going for over a half mile, I use the road (provided it isn't heavily traveled.) Many places I ride, going over 10mph on the sidewalk is impracticable.
 
I do not understand why many bicyclists do not use a parallel sidewalk when it is available. I am a cyclist and I use it out of practicality.

It's called a sidewalk, not a sideride. Why I don't:

Sidewalks aren't made for bikes.
People walking on them.
Kids playing on them.
Kids leave their toys on them.
Cars pulling out of driveways blocking the side walk.
Cars parked in driveways blocking the sidewalk.
Cars not stopping at the stop line at intersections.
On the sidewalk, I have to stop at every entrance, intersection, etc... even when the street "I'm on" does not have to.
Dog turds on the sidewalk.
Uneven segments.
and, oh yeah, in a lot of places it's against the law.
 
While playing golf in the desert this winter I discovered that golf-cart drivers are also an endangered species to texters. I'm told that phone jammers are available but allegedly illegal. Not that I would consider actually stretching the rule *snort* but at this point I care more about safety than some silly-ass law.

Because in many places, it is illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk.

Bob - Just like there are jackass motorists, there are jackass cyclists. It sounds like you encountered a jackass cyclist. The only time I ride away from the edge of the road is when I know that not doing so is going to cause me harm. Like going around a blind bend with a car behind me with obviously no intention to let me clear the bend before passing me.

I have been on the other side of this discussion and watched my wife endure 3 years of recovery from being hit by a car whose driver decided to make a left hand turn into her while we were both on an approved road bike path.

Cyclists and motorcyclists have a common threat - the text reading car driver...
 
It's called a sidewalk, not a sideride. Why I don't:

Sidewalks aren't made for bikes.
People walking on them.
Kids playing on them.
Kids leave their toys on them.
Cars pulling out of driveways blocking the side walk.
Cars parked in driveways blocking the sidewalk.
Cars not stopping at the stop line at intersections.
On the sidewalk, I have to stop at every entrance, intersection, etc... even when the street "I'm on" does not have to.
Dog turds on the sidewalk.
Uneven segments.
and, oh yeah, in a lot of places it's against the law.

All of these things (except the illegal part), plus cyclists, push me - a runner- out into the streets. :rolleyes:

I have no problem with little kids riding their bikes on the sidewalks. But, grown-ups - without training wheels?
I'm especially fond of the convicted drunk-drivers on their liquor-cycles, wearing dark clothing and without any sort of lights, commuting at night/pre-dawn on the sidewalks. Closure rate with these yahoos in the dark is crazy fast.
 
While playing golf in the desert this winter I discovered that golf-cart drivers are also an endangered species to texters. I'm told that phone jammers are available but allegedly illegal. Not that I would consider actually stretching the rule *snort* but at this point I care more about safety than some silly-ass law.

Phone jammer would make it worse. Guy types text, guy tries to send text, text doesn't go through, guy tries to resend text, guy checks network settings, guy runs over wabower on bike, wabowe dying on sidewalk, guy calls 911, but guy's call won't go through because of wabower's jammer, wabower dies without prompt medical attention.
 
all we need is bike weenies on the sidewalk, they are bad enough out with the bumpers where they belong.
 
Dude. Get a grip. I just crossed the road in the cart like thousands of times before. Whatever he does or doesn't do is his problem and not mine unless he decides to drive on the golf course. In that case he needs to be able to outmaneuver two guys with sand wedges.

Phone jammer would make it worse. Guy types text, guy tries to send text, text doesn't go through, guy tries to resend text, guy checks network settings, guy runs over wabower on bike, wabowe dying on sidewalk, guy calls 911, but guy's call won't go through because of wabower's jammer, wabower dies without prompt medical attention.
 
Bicycles are vehicles, vehicles are meant for roads.

They are meant for only a certain portion of the road: off to the side, and away from automotive traffic as much as possible.

Yeah, I know what the regs say. I also know that the law won't save a bicyclist who sends a Hummer driver over the edge for holding up traffic merely because the law says they have a right to the lane, too. Many (most?) cyclists around here fail to consider - or consciously attempt to flaunt - the harsh reality that cars are bigger than they are.
 
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Bicycles are vehicles, vehicles are meant for roads.

a highway is a road, does that mean bicycles should be on the highway?

whatever your opinion is, I can't see how bikes on the road is safe for anyone. not saying people shouldn't ride on the road, simply saying it presents a less than safe environment for all involved.
 
Sorry to hear, heal up Bob.

I must disagree with the hive mind. The person responsible for this accident is the one staring you in the mirror. On a motorcycle you must have situational awareness, head on a swivel. Every moving object around you must be considered a hazard. You must evaluate what that object might do to get in your way, and have a plan of action worked out for the contingency before you approach it. You should have assumed the bicyclist would just stop dead in front of you and have the appropriate action worked out already. Your bike should be capable of the necessary evasive maneuvers, if it isn't get one that is. If you find yourself unable to do these things hang it up. You are a danger to yourself on the road.

Sorry to be so harsh, but this is the way it is on a motorcycle. Anyone who tells you different is a liar or an accident waiting to happen.
 
Sorry to hear, heal up Bob.

I must disagree with the hive mind. The person responsible for this accident is the one staring you in the mirror. On a motorcycle you must have situational awareness, head on a swivel. Every moving object around you must be considered a hazard. You must evaluate what that object might do to get in your way, and have a plan of action worked out for the contingency before you approach it. You should have assumed the bicyclist would just stop dead in front of you and have the appropriate action worked out already. Your bike should be capable of the necessary evasive maneuvers, if it isn't get one that is. If you find yourself unable to do these things hang it up. You are a danger to yourself on the road.

Sorry to be so harsh, but this is the way it is on a motorcycle. Anyone who tells you different is a liar or an accident waiting to happen.

Harsh words from the guy that somehow managed to rear end a car with a gold wing.
 
a highway is a road, does that mean bicycles should be on the highway?

They are prohibited.

Familiarize yourself with your own state laws.

Bicycling on Interstate or fully controlled limited access highways, such as beltlines, is prohibited by policy, unless otherwise specified by action of the Board of Transportation. Currently, the only exception to the policy is the US 17 bridge over the Chowan River between Chowan and Bertie Counties.

http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/lawspolicies/laws/

Also:

Bicycles "shall be deemed vehicles and every rider of a bicycle upon a highway shall be subject to the provisions of [Chapter 20 (Motor Vehicles) of the General Statutes of North Carolina] applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except for those laws that which by their nature can have no application."

So if it's not legal for cars to drive on the sidewalk...
 
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It seems that people who don't regular travel by bicycle don't really understand the factors that govern how and when one cycles on roads. And the same is true for people who don't regularly travel by motorcycle. And most importantly, for this group of peers, the same is true for people who don't regularly fly their own airplanes.

The harsh comments I'm reading about bicyclists remind me exactly of why the non-flying public thinks that little planes are a menace and that small airfields should be closed. Ladies and gentlemen, pilots live in a very fragile glass house. We should not throw stones. People have a right to make personal decisions about how they move around, even when those decisions are in the minority and seem unsafe and unwise to the majority. We should stick together.
 
We should stick together with bad behaving bicyclists? I'm sure there are plenty of fine upstanding bicyclists out there, but you fine upstanding bicyclists fail to understand that there are tons of poorly behaving bicyclists giving you all a bad name. If you care about bicyclists reputations, police yourselves, once you've cleansed your tribe maybe we will consider solidarity. Until then you have to live with the shame of your poorly behaving brothers.
 
Ash, I sympathize with your point. But this is one circumstance where disdain for the group is well-earned by far too many of its participants.

I'm in Portland, and daily come into contact (all too often, almost in the literal sense) with urban bicyclists. There are those who are courteous and respect the rules of the road, but there is also a significant minority who simply don't care. They claim the rights of motor vehicles, but obey the laws only when it's convenient, and heaven help anything or anyone (e.g. pedestrians) who get in their way. Stop signs? Ha! These guys reinforce the public image of Lance Armstrong-style arrogance on two wheels.

There's a lot of truth in that Portlandia clip I posted above.

Anti-aviation sentiment is based primarily on fear and ignorance. But almost everybody at one time or another has ridden bicycles, and has probably enjoyed the experience of doing so. So public disdain for hard-core, aggressive bicyclists results from experience.

Bicyclists could clean up their act and improve their own image. But given human nature in an inherently unregulated activity, don't hold your breath.
 
I do not like idiots - whatever they are riding, driving, operating or not riding, driving or operating.

I do have many miles on bicycles in Europe with no problems. I don't ride bicycles on the roads in the states.
 
What I get for not doing a brake job in a timely manner. Doesn't make anything I said any less true.
Deferring the maintenance of a critical safety item to the degree that it causes you to get into an accident indicates your approach to motorcycle safety is severely flawed. Your brake job decision was conscious and calculated and unsafe. Perhaps you should focus on your own decision making before you put effort towards writing such harsh posts. Look in the mirror before you preach, this isn't your classroom, professor.
 
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