Vehicular Assault!

[JPS]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

I think Hrafns talking about the people on the bikes that has absolutely no consideration for the cars on the road...I cant count the amount of times Ive came upon cyclists who thinks they own the road and dont even stop to think "hey, maybe Im holding this guy back, let me move over to help him out" or "Hey, Im in the middle of the road, this MIGHT not be the safest place for me and my bicycle, I am, after all, in a 55mph zone"...Ive seen cyclists stay right in the middle of the road, even when theres a HUGE shoulder, at a stop light Ive seen them stop right in the middle of a lane(they could easily move to the side when theres ample room to do so)...Ive seen these same cyclists travel in groups of 10-20, and when they do that its hard for cars in opposing lanes to pass them because theyre constantly swerving into oncoming traffic because theyre trying to adjust a tight formation.

Most cyclists are okay, and I dont normally have any issue with them, its the ones with a low mental capacity that irritates me.

[Denmo]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

I don't really feel like the drivers are the inconsiderate ones here.

My word! Is that a beggar on the side of my table, eating the food I drop? How rude! Here I am trying to enjoy my lavish meal in peace, and this uncomfortable skank is soiling my good marble tiled floors! Why can't he be more civilized and work for his meals instead, like every proper citizen should?

[Hrafn]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

I think Hrafns talking about the people on the bikes that has absolutely no consideration for the cars on the road...I cant count the amount of times Ive came upon cyclists who thinks they own the road and dont even stop to think "hey, maybe Im holding this guy back, let me move over to help him out" or "Hey, Im in the middle of the road, this MIGHT not be the safest place for me and my bicycle, I am, after all, in a 55mph zone"...Ive seen cyclists stay right in the middle of the road, even when theres a HUGE shoulder, at a stop light Ive seen them stop right in the middle of a lane(they could easily move to the side when theres ample room to do so)...Ive seen these same cyclists travel in groups of 10-20, and when they do that its hard for cars in opposing lanes to pass them because theyre constantly swerving into oncoming traffic because theyre trying to adjust a tight formation.

Most cyclists are okay, and I dont normally have any issue with them, its the ones with a low mental capacity that irritates me.

Yeah, the stop light thing is very annoying, and indicative of the overall problem. No one likes a driver who screws others by going slow, taking too long out of the light, and generally taking a "I've got mine, so up yours, Jack" mentality to driving around. Why then should we feel anything but annoyance towards cyclists who do the same thing? It doesn't become less irritating when there's two wheels instead of four.

And if there's so many hazards out there, Toe, then I'd say don't do it. There, problem solved. If you decide to bike on the road, it's rather selfish to ask the entire world to grind to a halt for you and your pokey mode of transportation. Apparently you're somehow more important than the long line of cars behind you because you won't get over, huh? Must be nice, to know that the mere act of biking makes you a VIP.

[Wavelength]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

It's worth it to be considerate to everyone else on the road.

If there's a bike going 15mph in front of you, maybe he's there because he's got no choice.

No, staying home isn't a choice.

If there IS a sidewalk ten feet away, he's being either a douche or a moron. But don't run the poor guy off of the road or anything!

[JPS]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

It's worth it to be considerate to everyone else on the road.

If there's a bike going 15mph in front of you, maybe he's there because he's got no choice.

No, staying home isn't a choice.

If there IS a sidewalk ten feet away, he's being either a douche or a moron. But don't run the poor guy off of the road or anything!

Its the fact that he purposely gets in your way and intentionally slows you down because he purposely rides in the middle of the road, not because hes not forced to.

Take another example...a bike is in my way, driving down a major street with 55mph zones, this bike has 15 cars behind him going 10 mph...there a not-travelled side road up ahead where the cyclist, out of pure consideration and generousity, can slow down in that intersection and allow the cars behind him to pass...but what does he do? he keeps cycling like he didnt even see it. Thats what we're talking about...inconsiderate cyclists who expects the world to bend because he thinks the world owes him something.

[The Toecutter]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

And if there's so many hazards out there, Toe, then I'd say don't do it. There, problem solved.

Not everyone cvan afford a car nor does everyone want to pay to fuel it. Some people don't have a choice.

When my car was illegally impounded by police, I had to ride a bicycle more than 8 miles out into the country to retrieve it. Why?

a) a cab ride would have cost in excess of $50; I shouldn't be compelled to pay that to save some motorist 30 seconds
b) the buses did not run to that location
c) I had no other means to get there

If you decide to bike on the road, it's rather selfish to ask the entire world to grind to a halt for you and your pokey mode of transportation. Apparently you're somehow more important than the long line of cars behind you because you won't get over, huh? Must be nice, to know that the mere act of biking makes you a VIP.

A bicycle, at most, would cost you 30 seconds to go around it. They have every bit as much right to use that road as you, even if they may not be able to travel as fast. You are in a car, and therefore, incapable of being harmed by them.

Be glad you can afford a car now; you may not be able to get fuel for it in a few years...

[Alex]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

Our bike highway system takes advantage of non-busy streets, but yeah. Bicycles are allowed a full lane by law. Riding on the sidewalk is cumbersome and dangerous to pedestrians. If a bicycle in front of your car is slowing you down, be patient. There will be a time to pass them.

"If you decide to bike on the road, it's rather selfish to ask the entire world to grind to a halt for you and your pokey mode of transportation. Apparently you're somehow more important than the long line of cars behind you because you won't get over, huh? Must be nice, to know that the mere act of biking makes you a VIP."

It's rather selfish of you to assume you are entitled to the road. You're in a god damn car, you can spare a couple minutes.

[Cutter De Blanc]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

I feel much safer on foot than on a bike.

On the rare occasion I bike, I stay on the sidewalk, as when I take the bike lane I tend to clip the curb with the side of my tire and then overcorrect into the street.

[JPS]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

You guys just arent getting it...we're supposed to share the road, but the cyclists dont think they have to.

You see that sign? The cyclists are on the curb side of the lane, NOT in the middle of the lane

[Hrafn]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

Not everyone cvan afford a car nor does everyone want to pay to fuel it. Some people don't have a choice.

When my car was illegally impounded by police, I had to ride a bicycle more than 8 miles out into the country to retrieve it. Why?

a) a cab ride would have cost in excess of $50; I shouldn't be compelled to pay that to save some motorist 30 seconds
b) the buses did not run to that location
c) I had no other means to get there



A bicycle, at most, would cost you 30 seconds to go around it. They have every bit as much right to use that road as you, even if they may not be able to travel as fast. You are in a car, and therefore, incapable of being harmed by them.

Be glad you can afford a car now; you may not be able to get fuel for it in a few years...

If I get in a head-on collision trying to pass a dingus on a bike taking up my lane, then how exactly did that cyclist not harm me, albeit indirectly? It's certainly not something I would have done had he not been present. Yes, they legally have a right to the road. So does someone driving at their speeds (since only interstates tend to have a minimum speed posted). Doesn't change the fact that in both cases, someone going that slow and not getting out of the way of the line of faster traffic behind them is being a first-class wanker. It's simple numbers. We have one cyclist, and potentially 20 or 30 car drivers. You're saying the cyclist's time is more important, and that's mind-bogglingly self-centered to me.

[Denmo]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

If I get in a head-on collision trying to pass a dingus on a bike taking up my lane, then how exactly did that cyclist not harm me, albeit indirectly?

If you get into a head-on collision because you had to pass a cyclist, by law it's your fault for not looking at the passing lane before you switched lanes, genius.

You're saying the cyclist's time is more important, and that's mind-bogglingly self-centered to me.

You're saying that a driver's time is more important than anyone elses. You're also saying that every biker has the choice to ride what they ride and where. You're ALSO saying that it's the biker's responsibility to go faster than 15 mph while keeping an eye on what's behind them without rear-view mirrors. That sounds even more mind-boggingly selfish.

How dense are you? I'm not saying having to pass a slow person isn't annoying. It totally is. But imagine that you're the biker instead. Some jackass pulls up right behind you, begins flashing his brights and honking his horn. You look to your left and there's no shoulder, just a ditch. So he eventually passes you, window open, shouting at you, "GET OFF THE ROAD JACKASS". This scenario repeats itself several times before you finish your trip. If that happened to me, I'd just end up ignoring every car and focus on biking safely.

[American Hero]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

I HATE people that ride bicycles in the middle of the road. Which they would just get a move on already! Roads are for motorcars.

[Hrafn]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

If you get into a head-on collision because you had to pass a cyclist, by law it's your fault for not looking at the passing lane before you switched lanes, genius.



You're saying that a driver's time is more important than anyone elses. You're also saying that every biker has the choice to ride what they ride and where. You're ALSO saying that it's the biker's responsibility to go faster than 15 mph while keeping an eye on what's behind them without rear-view mirrors. That sounds even more mind-boggingly selfish.

How dense are you? I'm not saying having to pass a slow person isn't annoying. It totally is. But imagine that you're the biker instead. Some jackass pulls up right behind you, begins flashing his brights and honking his horn. You look to your left and there's no shoulder, just a ditch. So he eventually passes you, window open, shouting at you, "GET OFF THE ROAD JACKASS". This scenario repeats itself several times before you finish your trip. If that happened to me, I'd just end up ignoring every car and focus on biking safely.

Oh, legally, it's not his fault. Again, the same as a slow person in a car. Any time you go into the other lane to pass you're rolling the dice, which is why I prefer to do it as little as possible (lost a second cousin that way, and she wasn't even the one driving). So when someone makes it necessary in order to avoid lengthy delays, it's grating.

I acknowledge that bikers can't go at the speeds necessary for long periods of time, or with any consideration for safety. Ergo, they need to get their ass out de way. What I'm saying isn't really selfish; we're not talking about one biker versus one driver. That's highly unlikely. More like one biker with a trail of cars behind him whose length could be five, or fifteen. The assumption that this one cyclist eclipses all the other people in importance is ludicrous. But you can't really flip it around, unless you're talking about a bike race or something. In which case one really does just have to grin and bear it.

And if that happens to someone repeatedly and they don't adhere to the friendly advice of these inconvenienced drivers, then they have earned their derision.

[The Toecutter]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

If I get in a head-on collision trying to pass a dingus on a bike taking up my lane, then how exactly did that cyclist not harm me, albeit indirectly? It's certainly not something I would have done had he not been present.

That's a choice you would have made yourself. Knowing when to pass is part of paying attention, something you should be doing when operating a vehicle that has the capacity to kill others.

One thing I've noticed is that many driver's are afraid to pass, despite it not being risky from a statistical standpoint. Fear of passing is due to a misperception, more than anything. When civil engineers laying out roads deem the area unsafe for passing, the mark it as such.

Yes, they legally have a right to the road. So does someone driving at their speeds (since only interstates tend to have a minimum speed posted). Doesn't change the fact that in both cases, someone going that slow and not getting out of the way of the line of faster traffic behind them is being a first-class wanker.

People who go slow also save fuel. I've driven many automobiles that would see their best fuel economy at approxamately 35 mph. For impatient drivers to expect them to guzzle gas to suit their need to save a few seconds on a commute is also selfish; in the vast majority of cases, you can always go around slower vehicles without sacrificing more than a few seconds, especially if that vehicle or if that bicycle is in the slow lane closest to the side of the road.

It's simple numbers. We have one cyclist, and potentially 20 or 30 car drivers. You're saying the cyclist's time is more important, and that's mind-bogglingly self-centered to me.

Not really, considering those cars can travel much faster than the cyclist. Should the cyclist cost himself 15 minutes with an alternative route to save 30 drivers 30 seconds each, when they don't even have to exert any physical effort to hit an accelerator pedal to get where they are going?

You should try riding a bike where you need to go first, before critiscizing cyclists. You will probably then understand what I and others have been saying the whole time.

I've been stuck behind cyclists myself many times. And you know what? I go around them, each and every time I am stuck behind them, and the vast majority of time, since I am paying attention, I can move over one lane more than 1,000 feet behind one and not have to slow down at all. When I do get stuck behind them, it rarely ever costs me more than a few seconds; if the traffic is dense it has cost no more than 30 seconds.

It totally is. But imagine that you're the biker instead. Some jackass pulls up right behind you, begins flashing his brights and honking his horn. You look to your left and there's no shoulder, just a ditch. So he eventually passes you, window open, shouting at you, "GET OFF THE ROAD JACKASS". This scenario repeats itself several times before you finish your trip. If that happened to me, I'd just end up ignoring every car and focus on biking safely.

I've had that happen to me multiple times before, despite being in the slow lane and close to the shoulder of the road(and even on the shoulder, when conditions are suitable for biking on it).

Once, some prick in a new Mustang GT road up mere inches from my rear tire, honking and screaming "GET OFF THE ROAD ASSHOLE" when there was no other traffic on the road nearby and he could have easily driven around me by switching lanes hundreds of feet back. I was riding 25 mph in a 30 mph zone, which you think would be fast enough, especially considering the limitations a bicycle has... People in large trucks have also atempted to run me off the road before. It is not fun to be a cyclist in those circumstances.

And, because of impatient drivers where I now live in St. Louis, my bicycle is too dangerous to use most of the time. The police won't let bicycles use the sidewalk, and many of the roads near where I live have no shoulder to ride on and are one lane on each side. I've been knocked off of a bicycle before; it is not pleasant, but luckily I was not injured.

I wish drivers had more consideration for cyclists as a whole.

[Denmo]

Re: Vehicular Assault!

I don't think any of us are saying that without a doubt every biker out there is an asshole for riding on the street.

It goes both ways. You act like an asshole in a car, you deserve to get your ass stuck in traffic jams, car wrecks, and behind old ladies.

You act like an ignorant moron on a bike, and you deserve to get honked at.


On a different but related note: Traffic jams.

I've gone through hours of traffic jams, especially recently when I traveled on my road trip. And one thing I've found is that it's almost always being caused/prolonged by people who don't have any patience to go slower.

They speed up, catch up to the person in front of them, and then brake sharply. Causing the person behind to break sharply, and a chain reaction etc. Until everyone behind them has come to a dead stop.

If you're in a damn traffic jam, here's my damn advice:

1: Switch to the lanes that the trucks are in. They can see, and they talk via radio. they know what's going on. There's probably a lane change up ahead.

2: Stay in your lane. Stop switching unless it's absolutely necessary.

3: Don't hug the ass of the guy in front of you. Give yourself 3 seconds of space behind him. This is a courtesy to lane switchers, and so you don't accidently bump his ass when he decides to break sharply.

4: Keep as constant a speed as you can for as long as possible. If that means going 15 mph for a while and letting the person in front of you get further away, so be it. You'll be forcing everyone behind you to slow down and let the traffic ahead break up.


If everyone on the road followed those rules in a traffic jam, they'd be over within minutes, or would never have a chance to start. It's that simple.

AUGH PEOPLE. STUPID.