Do cyclists have a respect problem?

[Bozzenhagen]

As a road cyclist, I give close to zero leeway to idiot maneuver cyclists, and assume they have the bike handling skills/awareness to back up what they are doing.

If I'm driving on a road with a known bike-path crossing with cyclists having a stop sign? I'll look, but I won't look all the way both ways and be fearful of a cyclist going 20+mph blowing right through the stop sign. Oh well if I run you over.

If you want to cycle up against the small space between my car and the sidewalk? Best hope I see you before I make a right turn at that corner; I'll make a quick glance but I'll be a peace right-hand hooking a cyclist going down that narrow corridor at 20+mph sending it.

Optimistic thinking is deadly thinking.

 

[François Pugh]

I saw the start of the video, only the start. I'm sure he's not the only racer to bump the guy in front of him in a corner. Mistakes are less likely to happen with more experienced riders. Attributing it to lack of respect is a stretch, on one incident. Now a series of incidents with the same rider would be a different story.
Couldn't care less about the well being of others seems to be a general trend I see in society in general and in a lot of sports. e.g. more high-sticking in hockey, etc.

 

[François Pugh]

Bike comes from right on side street, hops on sidewalk and zips through crosswalk, then off side walk and back onto street. Blows stop sign, cross traffic doesn't stop. These kids are not smart enough to be going to college.

View attachment 178211

I don't get it. What's the point of doing that? Do pedestrians have the right of way despite the no stop sign? If so, then I see Darwin's law is still on the books and hasn't been declared unconstitutional.

 

[François Pugh]

People put stop signs where they should be yield signs. People put traffic lights and stop signs up all over the place including where they shouldn't be and lower speed limits to 40 kph, all in the name of safety, to make urban traffic slow enough so their idiot kids can play on the road.
If the circumstances warrant you come to a full stop and take a second to really look in both directions, no blowing through the light, otherwise I don't care (so long as there is no red light camera). As a rule, I stop for all red lights until they turn green, and stop for stop signs in the car; I can afford the extra fuel and have accepted that global warming is going to happen wether I do or not. On a bicycle, I see little point in stopping where no stop sign is warranted, especially at the bottom of a hill when I'm doing the speed limit. I also see no point wasting five minutes at a light when there is absolutely no traffic and a clear line of sight on a bicycle.

 

[cantunamunch]

Well today I exercised my sense of hearing and smell and good thing too

I am stopped uphill at a light. Merc SUV behind me. We are waiting for a light to cross a 4 lane 40mph.

I hear revving and intake noise to my left. I do not go on green. Merc honks me and goes to pass me on the right.

Blacked out no headlights Mustang flies through the red. Yeah.

That was 3 hours ago; that's how long it took for the cops to process the scene.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Well today I exercised my sense of hearing and smell and good thing too

I am stopped uphill at a light. Merc SUV behind me. We are waiting for a light to cross a 4 lane 40mph.

I hear revving and intake noise to my left. I do not go on green. Merc honks me and goes to pass me on the right.

Blacked out no headlights Mustang flies through the red. Yeah.

That was 3 hours ago; that's how long it took for the cops to process the scene.

What intersection?

 

[cantunamunch]

What intersection?

One between Tyson's and Dunn Loring metro.

I sense I am going to be talking about this event for a long time - just not online.

 

[cantunamunch]

Brilliant. Thank you! That took some effort. I appreciate it. I hope there was a cocktail to go with the napkin.

PS: This must be an urban thing.

It's a self-protection thing. Last night I left a 4-foot long cleat scratch on the side of a Highlander because the woman didn't even look right before turning right into me.

I had three front lights on: 650 and 600 lumen on the bars, 400 lumen on the fork. Two 200 lumen red lights.

And no, she didn't even stop...or notice. I feel zero guilt over her body repair bill.

I'm totally taking the zebra crossing for the foreseeable future - because sometimes drivers do actually check for peds on their 2-4 o'clock.

 

[dan ross]

This IS an urban thing.

It's a self-protection thing. Last night I left a 4-foot long cleat scratch on the side of a Highlander because the woman didn't even look right before turning right into me.

I had three front lights on: 650 and 600 lumen on the bars, 400 lumen on the fork. Two 200 lumen red lights.

And no, she didn't even stop...or notice. I feel zero guilt over her body repair bill.

I'm totally taking the zebra crossing for the foreseeable future - because sometimes drivers do actually check for peds on their 2-4 o'clock.

Yes, this is an urban thing. During lockdown when the streets were generally empty, it became “ Mad Max” at night here(L.A.) still is to some degree as witnessed by the tire tracks . The rule of thumb here - day or night- is to wait 3 seconds after the light turns green to proceed through an intersection. I’ve seen people run red lights long after they’ve turned red. Last week I saw 3 guys on large bikes doing at least 90 on a residential section of Sunset Blvd,
one in a wheelie. Driving here is good training for the slopes .

 

[Tom K.]

one in a wheelie

I guess if you're going to go, GO BIG, right?!

Scary stuff.

 

[crgildart]

We get this Mad Max Thunderdome scene just about every Sunday now. There are sometimes over 100 of them in the weekly mob. I rolled a few blocks with them on my scooter.

 

[Andy Mink]

We get this Mad Max Thunderdome scene just about every Sunday now. There are sometimes over 100 of them in the weekly mob. I rolled a few blocks with them on my scooter.

I applaud the man who wants to get them on trails. I hope he's successful. However, just like a track for street racers I doubt those on the street will go on trails. The disruptions are part of the "fun" and most of those quads are not trail quads.

 

[crgildart]

I applaud the man who wants to get them on trails. I hope he's successful. However, just like a track for street racers I doubt those on the street will go on trails. The disruptions are part of the "fun" and most of those quads are not trail quads.

The street racing punks are just as bad, maybe worse.. They shut down I40 last year for about 15 minutes doing donuts there until the cops finally showed up.. Here's a party they had up the street a couple years ago..

 

[cantunamunch]

I guess if you're going to go, GO BIG, right?!

Scary stuff.

I totally want a T-shirt cannon loaded with Euro anti-tire chains.

Nothing much to report today other than the usual 6" passing distance

 

[Tom K.]

Nothing much to report today other than the usual 6" passing distance

I like the "bright shirt, spastic elbow flap" approach when I hear traffic behind me.

Any port in a storm, right?!

 

[scott43]

I like the "bright shirt, spastic elbow flap" approach when I hear traffic behind me.

Any port in a storm, right?!

"That guy is crazy!!"

 

[cantunamunch]

There is a park nearby that has facilities for lacrosse practice. Just like soccer kids have soccer parents, lacrosse kids have lacrosse parents.

This particular lacrosse parent decided their kid(s?) was(were?) way too special to have to wait in a traffic line to leave the park.

At the third speed bump on the road out, they swerve around the vans in front, jump into the opposite direction lane, slam their own oil pan into the hump of the bump at >20mph.

I was, of course, on a bike, coming down the lane in my appropriate travel direction. I was, of course, totally wrong to do that. And the proof is the brake screech and the horn honk in my face. By the same entitled lacrosse parent that just left half their undercarriage at the speed bump.



(The van driver had his window down and started laughing out loud. I (eventually) came around to his point of view and laughed at the egotistical moron too)

 

[cantunamunch]

 

[scott43]

Hey that's my hood! I suspect incompetence or impairment.. e-bikes. What could go wrong??

 

[AmyPJ]

This is why I won't road bike! Jeezy Pete!