Cyclists, Explain Yourselves

[Soviet Heavy]

I've had a run in with jackass bicycle riders before, and I had another incident recently. I was driving home along the six lane highway when I came to the lights where I turn off to go home. And there is this moron who, instead of following the rules of the road, decides to cross at the sidewalk while yelling at the drivers to watch out.

Very, very slowly.

Cue everyone honking in annoyance at the jerk as he cuts off both sides of the road to cross where he shouldn't even be and you can see how easy it is for bikers to piss off drivers. I know you're not all bad. In fact, I know that most of you do the right think and stick to your lanes and follow the rules. But like any group, it's the asshole minority that sticks out the most.

What is it that makes you think that, just because you are on a bike, you are somehow exempt from the same restrictions as drivers? What gives you the right to cherry pick what piece of concrete you want to ride on, at the expense of everyone around you? What gives you the right to complain when you cut off someone else and they shout at you for not paying attention?

I know this is a rant, but seriously, I get sick of listening about how cyclists feel victimized on the road all the time, when some of you have no respect for anyone else on the road either. Yes, I feel bad when a cyclist gets hit, but I also know that a lot of those hits probably wouldn't happen if the cyclist had paid attention.

So, cyclists, what do you have to say? Do you condone the actions of these morons? What would you suggest be done differently?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Cycling is generally for the good, we need more cycling lanes, yada yada yada. It's all true.

But holy shit, I hate cyclists too. I fucking HATE them.

If cyclists had to adhere to the rules of the road the same way motorists do, 75% of them would be behind bars. Woo woo, I'm a fucking cyclist, I go where I please! I'm on the sidewalk motherfuckers! Better get out of my way! Red light? Who cares! I'm a cyclist! Look out car, I'm weaving all over the lanes! Try to guess which way I'll go next! No signals for me! I'm a fucking cyclist!

I propose a law where we can hit one scofflaw cyclist a month with our car doors. Keep em honest.

 

[Total LOLige]

People calm down, we won't have this problem when we're all flying around on our solar powered jet packs. I think it'd be better if there were no cars or bicycles and everyone got around via public transport. I don't drive nor do I plan to, and in the words of Sheldon Cooper "I'm clearly too evolved to drive" gentleman I'm the next step in human evolution.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Well, over here in Holland we have cycling lanes, the same as every other moderately developed country.

And on the few roads without these lanes we simply keep to our right side of the road where motorists can easily spot us.

..............................

I kind of fail to see the problem here.

 

[Laughing Man]

Build more cycle lanes to accommodate the cycling traffic?

Except that doesn't work either, the majority of my driving route to work has a cycle lane dedicated and recently built at great expense running along side it and these arrogant wankers still use the road. I have no issue with them acting like a dick on the road if they pay road tax and pay insurance, so that when their stupid actions result in them rolling over my bonnet and damaging my car they are able to pay for the repairs, but they don't so seeing a queue of traffic caused by one of these dickheads cycling along in the slow lane of a 70Mph dual carriageway during rush hour results in much abuse being directed at them.

 

[TehCookie]

As a cyclist you are exempt from the driving rules, you also don't have a ton of metal surrounding you so if you're hit you're the one that's gonna be hurt. I like riding my bike and if there's a car you get the fuck out of the way. When I'm driving I expect others to do the same if they value their lives. A bike can go off-roading much easier than a car.

 

[Wolfram23]

I just got back from China, I think you'd like it there. Cars have the right of way above everything, but they have to follow green/red lights. Scooters/mopeds/bycicles are next on the right-of-way list, so they have to dodge cars, but they don't seem to have to worry about lights. Pedestrians are the lowest on the pecking order and basically have to dodge everything. For example if you're crossing with a green crossing light, but a car is turning, you have to let him by or else probably get run over. I saw so many people jump or run to get out of the way of cars that just slow down a bit and honk. The bikes and scooters generally get through pedestrians pretty slowly, but people still dodge them too.

I saw a lot of scooters cross at red lights and they'd literally frogger it across 6 lanes of traffic, so crazy.

 

[Lilani]

What I don't like are the bicyclists who insist on riding in the road and then don't follow traffic laws as they are supposed to. I don't care if there are no bike lanes. That doesn't give you the right to fly through stop signs, cross out of turn, or ride the wrong way down the street (no joke--I was crossing a one-way street on foot and nearly got ploughed by a stupid bicyclist who was riding in the road going the wrong way down the street). I don't mind getting stuck behind bicyclists who follow traffic laws. "Share the road," I get that. But don't come whining to me about bike lanes and respect when you yourself don't even feel the need to respect regular traffic laws.

 

[dyre]

I just got back from China, I think you'd like it there. Cars have the right of way above everything, but they have to follow green/red lights. Scooters/mopeds/bycicles are next on the right-of-way list, so they have to dodge cars, but they don't seem to have to worry about lights. Pedestrians are the lowest on the pecking order and basically have to dodge everything. For example if you're crossing with a green crossing light, but a car is turning, you have to let him by or else probably get run over. I saw so many people jump or run to get out of the way of cars that just slow down a bit and honk. The bikes and scooters generally get through pedestrians pretty slowly, but people still dodge them too.

I saw a lot of scooters cross at red lights and they'd literally frogger it across 6 lanes of traffic, so crazy.

lol yeah, China's traffic culture is the best. Makes more sense too...here in the US, we have people in deadly, steel machines yielding to people just walking on foot? It's unnatural, I tell you!

 

[Wolfram23]

lol yeah, China's traffic culture is the best. Makes more sense too...here in the US, we have people in deadly, steel machines yielding to people just walking on foot? It's unnatural, I tell you!

Exactly! Gotta keep the meat bags on their toes.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Exactly! Gotta keep the meat bags on their toes.

In all fairness, pedestrians are almost as bad as cyclists. There are right of way rules for pedestrians too, not that more than 1 in 10 are even vaguely aware of them. They just blunder out into the street willy nilly. And if I see one more person race out onto a crosswalk long after the orange hand started flashing I'm going to punch them right in the throat.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Well, over here in Holland we have cycling lanes, the same as every other moderately developed country.

And on the few roads without these lanes we simply keep to our right side of the road where motorists can easily spot us.

..............................

I kind of fail to see the problem here.

See, you're following the rules. I'm just annoyed as all hell by the idiots who think they are above the rules.

I live in Guelph Ontario. They have bike lanes everywhere. And yet this moron insisted on slowly crossing a six lane highway because he couldn't be assed to stay on the road, so he took the sidewalk.

 

[DustyDrB]

The infrastructure for cyclists sucks in the US. That's one problem. Another problem is that many cyclists tend to not know the laws. But local governments do a pretty terrible job of getting the information out there.

I don't really like to cycle anymore, though. I'm kind of scared of all the people who text and drive and don't notice the people on bikes until the very last moment, or lose focus and run into the bike lane.

 

[Launcelot111]

God, bikers are the worst. We have plenty of bike lanes where I live, so that's fine, but I can't even count how many times I've had to slam on the brakes going through a stop sign because some dumbass zips out of nowhere and can't be bothered to stop like any competent driver. And when they don't even slow down when they zip through red lights? Christ. My favorite is that there's some parts of the city where bikers just decide to go on the sidewalk wherever they please and zip around at full speed through very thick crowds of people, indifferent to the people who are essentially diving out of their way

 

[Terminate421]

Cyclists, you are not a car, get out of my way.

 

[joe-h2o]

Cyclists, you are not a car, get out of my way.

But they are legal road users, like horses, tractors, busses, trucks, etc.

For every jerk cyclist, there's a dozen jerk car drivers (purely because there are more of them).

I am both a cyclist and a car driver and I aim to be considerate when doing both things. I follow the rules of the road, I stop at red traffic lights when on my bike, I leave space for cyclists when passing them.

I've been intentionally hit by car drivers before, which is technically assault/dangerous driving/driving without due care, but what can you do?

More often than not I'm hit by drivers who simply aren't looking, then they get all angry because I scratched the paint and how dare I be riding on that piece of road where only they deserve to be?!

Speaking to the original OP - the cyclist is allowed to cross at a pedestrian crossing (and hold up the cars) as long as he walks across while pushing the bike - at that point he's a pedestrian.

Tl;DR - not all cyclists are jerks, not all car drivers are blameless angels.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

Is this some city thing, i can not ever recall cyclists being extraordinarily annoying

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Fuck cyclists. Fuck 'em hard.

I have one particular set of traffic lights I have to cross every single day going back and from work. I walk over this bit of road four times every day at least. I have nearly been hit by cyclists on both pavement and road more times than I can count in the last seven months.

When there is a red light. You fucking stop. That's what a red light means you utter moron. You do not get to break the law just because you chose to make yourself infertile instead of walking or driving. You also do not try and cheat the system by swerving suddenly into the path of pedestrians because you see a red light and want to run it but there are people crossing the road. Next time I see of you either running the red light or mounting the curb and endangering small children on the way to school I will take you off your bike and shove your head onto one of the spikes on the gate surrounding the church on that corner. Then let's see you break the law wanker.