We followed this Bozo for many blocks. Although he was riding in the proper bike lane when I snapped this photo, he managed to break many cycling rules as we followed him: ran ALL the red lights, passed unsuspecting and surprised motorists when there weren't bike lanes, cut in front of turning cars at intersections, and even rode several blocks on the wrong side of the street; therefore, he puts himself and many drivers at risk. He represents one of my PET PEEVES--cyclists who do not obey the rules of the road! As a cyclist myself, I appreciate careful motorists and try to do my part. It's a two-way street. I'm annoyed at "Letters to the Editors" that excoriate motorists who do not respect cyclists. To put it mildly, Bozos like this guy enrage me!!
Where we live there are many twisting, turning roads. These are favored routes with our local cyclists. I've got to say they evoke a less than generous response from me when I come around a turn and find three of them taking up the entire car lane seemingly oblivious to my presence behind them.
ReplyDeleteBut think positive-- at least you couldn't see his butt crack! hahahaha
ReplyDeleteOne of these days you'll have to tell us how you really feel! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI agree...bike riders have rights, but they also have responsibilities. Some around here are just plain stupid, riding on streets where there is no bike lane and no room. And, like you said, they want the road but don't want to obey the rules of the road.
Of course, the motorists are something else. We can and should get all worked up about 3,000 beings killed in a terrorist attack but home-grown "terrorists" on our highways kill upwards of 40,000 people a year! In Florida, if you try to drive the speed limit (70) you will get run over by the great majority who think 70 means 90!
I couldn't agree with you more. They are a menace.
ReplyDeleteYES! My pet peeve as well. Just because you are on a bike, doesn't mean you can ignore stop signs and red lights. Unless you're suicidal, that is.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same problem here too, but soon it will be a Phoenix summer; way too hot for bike riders.
ReplyDeleteWith time Darwin would take care of these guys...
ReplyDeleteOh Kate I agree with you one this one. Good thing you did not see the guy I saw the other day crossing against the red with a baby buggy in tow.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to all the hairy guys? Golly, I have seen young men with more hair on their backs than on their other parts. This guy look clean shaven.
ReplyDeleteThe birds...
You commented about their appetites. We make it a practice of feeding the birds here through the winter and the other animals as well and then keep it up until after their babies are born and weaned and or fledged. It makes life easier for the parents and the babies. After that, we slack off to one feeder and then slow down adding food to it except in the early morning for those birds who must eat early and the later feeders for the birds that must eat later.
It works for us.
He is risking his life and others too. So inconsiderate!
ReplyDeleteI hear you!!! He gives all the good cyclists a bad name.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's ironic that he wears a helmut to protect his head in case of a fall, but what about all his skin that will get scratched and burned on the pavement. Bozo!!!
File under: Geriatric rant
ReplyDeleteHow I envy you!
ReplyDeleteAnneliese B.
brattcat, remember that bicycles are vehicles, and entitled to the use of the FULL width of the traffic lane just like any other vehicle. This is especially important on twisting roads where bicycles and motorcycles will ride closer to the centerline to increase their visibility and safety. You cannot legally pass another vehicle in the lane it occupies anyhow, so why would it matter to you how they're organized?
ReplyDeleteDear Brooks, I was surprised at some of the views you had about bicycles, and to be sure that my understanding of the rules is correct, I checked the internet for Minnesota bicycle laws among which was this rule: 4. On roadways may ride two abreast but don’t impede normal & reasonable movement of traffic. Ride in single lane. (4b)Since you live in Hawaii, I checked your laws wondering if the rules might be different, but the rules state that a cyclist should "ride as far to the right as possible." In defense of Brattcat, I think that she is correct in her statement above, and really is justified in her annoyance.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kate, for your defense. We've created a little tempest in a teapot, I fear. It'd be a minor thing if lives weren't at stake but cyclists are incredibly vulnerable. I think it would behoove them to use their common sense when conditions necessitate it, even if the law does not require them to do so. In the instances you cited in your original post the law does require them to do so and yet still there are these potentially deadly lapses.
ReplyDelete"My views" are the standard bicycle and motorcycle safety rules and recommendations combined with common sense and long experience from the cycling community.
ReplyDeleteYou misquoted the code - bicycles are directed to ride as far to the right "as practicable". "Practicable" means taking safety into consideration. Visibility to other vehicles is the paramount consideration. It is UNSAFE to ride on the far right side of the lane, because it decreases your visibility and encourages dangerous drivers to squeeze by and cut across unsafely. (there are also many other reasons why it's unsafe to ride a bicycle far to the right side of the lane) 1/3 of the lane width in from the right side line is the usual lane positioning when visibility is good. Positioning closer to the centerline is necessary when more visibility is needed. On a winding road it is particularly important to move closer to the centerline so cars can see bicycles with adequate time to slow. When visibility is particularly poor it is important for groups of cyclists to spread out in the lane to increase their visibility. This is all common-sense defensive cycling strategy.
http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/roadrules.php
I share the same pet peeve as you. But I'll add another; I hate it when people are out cycling or walking on park paved bike/hike trails listening to their ipods. They can't hear anything but what is blasting out of those ear phones. Many times while biking I've called out "passing on your left", they can't hear and continue to block all lanes.
ReplyDelete