i don't get it

[lauralh]

Can someone explain to me why people on bicycles feel the need, for example, to flip you off if you come within three yards of them? Or take up an entire line while not wearing a helmet and wearing headphones? Myself, I'm completely terrified when I ride a bike in the city and am very respectful of people in three-ton killing machines. Especially after Reg's Accident.

Comments

[skipbreakfast.livejournal.com]

This morning there was a cyclist coasting in the middle of the right lane on 99 in Queen Anne...at rush hour.

[spencert.livejournal.com]

Nope, that shit baffles me. I know they are legally considered a vehicle and are supposed to stay off the sidewalks and on the roads, but when it's 5 PM and people are trying to get home from work, you don't ride your bike in the middle of the lane at 15 MPH when there's too much traffic in the other lane for any cars to get around you.

part of the fun of being on a bike is weaving around stop-and-go traffic

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

you can ride on the sidewalk - in fact, if you don't have a helmet you have to I think.

Re: part of the fun of being on a bike is weaving around stop-and-go traffic

[spencert.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that makes sense. I just remember from drivers ed that bikes are considered vehicles, but 1) that was 12 years ago, and 2) that doesn't necessarily mean they have to be on the road at all times.

Re: part of the fun of being on a bike is weaving around stop-and-go traffic

[chris.livejournal.com]

i think its specifically in seattle you are allowed to ride your bike on the sidewalk.

Re: part of the fun of being on a bike is weaving around stop-and-go traffic

[henry.livejournal.com]

No, you're allowed to ride in the street or on the sidewalk, but you can't switch back and forth and you have to obay all the laws that apply to either cars or pedestrians. A helmet has to be worn all the time, regardless.

Everybody pays taxes that maintain the roads, so it's my opinion everybody has an equal right to them.

Re: part of the fun of being on a bike is weaving around stop-and-go traffic

[henry.livejournal.com]

In WA anyway, the state collects the gas tax, while the city maintains it's streets. So, no. The city budget is here if you want to read more: http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/financedepartment/06adoptedbudget/default.htm

[zorbathut.livejournal.com]

It's because they're more important than you are. You can tell because they ride a bike, and not a car, and cars burn oil and are therefore evil.

QED.

(I joke, but I've met people like this. :( )

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

Too bad the car door is still fucked up from the last bike we hit!

[chris.livejournal.com]

i understand a certain amount of the anti-car asthetic, and the fact that often you can get around faster on a bike than in a car, and you can get away with blowing red lights and things like that, but at a certain point, you know, you have your own actual safety to worry about. all the attitude in the world isn't going to save you from getting creamed by an SUV if you fly out in front of it or wont get out if its way.

[toastednut.livejournal.com]

oh but the scheudenfreud in spectating such darwinism!

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

did you read the link?

[toastednut.livejournal.com]

keywords: spectating (not involvement) and darwinism.

[almosttruth.livejournal.com]

Because bicyclists are badass, and you are just a dumb car driving jerk.

[velvet.livejournal.com]

This dumb car driving jerk just got a bit flustered when a badass bicyclist rode his bike into injury, unconsciousness and near-death in the form of my car door. He got a ticket.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

did you read the link?

[llarian.livejournal.com]

Three words: Critial Mass Asshats

[langston.livejournal.com]

I resemble that remark!

[langston.livejournal.com]

fair weather riders, students and hipster scum (applicable only to Cap Hill & Belltown)constitute probably 90% of the cycling pop. you mention. I hate them too, second only to those that wear full Tour outfits to commute 5 miles downtown to an office job.

Getting buzzed can be anus clenching white-knuckle scary, as I'm sure you're aware. I get mad when people scare me too.

[velvet.livejournal.com]

You do ride at least the posted speed limit, right?

[langston.livejournal.com]

20-30 good enough? I try to stay off the freeway on my bicycle, so otherwise if you forgive me doing 12-15 up the more significiant grades I'm usually trying to go as fast as possible. It's great fun to get honked at only to catch up and pass the impatient driver at a red light.

I'm an exception to the rule though, obsessive-compulsive to see my front wheel spin. I also live, love, work and play in the urban core where I'm the most time-efficient vehicle anyways.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

haha we passed a guy in full neon regalia coming home this afternoon

[kamakhai.livejournal.com]

Cyclists are aggressive towards drivers because our lives are constantly being threatened by people who don't seem to realize the potential deadliness of their cars. I doubt that you're one of those people, but it's not hard to get oversensitive about this, especially when you've just come within inches been killed by some frazzled commuter or a stoned kid talking on their phone. Personally, I tend not to antagonize people in cars because it's unlikely to accomplish much.

And as for biking on the sidewalk, apart from often being illegal (I know it was in Portland, don't know about SF), it's actually more dangerous for both the cyclist and pedestrians. Sidewalks aren't maintained very well and people walking around are even more oblivious than drivers.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

as mentioned above it's legal in seattle... anyway like I said, we were nowhere near the guy who flipped us off, and the other guy was very blatantly breaking nine kinds of laws. he wasn't being aggressive just highly inconsiderate.

cars are deadly to other drivers too, just waaay more deadly to bikes. this to me is a good reason to be more defensive about biking, not more aggressive.

[kamakhai.livejournal.com]

Legal or not, biking on the sidewalk is a bad idea.. you're a lot more likely to, say, hit a kid or run into someone exiting a driveway. At least on the road people are generally keeping an eye open for moving objects.

And my dislike of cyclists listening to music (unless it's, say, a boombox in a basket on a cruiser) is second only to crack/meth heads on bikes (which come to think of it could account for the first guy). Yuppies in neon tour outfits poorly operating $5000 rides are a close third.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

just to give you more ammunition, the guy with headphones later did get on the sidewalk.

[kamakhai.livejournal.com]

I bet he was on meth too!

[velvet.livejournal.com]

Bike + Pedestrian = Bad
Bike + Car = Worse

[langston.livejournal.com]

after hitting a pedestrian on a cyclist and putting her in the hospital, I'll ride in the grittiest traffic before I deal with the dips, breaks and obstacles of the sidewalk. Getting off the major roadways where the sidewalks are resolves this, and riding downtown on the sidewalk at more than a walking pace (at which point, why ride?) is inviting a manslaughter charge.

[duckierose.livejournal.com]

I only flip people off when I'm about a foot into an intersection and some guy tries to make a right hand turn, without even looking, so I end up hitting my brakes and trying not to eat shit because said asshat didn't bother to look both ways.

But, we have bike lanes, which is nice. I only get near-hit in intersections.

[kirinqueen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, same here. (One memorable time that happened the guy actually turned around and followed me down the street, cussing at me because I'd flipped him off and yelled "ASSHOLE" after HE'd caused ME to almost go head over handlebars.)

Though I have never seen cyclists behave as you [Laural] have described. I watch the drivers cut huge swaths to avoid being within ten feet of cyclists, and while I think this seems to be a safe practice, I don't think it's that hard to judge how much space your car takes up and drive accordingly.

[duckierose.livejournal.com]

I've seen crazy and dangerous cyclists and drivers. And plenty normal of each. But, I think it's more common to find cars who are unaware of the bikes on the road. Which is weird, because when I cross intersections on foot, I almost never get near-hit. Maybe it's because I'm moving slower?

[kirinqueen.livejournal.com]

I agree that cyclists do seem to occupy this strange limbo--I myself have been guilty of not seeing a cyclist as soon as I ought to have. I think the relative speed thing probably does make a difference.

[almosttruth.livejournal.com]

I was being sarcastic.

Is this a reply, or a new comment?

[velvet.livejournal.com]

About what?

Re: Is this a reply, or a new comment?

[almosttruth.livejournal.com]

I was replying to a comment to me by laural.

[joblessmusician.livejournal.com]

I usually yell at them, "you're not a car!"

Still, I've never acted on my threats to run them over (I've known two people killed by cars, while on bikes).

Remember when I tried to learn to ride a bike? Ha ha ha ha....