The Lounge

I hope your bikes melt down and your little helmets crack and and you lose a bike seat up your butt.

Do you ride on the bike path RIGHT NEXT TO THE STREET? HELL NO! You ride right in the street and hold up traffic.

Do you ride single file as traffic goes by? HELL NO! You ride in pairs while blocking traffic and we're all at your mercy driving at bicycle speed for miles on end.

Do you ride in a responsible manner? HELL NO! You cry that you have just as much right to the street as I do in my car yet you run EVERY SINGLE stop sign, turn without signaling and whatever illegal maneuvers you can think up while wearing a Doritos branded spandex team shirt.

I seriously hate cyclists so much.

Original Post by spirochete:

 You don't see cars driving three abreast down the street in one lane. If you do, you certainly shouldn't.

Cars don't fit 3 (or even 2) abreast in a lane, I see motorcycles riding 2 abreast in a lane all the time, no one seems too upset about it. 

I am so guilty of 'disliking' (tryin' to be nice here) cyclists that I dream of being able to ride alongside them and have somebody open the passenger side door and 'nudge' them.  Not kill.  Just nudge.  wink wink, lol

We don't have many cyclists where I live.  However, I really don't have any complaints about the ones that we do have.  Most of them ride single file, stop at lights and signs and are generally not a nuisance.  Heck, if I had the money for a bike, I'd be hopping on it myself to ride home in about an hour.

However, if I had to deal with what spiro says she's dealing with, I would be frustrated too.  Cyclists should absolutely obey traffic laws.  They should absolutely ride single file.  AND I should be able to pass them when I need to.  Why should I be able to pass them, you ask?  Because they can't even go the minimum speed limit.  Therefore, if we were not able to pass them, traffic would be a mess. 

I think that there are some cyclists that give all cyclists a bad name and I also think that there are some drivers who give all drivers a bad name.

Original Post by gmule:

Peacelove, if you are riding your bicycle against traffic you are riding the wrong way. Bicycles should ride with traffic.

Oh. Anyways I'm always terrified I'm going to hit them.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by spirochete:

 You don't see cars driving three abreast down the street in one lane. If you do, you certainly shouldn't.

Cars don't fit 3 (or even 2) abreast in a lane, I see motorcycles riding 2 abreast in a lane all the time, no one seems too upset about it. 

 That's because motorcyclists are capable of doing the correct speed limit.  Therefore, they are not a problem.

Original Post by spirochete:

If I ever saw a cyclist stop at a stop sign I'd fall over dead. DEAD.

Don't come to my area -- I stop (yes, I put my foot on the ground) at all road stop signs, regardless of whether I am on the road, bike path, or sidewalk (it may be illegal to ride the sidewalks, but it's safer for all -- I'd rather get a ticket for being on the side walk than dead because the 35mph speed limit means "travel at 50mph")

The Speed Limit is the maximum allowable legal speed.  A limit that most motorist ignore.  The roads that cyclist use typically do not have a minumum speed.  If you're behind a cyclist or other slow moving vehicle and you want to pass do so legally.

Original Post by trhawley:

The Speed Limit is the maximum allowable legal speed.  A limit that most motorist ignore.  The roads that cyclist use typically do not have a minumum speed.  If you're behind a cyclist or other slow moving vehicle and you want to pass do so legally.

 beat me too it, the only roads I've ever seen with minimum speed limits were interstate highways which I doubt get much bicycle traffic.

Original Post by floggingsully:

You should thank every cyclist that you see on the road. They're keeping your gas prices down and making the air your kids and you breath cleaner.

And trying to get my insurance premiums higher when I almost hit them.

For example, I stopped at a stop sign and was starting to go.  As I'm turning right, a bicyclist coming the oposite way decides to turn left and not stop at her stop sign.  (clicky for illustration)  I jam on my brakes and she gives me either a "thank you" or "my bad" wave.  I finally turn and watch her go through another stop sign.  Seriously?  You are going to run another stop sign.  I almost ran you over with a 2400 lbs. car.  I could have killed you.

I'm not going to say that every cyclist in the world acts like a dumbass.  But, I know that every one in Los Angeles seems to think they are the center of the world and riding some indestructible chariot that allows them to break laws at will.

Any of you ever drive through a country down and get stuck behind a tractor for a few miles?  Yah... sucks.  Cyclists should obey the same laws as on a lake or water.  If you are smaller than the other vehicle, you give them the right of way.

Original Post by dcyounts:

Any of you ever drive through a country down and get stuck behind a tractor for a few miles?  Yah... sucks. 

There are a lot of tractors around here as well. Luckily they don't blow through stop signs or drive three abreast to "make their point"

Thank goodness they don't spiro, some of these tractors are as big as a house.

By the by

Farmers farm so we can eat.

Cyclists cycle for their personal empowerment.

Out where I live it isn't that big a deal bc there is hardly any traffic so i basically go in the other lane to pass, and they are pretty good about getting as far over as they can.. But i have been on another road where they where taking up the whole lane which was really irritating.

Spiro I am mostly just a lurker on this forum but I have to say I love how dramatic and passionate all your posts are!  You put so much energy (sometimes negative, sometimes positive) into everything you say.  If only everyone were as passionate as you! :)

"...I hate your next 15 generations..." lmao

Wow 5 full pages of hatred. I'm glad I'm not gay or very religious.

I 'm not buying the argument that if cyclists are seen breaking the law drivers will feel it's acceptable to drive dangerously. If we follow this to extremes does that mean the next time I see someone letting their dog foul on the pavement I should run their dog over? It's not as if most drivers (myself included) are law abiding souls when the police aren't around.

Sorry so many of you have to slow down for the un-godly time of a few seconds at a time at best. Sorry your offended by the human body and are intimidated by those of us that have good enough bodies to wear spandex.

I hope you enjoy being bent over the gas pump every time you fill up. How's 6.00 a gallon going to feel?

 

 

Original Post by gmule:

 

I 'm not buying the argument that if cyclists are seen breaking the law drivers will feel it's acceptable to drive dangerously. If we follow this to extremes does that mean the next time I see someone letting their dog foul on the pavement I should run their dog over?    

Hahaha... nooo it's not like that.

BUT, if I'm doing 45 and a cyclists pops in front of me through a stop-sign I'm not swerving off the road into a tree to avoid him.

*meant to be lighthearted... i wouldn't hurt a cyclists even though they do annoy me sometimes*

Original Post by gmule:

I hope you enjoy being bent over the gas pump every time you fill up. How's 6.00 a gallon going to feel?

Quite lovely because I'll be on a PROPER bike... with a motor... that can actually do the speed limit while not looking like Christmas wrappings!

OH right gmule it's all about jealously over your spandex and people driving dangerously on purpose.

I mean really.

Original Post by ratinhat88:

Spiro I am mostly just a lurker on this forum but I have to say I love how dramatic and passionate all your posts are! You put so much energy (sometimes negative, sometimes positive) into everything you say. If only everyone were as passionate as you! :)

"...I hate your next 15 generations..." lmao

Thank you, I think!

Try being the one on a bike. It's really scary when crazy drivers come up next to you and scare the s*** out of you. In my community, there are no bike paths, so cyclists have no other alternative to riding on the roads.