I'm averaging one jerk per week

I love dogs (not ankle biters, but real dogs), but I still carry a small can of pepper gel spray, just in case. It may also be useful along some parts of the Truckee River trail in Reno, where the homeless gather. No problems so far...
 
rob feature said:
I think some lawmakers see MUPs as solely for recreation and discount the fact that some of us get to work that way.
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Indeed. My commute is 80% MUP. The jerk ratio must be lower this side of the Pacific. 99% of my interactions are positive, and the inconsiderate moments more often than not stem from a blissful lack of situational awareness. Hey, we've all been there.
 
pmcdonald said:
Indeed. My commute is 80% MUP. The jerk ratio must be lower this side of the Pacific. 99% of my interactions are positive, and the inconsiderate moments more often than not stem from a blissful lack of situational awareness. Hey, we've all been there.
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We've never had an issue. But we believe just because it is legal "and your right to ride" somewhere, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

When on the bikes, we treat motor vehicle operators the way we want to be treated when we are driving the car or van.
 
We're still talking about ebikes/bikes/trails. right? The internet has ruined me and the title is confusing.
 
When it is December 21st and you just got off the commuter train on a bike with your lights. That is different than a group smoking joints at midnight with rattle cans on the commuter MUP. It is a vital transportation corridor. It takes cars off the roads, a good thing for drivers. As a driver, would you enjoy fewer cars ahead of you at the next intersection? How many fewer?
 
PedalUma said:
When it is December 21st and you just got off the commuter train on a bike with your lights. That is different than a group smoking joints at midnight with rattle cans on the commuter MUP. It is a vital transportation corridor. It takes cars off the roads, a good thing for drivers. As a driver, would you enjoy fewer cars ahead of you at the next intersection? How many fewer?
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I started bike commuting in 2006, and that commute was 90% on the major MUP in my area, the W&OD rail trail. At the time it technically closed at sundown (its managed by the regional parks department which had a blanket "closed at sunset" policy). That said, I commuted year round and obviously rode in the dark during the winter months and was never hassled. I think the policy has since been somewhat revised to extend hours at least in the more built up regions of the trail. Obviously enforcement was basically non-existent. I know tons of people who commuted on it and never heard of anyone being stopped for riding after dark. It probably exists primarily as a tool to enable law enforcement to check out/harass anyone on it after dark. I was a white dude on a nice bike lit up like a christmas tree with a messenger bag, cops didn't even give me a second look.

Usage hours are part of the broader discussion on how to handle things like MUPs, which not only includes hours but extends to things like snow clearing; the W&OD for decades had zero snow clearing, which made it very difficult to use as a commuting route for days or weeks after a major snowfall. Historically many of these were treated and managed like purely recreational facilities, but the reality is they are major commuting routes for many people and need to be treated as such.
 
jabberwocky said:
I started bike commuting in 2006, and that commute was 90% on the major MUP in my area, the W&OD rail trail. At the time it technically closed at sundown (its managed by the regional parks department which had a blanket "closed at sunset" policy). That said, I commuted year round and obviously rode in the dark during the winter months and was never hassled. I think the policy has since been somewhat revised to extend hours at least in the more built up regions of the trail. Obviously enforcement was basically non-existent. I know tons of people who commuted on it and never heard of anyone being stopped for riding after dark. It probably exists primarily as a tool to enable law enforcement to check out/harass anyone on it after dark. I was a white dude on a nice bike lit up like a christmas tree with a messenger bag, cops didn't even give me a second look.

Usage hours are part of the broader discussion on how to handle things like MUPs, which not only includes hours but extends to things like snow clearing; the W&OD for decades had zero snow clearing, which made it very difficult to use as a commuting route for days or weeks after a major snowfall. Historically many of these were treated and managed like purely recreational facilities, but the reality is they are major commuting routes for many people and need to be treated as such.
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This is newly announced today and I think its super cool. Our town wants to make an entire downtown street a bike boulevard! Your towns can find out more. https://cityofpetaluma.org/5th-st-bike-blvd/
 
I wish it was only one per week. Does this one count?


This guy was the first one. I had a cop way too close on a narrow road, on an even narrower bridge. Passed me, and a truck with a trailer turning right at more than the posted speed limit. No video because it was foggy and my gopro ended up covered in water from the fog.

Had a school bus pass me same way, all so he could save 13 seconds out of his day to get home. He didn't need to pass, 13 more seconds and he was at his driveway. Both this morning and afternoon I was riding with my red flashers, tail light and headlight. so it's not that they couldn't see me. They were just selfish twats.
 
Yikes - that is one spooky place to ride a bike. Excellent lane discipline though :)
 
rob feature said:
Yikes - that is one spooky place to ride a bike. Excellent lane discipline though :)
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I grew up riding on the roads around here. I'd regularly be out at 12yrs old on the same types of roads. I've become accustomed to it. My friends and I would regularly ride 30+ miles a day around here.
 
JedidiahStolzfus said:
I grew up riding on the roads around here. I'd regularly be out at 12yrs old on the same types of roads. I've become accustomed to it. My friends and I would regularly ride 30+ miles a day around here.
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That covered bridge tour does look kinda awesome.
 
I had a close encounter a few days ago. The road in question has two lanes each way, and a bike lane. I was in the bike lane, of course. There was no traffic in the left lane. A city transit bus passed me at around 1 ft distance. The law here states a minimum of 3 ft. As the left lane was empty, he could have easily given me more clearance.

When I got home, I called the transit people. The guy I talked to sounded like he didn't care, and I was bothering him. All I got was a statement that he'd review the video footage from that bus. I've heard nothing since, and don't expect to. This was the first time that I got almost grazed by a bus. The ones that have passed me before gave me plenty of room.

I would have had my own video evidence, except that the action camera that I had mounted on the rear fell off a few days prior. The plastic mount broke. I intend to order an aluminum mount. I had the camera set to "dash cam" mode. I specifically mounted it on the rear so I'd have video if anyone got too close, or hit me.
 
mojoe said:
Like the lady who was texting while driving in town...
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I'd say you're doing pretty well to only get 1 jerk per week. I think I have at least one jerk per commute/day/ride. For me, the most common are the drivers - including the city buses - that pass me while I'm in the bike lane and then make a quick right turn or stop in the bike lane. The city buses are the absolute worst. I guess the drivers are measured primarily by meeting their schedules, so they commonly run red lights, and make quick stops right after passing cars or cyclists. Often the time difference for a driver to wait for me to clear the lane versus passing me and then cutting me off is a matter of seconds.

I thought about starting a thread for the most ironically rude drivers. Two that come to mind for me: an SUV entering a boulevard from a residential street, intending a rolling stop at the stop-sign, invaded the bike lane I was in. He quickly reversed to let me pass but then pulled out, sped past me, and made an immediate right turn in my path. What stood out to me, as he had passed me, was the yellow caution sticker on his back windshield "baby on board". The second that comes to mind: a woman passes me as I'm in the bike lane, probably speeding, and then suddenly sees an open parking space to my left and her right. She pulls in quickly but overshoots the parking lane and ends up blocking the bike lane. I stopped behind her, to wait for her to perform some complicated parking maneuvers, and just noticed a little irony in her "co-exist" bumper sticker.
 
As both a Ebike rider and a driver I see both sides of this, any ebikers that literally take up an entire car lane blocking auto traffic going less than the posted speed limit is out of line, cars are bigger than us, we can be seriously injured.
Riders with an entitled I own the road just like cars perspective, need to check their attitude.
I apply the golden rule when riding my Ebike, how would I feel about my riding style if I was in my car?
But drivers need to shoulder check to their right when they are making right turns and their is a bike lane right beside them, this is the most common error I see from drivers, and I get it, because I too have forgotten on occasion to do it.
But I am hyper-aware if I literally just passed any bike 60 seconds ago.
 
Jerk encounters aren't that uncommon when riding on public roads but I had an experience while riding a bike trail this morning. I was on a fairly narrow section of the GAP Trail in PA when I met a 20 something guy riding toward me.
He was actually riding no hands while texting! He was weaving back and forth so there was no way to pass safely. He didn't respond to my bell but luckily he heard me shout, otherwise, we would have collided! He dropped his phone, grabbed the bars and swerved sharply to the right. I swerved left and went off the trail. Fortunately, neither of us dropped our bikes and there was no damage or injury..

I had a few choice words for the idiot but he was too busy cleaning off his phone to listen.
 
Ebiker33 said:
need to check their attitude.
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IMO cagers need to attitude adjust. If I'm on a 4 lane city street keeping enough to the right to leave a full left lane and keeping to the left enough to keep from getting doored, I'm exercising my road use privileges. Give me my 3 feet of passing clearance. Cages often drive under the posted limit. Sometimes that’s prudent. Or are you one of those spastic drivers insisting on typically pushing the limit and getting wound up if every other cage isn’t as hyper?
 
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