Awe, that's so nice-but you give me too much credit! ☺ Like when I order something French off the menu, don't know what it is and mispronounce its name, but the rest of my party think I'm cultured and start pronouncing it the way I do. ???
Reckless ebikers
- Thread starter ebikemom
- Start date
Like ... French Fries lol ?? ?
Over50
Well-Known Member
I've seen a lot of regular cyclists riding unsafely on mixed use.
Now normally I consider myself about the most courteous cyclist/e-biker. Yesterday I'm commuting home on a mixed use where it is typical that no one ever pays attention to the lane markings. There are two lanes marked for bikes and a larger wider lane marked for pedestrians. There are always a lot of folks walking in the bike lanes, usually with their backs to the direction of bike traffic and often there are dog walkers who will be walking in a bike lane but their dog on its leash extending across all lanes. Yesterday, I had 3 young men jogging in the bike lanes with their backs to me and they are taking the entire two bike lanes. They didn't move for 2 oncoming cyclists who opted for the farthest portion of the pedestrian lane to avoid them. They didn't react as I hit my bell coming up from behind. I saw a small gap open between two of the joggers so I accelerated and probably passed them in close quarters at about 18 mph. I think it startled all of them. Yes, I am usually very courteous but sometimes I am prone to outbursts. I considered my action a protest.
And on a similar tangent. A week or so ago I am in a different bike lane coming home. There were 3 women walking a dog in the bike lane when they even had a pedestrian path just a few feet away. On that day I had to leave the bike lane and use the car lane to pass them. I could tell they were not going to move as I approached. On yesterday's trip home, I noticed a big pile of dog poop square in the middle of the bike lane. Fortunately I missed it ... life in the big city I suppose.
indianajo
Well-Known Member
Dogs own everything. Like the roads I ride out to my summer camp. I have a special tray on the handlebar to hold dog rocks. Last year I had to get off and whack one with the cable to get her to back off trying to bite my ankle.
Now gas stations have signs that you have to carry your dog if it is not a service animal! The new smoking I suppose - owners see how much they can gross out everyone else. I was in the army when the most important people smoked the stinkiest cigars. I could smell division headquarters from a mile away.
Now gas stations have signs that you have to carry your dog if it is not a service animal! The new smoking I suppose - owners see how much they can gross out everyone else. I was in the army when the most important people smoked the stinkiest cigars. I could smell division headquarters from a mile away.
City Commuter
Active Member
I carry a can of this https://foxlabs.com/ with me for the four, and two legged creatures.
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
Most of the bicycle trails in the greater Seattle metromegalopolis already have a 15mph speed limit. When I was riding in Wenatchee today most of the trail (saw lots of e-bikes, by the way, probably 1 out of 4 bikes were e-bikes) had a 10mph limit.
Tars Tarkas
Well-Known Member
Someone almost ran over me earlier this week. He was on his bike, on his phone.... An analog bike.
I ride my bike mostly on a mixed-use greenway and I like to go fast. I slow down though whenever approaching anyone in either direction. Yea, me. From my perspective it's mostly people walking with ear phones or headphones who are the most dangerous. I slow down, as noted, but I'm still nervous about them jumping the wrong way when I go past them and they finally realize they aren't alone on the trail.
There's a Segway tour company that seems to think they own the path, or road, if it's more convenient. They take up as much room as they possibly can it seems like. I work around them. I guess the tour guide is trying to keep is patrons safe by forcing everyone else to slow down....
Even rental scooter riders generally have some sense of sharing the path. Some of them have no concept of parking out of the way though. It's no wonder a lot of scooters end up in lakes and rivers. Scooter riders scare me more than anything. There are so many of them, and by the very nature of the concept, a lot of the riders don't have a lot of experience on scooters at all and certainly not a lot of experience sharing the road.
Most bikers are pretty good. I see more unicyclists than e-bikers on the trail I frequent. Almost all bikers of any type that I run into know to ride as far to the right as they can and to pass on the left. Walkers not so much, especially when they're in groups.
I worry about e-bikes being regulated excessively. Banning them from trails because some riders go fast would be like banning cars from the roads because some of them go 70 in a 55 mph zone. By all means, ticket people who abuse their privileges, but I really hope all e-bikes aren't all thrown under the bus because of the carelessness or rudeness of a few people.
As noted, above, not nearly all of the idiocy on the trails comes from e-bikers.
TT
Dog Rocks lol ! Pet Stores Usually stock the Pepper spray provided for Postal employees too. ?
Ditto ! ?
christob
Well-Known Member
A troubling question, for certain... {borrowing the cranky old man voice..."Back in my day, sonny..." Wait - I'm barely 50!}
It feels to me that American society (hopefully too broad a bucket!) is increasingly abandoning behaviors of civility and courteousness in public, as once default and admirable traits one should possess... (A fleeting glance at our political situation would suggest there is no more "abandoning" happening there... it is probably all gone.)
But those are behaviors that would seem to be critical to keeping a vast, complex, shared society running smoothly down at the daily human-interactions level. They are behaviors that require an active and ongoing awareness of those around you as well as taking personal responsibility for your behavior and actions towards them, ideally aiming for "the generous interpretation" all the time. (Yes, quite lofty goals, presented that way, but -- better to aim high and fall short, than to aim too low and hit the mark.)
As the individual is continuously encouraged in so many ways to pull themselves into their own self-reinforcing world, it seems that process can only twist the basic guiding philosophy of "do unto others as you would see done unto you" -- from which, really, "public civility" and "public courteousness" naturally arise -- into more of a "do as you wish; others matter less."
The failing to recognize, as you step out your door, that you're entering a shared environment, where all parties are charged with shared obligations towards each other, forms a kind of everyday-disdain for others.
Then, simply cue all the negative behaviors from that individual, which adversely affect others, while the individual no longer notices and increasingly, wouldn't care anyway.
Heavy sigh -- thanks for letting me vent
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Dewey
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Arlington, Virginia
The ebike thread on my local cycling forum has anecdotes of ebike riders not calling passes on trails (not cool) or passing uphill (gasp), but I see daily stupidity from all kinds of vehicles. Yesterday I saw a Lycranaut racing cyclist salmoning, riding the wrong way in a cycle lane on the wrong side of the street during rush hour for 4 blocks passing a school and a public library, f*ck that guy. Or the car rear ending another in stop and go traffic I passed in the afternoon. Or the guy on an e-scooter riding with a shopping bag hanging off each handlebar. And that’s just one day. The past couple of years we’ve had an anti-social group of atv/dirt bike riders traveling in groups showboating and crying for attention. Plenty of stupidity to go around.
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We are going to the woods to ride today. I do not expect to see anybody. Maybe a pickup and/or car? Maybe a woodcutter? Sometimes the cows are rude and are slow to get out of the way. We have to dodge the fresh cow pies. I do not think the cows are out yet so that shouldn't be a problem. Stay tuned. I'll try to come up with a rant.
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I think that @The duke is a master satirist!
I agree about the satire but these events are all too real. I see it many times while riding. For the most part, other riders I encounter are courteous and obey the rules. Unfortunately, these are the folks that will be hurt the most by restrictive ebike regulation. The outlaws will break any new regulations just as they are already doing with existing ones.
Sadly, ebike laws are difficult to enforce and violators are rarely caught. This could result in people taking the law into their own hands. I see a disturbing increase in headlines like these and fear more ebikers will be targeted in a similar manner:
https://gazette.com/news/trip-wire-...cle_8ea87196-563e-11e9-ba25-678790d4179a.html
https://www.singletracks.com/blog/m...nother-one-injures-rider-in-colorado-springs/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02...-bike-by-neck-high-wire-across-track/10786392
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/02/cruel-wire-booby-trap-sends-dirt-biker-flying
https://nsmb.com/articles/riders-throat-sliced-barbed-wire-across-trail/
We barely have Bicycle laws here in Illinois, Much less E bike laws ! It's pretty much every rider for him/herself. I Always call out when passing on trails and bike routes, but again Not everyone recognizes the Courtesy of doing so. So be it, those people are warned by a Blast of air ! Unfortunately, it is what it is. I have to take a trip to the Library today, who knows what awaits lol.
Jaxx
Well-Known Member
Well that's exactly how this Englishman took it? Like most English people, I love a little satire, along with sending yourself up.
I have inherited that sense of humor. Unfortunately, not a lot of people get it and it sets one up for correction and even a serious lecture. I have to remember to add "Just kidding" afterwards but even that is not enough sometimes. I've got to just keep quiet.
Fortunately, nobody takes my favorite line seriously--that I take my dog along on rides in order to run her until her heart bursts.
Roxlimn
Member
I use a bell when I'm overtaking, because for some reason, some lycranauts take it personally when you call out that you're passing them on whichever direction. I have no idea why they take such offense at people passing them. It was exactly the same when I was still using my road bike.
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