Why do people hate cyclists?

[Lost]

Pretty much. To me, if you're trying to ride on a busy road that has a speed limit of 40mph, you shouldn't be on that road (at least not for any significant distance) if you can't do 40mph continuously. It's the same reason we don't allow bicycles on interstate highways. Mixing speeds like that is dangerous. I feel the same way if I'm on a bicycle. I don't want to be on a road where I can't keep up with the speed of traffic. It feels very unsafe to me.

Well that would limit you to trails or roads with a 15 mph limit.

 

[DavidP]

Not exactly, since I said "busy road" (not just speed limited). Once I'm on residential streets (which may have speed limits up to 35 mph around here), I start to feel a lot safer riding in the street. I think drivers are a lot more observant in residential areas, and are also less likely to get angry about having to slow down for a cyclist (the main premise of the video in the OP).

 

[DavidP]

Consider this, too. Where I live, golf carts aren't allowed on roads if the speed limit is over 35 mph. If golf carts aren't safe to mix with traffic if the speed limit is over 35 mph, how could bicycles be considered safe?

 

[tomjasz]

Pretty much. To me, if you're trying to ride on a busy road that has a speed limit of 40mph, you shouldn't be on that road (at least not for any significant distance) if you can't do 40mph continuously. It's the same reason we don't allow bicycles on interstate highways. Mixing speeds like that is dangerous. I feel the same way if I'm on a bicycle. I don't want to be on a road where I can't keep up with the speed of traffic. It feels very unsafe to me.

That would preclude bucycling antwhere but on a bik path. Ridiculously limiting.

 

[DavidP]

I think of it this way. On a major street (4 total lanes, speed limit 40 mph), I get quite annoyed if a CAR is going only 20 mph for any significant distance when the traffic is relatively heavy. Why? This forces everybody behind said driver to slow down and then try to merge into the other lane, which backs up traffic even more.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Just a thought here. In quite a few states bicycles are allowed on interstate highways or are allowed on at least some interstate highways (usually outside of urban areas). Amongst the states where bicycles are allowed on interstates are: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

 

[john peck]

Because they don't have eyes in the back of their heads & must make frequent furtive glances in a mirror instead.
It's not for want of trying to keep track of what's coming behind them at speed. Lord knows how annoying they are
if allowed have a wheel left of the white shoulder line.

 

[Curious George]

I don’t really have any bike specific issues out here. What I do see are bad drivers occasionally. I see them when I drive a car too. Mostly people on the East end of Long Island are courteous to bikers and make room for us. I do see some bad bikers....ignoring signs when there is traffic....riding on the wrong side of the road...weaving into traffic...etc. I’m usually suspicious when I see folks not wearing helmets. It’s not against the law but pretty stupid. It’s like that one comedian says, “ Here’s your sign”. I stay clear.

 

[MisterBritcom]

I commute through suburbs north of Dallas and have been pleasantly surprised at the level of courtesy 99% of drivers show me.
I get the occasional bunghole who passes close to try and scare me and just this morning an old guy in a Corvette was yelling at me. I couldn't understand him, but I assume he was unhappy because his mother never hugged him.

 

[CodyDog]

I see many arrogant road bikers in our area, Very popular road bike area outside of Austin. Lance Armstrong used to train here. It seems like a few in the group almost go out of their way to tout car drivers. The groups consistently ride through red lights and stop signs.

I don't seemed to see this type of arrogant behavior with a single riders. Perhaps the group mentality is different from the lone rider's.

Understandably so, the arrogant behavior fuels the anti-biker mind set.

 

[Over50]

...very popular road bike area outside of Austin. Lance Armstrong used to train here. It seems like a few in the group almost go out of their way to tout car drivers. The groups consistently ride through red lights and stop signs...

I used to live in that area (late 80s) and I remember seeing large groups of cyclists on the hill country roads. I recall being told at the time it was training ground for USA cycling.

So, I had a co-worker who told me his 80 something year-old father, who also lived in the area, would pull up on a group of cyclists, getting as close as he could, and then would just lay on his horn. His justification was that his gas and registration taxes/fees paid for the road (according to my co-worker) and they were for cars. Then I just saw this story about an 82 year old man going road rage over a cycling event that closed his road and then intentionally bumped a state trooper with his SUV - it caused me to recall the stories my co-worker shared of his road raged father harassing cyclists:

82-year-old driver, angry about road closure, plows into MSP trooper with SUV

The man was upset about a road closure in Leelanau County because of a triathlon when he hit the MSP trooper, according to a report.

www.freep.com

 

[monroe350]

I think law in my state is bikes aren't allowed where speed limit is over 35 (citing that from memory so I could be wrong and doesn't mean it is enforced). On my commute I have two very short jogs of a quarter mile or less on a 35 mph boulevard but I don't mix with traffic. I wait for a gap between stoplights and race to my turn.

The only restriction Michigan has is no bikes on limited access highways. Bikes are supposed ride to the right of the lane except when taking a left and cars must give 5 feet of space when passing a bike.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Back in about 1979 I got a ticket for running a stop sign on my 10speed bike. It was a Sunday morning at 8:30am and there was clear visibility and no one on the road. A cop had been parked behind a bush and was apparently bored of no customers for the police benevolent fund. I contested the ticket in traffic court, which consisted of a judge behind a desk in his office. My defense was that though as a cyclist I had all the rights of a car driver, due to hazards such as sewer gratings and potholes and such, I was discriminated against and the laws were applied unequally. The judge thought the entire situation was amusing and dropped the charge or suspended the fine or whatever. Ah, victory!

Then I went back to my car that I used to get to court on time... Had an overtime parking ticket, so it cost me anyway

 

[tomjasz]

Speeding on my Paramount. He laughed, just wanted to see the bike. Man I don’t miss sew ups.

 

[Projectm]

When I was in school there was a crosswalk right before my building, and I never saw a cyclist stop there ever even if someone was crossing. Srs saw at least 7 people get hit by cyclists that thinks a stop sign is optional.

 

[tomjasz]

a stop sign is optional.

Stops signs are optional in some jurisdictions and I seldom make a stop. If there is a clear line of sight in a residential area where there are sometimes stop signs every few blocks, I see no point if there is no traffic. I'm sorry there were some that weren't mindful of pedestrians but let's not tag any rider with a reference to their lifestyle choice.

 

[steve marino]

Cyclists brought this on themselves. The stereotype is the self absorbed, self important jerks on their oh so expensive carbon fiber bikes all decked out like (wanna be) racers and taking the whole road, forcing traffic to pile up behind them. God, I dislike those types too. Seeing them ride through stop signs in a pack doesn't exactly help things.

Then they tie up all the tables at the local coffee house (after spending at least 5 minutes at the counter, each and every one of them, ordering complicated $8 coffee combinations) and talk at maximum level on their cell phones. They don't even NEED a phone, you can hear them in the next county, blah, blah, blah.

If you go into their high end bike shops w/ anything but one of those expensive road bikes they act as if you're invisible. These are the people who are ruining cycling for the rest of us. Rude, self centered, yuppie jerks, no wonder people hate them.

Stop signs are not optional. What an idea. Try explaining that to the cops. Lifestyle choice? These people need to get a life. I just ride a bike man, calling me a cyclist would be an insult.

 

[6zfshdb]

Most bicyclists I see rarely signal or follow basic traffic laws.

While this is true, signaling seems to be a waste of time since most motorists don't know what the signals mean. The last few times I signaled a right turn, the motorist waved back or gave me the finger.

 

[opimax]

I used to do turn signals only with my left arm, I gave up, now I point with the my hand and finger using the arm on the side I am turning

 

[fooferdoggie]

thia is why I bought a lumos helmet s oI can signal well. it seems to work for the most part.