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With an attitude like that, you're going to get yourself killed.
The smartest, and safest, thing to do is to stay out of the way of 2-ton behemoths that are moving much faster than you are and have less visibility and control.
If you want to play games with motorists, you'll deserve what you get.
I would suggest the ones with the wrong attitude would be the motorists who think they have no obligation to reasonably OPEN THEIR EYES and LOOK around them and avoid hitting legal users of the road.
I've been bike-riding for many years, sometimes even on roads that resemble freeways a little, 2 lanes here 2 lanes way over there and 65 mph speed limits, although that's not typical or everyday by any means.
I'm still here, no one's hit me yet, in all of these years.
It's funny how that works--people know that they HAVE to else they risk getting a vehicular manslaughter charge heaped on them, thus all the protests of how "I can't see them" aside, somehow they do manage to.
No one's "playing games" here, at all. I'm serious. I like to bike-ride, the roads are there for me to do so, I stay well out of people's way, and that's that. It's not incumbent on me to stay off the roads and surrender my rightful place, I'm staking a claim and doing what I have a legal right to do, and doing it quite well as it turns out. I have no problem sticking to more secluded roads when they're available, that suits me fine, heck I enjoy them more. Some people, though, think even THAT is something one shouldn't do. Phooey on that nonsense.
My problem is with the idiots who ride their bikes on the sidewalks. It's illegal and not safe for pedestrians. Bikes go on the road.
Living in South Florida, we have an amazing amount of bike trails and you can ride your bike anywhere.
That said there are short couple block areas where the bike lane ends before a new one begins on very busy roads where I am absolutely riding on the sidewalk.
There are also very busy areas of US1/Federal Highway where there are no bike lanes and I am NOT riding my bike on a busy six lane highway but on the sidewalk.
The sidewalks are for everyone. It is NOT illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk where I live.
I will "hug right" as much as possible to minimize any aggravations to others...
When I see people doing that, I make every effort to give them space and minimize aggravation to them. But it's way less than 10% of the time that I see people doing that. The rest of the time they're essentially in the middle of the road. So whenever I see bikers out I know that at the crest of every hill there's a good chance that a car is coming fast the other way in MY lane going around some biker. The only way I've avoided head-on collisions (often with my family in the car) is by anticipating it ahead of time and taking evasive action before I even see the other vehicle. Shame on the drivers for being so stupid as to pass on a blind hill or corner, but still, if the biker wasn't there, the driver wouldn't be.
Other than the quote above, your tone is mostly combative, as if your right to be on the road is all-important. I respect your right to be there (even though your bicycle is not really paying its share of taxes for using it) but I wish you would respect the major safety hazard that your presence causes and choose the trail instead whenever it's reasonable to do so.
Seriously, it is not a good idea to run in the streets except maybe at 4:00AM when the streets are deserted. Every couple years or so you read about a runner being killed or seriously injured. Also running on pavement is bad for the joints and feet. Finally all streets are built w/ crown to facilitate drainage, so unless you run down the centerline, one footstrike is lower than the other, which is a recipe for injury. It's okay for a little bit, but not mile after mile. Find a park or trail to run on, or if impossible, run on a treadmill. Why run if you are doing damage to yourself?
Newsflash, you aren't a professional runner. Get off the street and run on the sidewalk before you're killed or cause an accident.
When three moms want to slow jog through the neighborhood, you dont have to run three across holding up traffic every morning. If you are so crazy into running that you want to run on the street because you read somewhere that it's better for your knees, you shouldn't need to chat it up the whole time about the local mommy mafia drama of the week, because running is serious business. In the three weeks your trendy running phase lasts, I think you're brand new $200 custom fit neon orange shoes will keep your knees safe on the sidewalk, so get the hell out of the way. Don't worry, we'll all see your stunning new "racing outfit" and matching headband if you run on the sidewalk, and we're all really impressed with your 15 minute mile pace.
I giggle at people who wear professional-looking race clothing while they are running and bicycling. If you are wearing a shirt that has brand names pasted all over it and crazy designs, you might take yourself too seriously. If you're in an actual race, fine.
^^ this. I especially love the ones that wear that clothing shopping. Seriously, spandex does not look good on most folks.
Tread mill, a gym, local school track, trails, depends on where you live, doesnt sound like you have much a choice and have a bunch of jerks travelling that road.
I dont run, but if I did, I would do it on a tread mill where I could watch TV and eat hamburgers while I run.
i thought you said roads are for everyone. oh but you are special and you live there. how dare someone be on a road if they don't live there.
It is about how a "residential" street, one that is very secluded, narrow and dominated by houses vs businesses and with people doing a lot of "neighborhood" things on them (walking their dogs, pushing their kids on the strollers in the middle of the roads, kids doing a lot of playing near the roads etc), such roads are clearly not meant to have a lot of "thru" or "commuter" traffic on them the way wide 4-lane roads are. Yet you will get people who love to "rat run" in terms of 18-wheelers or daily commuters finding out that such a road possesses a shortcut that lets them shave 1-2 miles off of their trip, and next thing you know the entire character of the area is corrupted by excessive traffic that the roads clearly weren't designed to handle, brought on by people who DON'T live there totally ruining it for those who DO live there.
Even if it's legal, it's clear that those roads were not meant to handle large volumes of daily "commuter" traffic the way the 4-lane roads are, and to me people who don't live there shouldn't be driving there, at least not in large numbers. In some rare cases, there actually ARE laws about it, but more often there may be "traffic calming" measures meant to discourage outsiders, such as speed bumps, slower speed limits, or cutting off the road near where it connects to the road they're trying to shortcut to, so the advantage is lost. They do this because the people who live there moved there specifically because they wanted a more secluded experience that didn't involve a car every other second making it impossible for them to walk their dogs or let their kids play near the roads. A stray car every now & then is fine, but when you have a LOT of people going back there for shortcut purposes, and ESPECIALLY when it's an 18-wheeler--yes, I would say that they have no business being back there.
This is where I suspect some will say "will fine, then runners and cyclists need to stay off 'main' roads then." I would agree that they need to minimize their impact, yes, in terms of not doing the "abreast" thing where they end up taking up so much space and causing traffic to be snarled. When I bike-ride in such an area, I do well with respect to "hanging right" and making it to where any impact is minimal, certainly substantially less than what a horse & buggy has in Amish country on those busier roads, or what an 18-wheeler has going 10 mph below the speed limit or especially driving all crazy on those residential roads that they have no business being on. The only area where I may cause a problem is in the "hooking" situations, where someone is making a right turn and "cutting me off" as they do so. I make a point to observe signals given so that I know such is coming (another reason for people to actually USE their signals) and then dodge around it or such if possible, whatever I can to minimize its impact. Otherwise, I bike-ride in such a way in such areas that you just about can drive the same way you would as if I weren't there.
Or, if there are "residential" streets like the ones I spoke of earlier straddling such a road and I can take that instead, I will do so. I don't think someone riding a bicycle on such a road even if they don't live there is the same thing as a car doing so. They don't "spoil" the environment the same way with respect to noise, danger, and/or crowding. People aren't compelled to stop walking their dogs or allowing their kids to play in an area based on cyclists and/or runners whizzing by periodically the same as they would a lot of cars whizzing by, and running/bicycling fits in as being one of those "neighborhood" things people desire to do on such roads, vs clashing with it the way excessive car traffic does.
And yes, when you are speaking of toll roads or freeways, yes, bicycles often-times are banned there 100%, as would be jogging or walking, and I would say it probably should be that way (unless your car broke down and you're just walking around the AREA to get out of the disabled car as you await help, or if you're walking somewhere to use the phone--although that's not all that likely anymore with cell phones anymore, unless your smartphone's battery hasn't been charged in the last 5 minutes, ha ha).
Nope, I get SLICK road-bike tires (and bikes) and ride the roads. I've always done it and will continue to do it. I will "hug right" as much as possible to minimize any aggravations to others, and if there are established bike paths in the area I'll even do that, but otherwise, I'm going to be on the ROADS and that's just all there is to it.
I don't even bother hugging right unless the lane is 14 feet wide. Cyclists have no reason to share a lane with a motor vehicle. That is a good way to get sideswiped and killed. I take the lane and never think twice about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blisterpeanuts
With an attitude like that, you're going to get yourself killed.
The smartest, and safest, thing to do is to stay out of the way of 2-ton behemoths that are moving much faster than you are and have less visibility and control.
If you want to play games with motorists, you'll deserve what you get.
No.
I commute every day to work by bicycle. A lot of motorists are ignorant as hell when it comes to bicycle safety. The safest way to ride a bicycle is in the street in the center of the right most lane.
Furthermore, get over the motorist entitlement complex. Motorists have no right to hit anything on the road.
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