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When driving, I do have to avoid quite a few runners who choose to be on the street rather than the sidewalk. I don't understand why they do it, and it's annoying, but I put up with it. Hey, at least they're being healthy. One less person to make my premium go up.
When running, I stay to the sidewalks. I'm fortunate to live a block from a fantastic bike trail that stretches for miles, an old railroad track that was converted years ago and is popular with roller bladers, bikers, runners, and strollers. Yeah, it's a bit of an obstacle course at times but no biggie, we're all pretty mellow here in the 'burbs.
One time two bikers were riding abreast on a busy road in front of me, and I was unable to go around them because of oncoming traffic in the opposite lane. Finally had an opening and passed them, and I glanced at the innermost biker, who sneered back at me like he was having great fun. This was before I got my dash cam, else would have happily posted his sneering face on Youtube.
Well, I'm an avid cyclist as well and I would never intimidate motorists like that. Yeah, I do sneak through red lights and such, because it's actually safer than starting with the traffic when the light changes, but I stay the heck out of people's way and don't pick fights for gosh sakes. New England drivers, aggressive though they are, do understand bikes, but they can run out of patience if you push them. Live and let live.
I bicycle, and I'm not going to stop because some people have a totally ridiculous problem with it, especially when I do very well with staying out of the way. Also, it's not anyone's business whether or not I "roll" through stop signs or come to a complete stop, so long as I'm not almost running into someone. It's not any of your business.
I run on trails but I usually have to take a few streets to get to the trailhead and there are no sidewalks. So people should keep that in mind before getting irritated at seeing any runner on the streets. But I agree with the part about runners in the middle of the street for no good reason. And ye I laughed at the OP's assessment of it. ...Public exercisers.
I see cyclists as much more of a problem though, especially in my area where we're just outside of a major city and every middle aged guy in tight pants rides through here on warm days thinking he's way out in the wild wild west. Meanwhile I'm trying to get safely across town with my wife and two little ones and here comes some dufus in my lane over a blind hill because he thinks 'share the road' means if you see a cyclist, swerve into the other lane whether you can see if someone's coming or not. It's getting to be a serious epidemic, and a real hazard to everyone, but no one seems to care. Lame, especially when there are literally 100s of mies of pristine riding trails around in every direction.
Unless they are holding you up for more than, say, 5-10 seconds and can't be easily passed, you have no basis for complaint. Zero. Also, it is NOT your business if they roll through a stop sign, unless you almost hit them or they almost hit you. Get over it. You aren't the police and have NO authority with respect to any of that. They're not doing you any harm. As a cyclist, I will tell you this--like HELL am I going to come to a complete stop and then have to manually pedal my way up to a decent speed all over again from zero mph just because of a legal technicality that has nothing to do with safety, especially when I'm in an area where there is seemingly a stop sign every 2 inches and no cars coming. Besides, it's apples and oranges with respect to a car driver doing that vs a cyclist. No one with half a brain can argue that a cyclist doing that is even 1/1000th as dangerous as someone in a car doing that, and many articles I've read on the topic point out that the stop signed-roads are designed that way with CARS in mind, not bicycles, and that it's practically assumed as such. That ESPECIALLY goes when you are in a very "residential" area and there's a stop sign seemingly every 10 feet.
The roads are for EVERYBODY, and that includes cyclists. Unless someone is holding you up and for a good period of time, GET OVER IT. Understand--I am not saying that anything should go, but this attitude that the roads should ONLY be for people going 80 mph in a school zone is just ridiculous. A cyclist holding you up for 5-10 seconds is nothing to get so freaking annoyed over. Further, if you are driving on a "back" road and don't live there, then I say you can't complain even if they ARE holding you up for a good deal of time. Stop the "rat running" practices already. People move to those back roads in the country to get away from cars showing up every 1/100th of a second like we're in Los Angeles. I've even seen such people pushing their children in strollers practically in the middle of the road, and I say good for them. If you are driving on that road and don't live there, tough luck. As I always like to say "I LIVE on this road, what's your excuse for being here?"
I can understand some of the frustration--if I lived in Amish country, I'd probably argue that the Amish shouldn't be allowed to operate their horse & buggies on the "main" roads. I get upset at truckers in 18-wheelers going slow and holding me up. That goes quadruple for "windshield tourists" going 10 mph on scenic roads while there's a "parade" of people backed up behind them and they REFUSE to move over even when they are signs TELLING them to. With all of them, I've said I would love nothing more than to yank them out of their vehicle and stomp on their liver. Believe me, I understand how aggravating that sort of thing is.
The difference is this--cyclists, as least the ones I've seen (and the way in which I cycle) will typically hold someone up maybe for 5 seconds, if that, then the motorists veers around, and it's over, as quick as that. As a cyclist, I myself "hug" to the right as much as I can so that one can easily pass and quite possibly won't even have to pass at all. In the other examples I've given, the delays last much longer and they're far more agonizing. Horse drawn carriages, 18-wheelers, and "windshield tourists" on scenic roads are too large to pass easily, whereas the typical cyclist typically is much smaller and far more easily passed, and those delays very often last a lot longer than 5-10 seconds. (I am NOT referring to "10 abreast" situations.)
This hatred for cyclists is getting ridiculous. Unless they are holding you up for more than, say, 5-10 seconds and can't be easily passed, you have no basis for complaint. Zero. Also, it is NOT your business if they roll through a stop sign, unless you almost hit them or they almost hit you. Get over it. You aren't the police and have NO authority with respect to any of that. They're not doing you any harm. As a cyclist, I will tell you this--like HELL am I going to come to a complete stop and then have to manually pedal my way up to a decent speed all over again from zero mph just because of a legal technicality that has nothing to do with safety, especially when I'm in an area where there is seemingly a stop sign every 2 inches and no cars coming. Besides, it's apples and oranges with respect to a car driver doing that vs a cyclist. No one with half a brain can argue that a cyclist doing that is even 1/1000th as dangerous as someone in a car doing that, and there have been many studies and such that have practically PROVEN that those stop signs are designed with CARS in mind and NOT with bicycles. The roads are for EVERYBODY, and that includes cyclists. Unless someone is holding you up and for a good period of time, GET OVER IT. Understand--I am not saying that anything should go, but this attitude that the roads should ONLY be for people going 80 mph in a school zone is just ridiculous. A cyclist holding you up for 5-10 seconds is nothing to get so freaking annoyed over. Further, if you are driving on a "back" road and don't live there, then I say you can't complain even if they ARE holding you up for a good deal of time. Stop the "rat running" practices already. People move to those back roads in the country to get away from cars showing up every 1/100th of a second like we're in Los Angeles. I've even seen such people pushing their children in strollers practically in the middle of the road, and I say good for them. If you are driving on that road and don't live there, tough luck. As I always like to say "I LIVE on this road, what's your excuse for being here?" I can understand some of the frustration--if I lived in Amish country, I'd probably argue that the Amish shouldn't be allowed to operate their horse & buggies on the "main" roads. I get upset at truckers in 18-wheelers going slow and holding me up. That goes quadruple for "windshield tourists" going 10 mph on scenic roads while there's a "parade" of people backed up behind them and they REFUSE to move over even when they are signs TELLING them to. With all of them, I've said I would love nothing more than to yank them out of their vehicle and stomp on their liver. Believe me, I understand how aggravating that sort of thing is. The difference is this--cyclists, as least the ones I've seen (and the way in which I cycle) will typically hold someone up maybe for 5 seconds, if that, then the motorists veers around, and it's over, as quick as that. As a cyclist, I myself "hug" to the right as much as I can so that one can easily pass and quite possibly won't even have to pass at all. In the other examples I've given, the delays last much longer and they're far more agonizing. Horse drawn carriages, 18-wheelers, and "windshield tourists" on scenic roads are too large to pass easily, whereas the typical cyclist typically is much smaller and far more easily passed, and those delays very often last a lot longer than 5-10 seconds. (I am NOT referring to "10 abreast" situations.)
Feel better after the rant?
I think you totally missed the safety issue, which is not always the direct fault of cyclists, but still a product of their presence. Get some knobby tires. Ride the trails. Problem solved. Oh and maybe loosen your shorts a tad while you're at it.
I think you totally missed the safety issue, which is not always the direct fault of cyclists, but still a product of their presence. Get some knobby tires. Ride the trails. Problem solved. Oh and maybe loosen your shorts a tad while you're at it.
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.
A cyclist holding you up for 5-10 seconds is nothing to get so freaking annoyed over. Further, if you are driving on a "back" road and don't live there, then I say you can't complain even if they ARE holding you up for a good deal of time.
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.
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