arrogant cyclist (Dallas: low income, income, dangerous) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

TXStrat · 02-23-2012, 01:42 PM

I personally have no issue sharing the road with cyclists. What I would like the huge number of aspiring Tour de France competitors in my area to keep in mind is that they must also obey traffic laws. I hate coming to a 4 way stop and having to wait for a herd 25 clowns in spandex and Livestrong jerseys to all go through the stop sign in a oner. All to avoid having to unclick their shoes from the pedals. You know, they click right back in, right?

Torpedos · 02-23-2012, 02:09 PM

cyclist should pay insurance in case they cause an accident. not a voluntary thing, a mandatory insurance like auto drivers. If a cyclist causes me to crash, they should pay for it somehow,not my auto insurace. I think many of them mean well but if they could just ride on the sidewalk when possible that would be nice. if i was a cyclist i would worry about car drivers being distracted and hitting me.

JosephV55 · 02-23-2012, 02:12 PM

The reality is this:

Not all motorists and cyclists will be aware of the traffic laws
with respect to cycling on the roads.

Even though the law may state certain regulations it does not
mean the cyclist should force the issue given the unpredictable
motorists in the area.

I am a cyclist; however, I have given up on it. There is no easy
access to cycling paths in Schertz and I am not putting my life
at risk by sharing the roads on my bike with the drivers here.

Hedgehog_Mom · 02-23-2012, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torpedos

cyclist should pay insurance in case they cause an accident. not a voluntary thing, a mandatory insurance like auto drivers. If a cyclist causes me to crash, they should pay for it somehow,not my auto insurace. I think many of them mean well but if they could just ride on the sidewalk when possible that would be nice. if i was a cyclist i would worry about car drivers being distracted and hitting me.

It's against the law to ride on the sidewalks. Usually it's not enforced, but it is illegal. It's also uncomfortable to ride on sidewalks with a lot of driveways, like a neighborhood street. Also the sidewalks are not maintained as well as the streets. Some of the sidewalks here have a 4" height difference between sections, which can definitely make you fall or bend up your bike.

It's a lot easier for the driver of a car to watch for cyclists than it is for a cyclist to watch for cars. Just like you watch out for kids playing and running out in front of a car, or dogs running across the road, you have to watch out for cyclists when you're driving.

I have a neighbor who's nearly hit me twice because he drives up the wrong side of the road when he gets near his house. I'm following traffic laws and riding where I am supposed to be, but I'm sure he'd blame me if he hit me.

burgrat · 02-23-2012, 06:26 PM

As a bicyclist and a motorist, I just wish everyone on the road would pay more attention and just chill out a bit when getting from one place to another. I see some people driving like a bat out of hell, passing and speeding, only to be at the same stoplight as me later on. I also see bicyclists riding through stoplights or in large packs (club rides) where they have total disregard for traffic laws. Both sides have people that are jerks and those that don't follow the rules.
The important thing to remember is that a car can EASILY kill a bicyclist. As much as a bicyclist is annoying by holding up traffic, it is not something that happens 20 times a day. It is a fairly rare occurrence, so when it does happen, can we all just take a few extra seconds, relax a bit, and pass safely? People today just have so much rage and anger built up. Everyone is in such a rush and they are so distracted (talking on their phones, texting, eating their meals!), it is unsafe for anyone using the streets, but especially for a bicyclist.
I will say as a bicyclist, the vast majority of those that ride do not agree with running stop signs, taking up all of the road, etc. It pisses everyone off and gives ALL bicyclists a bad image.
Everyone please just relax, take a little extra time, and try not to freak out if a bicyclist is slowing you down. Regardless of how much they may be annoying you, please be aware that you can seriously hurt or kill someone with your vehicle. Motorcyclists are all too aware of this too! We're all a target on the road.
I'm afraid there are a good number of people here that look at bicyclists as crazy and don't understand why someone would go outside and exercise. I think these are the same people that would give their first-born for In-and-Out Burger to open in SA!

BenjaminNicholas · 02-23-2012, 07:46 PM

Okay, I've got no dog in this fight, but just the title of this thread makes me want to go to CafePress.com and make an 'Arrogant Cyclist' t-shirt.

I love it.

BN

Dwangle · 02-23-2012, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenjaminNicholas

Okay, I've got no dog in this fight, but just the title of this thread makes me want to go to CafePress.com and make an 'Arrogant Cyclist' t-shirt.

I love it.

BN

Maybe a T-shirt with a target that reads.."Go ahead! make my day!

Merovee · 02-23-2012, 10:57 PM

They know I am there. No rearview? Please, they know. They could go to the right and let me pass. They could turn their head and signal me past them. When they don't it can be annoying but what can be done? Nothing.

When they are in groups they even act more arrogant and seem to really push it by going slower and taking up more space.

All I know is cars always have the right of way whether I am walking or cycling. There is also nothing wrong with riding single file to allow a car to pass. You can simply ride side by side after it has passed. And if there are too many cars where it isn't easy to jusy go right back to riding side by side then maybe it is a good idea to remain single file.

Ya, maybe you don't have to legally let cars pass, maybe you do, fact is if you don't you will be considered arrogant.

catman · 02-23-2012, 11:27 PM

I totally agree as well. Sounds arrogant to me. I love bicycling and motorcycling, so I'm not unsympathetic to the cyclists' arguments for equal rights at all, but this guy was asking for it.

I am reminded of seeing a guy on a bicycle on a very busy road in Dallas during rush hour. I wondered why he insisted on riding there, what with numerous less heavily traveled roads running parallel to his path nearby. It didn't make sense to me.

Lee W. · 02-24-2012, 07:18 AM

Maybe it's a part of the whole extreme sports thing. Some of them just accept that they might die and don't care. Saw one of those guys on TV yesterday...although what he was doing wasn't cycling. Even after recent injuries, he couldn't wait to get back to those extreme, dangerous sports. I think he said he first started out doing stuff like that bacause he wanted to die, then continued because he loved it. They talked to doctors who said tests on the brains of those extreme sports people showed the same results as hard core drug addicts had.