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I used to love biking all over the city. But now that congestion and road rage has gotten worse and there is this strong anti-cyclist vibe where car drivers will yell at me and drive really fast and close to me to scare me, even when I am obeying the laws, I just don't take my bike around as much. So I ride in a smaller selection of areas.
Last edited by Sam I Am; 08-25-2013 at 02:04 AM..
Reason: made new thread
As for me, I used to love biking all over the city. But now that congestion and road rage has gotten worse and there is this strong anti-cyclist vibe where car drivers will yell at me and drive really fast and close to me to scare me, even when I am obeying the laws, I just don't take my bike around as much. So I ride in a smaller selection of areas.
To be honest, the anti-cyclist vibe is partially the doing of cyclists themselves. From blocking traffic during critical mass, to the story of the cyclist running over and killing a pedestrian, to those that think they own the road, it becomes very annoying. I'm all for sharing the road with cyclists. Heck, I like to sometimes bike myself. However, the attitude of many of these cyclists is off-putting.
To be honest, the anti-cyclist vibe is partially the doing of cyclists themselves. From blocking traffic during critical mass, to the story of the cyclist running over and killing a pedestrian, to those that think they own the road, it becomes very annoying. I'm all for sharing the road with cyclists. Heck, I like to sometimes bike myself. However, the attitude of many of these cyclists is off-putting.
My problem with bicyclists (obviously not everyone does this) is that many think that all of the rules of the road apply to them, provided it is convenient.
I.e. The light is red, but I am a cyclist so I can zoom through. Stop sign? Well that is optional for me, I don't want to lose momentum. Those pedestrians should just assume I have permanent right of way. Oh is the man up in the crosswalk? Well the crosswalk is a cyclist zone too. Oh, do I not feel like using the bike lane? Well the sidewalk is for me too (then proceeds to give the pedestrians dirty looks).
We can't "respect" drivers that don't follow the rules of the road. Too many cyclists just randomly pick and choose which rules they want to apply to them.
Just the other night, I was walking on the sidewalk in a group, and a bicyclists approaches, and asks us to move out of the way so he can bike by. He comments "I know I am breaking the rules by riding my bike here, but can you guys move out of the way?" Meanwhile the bike lane was completely empty and there was almost no car traffic on the street at all.
My problem with bicyclists (obviously not everyone does this) is that many think that all of the rules of the road apply to them, provided it is convenient.
I.e. The light is red, but I am a cyclist so I can zoom through. Stop sign? Well that is optional for me, I don't want to lose momentum. Those pedestrians should just assume I have permanent right of way. Oh is the man up in the crosswalk? Well the crosswalk is a cyclist zone too. Oh, do I not feel like using the bike lane? Well the sidewalk is for me too (then proceeds to give the pedestrians dirty looks).
We can't "respect" drivers that don't follow the rules of the road. Too many cyclists just randomly pick and choose which rules they want to apply to them.
Just the other night, I was walking on the sidewalk in a group, and a bicyclists approaches, and asks us to move out of the way so he can bike by. He comments "I know I am breaking the rules by riding my bike here, but can you guys move out of the way?" Meanwhile the bike lane was completely empty and there was almost no car traffic on the street at all.
There are certainly plenty of asshat bike riders, but as a cyclist that does his best to obey all laws, it does get rather tiresome to constantly have people assume that since I'm on a bike I must be a selfish law-breaker. There are plenty of moronic car drivers, but of course you'd be wrong to assume that because of that all car drivers are moronic. The same logic doesn't (or at least shouldn't) work on cyclists. It's almost a "guilty until proven innocent" situation.
It's to the point that I honestly do my best to only ride on roads that I'm aware have VERY wide bike lanes (like i'm talking where you can fit 2-3 bikes in a lane) and/or that have little-to-no car traffic. This isn't because I'm afraid of riding in traffic because I'm actually quite comfortable doing so since I'm always clear with signaling and all of that...it's just because I don't want to deal with the stupid backlash anymore. It's really not something you understand until you ride your bike a lot. I'm with mini_cute on this one.
That being said, it is so much better here than it is in other places. I've (thankfully!) never been yelled/cursed at by drivers in CA (and I'm kind of curious where this happened). The worst that has happened is I've had a pedestrian yell at me to get off the road (which was funny because I was on the road, where I was supposed to be...not on the sidewalk...not sure where I was supposed to go...I think he was just mad that I was there at all).
As annoying as that was, it's immensely better than other places. I've had things thrown at me, been yelled at (again, to get off the road), honked at (because it's fun to scare a cyclist in traffic that's going 45 mph...) in NY state and Ohio. As bad as any cyclist has it here, it's so much better than other places. At least here people are aware of cyclists, and pass with caution (instead of doing things like passing in lane, which happens ALL of the time in other places....talk about uncomfortable!).
Anyway, I get the hate and why people are annoyed with cyclists...but we're all individuals out there. I'm sure those selfish bikers that people like to complain a lot about are also terrible drivers and probably generally selfish in life. Don't lump all cyclists together with them, please.
There are certainly plenty of asshat bike riders, but as a cyclist that does his best to obey all laws, it does get rather tiresome to constantly have people assume that since I'm on a bike I must be a selfish law-breaker. There are plenty of moronic car drivers, but of course you'd be wrong to assume that because of that all car drivers are moronic. The same logic doesn't (or at least shouldn't) work on cyclists. It's almost a "guilty until proven innocent" situation.
It's to the point that I honestly do my best to only ride on roads that I'm aware have VERY wide bike lanes (like i'm talking where you can fit 2-3 bikes in a lane) and/or that have little-to-no car traffic. This isn't because I'm afraid of riding in traffic because I'm actually quite comfortable doing so since I'm always clear with signaling and all of that...it's just because I don't want to deal with the stupid backlash anymore. It's really not something you understand until you ride your bike a lot. I'm with mini_cute on this one.
That being said, it is so much better here than it is in other places. I've (thankfully!) never been yelled/cursed at by drivers in CA (and I'm kind of curious where this happened). The worst that has happened is I've had a pedestrian yell at me to get off the road (which was funny because I was on the road, where I was supposed to be...not on the sidewalk...not sure where I was supposed to go...I think he was just mad that I was there at all).
As annoying as that was, it's immensely better than other places. I've had things thrown at me, been yelled at (again, to get off the road), honked at (because it's fun to scare a cyclist in traffic that's going 45 mph...) in NY state and Ohio. As bad as any cyclist has it here, it's so much better than other places. At least here people are aware of cyclists, and pass with caution (instead of doing things like passing in lane, which happens ALL of the time in other places....talk about uncomfortable!).
Anyway, I get the hate and why people are annoyed with cyclists...but we're all individuals out there. I'm sure those selfish bikers that people like to complain a lot about are also terrible drivers and probably generally selfish in life. Don't lump all cyclists together with them, please.
/rant
I like to leave bicyclists plenty of space to share the road, but when I am stopped at a stop sign in a busy pedestrian/car filled intersection, and I see a cyclist zoom by, it is super anoying. Or the bicyclists who thinks it is a good idea to try to cut off the bus and drive through the bus stop right before the bus is aiming to stop .....
Yup it is annoying and unsafe.
If we don't set up a real and comprehensive policy for sharing the road, we won't get very far.
I like to leave bicyclists plenty of space to share the road, but when I am stopped at a stop sign in a busy pedestrian/car filled intersection, and I see a cyclist zoom by, it is super anoying. Or the bicyclists who thinks it is a good idea to try to cut off the bus and drive through the bus stop right before the bus is aiming to stop .....
Yup it is annoying and unsafe.
If we don't set up a real and comprehensive policy for sharing the road, we won't get very far.
Hey you won't get any argument from me there. Thankfully, not all cyclists are like that, despite what SFGate's comment section might suggest.
To be honest, the anti-cyclist vibe is partially the doing of cyclists themselves. From blocking traffic during critical mass, to the story of the cyclist running over and killing a pedestrian, to those that think they own the road, it becomes very annoying. I'm all for sharing the road with cyclists. Heck, I like to sometimes bike myself. However, the attitude of many of these cyclists is off-putting.
So these rogue cyclists are pretty common then, eh? Well, that explains why people have this negative idea about cyclists which makes the rest of us who do obey laws look bad.
It explains it but it is no excuse for intimidating and threatening the personal safety of cyclists on the road. The other day I was waiting at a traffic light behind a car just like everyone else, and unlike most rogue cyclists, did not run the light. When the light turned green, the car in front of me didn't notice. A car a couple of cars back got impatient and honked to tell that guy to go because it was green. The car in front started going, and I started going. Then the guy couple of cars back who honked zoomed super close by me almost clipping me. Then he yells at me through the window. I was obeying all laws and did nothing wrong. There was another lane he could have taken if he wanted to pass me. I ended up going in another direction, and he happened to come my way again. Again when he saw me, he accelerated and maneuvered his car towards me cutting extremely close and honking his horn. I got his license plate and googled it. Turns out this guy has done similar behavior to another cyclist. It appears to me this guy routinely tries to intimidate and threaten cyclists. Do you think just because there are jerk cyclists out there, he is justified in his behavior? Of course not.
The journalistic outlets have not written about this, but it seems threatening and harassing cyclists is becoming increasingly more common. The reason why there are people in cars who do this is because they can- they are in a huge hunk of metal which protects them and can be used as a weapon. They have the power to run over and kill or seriously injure someone on a bike if they want to. They know they can scare the cyclists. It is a mental power trip for them and an abuse of power in a sense. They get frustrated and feel they can get away with acting like a jerk. And it is actually pretty cowardly.
Also, there is definitely a huge double standard in regards to fatalities caused by bike riders vs. car drivers. People in cars routinely hit and kill people every day. Bikes killing people are a much more rare occurrence. And yet no one seems to make a huge fuss about a driver running over a 10 year old boy. You won't see people hating on the driver and then hating all drivers on the road, and it seems often times the driver isn't even identified in news articles.
But you know why? Because everyone is a driver- they can empathize. Maybe one day it will be them who hits someone and they want to be forgiven and let off the hook. But because there are many who do not regularly cycle as a primary means of transport, they are not able to empathize.
Also, I think this reflects American society. Our society is a lot more violent and barbaric. We use intimidation and violence to get our way and solve our problems. This is at all levels- the individual and national.
And if anything, aside from keeping these rogue cyclists in-line, there should also be encouragement of cycling. This cuts down congestion and traffic, reduces green house gases, and is more democratic. I think it flies over many people's heads how a community that adopts cycling as a primary means of transportation will ultimately be a better one. They don't think about the bigger picture. It is just me, me, me and how I need to get somewhere and this person is in my way. Then they get stuck in traffic, get frustrated and throw the adult version of a tantrum, but don't think how if more people started biking, there'd be less traffic. And no, no matter how many freeways you build, it is never going to be enough and it wastes tax dollars. There have been studies and expert opinions on this.
I am honestly afraid of encountering that guy again since he seems to routinely threaten cyclists. He drives some sort of small, unmarked delivery vehicle. He probably goes through that route pretty often. The next time, when he sees me and tries to threaten me, he might miscalculate and actually hit me. I'm scared.
I used to love SF, and road rage was not this common. I wasn't so afraid to bike around. Now one of the things I love to do is being taken away.
This city isn't the same anymore. For those getting priced out, I don't think you will be missing out on much.
There are certainly plenty of asshat bike riders, but as a cyclist that does his best to obey all laws, it does get rather tiresome to constantly have people assume that since I'm on a bike I must be a selfish law-breaker. There are plenty of moronic car drivers, but of course you'd be wrong to assume that because of that all car drivers are moronic. The same logic doesn't (or at least shouldn't) work on cyclists. It's almost a "guilty until proven innocent" situation.
It's to the point that I honestly do my best to only ride on roads that I'm aware have VERY wide bike lanes (like i'm talking where you can fit 2-3 bikes in a lane) and/or that have little-to-no car traffic. This isn't because I'm afraid of riding in traffic because I'm actually quite comfortable doing so since I'm always clear with signaling and all of that...it's just because I don't want to deal with the stupid backlash anymore. It's really not something you understand until you ride your bike a lot. I'm with mini_cute on this one.
That being said, it is so much better here than it is in other places. I've (thankfully!) never been yelled/cursed at by drivers in CA (and I'm kind of curious where this happened). The worst that has happened is I've had a pedestrian yell at me to get off the road (which was funny because I was on the road, where I was supposed to be...not on the sidewalk...not sure where I was supposed to go...I think he was just mad that I was there at all).
As annoying as that was, it's immensely better than other places. I've had things thrown at me, been yelled at (again, to get off the road), honked at (because it's fun to scare a cyclist in traffic that's going 45 mph...) in NY state and Ohio. As bad as any cyclist has it here, it's so much better than other places. At least here people are aware of cyclists, and pass with caution (instead of doing things like passing in lane, which happens ALL of the time in other places....talk about uncomfortable!).
Anyway, I get the hate and why people are annoyed with cyclists...but we're all individuals out there. I'm sure those selfish bikers that people like to complain a lot about are also terrible drivers and probably generally selfish in life. Don't lump all cyclists together with them, please.
/rant
Exactly! We're all individuals and so they shouldn't be hating on ALL cyclists.
There are always some groups being openly the target of prejudice. Guess for us cyclists, were one of the groups now.
Last edited by mini_cute; 08-24-2013 at 02:06 AM..
My problem with bicyclists (obviously not everyone does this) is that many think that all of the rules of the road apply to them, provided it is convenient.
I.e. The light is red, but I am a cyclist so I can zoom through. Stop sign? Well that is optional for me, I don't want to lose momentum. Those pedestrians should just assume I have permanent right of way. Oh is the man up in the crosswalk? Well the crosswalk is a cyclist zone too. Oh, do I not feel like using the bike lane? Well the sidewalk is for me too (then proceeds to give the pedestrians dirty looks).
We can't "respect" drivers that don't follow the rules of the road. Too many cyclists just randomly pick and choose which rules they want to apply to them.
Just the other night, I was walking on the sidewalk in a group, and a bicyclists approaches, and asks us to move out of the way so he can bike by. He comments "I know I am breaking the rules by riding my bike here, but can you guys move out of the way?" Meanwhile the bike lane was completely empty and there was almost no car traffic on the street at all.
I think the problem is it is the wild west right now in terms of what to do with all these bicyclists. Really, they aren't like cars and they aren't pedestrians. They don't move the same way as either of them. Yet the social etiquette, infrastructure and laws are not up to speed. In places which have been doing biking for decades, there isn't a problem with bicyclists. i.e. Amsterdam and Copenhagen. In fact, in the city center of Amsterdam there are no stop signs at intersections. And yet everyone takes turns without throwing a fit. Pedestrians, bikes, cars, scooters, they all share the space. I witnessed it first hand. They really make Americans look like spoiled tantrum-prone babies.
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Cycling in SF-O
