Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's the Triangle - you pretty much need to have one. I know some who work hard to avoid owning or driving a car, but it is not an easy thing to do in this area.
Seen occasionally:
- Bicycles on the road going 10 mph - LEGAL
Seen more frequently:
- Drivers looking on their phones while driving - ILLEGAL
- Drunk drivers - ILLEGAL
- Speeding Drivers - ILLEGAL
- Tailgating Drivers - ILLEGAL
So why are you complaining about LEGAL activity, and don't mention ILLEGAL activity - oh, it must be because the ILLEGAL activity doesn't delay you for a few moments from getting where you want to go, even though the ILLEGAL activity hastens the time it takes you to get into the grave.
Sure. But driving is a lost cause (or quickly becoming) in this area and pretty much any other medium/large town/city area in this country due to lack of skills, cellphones, no LEOs, entitlement and a host of other things.
People do their day to day business with motor vehicles, and they fill the streets carrying people and cargo. Traffic increases every year in this area, with tons of people moving here. And then you want to clog up a road by putting a recreational 20 lb bike in the middle of 4000 lb cars and 20k+ lb trucks among other vehicles, creating even worse congestion, accidents and problems.
Sure. But driving is a lost cause (or quickly becoming) in this area and pretty much any other medium/large town/city area in this country due to lack of skills, cellphones, no LEOs, entitlement and a host of other things.
People do their day to day business with motor vehicles, and they fill the streets carrying people and cargo. Traffic increases every year in this area, with tons of people moving here. And then you want to clog up a road by putting a recreational 20 lb bike in the middle of 4000 lb cars and 20k+ lb trucks among other vehicles, creating even worse congestion, accidents and problems.
Seen occasionally:
- Bicycles on the road going 10 mph - LEGAL
Seen more frequently:
- Drivers looking on their phones while driving - ILLEGAL
- Drunk drivers - ILLEGAL
- Speeding Drivers - ILLEGAL
- Tailgating Drivers - ILLEGAL
So why are you complaining about LEGAL activity, and don't mention ILLEGAL activity - oh, it must be because the ILLEGAL activity doesn't delay you for a few moments from getting where you want to go, even though the ILLEGAL activity hastens the time it takes you to get into the grave.
How many cyclists engage in all of these areas over the course of a week lol?
Generally tough to ride safely down here. Where I used to live there were shoulders on every road plenty large enough for a couple of bikes. One thing I never did was ride with traffic unless I was one a state road with a very wide shoulder. I wanted to see the imbecile driving toward me no desire to have some nutcase run me off the road coming up from behind. Only has to happen once.
Sure. But driving is a lost cause (or quickly becoming) in this area and pretty much any other medium/large town/city area in this country due to lack of skills, cellphones, no LEOs, entitlement and a host of other things.
People do their day to day business with motor vehicles, and they fill the streets carrying people and cargo. Traffic increases every year in this area, with tons of people moving here. And then you want to clog up a road by putting a recreational 20 lb bike in the middle of 4000 lb cars and 20k+ lb trucks among other vehicles, creating even worse congestion, accidents and problems.
I ride as far right as humanly possible. This is simply my own, personal decision and I'm likely too old to change now. And just me again, but I DON’T want to inconvenience motorists. If a rider uses an entire lane, how does traffic get around in a no passing zone? Especially a line of traffic. And if you're in the middle of a lane, how can a motorist afford you the clearance mandated by law? I'm genuinely interested in this stuff now.
Sincere question, I'll give a sincere answer (thanks!)
I generally ride as far right as possible too, with previously noted exceptions. They are basically:
-if the road is narrowed for a short distance with no safe passing zone, I'll occupy the lane for that short time (narrow bridge, under a rail-road pass with concrete walls, etc.) and get back over ASAP
-If the lane or shoulder is getting ready to end, I'll get into the lane early enough so I don't have to make a sudden move, and again get back over ASAP.
-Traffic Circle, I'll occupy the lane for (hopefully) obvious reasons
-Approaching a red-light, I tuck in line (NEVER pass a line of stopped cars) behind the last car, ride in line until I can get back over.
and
I don't ride in big groups (personal choice) but big groups SHOULD bunch up and ride abreast. Non-cycling motorist understandably mistake this as arrogance, but it's a safety measure. A long string of bikes invites motorists to pass with the requisite clearance, but then if an oncoming car comes, they will be forced to either have a head on collision, or they'll merge into the lane endangering the cyclists. It is much better to bunch up, and a car can pass by completely crossing the double-yellow if and when they have enough clearance.
AGAIN, I don't ride in groups, but this is the justification.
Hope that helps. For me, I mostly ride on greenways and bike lanes, but occasionally I have to use a busier road to connect them. When I do, I follow these guidelines. Mostly though, I happily take the longer path to avoid them. I usually want to ride a long way, so an extra few miles is just a bonus. :-)
On top of what OP posted...I don't like bicycles on the road because they don't pay anything. Meaning they don't pay registration or taxes to pay to use them, repairs, or bike lanes. We pay tolls for some highways, vehicle registrations, gas tax, all that pay for road maintenance on some way.
Bikes don't damage the roads. An 18# bike won't have the same impact as a 1-ton pickup.
And I do pay taxes, I own three cars, I fuel them up, I pay federal and state income taxes, state and local sales tax, etc.
Honestly, I get the sentiment, but if you look at it without emotion, it really doesn't make sense. You probably also don't like greenways (I'm guessing) because you don't want your tax dollars to go to something you don't use?
So basically, like a lot of people: "If it doesn't benefit me, then I am not in favor"
Interesting... but those in the videos are not the MAMILs (Middle-Aged Men In Lycra) that the OP's photo shows.
They are not MAMILs, they are SHREDDs (Stupid Human Rednecks Erratically Driving Dangerously)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
