sumgy

This is pretty standard in Australia, but I am convinced that it is basically a "game" orchestrated by organised groups of trolls.
Interestingly we have footage of a truck driver in Victoria, Australia (in the far south) and yet most of the trolling comes from mining staff and truck drivers in Queensland (far north).
Do you see much of this where you live, or have people actually started to "mature" outside of Australia?
I am somewhat convinced that Australia is actually devolving and that people behave like they do as we are so isolated from what happens in the rest of the world.

Apologies for those of you who are not on Facebook and may not be able to see the link.

bulldog1935

Unfortunately, rednecks are universal. We'll define them here as people in motor vehicles intentionally acting stupid around bicycles.
It happens everywhere, and more unfortunately, it only takes One to be a problem.
There are enough people in motor vehicles unintentionally acting stupid around bicycles, but they get a bye, because they're only stupid and not mean.

1989Pre 

I have to say that in my 4.5 years in Maine, the people are great. The riders ride sensibly and the drivers go about their business, observing the 3-foot rule (which, in my opinion, is not always necessary). I broke a chain once, and started to walk. A guy in a pickup stopped and drove me home 15M. My front wheel blew up once (combination of a bad 2X build and an abysmal steel grate bridge) and a woman had me back to the start point (near my home) after I had stopped only 5 minutes.
I popped a flat, once, and a couple in a car asked if I needed help even before I could get my patch kit out!
Maine does have its share of drunks and drug users, I suppose,...but everybody I have encountered seems to be a couple notches down on the stress "protection/rejection" level.

CliffordK

The pass was a little close for comfort, but both vehicles got past the bike safely.

I think the biggest issue is running oncoming traffic off the road.

There were some spectacular evasive maneuvers posted last summer, but I've misplaced the thread.

Normally I'm riding on the shoulders when available, and it gives a bit more of a buffer. But unfortunatly not all roads have good paved shoulders.

AlmostTrick

As a commuter in the suburbs what I see most is impatient motorists who are in a hurry. Speeding, tailgating, and sometimes passing when it is not safe. Extremely few actually want to mess with cyclists. Not sure about that troll thing.

AlexCyclistRoch

Rednecks find different ways to thumb their noses at 'polite society' the world over. A good example would be the "rolling coal" phenomena here in the U.S. (google it...).

Juan Foote

I live in an area that I would consider the edge of both a progressive cycling area, and one that it's considered a nuisance. If I leave South and West from my home it is almost universally a pleasant riding experience in regards to vehicles. Most are courteous, patient, and the area is well marked with 'Share the Road' signs and the like. To the North and East is the exact opposite. I have been run off the road, cussed at, almost killed a few times...even by local law that should KNOW the rules of the road. Rarely see anyone consider the 3 foot rule, be patient, wait to pass, etc. No signage at all. All in a difference of about a mile.

Most of my riding consists of park and cart path riding in the local area now.

gregf83 

The truck was centered on the double line when passing. While I prefer if they go all the way over I wouldn't have a problem with a pass like that. The truck made it difficult for the cars but gave enough space to the cyclist.

I commute on a narrow road with no shoulders and if I see oncoming traffic I often move to the middle of the lane to prevent passes. My road has less traffic though and 50kmh speed limit for cars / 30kph for trucks. The road in the video is a poor one for cycling. I'd find somewhere else to ride.

bulldog1935

if a vehicle gives you 4-5' clearance, that's legal in most states.

The problem is when they intentionally pass you with 6 inches. And almost as bad is when they blow their horn at you for being on the road.

For bikes, there are also smart route choices, and not-so-bright route choices, independent of legality.
If you feel like you're putting your life in the hands of motorists every time you're out, you might look for a different route.

genec

Assuming there IS a different route... places like the Australian outback, and the western US often only have a single road between two points of interest.... an alternative route simply may not exist.

king_boru

Tarnishing an entire group of people because of the actions of one person is quite narrow minded. This may just be an isolated non-incident. What if the truck driver was having one of the worst days of his/her life and their ability to focus was compromised? What if he/she had a lapse in concentration (we all do) at the worst possible time? Perhaps, just maybe, the truck driver was making all the efforts focusing on the cyclist and didn't pay enough attention to oncoming traffic that he/she didn't notice the oncoming headlights until last minute, knowing he/she was sufficiently past the cyclist to make the sudden evasive maneuvers to prevent a head on collision. Perhaps that action in itself could be credited.

seedsbelize 

We don't have anti-cycling trolls here. For a sizeable portion of the population, it is their only form of transportation. I am the only one I know, in my village, who rides just for the pleasure of it.

DrIsotope

The further I head east, and the more... umm... rural it gets, the greater the chance of someone trying to "roll coal" on me. Those good ol' boys think it's a real hoot. But it's not bicycle specific by any means-- they do it to people on foot, convertibles with the top down, motorcycles not made in the USA. Rednecks be rednecks.

Though the last guy who tried it on me was so intent on timing his coal blast perfectly, he went off the road onto the loose dirt shoulder, and almost looped his Ford into a telephone pole. I couldn't even be mad. I laughed for a few miles afterward.

CB HI

Several articles disagree with your view of Maine. The implication is that Maine is like most of the average states for cycling.

From so many of your post, you seem to be an anti-cycling troll.

CliffordK

Ahhh... found it.

Here's a few wild videos that someone posted earlier.

VIDEO: Cyclists share dangerous near-misses in Wake Co. | abc11.com

Those Aussie passes look quite tame.

canklecat

I wouldn't put too much stock in Facebook comments. Facebook has become the mainstream version of what 4chan was 10 years ago, minus the porn. For media page comment sections, Facebook is basically a gigantic troll site for people who aren't afraid to have their real identities associated with their stupidity.

The more you allow such comments, the more likeminded trolls will feel free to join the gangbang. If that's your FB page, moderate it more closely. That's the only way to maintain a civil, constructive tone. You can allow contrary and dissenting opinions, but if it's an anything-goes tone, it will quickly devolve to the point where active cyclists will stop participating unless they have a taste for arguing with morons.

badger1

I will disagree with your second proposition.

I've just butted heads with @1989Pre on another sub-forum, in another context, but ... from what I can tell he is most definitely neither a troll nor "anti-cycling". I think that proposition is quite unfair.

CB HI

Telling cyclist to ride 3 feet or less from the side of cars (in the door zone) is anti-cycling when 5 feet is the accepted safe distance.

Telling cyclist they are rude and are impeding motorist if they take the lane, is anti-cycling.

Some how the link did not make it into post 14.
https://www.pressherald.com/2015/10/2...tension-grows/

CB HI

Quite tame indeed:

Road rage crash shocks Sydney cycling fraternity | Cyclingnews.com

Man charged with West Melbourne hit-run that felled teen cyclist

Perth man hit by car, killed on cycling tour in United States - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

No Cookies | Herald Sun

sumgy

Understand what you are saying but disagree (our roads are only 3.5m wide, the cyclist 50cm, the truck likely 3m).

But that was not really the topic so we will leave it there.

sumgy

Again, thanks for your input, but that is not the topic.
Not interested at all in receiving opinions on whether the truck driver or the cyclist was in the right or wrong.
I can get those "opinions" on the facebook page.

sumgy

Absolutely not what this topic is about.
Not tarnishing the truck driver, as we are not discussing the truck driver.
Dont care if he is right, wrong, black, white, green, soft, hard or spikey.

sumgy

Thanks for that reply seedsbelize.
Having travelled to Vietnam recently it struck me that this developing country actually had a far better road culture than many allegedly "developed" countries.
While there was no infrastructure, people just seemed to get along on the roads.
Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, cars and trucks all shared the roads together.

king_boru

Could have fooled me.

sumgy

I actually have this theory about social media in general.

Once upon a time, (when I was a kid) if you wanted to get your comment in the media you had to actually write a letter to the editor of the newspaper/magazine/ radio station and go to the trouble of posting it to that media outlet. The letter would get read by someone and a decision made on whether to publish it/read it out. Most would likely end up in the bin.

These days with Social Media any twit can type whatever brain fart they have and it ends up published.
In effect social media is making the world dumber.

This is not my page, but I do like arguing with morons and so you can possibly guess who I am in that "discussion".