oboeguy

Two blocks from home, I'm slowing down to make a right turn to head to the George Washington Bridge bike path when the driver of the SUV behind me floors it to pass me and jam on the breaks at the red light. The dude has the passenger window rolled down and yells at me about there not being a bike lane anywhere, with the obvious implication being that I didn't belong. Never mind the fact that there was a bike lane starting on the next block of the street we were on (blind rage?), what bugged me was that the moron wasn't just angry but clearly had no idea of a bicycle's right to be on the street, bike lane or no. As I rolled into my right turn I couldn't think of anything more clever to say than "Read the laws, pal" or something like that. I didn't even look at the guy and never heard any reaction.

This reminds me of the time a BMW-driving suit yelled at me for crossing to the left lane of a road in NJ to make a left turn, telling me that in "any bicycle manual" I'd read that I was to dismount to cross the street. How are these guys so ignorant? Driver's ed appears to be worthless with respect to cyclist's rights, at least around here (NYC area).

Now for the disclaimer to keep the haters quiet: I happened to have taken the lane to avoid getting hooked when making my turn and to make myself visible to jaywalkers, as I always do this here and was starting to veer into my turn as this all happened (which is how the guy got even enough to yell out his window), so VC people, shush. For those who know that there's no right turn on red in NYC, stuff it, I don't care -- asynchronous traffic / ped flow rules the day here.

Mos6502

You ought to have apologized to him for using the moron lane, and relocated to a more intelligent street.

dirtyphotons

sounds like a red stater

Helmet Head

Once again, an apparent correlation between bike lanes and The Notion. This time, the flavor of The Notion is "bikes belong in the bike lanes, and thus don't belong on roads without bike lanes."

While I have no absolute proof that the proliferation of bikeways in general and bike lanes in particular contributes significantly to the widespread acceptance of The Notion, it sure seems like there is a lot of circumstantial evidence supporting it.

genec

What, we give folks 6 weeks of driver's ed and expect them to remember it all their lives... Oh yeah, like that works.

Seems to me a couple of years of training ought to be about right. How many semesters of "health classes" do they get?

The reality is that kids should be taught how to ride bikes at a young age and get some road safety training in elementary school. Further training in middle school, and then finally a year of road simulator, driving laws and ethics in high school before a rigorous test where they actually "earn" the privilege of driving.

Right now we pretty much hand everyone a license at age 16, after perhaps a few weeks of driving school. From there folks go on to make up the laws and habits they think are right.

Guess we get the drivers we deserve.

Meanwhile, both Europe and Asia put new drivers through a lot more training and testing.

Check out this wiki on drivers licenses... look especially at Australia and New Zealand.

ZachS

you mean like someone from staten island?

CommuterRun

I got yelled at just a little bit ago on my way home. It's rare around here, but it happens. I'm just left of the right tire track in a two-lane NOL.

Guy in a blue van behind me leaned out the window, "Hey, Buddy!!".

I shoulder check, wondering if something bounced off the trailer.

"Get off the road!!"

He had already slowed to my speed, so I took the lane in preparation for my upcoming right turn, signalled and turned. After I turned he yelled something unintelligible, probably also unintelligent.

If I'd had time to think about it, I would have taken the lane and proceeded straight forcing him to pass.

Stuff him. Why on earth would he think I give a rodent's behind what he thinks?

0_emissions :=)

webist

I'm glad I ride where I do. IN 6 years, I've been yelled at in ignorance twice.

CB HI

Yea, it is amazing how many red staters live in blue cities like NYC, Boston, LA, Chicago, Honolulu, etc.

Flamingmb

hahaha so funny. They are just pissed that we arnt supporting the oil companies that do so much for us.

John E

It seems to be fashionable to correlate aggressive driving with political conservativism. Is this based on impartial observation or on prejudice?

slvoid

Dude was in upper manhattan, like near the bronx and HARLEM!!! I'm surprised he didn't get SHOT!

Bikepacker67

Unfortunately, even the most dyed-in-the-wool Kennedy apologist becomes a raving power-hungry idjit behind the wheel.

I know... I've ridden in Mass.

tecpatl4

I will occasionaly see cars getting yelled or honked at for slowing down to make a right turn. I don't think it's about bikes, it's more about people having no manners, as my mom would say.

dirtyphotons

haha, oh it's based solely on fashion.

*cries a little tear for those poor conservative victims of prejudice*

i'm genuinely flattered you took that statement seriously enough to be offended by it. as you were.

HWS

They always seem to be driving SUV's too.

oboeguy

Guys, P&R is --->this way. Leave my thread alone!

LittleBigMan

Your fault entirely, Oboeguy, for being on the road in the first place.

timmhaan

it's even bike month too!

randya

Bike Commute Day, as well.

jyossarian

What I've noticed in NYC is that drivers from out of state are more frequently unwilling to share the roads w/ cyclists compared to the drivers in NYC. Traffic jams can be a b!tch to ride in, but that's just a bunch of drivers going nuts and trying to get ahead, even if it's just a few inches, but when traffic's moving, it's more often than not the drivers from NJ and CT and elsewhere that seem to think it's ok to buzz cyclists.

As for 6 weeks of driver's ed, it's more like read the manual in two days, then taking the permitting exam. That's what I did. After that I was allowed behind the wheel, took the road test and that was that.

[e]oboeguy's post reminds me of the time a woman from Virginia yelled at me to get off the road when I was riding in Central Park at about 7:05 pm. Why's that important? Because cars aren't allowed in the park after 7 pm.

randya

Yep, suburbanites are monopolizing roads in the City they don't pay for...where have I heard this before? Oh yeah, cyclists should get off the roads because they don't pay for them...Seriously though, suburbanites in motor vehicles are a huge causative factor for city traffic congestion, which is a problem that no one seems to want to address.

jyossarian

I didn't say suburbanites are monopolizing the city's roads. Yellow cabs and trucks monopolize the city's roads. Suburbanite drivers just don't seem accomodating of sharing the road w/ cyclists. Whatever conclusions you jump to based on those statements are your own.

oboeguy

Word. I can't tell you the number of times I've been buzzed or honked at on Riverside Drive (which has two lanes much of the way). Guess what? Most of the honkers and buzzers (really most, like almost all) are from out of state. I even once had someone tailgate me by Grant's Tomb while headed South (so the widest freaking two-lane street in the city), honk and gesticulate like and idiot. I don't recall the state, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't NY.