acorn54

i hear alot on this board about run ins and close calls with drivers. for anyone that has lived in various parts of the country do you find some parts of the country where drivers are more courteous to bicycle people?

cudak888 

Wherever you gain courteous drivers, you lose out due to the increase of arrogant cyclists.

-Kurt

hshearer

Also, there is such a thing as too much courtesy, although I appreciate the sentiment, I guess.

I have a lot of excessively courteous drivers here... they are constantly trying to yield their right of way to me. I'll be stopped at a stop sign, and someone in a through-lane will stop and motion for me to go... across three other lanes of traffic that isn't stopping. No thanks. By the time we sort it all out, I've usually lost my balance and unclipped, and an opportunity for me to cross like any other vehicle has usually been missed. Try that a few times a day, and it gets old pretty fast.

robertv

Yeah I love when well meaning motorists surprise me with courtesy that doesn't help me. I love when I want to change lanes cars unexpectedly slow down and let me, usually I'm not expecting this at all and as a result have trouble taking this opportunity or only do so awkwardly. Because I'm expecting discourteous drivers when they do give me right of way I don't know what to do with it.

Laserman

Stopped at a traffic light today I saw a jackhole on a fixie on the other side dive right across the intersection dodging the cars. Gives all riders a bad rep.

cudak888 

Sounds like a job for National Cycling Week:


-Kurt

CB HI

I guess I get to be the first to give an answer to your actual question.

There are significant differences between areas/cities as to how cyclist are treated. The rudest motorist that I have routinely encountered during commuting were in the greater Washington DC area.

But the answer will change over time, as Oahu was extremely friendly to cycle in. But that started changing in 1995 with increases of traffic congestion. From 1995 to 1998, CDL truck drivers became extremely rude and dangerous towards cyclist. In 1998, their insurance companies threatened the union with pulling out of the Hawaii market. Within one weeks time, the CDL truck drivers became extremely polite to cyclist. Sadly, most tourist bus drivers and some private motorist currently are less than friendly towards cyclist.

One of the other BF members says Lincoln, NE has very friendly motorist. He claims most of the bad motorist are from Omaha.

Chris516

Courtesy towards cyclists, is non-existent in the D.C.-Metro region. But in Windham County(Vermont) where I lived during most of my K-12 years, I bet hostility towards cyclists non-existent.

RatedZ

Dude, it ain't just cyclists. D.C. residents are rude to everyone.

genec

Places where the speed limits are quite slow and the roads are not designed for the primary use of motorists... I found Davis, CA to be pretty nice, as there are so many cyclists there that motorists have learned to watch for them... of course this doesn't mean that a motorist new to the area won't behave well.

RatedZ

I had an incident this morning in my neighborhood. Some jackhole's passenger (probably husband...) looks my direction as I'm pedaling up the street, then this vehicle just proceeds to pull out of the driveway. I'm sure the dumb hillbilly probably told his wife, "Don't worry, he'll stop if he doesn't wanna get hit." Ironically, this is the same jackhole with the 3 dogs that strut out of the garage at full bark anytime I ride by. No, the dogs are not on leashes.

Due to their ignorance all around, I think I'll just take it upon myself to contact the HOA regarding their dogs in retaliation.

dynodonn 

Locally, most motorists are fairly decent, but there's always that small percentage of yahoos that are either clueless, just don't care, or outright belligerent towards cyclists. The same goes for my encounters with other cyclists, just yesterday, my closest encounter was a woman cyclist who came within a foot of side impacting me while I was 3/4 or more of the way through an intersection.

gcottay

I've found drivers and, for that matter, cyclists generally courteous and competent wherever I ride.

cudak888 

Please ride down here sometime.

-Kurt

rumrunn6

yesterday some teens yelled something out their car window as they passed me and scared the crap out of me. I caught up them at a light and stuck my head 1/2 way into their window and shouted - got anything to say now little man? - the kid almost had a hear attack - it was great

DX-MAN

I'm jealous -- I never catch 'em! 'Course, they run reds around here like it's the national pastime.

RatedZ

Truly epic! I wish I were there to witness that!

Laserman

Freaking Hilarious!
Thanks for the link.

Laserman

+1
I encounter very few bad drivers, in fact some are overly courteous, yielding me the right-of-way when it would make more sense for them to just proceed.

rumrunn6

scaring that kid was so perfect and funny to me I couldn't help but smile, and I wasn't really angry. the kid caught his breath and I told them to "be careful out there" he smiled and asked: "can I shake your hand" and I said "NO!" and rode off. even though it wasn't an angry encounter my andreneline was still pumped and it was fun to enjoy the added burst of energy. It took them a really long time to catch up to me again. when they passed again he shouted something else but I couldn't make it out, and it was half hearted anyway. whatever, they won't easily forget the scare, and hopefully they will realize they are not in a bubble and not imperveous to retribution

RatedZ

Wow, what a punk. He talks smack, then after you pull his punk card, he wants to shake your hand, and then he talks smack again...at 50 mph. What a tough-guy!

rollin

Safe drivers do exist.

Tokyo and surrounding country side.

I was riding up a two way road which was single lane each way up a 5% gradient. I can't climb for toffee so it was slow. I pulled over, although there was no real shoulder, to let the 4 cars behind me pass. The guy in the front car kept gesturing me to continue. So I did. This is now a 15 kmh solo plod with a personal cavalcade. Another mile on I reach down and take a chug from my bottle and then miss the cage as I try to put it back. It rolls off behind me. I'm not stopping... I couldn't take the embarrassment.

We plod on.

A couple of miles up the road I finally see a lay by and pull in. This time the 7-8 cars who were behind me go past mostly politely nodding as they do, some waving and smiling. No one stressing. Then a small truck pulls into the lay by and the driver gets out and walks towards me. I have no idea what's going to happen next. He walks up to me bows politely and hands me my water bottle which he had seen me drop and stopped to pick up.

I bow deeply say thank you and we all carry on our merry way.

That's how it should be!

Or maybe I should get better at climbing!

RatedZ

Yep, you're right, that's the way things oughta be. Good luck getting that kind of treatment here in America.

electrik

They're certainly not in the suburbs.

GriddleCakes

I had the same impression in Bend, OR. Bike lanes everywhere, cyclists everywhere (in the summer), and motorist always watched for bikes and never hassled me. For the one year that I lived there, I felt like I'd found Cyclist Heaven

Anchorage, not so much. I get harassed a lot less than when I first started bike commuting up here back in '98, and I attribute this to the apparent quadrupling of cyclists out there now, summer and winter. But motorists do not watch for bikes, and less harassment =/= no harassment. If you're on the sidewalk, they will not see you. If you're in the road, they might yell and honk at you. But I get harassed about once or twice a week these days. It used to be everyday, several times per ride, and I really appreciate the progress that my city has made towards accepting cycling as a legitimate mode of transportation.