Motorist upset after footage of driving posted
03-26-14, 09:51 PM
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Oh, and a couple of interesting points from the article...
From the driver: "I think he does normal cyclists a disservice by not using the cycle lanes for safety reasons, but happily using them if traffic impedes his progress,"
This is a common theme with the VC crowd - they want all the advantages of "vehicularity" but seem perfectly happy to run stop lights, ride on sidewalks, and generally do anything they want in the name of convenience. Meanwhile, motorists are expected to go above and beyond (way, way beyond, in many cases) their legal and moral obligations if they are to avoid being labeled "jackasses" and worse by the usual crowd here.
And from a commentator:
"Cyclingmikey has far too many videos on his youtube channel, it's almost like he wants the confrontation (I ride in London daily and don't have half as many confrontations as him)."
This sums up the whole "movement" as far as I am concerned. There seems to be a subset of humans who are not happy unless they are manufacturing indignant and self-righteous drama. And some of that subset rides bicycles. I wonder if any of them would continue to do so if they didn't have helmet cams and the internet. I strongly suspect that they would find merely riding around without incident far too uninteresting to hold their attention.
From the driver: "I think he does normal cyclists a disservice by not using the cycle lanes for safety reasons, but happily using them if traffic impedes his progress,"
This is a common theme with the VC crowd - they want all the advantages of "vehicularity" but seem perfectly happy to run stop lights, ride on sidewalks, and generally do anything they want in the name of convenience. Meanwhile, motorists are expected to go above and beyond (way, way beyond, in many cases) their legal and moral obligations if they are to avoid being labeled "jackasses" and worse by the usual crowd here.
And from a commentator:
"Cyclingmikey has far too many videos on his youtube channel, it's almost like he wants the confrontation (I ride in London daily and don't have half as many confrontations as him)."
This sums up the whole "movement" as far as I am concerned. There seems to be a subset of humans who are not happy unless they are manufacturing indignant and self-righteous drama. And some of that subset rides bicycles. I wonder if any of them would continue to do so if they didn't have helmet cams and the internet. I strongly suspect that they would find merely riding around without incident far too uninteresting to hold their attention.
Neither represent the majority which is why their behavior stands out and gets noticed.
03-26-14, 10:03 PM
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*I learned my lesson about hand signals when a motorist waved me around on a blind curve (I was driving as well) directly into the path of an oncoming semi. I now depend entirely upon my own judgement in such circumstances...
03-26-14, 10:55 PM
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Neither fulfilled their obligations to share the road safely, and respectfully. Both could have prevented the entire conflict, the driver failed to wait to make a safe pass, the cyclist attempted to force his will on another. Both had the opportunity to do the right thing and defuse the situation, yet both chose escalate the situation by being confrontational.
03-27-14, 08:12 AM
#29
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Traveling at the same speed as the cyclist, I would have avoided that POS bike lane as well, but I would have been less accommodating in sharing the roadway at the ped island choke points, in taking the center of the lane well before I approached them. I've learned that a number of motorists will attempt to make a pass if they see a sliver of a chance to do so. Other than directional signals or a friendly hand wave, I have stopped using hand signals as a communication attempt with motorists.
03-27-14, 10:00 AM
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i also agree that the only mistake the cyclist made was to not take the full lane at the choke points. of course, this would be viewed as even ruder by commenters who believe sharing the road means getting out of their way...
03-27-14, 10:14 AM
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Not tha I've never done it in response to someone doing something dangerous...
i also agree that the only mistake the cyclist made was to not take the full lane at the choke points. of course, this would be viewed as even ruder by commenters who believe sharing the road means getting out of their way...
"Share the road does not mean I have to get out of your way. If it's not safe to pass, you don't get to. You wouldn't pass a car going 20 mph there, so why do you think you should be able to pass a bike?"
03-27-14, 12:45 PM
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Believe it or not there are motorists who pass close to cyclists who may not even be aware that their behavior is dangerous and unethical. My gesture appropriately communicates shock and displeasure that another human being would endanger my life. There is no need to adopt the fetal position simply because a tiny minority of the motoring majority is angry at you.
03-27-14, 01:21 PM
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It goes a bit beyond a bit of rudeness out there and it's not just a trivial percentage. Because many experienced cyclists choose to not bet our lives on motorized road users following the law, because many of them don't, we are marginalized by the "get out of their way or they'll hate us all" crowd. I think the gutter-huggers are putting me in danger by making their dangerous riding appear to be the norm so that when cyclists take the lane where necessary for safety, we are demonized and attacked by self-righteous motorists.
Originally Posted by RegisterGuard (Eugene, OR)
During Tuesday’s effort, officers ticketed 75 drivers for speeding; 11 for illegally using cell phones while behind the wheel; 24 for driving without insurance; and 11 for having illegally tinted windows. Officers issued a variety of additional citations to motorists, and impounded one vehicle.
03-27-14, 01:28 PM
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Neither fulfilled their obligations to share the road safely, and respectfully. Both could have prevented the entire conflict, the driver failed to wait to make a safe pass, the cyclist attempted to force his will on another. Both had the opportunity to do the right thing and defuse the situation, yet both chose escalate the situation by being confrontational.
03-27-14, 02:32 PM
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i personally find it very satisfying to use a particular hand "signal" after these types of interactions.
i also agree that the only mistake the cyclist made was to not take the full lane at the choke points. of course, this would be viewed as even ruder by commenters who believe sharing the road means getting out of their way...
i also agree that the only mistake the cyclist made was to not take the full lane at the choke points. of course, this would be viewed as even ruder by commenters who believe sharing the road means getting out of their way...
Use the correct standard hand signals to avoid confusion. if you know there is going to be a conflict at a choke point slow down or speed up to avoid it, do not attempt to "correct" or "educate" others while traveling down the road.
If we want motorists to slow down and show us proper courtesy when they must, we should be equally willing to do so when we can.
03-27-14, 02:33 PM
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pretty funny, that town is trying to do the right thing but fails, cyclist tries to do the right but fails because he chooses to ride there and knows he is in for trouble so he equips himself with front/rear cameras to prove his point. won't help much in a grave. driver is so confused I don't blame him. arguing while riding is so dangerous cuz there are cars wanting to come into the lane from the left side. what a busy area, right or no right I wouldn't ride there
03-27-14, 02:49 PM
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if you know there is going to be a conflict at a choke point slow down or speed up to avoid it, do not attempt to "correct" or "educate" others while traveling down the road.
If we want motorists to slow down and show us proper courtesy when they must, we should be equally willing to do so when we can.
If we want motorists to slow down and show us proper courtesy when they must, we should be equally willing to do so when we can.
03-27-14, 02:59 PM
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because many of them don't, we are marginalized by the "get out of their way or they'll hate us all" crowd. I think the gutter-huggers are putting me in danger by making their dangerous riding appear to be the norm so that when cyclists take the lane where necessary for safety, we are demonized and attacked by self-righteous motorists.
Collision raises questions about changes on Hawthorne Bridge | BikePortland.org
a female cyclist chased after me angrily shouting at me to use the bike lane [sic]. when i shouted "no way" she literally cut across three lanes of traffic forcing motorists to hard stop and buzzed me. i experienced a strange mixture of frustration and admiration. (it takes a very strong cyclist to keep up with me and cut me off.)
03-27-14, 04:17 PM
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I'm not sure why he the cyclist was out of the bike lane. If that wasn't the case I'd still avoid it because it has rougher pavement and goes up and down for less pleasant riding than the adjacent flat road surface. Both issues are visible in my frame grab.
Last edited by Drew Eckhardt; 03-27-14 at 04:28 PM.
03-27-14, 04:50 PM
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The other side of the coin for gesturing, people take it the wrong way (The jerk in me says not to bother)
03-27-14, 10:29 PM
#41
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I've probably used that same hand signal many times, but I was using it to get the motorist to stop and get out of their vehicle. After numerous back and forth gesturing over the years, and no motorists willing to stop, I eventually took up videoing my commutes to get better info.
03-28-14, 03:31 AM
#42
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Sadly, there is as much cyclist hating in this thread as there is in many of the news article comments by motorist.
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03-28-14, 04:36 PM
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Shoulda been in the side path.
Shouldna been in the side pah.
Shoulda taken the lane.
Shouldna taken the lane.
Shoulda ridden near the curb.
Shouldna been so close to the curb.
Shoulda used hand signals.
Shouldna used hand signals.
Shoulda pulled over and let the car go by, thrise.
But my fave, shoulda beemed off the planet for the emergency vehicles.
And shouldna posted the video of the poor embarassed prat.
-mr. bill
Shouldna been in the side pah.
Shoulda taken the lane.
Shouldna taken the lane.
Shoulda ridden near the curb.
Shouldna been so close to the curb.
Shoulda used hand signals.
Shouldna used hand signals.
Shoulda pulled over and let the car go by, thrise.
But my fave, shoulda beemed off the planet for the emergency vehicles.
And shouldna posted the video of the poor embarassed prat.
-mr. bill
03-28-14, 05:05 PM
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The first words out of the cyclists mouth were a threat.
He was looking for trouble.
Some day he will find it.
That and looking at the hand signal in looks like he first holds the hand out then waves it forward.
As others have pointed out that path is deadly, truly treacherous, it LOOKS nice and pinches out over and over again. Rather like the road. A cyclist who instead of looking for a fight bothers to point that out to a motorist could have made a positive impact.
He was looking for trouble.
Some day he will find it.
That and looking at the hand signal in looks like he first holds the hand out then waves it forward.
As others have pointed out that path is deadly, truly treacherous, it LOOKS nice and pinches out over and over again. Rather like the road. A cyclist who instead of looking for a fight bothers to point that out to a motorist could have made a positive impact.
03-29-14, 07:55 AM
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Indeed. I don't see anything that's truly noteworthy going on in this video, but I do intend to perform an impersonation of the 'bent-rider's voice in all future confrontations with motorists, including the spine-tingling threat of putting footage on youtube.
03-29-14, 08:57 AM
#46
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I no longer bother in attempting to have a conversation with motorists while I'm riding on my bicycle, the majority of the time, motorists are unable or unwilling to listen to what I have to say.
03-29-14, 09:53 AM
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The reality is that this guy is a hothead cyclist cruising for trouble and then whining when he finds it. That sort of thing doesn't do any good for anybody, and pointing it out is not "hate".
03-29-14, 11:48 AM
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If we go with the issue of "backing up traffic" then we should exclude many motorists from the roadways as traffic backs up quite often simply due to the sheer number of single occupancy cars on the roadway.... and such backups occur far more often than the rare slowdown by cyclist... in fact, we have even given a name to the traffic backup caused by motorists... "rush hour;" this event generally occurs twice a day, and is largely caused by motorists.
Don in Austin
03-29-14, 12:50 PM
#49
Cycle Year Round
There is no "cyclist hate" here. That's just a code phrase on A&S for "Anyone who ever disagrees that the cyclist is always right".
The reality is that this guy is a hothead cyclist cruising for trouble and then whining when he finds it. That sort of thing doesn't do any good for anybody, and pointing it out is not "hate".
The reality is that this guy is a hothead cyclist cruising for trouble and then whining when he finds it. That sort of thing doesn't do any good for anybody, and pointing it out is not "hate".
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