Advocacy & Safety - Spring mojo -- is it rutting season?

Seems traffic has been a little crazy since the first day of Spring arrived. Here are examples:

1. I'm riding off to the side allowing cars to pass me. Plenty of room, wide street. One car honks at me and comes very close to me as he passes. This angered me so when I caught up to the guy at the light I saw his window was down, so I pulled up next to him and asked, "Do you have a problem with me? Do you feel there isn't enough room for that little bitty car of yours to fit between the yellow line way over there and the white line all the way over there?" He was diving the smallest car on the planet: a Geo Metro. Anyway, I immediately realized my mistake. His passenger was squirting Visine in his eyes like his life depended on it and the driver himself had that tell-tale facial flushing and bloodshot eyes. They were stoned out of their minds. Fortunately the light turned green, he said something disgusting to me, I flipped him off and off he went. Yeah, I know, but it's that Spring mojo. I'm telling you.

2. I'm approaching a 4-way stop. You know how these stops sometimes become like a choreographed dance? North and south go, then east and west go. As long as nobody breaks the dance everybody can get through quickly. I reach the stop line. The person opposite me goes, so I go, too. The person behind her also goes, and immediately starts to turn left right into me. I guess he figured since he could see nobody he'd just squeeze on in there I don't know. That's a good example of people behind others not being able to see the cyclist up ahead. I slammed on my brakes and fortunately I wasn't killed.

3. I'm tooling along, coming down a hill. I slow a bit because things look a little dicey in front of me. A car is trying to pull into the street from my left, but the car in front of me is waiting to turn left. It's not clear if that car trying to pull into the street from my left is going to go or if they see me or what. So I slowly continue keeping my eye on her. It appears she is looking right at me, so I go for it. Just then she pulls into the street. No problem, it's a wide street so I pull over into the door zone. But the lady nearly side-swipes all the cars parked on the street and me with them! Biggest f-in car on the planet this time--Lincoln Navigator or something--and it's clear she has no idea how to pilot that whale down the road.

Bad mojo. I was starting to get nervous about riding. There were many more episodes, some of which happened while on my Vespa and while driving. Must be something in the air with the spring rut. Stay safe.

Definately !
You can feel it.
Really....On some rides I know I will suffer an unpleasantry at
some point. You can 'feel' the mood of the traffic.

Well, don't know about the spring mojo thing, but the motorist trying to sneak in on someone elses "go" was pretty crappy. I have seen this action too... I want someone to tell me how that is "predictable and proper."

One thing that I have noticed lately is the number of autos that have hit a fence that separates a very nice bike path from a new freeway. There is at least 12 feet of asphalt and landscaping between the freeway and this chainlink fence. Yet, folks keep driving into it. That alone tells me these drivers are not paying attention... they are leaving the darn road!

There are about 6-7 places in this fence along a 10 mile route that are clearly from autos going into the fence. There are about 2-3 places where it is obvious they went through the fence.... and nearby drove back through. (the poles are bent to show inward and outward transitions.)

Just the other day there was a brand new hit... right next to an on ramp... clearly someone missed the ramp and just tore this fence right open.

So with this sort of action happening to a fence... ya just have to wonder... what the heck are they smokin' out there.

Okay, that does it, I'm venting too. Approaching a 4-way stop sign, two cars coming from the right. I'm intending to turn left myself. The first car stops and appears to hesitate, but he was there first, so I wave him through and he goes. Fine. But then, the second person just follows him through without even stopping. Jerk! So I give her a few shouts as I turn left behind her, then pedal furiously to at least make her think maybe I'm chasing her, and maybe I am.

In fact, just as I was catching up a few blocks later, as she was stopped waiting to turn right onto a busier street, I'm slowing down to stop in place behind her, nearing the middle of the lane, about 20 feet to go, when I notice in my mirror someone behind me looking like passing. (This is a residential street, without even a center line.) I move more to the left, so does he. Finally I turn my head and give him a mild talking to, forcing him to stay behind me where he should have been all along.

I'm probably lucky things didn't progress from there. But by the time we were all stopped in our proper places, I had almost forgotten about saying anything more to the first offender in front of me, and didn't want to confuse things by giving up my place in line to talk with her. So finally we all got to turn and go our separate ways.

Then I find out later that all the traffic on the street we were turning to was due to a school band concert, which made me feel a little bad thinking maybe I was getting all bent out of shape at some kid's parents coming to his or her concert. But dammit, they were still bad drivers! :mad:

Gene that is so funny about the fence. They had the road closed that I ride on to work for a year or so. Now it's open. Brand new fence. An average of once a month, but sometimes the seems more like once a week, there's a new spot where someone must have careened off the freeway into the fence! So much for the brand new bike lane! It's all full of car accident debris! (HH go away we don't want to hear it.)

I guess if you look hard enough, you can find anything you want.

For me, life is too short to spare any more attention to motorist errors than is required to manage them. I'm prepared for 'em, and I move on. If I paid as much attention to motorist errors as you guys did, I probably would not find cycling in traffic to be much fun.

yah, diane, I think the drivers are distracted by the additional hours of daylight or something, it is bringing out a peculiar afternoon rush hour 'lemmings to the couch' behavior on the part of the drivers.

Just yesterday I was riding in the left lane of a four lane one way, middle of the lane, signalling to make a left turn, and a lady pulls up to her stop sign, looks at me, and pulls out right into my path...I power stopped and snuck by, but man, she was distracted big time, looked right thru me.

Maybe its all the spring tree pollen in the air, gets the drivers all red eyed and puffy, need to share that visine with the passengers whiler operating the motor vehicle...

I guess if you look hard enough, you can find anything you want.

For me, life is too short to spare any more attention to motorist errors than is required to manage them. I'm prepared for 'em, and I move on. If I paid as much attention to motorist errors as you guys did, I probably would not find cycling in traffic to be much fun.

To me they are like spelling errors... I can't help but notice them. Tehy just satnd out.

Basically you are saying that along with ignoring motorist honks, you also ignore motorist errors... I suppose having such great "personal filter" is what makes you oblivious to the idiots out there.

Interesting... another thing to add to the steel-eyed gaze and alpha dog attitude... ignoring traffic errors. I have to get some of those rose colored glasses.

Stay safe out there. Sometimes when it comes to other folks who aren't using their noggin, you have to do the thinking for them.

Glad you made it ok.

:beer:

I just finished writing an email to the local school district to inform them of how one of their bus drivers passed me within 2 feet while approaching a stop sign on a 25mph road (and I was going about 18mph at the time). The really cr@ppy part about it was that after slowing to give the bus room and get out of the way (and save my life), I almost get hit by the car behind the bus who either didn't see me because the bus was so close or who wanted to get around me even more than the bus.

It must have something to do with spring. My ride home yesterday was full of cr@p like this. This behavior also apparently has nothing to do with being on a bike. I went with a friend down to VA to pick up some new wheels for his. On the street outside my neighborhood, we were about to make a right turn when the motorist behind us pulls into the right turn lane and passes us only to go straight through the intersection. We also saw about 6 major accidents on I95 (major north/south interstate on the east coast).

Yeah, I agree it has nothing to do with being on a bike. Sometimes I just want to vent. If some people aren't interested in a topic like that then that is fine. I suspect other people want to vent sometimes too.

Yeah, I agree it has nothing to do with being on a bike. Sometimes I just want to vent. If some people aren't interested in a topic like that then that is fine. I suspect other people want to vent sometimes too.
The "rutting season" comment was funny...

:beer:

I think that observations of 'not nice' behavior comes in waves. I'll go a few weeks with not much, then a few weeks of daily honking, agressive behavior.

A funny story from last weekend. I was riding in a 25mph residential zone with the occasional speed hump. Up ahead was a vehicle going about 20mph (average, slowing for humps, going a bit faster between) and instead of moving up behind them and close following I stayed back 50ft or so, but on average slowly gained on them. Anyway a speeding vehicle came up behind me and tailgated me and started honking and doing the side to side swerve. I was in center of lane. Anyway after a bit of this honking and me igoring them, for fun I sprinted up to car ahead of me passed them on left and then pulled away from that car and a bit further ahead to just make a light that was turning yellow. The two cars got stopped at red. I wondered if the tailgaiting honking car did the the same to the slower car as they did to me after they continued onward?

Al

...a speeding vehicle came up behind me and tailgated me and started honking and doing the side to side swerve. I was in center of lane. Anyway after a bit of this honking and me igoring them, for fun I sprinted up to car ahead of me passed them on left and then pulled away from that car and a bit further ahead to just make a light that was turning yellow. The two cars got stopped at red. I wondered if the tailgaiting honking car did the the same to the slower car as they did to me after they continued onward?

Al
I've seen cars tailgate in the right hand lane when there was PLENTY of room to pass in the left lane, as if they expected the driver ahead to move left to let them pass...

:love:

Yeah, I agree it has nothing to do with being on a bike. Sometimes I just want to vent. If some people aren't interested in a topic like that then that is fine. I suspect other people want to vent sometimes too.


Diane, you appear to be a very nice person....I beleive if you vented or
needed to blow off steam by Wednsday you really needed to do it on Monday !! :D
Vent on, vent on ..........:p

I've seen cars tailgate in the right hand lane when there was PLENTY of room to pass in the left lane, as if they expected the driver ahead to move left to let them pass...

:love:
I ride daily down a 45mph multi-narrow lane road and sometimes get tailgated for minutes at a time with no traffic in the adjacent left lane by drivers who are too focused on 'the problem' (slow vehicle) to perform the 'solution' (a safe pass).

I am also amazed at the number of drivers who decide to pull up behind me stopped in center or left side of the right lane at a multilane red light intersection with no cars in the adjacent two lanes. Then more vehicles come later and fill up those empty lanes. Then light turns green and I proceed in center of narrow lane and then driver then gets aggitated and honks, etc. If they had used a tiny bit of their pea brain and easily merged left and stopped in adjacent lane they could have been on their quick way.

It is one of the reasons I don't give a care about slowing drivers behind me as its the dimwitted ones who chose to get or stay behind me instead of planning ahead and merging when there was an opportunity.

I know I am very visible in my high vis shirts as most drivers merge left well in advance of me before they need to slow and then get stuck at a lower speed differential that makes it harder to merge left in faster dense traffic.

Al

Must be something in the air with the spring rut.

Yeah. Just this morning I had the worst case of honking I've EVER experienced.

This big alpha male Canada Goose just kept honking and honking as I passed him and his female. Man, it really got on my nerves! :)

Yeah. Just this morning I had the worst case of honking I've EVER experienced.

This big alpha male Canada Goose just kept honking and honking as I passed him and his female. Man, it really got on my nerves! :)
At least it didn't poop on you. Those guys are voluminous.

I think that observations of 'not nice' behavior comes in waves. I'll go a few weeks with not much, then a few weeks of daily honking, agressive behavior.

A funny story from last weekend. I was riding in a 25mph residential zone with the occasional speed hump. Up ahead was a vehicle going about 20mph (average, slowing for humps, going a bit faster between) and instead of moving up behind them and close following I stayed back 50ft or so, but on average slowly gained on them. Anyway a speeding vehicle came up behind me and tailgated me and started honking and doing the side to side swerve. I was in center of lane. Anyway after a bit of this honking and me igoring them, for fun I sprinted up to car ahead of me passed them on left and then pulled away from that car and a bit further ahead to just make a light that was turning yellow. The two cars got stopped at red. I wondered if the tailgaiting honking car did the the same to the slower car as they did to me after they continued onward?

Al


Don't know if the honker did anything to pester the new vehicle in front, but this is a beautiful illustration of the "lack of respect" think I have mentioned time and time again as very much missing from the Forester equation.

Forester states: "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." The part where we "are treated as drivers of vehicles" I find is too often missing... and your story is a prime example.

I see very similar behaviour in my morning commutes from time to time... where a driver gets the eager thing going and just has to pass me, only to then come right up to the next vehicle where their further progress is halted... meanwhile, I remain right behind them... nothing has really changed, except now they are in front of "the dreaded cyclist."

This is not to say that this always happens (it is indeed rare)... but clearly it is a real ahole behaviour and is not justified at all by the driver that does it.

Don't know if the honker did anything to pester the new vehicle in front, but this is a beautiful illustration of the "lack of respect" think I have mentioned time and time again as very much missing from the Forester equation.

Forester states: "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." The part where we "are treated as drivers of vehicles" I find is too often missing... and your story is a prime example.

Sure. I did fare best in this situation. I wasn't respected as you note, but the poor behavior didn't affect me or my safety. But I do think I was treated as a vehicle (vs. being run over or marginalized to side of road in debis or door zone and/or close passed) I've also been honked at and tailgaited by other drivers when cruising in my SUV at or slightly below the speed limit.

Sure its a fine distinction and perhaps spitting hairs.

Al

Sure. I did fare best in this situation. I wasn't respected as you note, but the poor behavior didn't affect me or my safety. But I do think I was treated as a vehicle (vs. being run over or marginalized to side of road in debis or door zone and/or close passed) I've also been honked at and tailgaited by other drivers when cruising in my SUV at or slightly below the speed limit.

Sure its a fine distinction and perhaps spitting hairs.

Al

Good point on the tailgaters... HH has made that point too. My point is that if that person that did that behaviour to you would not have done it to the motorist now in front of him... then he did not give you the same respect as a fellow driver of a vehicle. And that is the part that sucks.

Just like the clowns I mentioned earlier that go ballistic passing me, only to settle down when they are then right in front of me. There clearly is no justification for that behaviour.

Treat me just like any other driver of a vehicle... that is all I ask. If a motorist would be a butt head to anyone else... hey go ahead and be a butt head. (then makes them "predictable") But if you are doing it simply because I am on a bike... then we have problems. (they are then by definition "not predictable")

Oddly enough this is very similar to (yet he doesn't see it) as HH's comments of not wanting bike lanes because they treat a class of vehicles differently.

My point is that if that person that did that behaviour to you would not have done it to the motorist now in front of him... then he did not give you the same respect as a fellow driver of a vehicle. And that is the part that sucks.

The difference is perhaps not just cyclist being perceived as a lower class road user, but that they are narrow and slower vehicles.
The motorist may not have had the patience or awareness to realize that I was speed limited not because I was on a bike, but because of the slower vehicle ahead of me. They may have assumed I should have just moved over (into door zone they were not aware of) because I could and that I was being rude (in their eyes) for not doing so. If it was a slow car in front of them they may not have honked and make a scene as it would have been obvious to them there was no way for the car to move over. Or maybe they would have honked as it was obvious to them the slow car had the ability to pick it up a few mph and go the speed limit.

Al

If you think it's bad now, wait until we switch over to DST. Several of my coworkers and I have noticed this interesting corellation between switching to\from DST and idiotic driving behaviours. However, we originally noticed this when I was commuting using a car. I wonder if it also applies while riding a bike.

If you think it's bad now, wait until we switch over to DST. Several of my coworkers and I have noticed this interesting corellation between switching to\from DST and idiotic driving behaviours. However, we originally noticed this when I was commuting using a car. I wonder if it also applies while riding a bike.
Are you refering to Daylight Savings Time? Are you guys on it or off it now? ;) Something we don't have here in AZ.

Al

Now that most of my commute has a 25mph speed limit (two roads have been changed to 25mph from 35mph thanks to new home construction) I am passed quite often simply because I am on a bike. I'm no longer a slow moving vehicle when I'm within 5mph of the speed limit (if motorists justify 5 over in the eyes of the law, then 5 under is not slow either) and for the flat and downhill sections, that's how fast I'm going. Even so, only a few people who I believe would have passed me when the speed limit was higher no longer pass me. I really want to talk to the guys who pass me while I'm doing 30+mph downhill in a 25 (yes I know I'm over the limit but I also don't almost get into head-ons because I can't stay in my lane) and find out why they passed me. I'm sure the answer will be that I'm moving too slow.

Mojo? Yeah, baby!

'You see, I was looking for Dr. Evil when the Fembots came out and smoke started coming out of their jomblies. So I started to work my mojo, to counter their mojo; we got "cross-mojulation, and their heads started exploding.'

I really want to talk to the guys who pass me while I'm doing 30+mph downhill in a 25 and find out why they passed me. I'm sure the answer will be that I'm moving too slow.
Perhaps because up ahead you would be on the uphill and then much below 25mph and the clear and safe opportunity was available on the downhill? Of course this is no justificaiton for the excessive speeding needing to pass you.

Al

Are you refering to Daylight Savings Time? Are you guys on it or off it now? ;) Something we don't have here in AZ.

Al

Off of it. Forgot AZ doesn't have it.
We change back to it in two weeks (I believe)

Off of it. Forgot AZ doesn't have it.
We change back to it in two weeks (I believe)
I had no idea at first what DST meant, pehaps some new cager drug I thought. Then I did an internet search and the 8th hit or so clued me in.

Al

<-- lazy, uses way too many acronyms

There's a street I often use that's three lanes in one direction, 25mph speed limit. Because of the parking on the right hand side I always take the lane. There have been times in the early morning when it's me and just one other car for as far as you can see. And the jackhole will come up blaring his horn. One time this happened and when we got to the light I yelled "Is there something the matter with those two other lanes?"

There's no excuse.

I often catch 20mph drivers* on the very short section of 25mph posted street on my AM commute. Should I get an airhorn and when stuck behind them blast it and swerve side to side behind them?
;)
Al
*These are often the ones who have just left their driveway and are sipping coffee and adjusting their accessories before they get on the arterials.

What kills me is that usually when this has happened to me it's at 6am or so. It's pretty early in the morning to be at Full *******.

Perhaps because up ahead you would be on the uphill and then much below 25mph and the clear and safe opportunity was available on the downhill? Of course this is no justificaiton for the excessive speeding needing to pass you.

Al

Yeah, you're probably right, except for the fact that right after the biggest downhill is a decently long section of slightly uphill road with a much clearer and wider passing area.

There's a street I often use that's three lanes in one direction, 25mph speed limit. Because of the parking on the right hand side I always take the lane. There have been times in the early morning when it's me and just one other car for as far as you can see. And the jackhole will come up blaring his horn. One time this happened and when we got to the light I yelled "Is there something the matter with those two other lanes?"

There's no excuse.

Another great example... had this exact thing happen to me too... it was as if the other lanes were off limits to that driver. All I could think of was "WTF, not enough pavement?"

Early on a Sunday too.

I often catch 20mph drivers* on the very short section of 25mph posted street on my AM commute. Should I get an airhorn and when stuck behind them blast it and swerve side to side behind them?
;)
Al
*These are often the ones who have just left their driveway and are sipping coffee and adjusting their accessories before they get on the arterials.


Yeah... just the ticket... an air Zounds horn and just lay on it after they pull that crap where they honk to pass you, then are stuck right in front of you behind another car. Pull up right behind them and honk back.

I love it. :D

'You see, I was looking for Dr. Evil when the Fembots came out and smoke started coming out of their jomblies. So I started to work my mojo, to counter their mojo; we got "cross-mojulation, and their heads started exploding.'
I have no idea what you just said! :)

I think the season is definitely part of it. I remember being young and owning a car, and the first really nice day of spring always made me want to roll down the windows, crank the tunes, and pretend no one else existed. Fortunately, nothing bad ever came of it, for me... :rolleyes:

. . .

I see very similar behaviour in my morning commutes from time to time... where a driver gets the eager thing going and just has to pass me, only to then come right up to the next vehicle where their further progress is halted... meanwhile, I remain right behind them... nothing has really changed, except now they are in front of "the dreaded cyclist." . . .



I get the same behavior when I am driving my VW Bus . . . a big rush to get "in front of the dreaded Bus!"

I have no idea what you just said! :)

Bzzt - I didn't say it, Austin Powers did. Old farts like me shouldn't go around quoting Austin Powers me thinks.

I don't think today's experience has anything to do with spring. Just a bad decision by a lady driving a sequoia.
Narrow 2 lane road with cars parked on both sides with a 25 mph speedlimit. I take the lane due to parked cars on the right hand side of the road. The sequoia passes me in the opposing lane right before a 4 way stop. Thus, the driver ends up along side me sitting in the other lane while I am stopped behind a car waiting its turn at a 4 way stop. Duh!