Commuting - Venting Anger... Join me !

I just want to vent here for a bit... I hope someone understands.

I get honked at, buzzed, cut off, yelled at, cursed at, given the finger, brake checked, revved at ... almost daily when I ride my bicycle. People are just really mean.

What makes people think that they have more of a right to go from point A to point B than I do just because they are in a car ?

I fuxing hate cagers.

I know its wrong, but sometimes i wish some of the mean ones would get in a fiery wreck and burn to death !

If that is your daily experience than I understand your anger. I only experience the occasion yell or pass to close once or twice a week. It pisses me off but I quickly calm down. I enjoy riding too much.
Craig

I think with the world over populated as it is and people ignorant as they are, I have no moral objections to some of these people dying in flaming wrecks. And if some of them raise their families with the same values they have, I wouldn't mind if it were a fully loaded minivan either.

From the sounds of it, I would need counseling if I rode in Florida.
It really is that bad there?

Not only is it bad it gets ugly too.

I had a guy pull into the bike lane because he didn't want me passing him so I banged on the side of his car to let him know I was there. The dude didn't take kindly to his precious SUV getting a knock knock from me. He then yells at me that I shouldn't pass him on the right...Who are you? The bike police? How often do you get passed on the right by other cars A-- Ho-e!

When I rode in Fla., I just stuck to the bike paths on the major streets. Them drivers are crazy.

I had a guy pull into the bike lane because he didn't want me passing him so I banged on the side of his car to let him know I was there. The dude didn't take kindly to his precious SUV getting a knock knock from me. He then yells at me that I shouldn't pass him on the right...Who are you? The bike police? How often do you get passed on the right by other cars A-- Ho-e!

I can't think of a single bike lane in my whole city, but I still see the occasional person pull over way right at lights. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it wasn't intentional but I'm sure it occasionally is. Luckily I only get a blown horn or two a day.

Touching someone's car is a dangerous thing to do. If you're about to get run over, then fine but most times they didn't see you and to be awaken from your coma by someone banging on your door is going to piss off 99.9% of the people out there. Before I do it I'd make sure I wasn't going to get run over for it, and be ready for a fight.

From the sounds of it, I would need counseling if I rode in Florida.
It really is that bad there?

In a word, yes. I get buzzed on every ride, but I only get yelled at once a week or so.


I get honked at, buzzed, cut off, yelled at, cursed at, given the finger, brake checked, revved at ... almost daily when I ride my bicycle. People are just really mean.

What makes people think that they have more of a right to go from point A to point B than I do just because they are in a car ?

I fuxing hate cagers

As cyclists, we tend to see the problem as being drivers of cars, but I think it's worse than that. When I get buzzed so that someone can arrive at the next light five seconds sooner, what that person's actions tell me is that they are willing to kill or maim for those few seconds. That says that my life is worth nothing to that person. I'm sure that their attitude doesn't stop and start when they turn on the ignition.

Not only is it bad it gets ugly too.

I had a guy pull into the bike lane because he didn't want me passing him so I banged on the side of his car to let him know I was there. The dude didn't take kindly to his precious SUV getting a knock knock from me. He then yells at me that I shouldn't pass him on the right...Who are you? The bike police? How often do you get passed on the right by other cars A-- Ho-e!

That's like the taxi the accelerated to pass me and pull up in the bike lane right in front of me. The last words of your post were properly addressed to the moron. :D

ratsis fratis ratis frat

I used to think Utah had the worst drivers in the country. Now I think they're quite nice. (It must be the rural atmosphere where I live. The smell of manure has a calming effect on the nerves. Or something.) The really nice thing is that I get treated better on my bike than in my car.

Is all of Florida like that, or just urban areas? How can people like that live with themselves? (How can other people live with them?)

The reason I get on a cager rant. It's not just how cagers treat cyclists. It's how cagers treat one another. Yes, I have a problem controlling my rage, when I get harassed by motorists. Sometimes, I have lost it. Infrequently, tho. Being spit at my h.s. punks is enough to put me over the edge.
My anti cager rant started before cycling. It's that I noticed the mannerisms of motorists towards everyone , including themselves. Driving a car is suicidal.
I sometimes counter the argument of cycling is not safe, due to traffic. I like to think that white line in the road, seperates me from the crazies. Wishful thinking. But, that cycling lane is theortically ours? Normally, Solid lines are not to be crossed?

Because prejudice is alive and thriving in America, we have just learned to disguise it into other forms and call it other things so we think we have beat the monster down. It still all boils down to I think I am better than you for Yada yada yada.

I'm lucky to ride in a situation that's not as bad as the OP describes. There are lots of cyclist here and drivers are used to us. I had a minor episode of raised voices last week. There used to be a yield sign where southbound Oxton Av traffic merges into Oriole Parkway traffic, but a week or two ago it was changed to a stop sign. Many drivers haven't noticed yet. I was heading south on Oriole on Monday and an Oxton driver "merged" right in front of me. I yelled that he should have stopped and he rolled down his window and yelled back about how it was a yield sign not a stop sign. I informed him of the change but he drove away without replying.

That's the only intense encounter I can remember in the last couple of years.

When someone pulls to the right at a light so I can't pass, I go around them on the left.

I doubt this makes 'em any happier.

I think gridlock , job insecurities, home problems all get mashed onto that gas peddle. So many believe a car represents someone's sexuality. Not me, My little red jetta was selected because it is scuba diver red. It matches my red dive insigna and red bikes. With a four cyclinder. Can't be a very sexy person.
But, I say excessive exceleration on the gas peddle is a symton of something else. Normally, not just being in a hurry.
ah, grounds for an expensive government study. What thought was going through your mind before that policemen behind you gave you that traffic ticket and you gunned yourself through that red light.
I say it's either sex, angst, or rage. I found some of these answers are in the book," Home from Nowhere."

I'm waiting for the revenge fantasy thread.

Reading all these threads lately about accidents, close calls, nudges, buzzings, etc., I have concluded that everybody has lost their damn mind.

Can I vent about a specific thing that just happened?

I got buzzed dangerously closely by a tan Chevy Malibu. I was riding in right lane, and the car straddled the lane to pass me. They saw me. Just decided to buzz me for fun.

This was on a road that does not have a bike lane or WOL, but a bike lane begins a little down the road.

So I catch up to her a next stoplight after about a quarter of a mile (after the bike lane has begun). While in the bike lane, I tap on the window and say, "You almost hit me when you passed. Please lave more room next time." She rolled down her window, and I said, "Please leave more room next time, you were too close." The light turned green then, and she said "There's a bike lane, mmmphlmmphnnn" as she sped off.

I think she only heard the second part. Not realizing that I was talking about being buzzed back there, she thought I was asking her to leave more room on the right when stopping at a stoplight so that Mighty Princess Bicyclecan mosey up to the front of the line. I could kick myself. Need to be more articulate.

I know why it happened.

I was being polite.

I officially give up on trying to formulate speech when I'm hopped up on my own wheezing biker endorphines. From now on, they either get a pass, or they get a u-lock thrown at their window.

From the sounds of it, I would need counseling if I rode in Florida.
It really is that bad there?

Pretty much.

Living in redneck Arkansas isn't much better. I frequently get random honks when it's just me and one other car on the road. Crazy stuff.

I also have things like bottles thrown at me on occasion, and backwoods teenage boys reeling on pubescent testosterone like to buzz me on occasion. I've taken to simply hitting their vehicle with whatever is handy (fist, bottle, u-lock, etc.) if it's a serious threat. Otherwise, I call the cops.

I work for a municipality here, so they know me well and usually dispatch someone within minutes.

cmh

When someone pulls to the right at a light so I can't pass, I go around them on the left.

I doubt this makes 'em any happier.

+1. Do it all the time. No skin off my back wich side he want me to pass on, but I AM passing one way or another. Having to go left just means I get to do a cool little dip and sway manuover through the cars as I take the wind out of his passive agressive little move with little more than a second's delay.

Truthfully though, on the longer lines (more than 200 or 300 yards) I have started to split the lanes and not come up the right side at all but though the middle. I strongly believe it is far safer between two lanes of stuck cars than it is over there on the right. I can see more and am not at risk of being run over by someone who has had it with the line and decides to whip into and barrell down the bike lane for a right turn (happens just about every day on my commute). People don't love me going down the middle but most don't do anything about it (including many cops I have passed stuck in that mess) and I simply merge to the right after the traffic moves again. I have only had one guy yell at me for it. He just said "that's pretty dangerous". I simply thanked him for his opinion and kept on going. Cleary, he had not thought the issue over very well and I was not going to change his mind. What did I care about what he thought anyway. By the time he even hit that light, I was probably 2 miles down the road. Sucker!!!

From the sounds of it, I would need counseling if I rode in Florida.
It really is that bad there?
Depends on what part of Florida you're in. Anything like that is very rare here. Even a "GET OUT OF THE WAY" horn honk is very rare.

Wish I had a way to make all drivers take training from these drivers. :)

I can't think of a single bike lane in my whole city, but I still see the occasional person pull over way right at lights.
In some (many?) states it is required by law to move right if planning a right turn, including merging into the BL if safely yeilding to other users of BL.

-mr. cager

I think gridlock , job insecurities, home problems all get mashed onto that gas peddle. So many believe a car represents someone's sexuality. Not me, My little red jetta was selected because it is scuba diver red. It matches my red dive insigna and red bikes. With a four cyclinder. Can't be a very sexy person.
But, I say excessive exceleration on the gas peddle is a symton of something else. Normally, not just being in a hurry.
ah, grounds for an expensive government study. What thought was going through your mind before that policemen behind you gave you that traffic ticket and you gunned yourself through that red light.
I say it's either sex, angst, or rage. I found some of these answers are in the book," Home from Nowhere."

No way! VW's are definitely sexy, and sexy people drive them. Heck, I drive a GTI, and my wife thinks I'm sexy, therefore at least one sexy person drives a VW... :p

I'm waiting for the revenge fantasy thread.

That sounds great ! :beer:

I find that Thursday and Friday evenings are my worst commutes. Bridge and tunnel crowd prolly. I'm riding back from the Upper East Side in NYC over into Queens so it's a relatively short jaunt, I'm usually coming down York Ave. No bike lane, 4 lanes wide, 2 northbound 2 southbound. Not much spare room for an average American car and a bike, so, I've given up riding over to the right hand side on any street apart from 1 lane wide roads. I just take the lane. I can't say I make too many friends, but hell, there's another lane and I let them know it's a free country, they can use the other lane. Had one homie stating the obvious tonight, "That ain't no motorcycle." I was going to let him know that due to the double negative he was telling me I was on a motorcycle but I just opted for something he'd understand. I flipped him the bird and calmly said "F--- you, you stupid @---le".

When someone pulls to the right at a light so I can't pass, I go around them on the left.

I doubt this makes 'em any happier.

I went around on the right anyway last week. Dragged my pannier down the entire side of his car. Left a nice long gouge to bare metal. :) Sure made ME feel better. Doubt he was too happy when he saw it, though.

Damn... reading this thread makes me feel a lot better about living in Albuquerque. In six months of commuting, I've only had a handful of issues with drivers. Interestingly, all but two have been on or near the Air Force base -- an area full of people who haven't been living in the area for a while.

No way! VW's are definitely sexy, and sexy people drive them. Heck, I drive a GTI, and my wife thinks I'm sexy, therefore at least one sexy person drives a VW... :p
I think my red Jetta with the bike rack atop is sexy, in spite of what those in muscle cars may think.
But, is not sexiness determined by horsepower?

But, is not sexiness determined by horsepower?
Some would say sexiness is determined by confidence. What's more confident than a biker zipping past 400+ HP cars?

I went around on the right anyway last week. Dragged my pannier down the entire side of his car. Left a nice long gouge to bare metal. :) Sure made ME feel better. Doubt he was too happy when he saw it, though.


Decorative buttons for panniers...........

[QUOTE=CommuterRun]Depends on what part of Florida you're in. Anything like that is very rare here. Even a "GET OUT OF THE WAY" horn honk is very rare. QUOTE]




Yeah I dont seem to have much of a problem with motorists either on my nightly commute (central Florida, Polk county area). For the most part they give me plenty of room, and rarely do I get 'buzzed', although it does happen sometimes. Occasionally I'll get 'honked' at too, but more often than not it turns out to be a positive thing, where the person knew me, or it was an "off duty" cyclist. Of course, I ride like I got some sence too, and obey all the traffic laws and try not to do anything 'stupid' that would otherwise compromise my safety. I dont do the word thing (negative dialogue) with motorists unless I'm fully prepared to back myself up. You have to watch your mouth (and your fingers) when dealing with motorists. A simple verbal gesture can turn deadly, fast, as well as 'flipping" someone off, so the moral of the story is to stay calm, ride your bike, and refrain from trying to teach someone the laws of the land.

From the sounds of it, I would need counseling if I rode in Florida.
It really is that bad there?

Yes its really that bad in Florida, and probably worse in Miami. Ft Lauderdale drivers seem to be a little better than Miami drivers. Theres usually at least one driver that rants and yells, or lays on the horn, everytime I ride.

I have found that the faster I can ride, and the more I take up the entire lane, the less people f-ck with me, but theres still the occasional idiot that has to race past me as fast as he can, 50 feet before a stop sign or stop light, so he can get in front of me, and slam the brakes on because he's "in a hurry to stop". ON a couple of occasions I've been able to speed up enough so that he can't get back in the lane, and has to stop at the light in the oncoming lane.

Most of the time here in Toronto---at least in the downtown core where residents are accustomed to a large number of cyclists---everything runs pretty smoothly with few negative encounters. There are the customary dangers a cyclist must be aware of and avoid, of course, but rarely is there a confrontation...

...until recently.

The other day my son and I were on our way home up a narrow one-way, quiet residential street at night with parking on the left side. Both of us were well-lit and riding predictably. There were no cars on the road anyway, so even if we had been riding side by side it would not have been an issue. I watched in my mirror as an SUV entered the street behind us and approached at a fairly good clip. My son and I had just moved into the centre of the road to go around two illegally parked cars on the right when the SUV rapidly came up on our tails making no indication he was planning to slow down, but go right through us. We dashed for the right in spite of the fct that we were a few feet from the intersection where we needed to turn left. The SUV swung around us and into a driveway five feet in front of us. I asked the driver as he got out what the h**l he thought he was doing almost running us down. The guy just gave me the finger. I admit I was angry and cussed him out a bit before reminding him that I knew where he lived. I'm not proud of my response, but I understand it came from have the s**t scared out of me.

A few days later we were on a much busier main road nearby when an SUV again approached from behind. With parked cars on my right about three feet away and broken and crumbling road surface to my immediate right, I really had nowhere to go as this speeding SUV came racing up on me. Just as he gets right behind me he honks and never made any attempt to change lanes into the empty opposite-direction lane, instead skimming by me within an inch or two. Fortunately, he stopped at the light a short distance away and I was able to confront the fool who had the audacity to claim he was honking me to let me know he was coming through. Coming through? And what was I supposed to do, sit there and let him run me over? I asked him if his honk really meant he was warning me that he was coming through me whether I moved or not? There were more than a few choice invectives being flung at him and a challenge to get out of his car so I could teach him a lesson about threatening my life. I know I reminded him that the entire lane was mine and he had the options of either slowing down until I was ableto move over safely or pass me in the other lane, but doubt he got the message between being called every name in the book and a few the book doesn't have yet.

Again, I'm not really happy with the way I reacted and was kicking myself afterward. It certainly wasn't a very good example to my son whom I apologized and explained my actions to. But damn, those situations were close.

sometimes i wish some of the mean ones would get in a fiery wreck and burn to death !

Enjoy this. (http://linux.stevens-tech.edu/kmh/spike.bike.all.txt)

Here's mine: heading out for a ride Thursday, I was waiting at the T intersection of my side street with our 2 lane country road. I was standing near the center of my road waiting for a string of cars to pass so I could make a left turn when one of the approaching cars began a left turn onto my street. Driver was talking on a cell phone, looking right at me & cutting the corner such that I was about to become her hood ornament! No time to try move so I held both arms above my head with the dayglo bands on my gloves facing her & wig wagged my arms to get her attention. She skidded to a stop then refused to pull around me properly & instead cranked her wheel over & turned into the wrong way lane passing to my right & behind me. Gave me a dirty look as she passed. Excuse me for living

I commute near daily on Long Island, NY, and it happens to me 1-2 times a week. It's usually safer not to respond and keep focusing on the road, but I confess there's been a time or two I've yelled back "Oh, have another donut!". That shuts 'em up. :-)

I commute near daily on Long Island, NY, and it happens to me 1-2 times a week. It's usually safer not to respond and keep focusing on the road, but I confess there's been a time or two I've yelled back "Oh, have another donut!". That shuts 'em up. :-)

One of the most dangerous stretches that I have to travel is the half block leading up to the Dunkin' Donuts. There's no telling what some people will do to get to their donuts.

I fuxing hate cagers. I know its wrong, but sometimes i wish some of the mean ones would get in a fiery wreck and burn to death !

That's not wrong at all. It's a perfectly normal and healthy response. Mean people, especially when behind a wheel, deserve to become krispy critters!

http://www.sikvid.com/vids/3078.html


an inspirational video of sorts.

Danger of taking the lane part #2: Last night, a friend of mine, who is obssessed with the Mini Cooper, showed me before & after pictures of his just recd 1978 mini, he bought it & imported it from New Zealand. Took months to arrive & he has had it about 2 weeks. He was out driving his dream machine on Hwy 520, had to slow down when a car ahead of him made a left turn, he was accelerating back up to speed, doing about 30 mph when a Ford Explorer SUV rear ended him at about 60 mph! Mini may be totaled, unbelievably, SUV driver claims he "didn't see" the bright orange mini or brake lights. Friend is sore but apparently uninjured. Hit was hard enough to break the seat loose & flip him to the rear. My thought, what if that was me on my bike "taking the lane"??? Don

I used to think Utah had the worst drivers in the country. Now I think they're quite nice. (It must be the rural atmosphere where I live. The smell of manure has a calming effect on the nerves. Or something.) The really nice thing is that I get treated better on my bike than in my car. snip...



I have to agree. I find drivers in Utah to be highly inconsiderate of other motorists, but as I cyclist I rarely have a problem. It's not just the rural areas either, SLC is a great place to ride. See my post about one of the few problems I've ever had, it was with fellow cyclist.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=3296246#post3296246

, SUV driver claims he "didn't see" the bright orange mini or brake lights.

Orange must be the new "stealth" colour. Last time I got clipped on my bike, I asked the driver who said "I just didn't see you, man" which of my items made me least visible: The hunter's orange backpack, the blinking tail lights, or the 3M reflective tape all over my bike and helmet?

Okay so I hate to steal the spotlight, but I have to say this.

I'm in Ann Arbor now (and I love it love it love it), but I just moved from Weston, FL - a tiny little preplanned development where there are a bunch of rich people who aren't rich enough to live at southbeach or whatever.

So Dan Marino (yes the football player) lives there and his car is recognizable throughout the city - an orange ferrari. I don't know the model I just know it is big, loud (LOUD), and he lets people sit in it and get their pictures taken on Sundays. I was riding my bike (I was a recreational rider back then, I only rode like once a month or so a few miles... pathetic I know) down this mainly empty street at high noon (killer heat) and here comes Dan Marino in his ferrari, sitting on his horn and flicking me off as he zooms by with less than 2 feet clearance. I had no sidewalk and I wasn't VC enlightened so I thought he was right and I was wrong and I stopped biking for a year till I moved here.

Now I totally want his head on a plate. YES!@

This venting is becoming a daily thing for me. Took this today, I had my camera turned on & handy when this city bus roared past, driver made no attempt to move over into the adjacent empty lane. Also there is a 25mph speed limit & the bus was doing about 40. I saw him coming in my mirror & could tell he was going to pass close by from his lane position. Be careful out there. Don

So Dan Marino (yes the football player) lives there and his car is recognizable throughout the city - an orange ferrari. I don't know the model I just know it is big, loud (LOUD), and he lets people sit in it and get their pictures taken on Sundays. I was riding my bike (I was a recreational rider back then, I only rode like once a month or so a few miles... pathetic I know) down this mainly empty street at high noon (killer heat) and here comes Dan Marino in his ferrari, sitting on his horn and flicking me off as he zooms by with less than 2 feet clearance. I had no sidewalk and I wasn't VC enlightened so I thought he was right and I was wrong and I stopped biking for a year till I moved here.

Uh!! Shame on Dan Merino! What does VC enlightened mean? (I must not be, either. :-))

you got buzzed by Dan Marino. Guess he was having a Ferrari day where nobody should get in his way.

What makes people think that they have more of a right to go from point A to point B than I do just because they are in a car ?

It's the car and its general sense of invulnerability. It's a curious phenomenon. My ex was usually an even tempered person till you put her behind the wheel. Then she was always cussing out the other drivers. In general, that sense of entitlement is not specific to bicycles. They feel that way about other drivers too.

This venting is becoming a daily thing for me. Took this today, I had my camera turned on & handy when this city bus roared past, driver made no attempt to move over into the adjacent empty lane. Also there is a 25mph speed limit & the bus was doing about 40. I saw him coming in my mirror & could tell he was going to pass close by from his lane position. Be careful out there. Don
This is the effect of having a right side of outer driving lane stripe (for bike lane or shoulder). Most drivers do not adjust their lateral position in their lane, even when passing a cyclist using the BL or shoulder. This is why it is so critical to use a mirror (as you are well aware) - that way you can monitor rear coming traffic and adjust your lateral position as they pass. This of course assumes you have that space to your right to do so, if not, ride even further left. If you do so more drivers will adjust lateral position and you have more space to do so yourself as well.

Al