Advocacy & Safety - Stupid Cyclist

On my ride to work this morning, a cyclist coming off the end of the bike path onto the car park road without slowing or stopping, a car sort of pushed him to the side of the road. He banged on the side of the car, the car stopped causing the cyclist to brake hard and he crushes because he couldn't unclipped in time.

I rode up to him and asked whether he was ok, he ignored me, went up to the driver, he then started swearing and tried to slap the driver. The driver defended himself and they tried to slap at each other. I yelled at them to "Stop It " like yelling my primary school kids and rode away in disgust!

The cyclist was clearly in the wrong as he has to give way to the right and coming at a T section he should have stopped or at least slowed down.

Unfortunately there are dickheads in all facets of life. In this case, if the cyclist had wiped himself out, we could have all seen a good example of Darwinism at work.

It doesn't matter where you go, there are those who believe they are always in the right.

Unfortunately it is these individuals that give cyclists (or whatever their group) a bad rap.

Ah the idiot cyclist. I encountered one on Tuesday moring on may way to work.

I stopped at a stop sign, prepared to take a left onto a busty highway (I was on my bike by the way).

An older lady walks by in front of me on the crosswalk, I smile and say "Good Morning" and she response in kind.

Of course I wait for her to cross. Just as she passes me a cyclist on my left shoots past me, and turns left onto the busy road. He did look left and right though. As this twit passes I say Jesus Christ! under my breath, the lady looks around at the guy turns back to me, and frowns, then smiles and says "Those are the ones that give cyclists a bad name".


"Oh yeah" I say.

Idiot.

Digger

Their numbers seem to be increasing.

Saw a guy on a cruiser bike (no helmet, natch) riding on the sidewalk on a really busy boulevard. He was going my direction but on the wrong side of the road. Red light and he crosses over to where I am on the right side of the right lane. I said something like "Hey, be careful. Cars aren't looking for you on the sidewalk." I get a "whatever" response.

He immediately turns and goes through the redlight, apparently thinking the crosswalk will protect him. A car coming from the right slams on its brakes and narrowly misses plowing him under. And the cruiser bike just goes merrily on his way.

When I caught up to him, I asked him if he had his organ donor card filled out. That seemed to go over his head too.

Originally posted by bbarend
Their numbers seem to be increasing.

Why?

Because they are fueled by a sense of self righteousness. It's the IDIOTIC CM mindset that makes some of these people, loosely labeled as cyclist, act like they own the world.

It's a share the road world. As cyclist, we should reel these people in before they become the Icon that relegates us to sidewalks and back roads.

Ask me how I really feel!!!

Part of the problem is fostered by our schools and social institutions. Too many people are afraid of causing "poor self esteem" or "disrespect" (especially to the young), and the result is an entire generation of self-righteous morons. That's what you get when everybody is afraid of calling a person an idiot, even when they richly deserve the moniker.
Next time you see somebody do some bonehead stunt like that, catch up to them, and tell them that they are being a $#!* headed @$$#+\^! Somebody has to!

I think it highlights the problems I have with many comments in the style "Us vs them". There is a large number of cyclists in Montréal, so I have the chance of seeing a few good ones... and a few wrotten apples too.

My reflection is that it's not different whether I cycle or I drive: it's "me vs them". IOW: defensive driving and defensive cycling are similar.

Regards,

Originally posted by William Karsten
Why?

Because they are fueled by a sense of self righteousness. It's the IDIOTIC CM mindset that makes some of these people, loosely labeled as cyclist, act like they own the world.

It's a share the road world. As cyclist, we should reel these people in before they become the Icon that relegates us to sidewalks and back roads.

Ask me how I really feel!!!

O get off it about CM. There isn't even a sizable CM ride in Southern CA.
The idiot cyclists I see everyday have never even heard of CM.

Ask me how I really feel!!!

Originally posted by scarry
O get off it about CM. There isn't even a sizable CM ride in Southern CA.
The idiot cyclists I see everyday have never even heard of CM.

Ask me how I really feel!!!
What you don't know is that I grew up and often live in San Francisco.. And I will tell you that many cyclist in SD go to SF to "play in the CM thing".. And get an attitude from it. I see it from time to time.

CM is about the worst thing to happen to cycling as far as reputation goes. The idea and the purpose is great, but I think the end result doesn't accomplish anything except make car drivers end up with a reason to run us off the road.

So, I'm not about to get off it. CM is basically an excuse for weanies to behave badly.

CM is about the worst thing to happen to cycling as far as reputation goes. The idea and the purpose is great, but I think the end result doesn't accomplish anything except make car drivers end up with a reason to run us off the road.

Well you are wrong. It's your opinion. And it's pretty much irrelevant to the thousands of cyclist who love Critical Mass.
And just think, it's only 2 weeks till the next CM. Yea.

Cycling advocacy in SF has grown tremendously since the start of CM in 92.
http://www.sfbike.org
The SFBC membership climbed from the hundreds to over 5,000.
Bike lanes are being painted every month.

They even have a link to CM on their web page.
http://www.sfbike.org/links/local_allies/

I ride in SF and all over Northern CA and you are just wrong about the drivers. In fact you sound just like one of those right wing talk show host bike bashers.

The idiot cyclists that bug me the most are the wrong way cyclist.

They are riding head on into me.

Sometimes I stop and give them a hint.

While no raving CM fan, I'm pretty sure the average idiot cyclist has no idea what CM is. I'm not even sure the average smart cyclist knows what CM is. Especially if you live outside a major metropolitian area.

Idiot cycling is (near as I can figure) largely built around a sensible fear of the automobile combinined with insensible reaction to said fear. To wit:

*Riding on the wrong side of the street. Cyclist rationale: "that way I can see the car before it hits me. I'm safer because I can see the oncoming traffic and react to it."

*Riding on the sidewalk. Cyclist rationale: "Pedestrians will hurt less than a car if I collide with them, plus cars don't (usually) drive on the sidewalk."

While this doesn't explain the idiocy of running red lights and other cyclists malfeasances, the above two styles of riding seem to be the main offenders to me. The first rationale is simply false (no way are you safer riding into traffic); both are illegal. If you want to maintain your safety on a bike, it's best to ride it in a legal manner.

Well said Pogue. One of the things I've often wondered is why so many so called "bicycle safety officers" seem to advocate the said behaviour. What they don't realise is that if you're riding on the footpath/sidewalk and you have a crash (something that is probably more likely there than on the road - despite what the cars might be doing), you're just as likely to land on the road anyway. Now try to think about which is going to be harder for a driver to avoid - a cyclist riding predictably on the road, or a cyclist suddenly falling onto the road from the footpath at the last minute. I know which of the two I'd vote for.

As far as the contra-flow cycling rationale goes, what they're forgetting is that riding against the flow of traffic allows considerably less time to react, and that because of the forces of momentum, any collision that does occur is going to hurt a heck of a lot more. Again, I know what I'll be doing. I think the trouble is that too many cyclists take misguided advice from people who don't ride and have their own agendas.

The biggest idiots are the ones I see on the bike path, who are looking behind them, or off in the distance, or anywhere else but where they're going, as they wobble into the opposite lane and endanger your life. If you want to look at the scenery, fine, then stop and get off your bike, you moron. A lot of people are not experience bike handlers and I am horrified at how few of them actually look around them or look where they're going.

Another couple of idiots I saw a recently. A 20something slacker couple, on their crummy beatup bikes, with a baby trailer. The father looked like Jughead, the mother was chubby and pasty. The baby trailer was on the father's bike. First they come around the corner, the wrong way onto a busy street, and then cross the street IN THE MIDDLE, right into the traffic and without even looking. I guess they just assume everyone will notice them and the world revolves around them, of course. What responsible parenting! Don't get me started on teenage slacker parents. They have kids because, "Gee, I'm late with my period." Duhhhh.

Ah the idiot cyclist. I encountered one on Tuesday moring on may way to work.

I stopped at a stop sign, prepared to take a left onto a busty highway (I was on my bike by the way).

An older lady walks by in front of me on the crosswalk, I smile and say "Good Morning" and she response in kind.


I wanna find me a "busty highway" over here!!!

I guess I'm an idiot cyclist ... last week on the commute I was late for the train and I was going to run a red after watching all the cars go by. As I got on the pedals to get ready to go, I did it too soon, and there was a last car to go but he slammed on his brakes and stopped short of the stop line as he watched me slowly pedal around and behind him.

"Sorry!!" :(

I know, I learned, and I will never do that again!

What I hate is cyclists riding really fast on the wrong side of the street ... I dont' care if they ride on the sidewalk, but if they ride on the road, it's almost painful coz you KNOW you might hit them if they are hidden by a large parked car!

As far as the contra-flow cycling rationale goes, what they're forgetting is that riding against the flow of traffic allows considerably less time to react, and that because of the forces of momentum, any collision that does occur is going to hurt a heck of a lot more. Again, I know what I'll be doing. I think the trouble is that too many cyclists take misguided advice from people who don't ride and have their own agendas.

Another drawback to contra-flow cycling (aside from legality) is that you will encounter many more cars in your trip, hence more chances for collisions. And drivers exiting driveways don't look in that direction.

Well you are wrong. It's your opinion. And it's pretty much irrelevant to the thousands of cyclist who love Critical Mass.
And just think, it's only 2 weeks till the next CM. Yea.

Well, the Critical Mass yahoos in Buffalo sure made a scene last year when several "cyclists" (I use the term lightly here..) started pelting police officers with rocks, bottles, etc. The officers called in the riot squad, and busted about 2 dozen hooligans. Good show-now people are going to repsect cyclists? Yeah, sure.
If, perchance, I should be riding somwhere and a CM ride just happens to be nearby, I'll turn around and get as far from it as possible.

Originally posted by Colonel
I wanna find me a "busty highway" over here!!!

Aaawwww man, don't be makin fun of my fat fingers.....

started pelting police officers with rocks, bottles, etc.

Fabrications by the police. Everytime the violence is provoked by heavy handed police action. If you only want to believe the car/oil dominated "media" lies then there is no hope for you.

Reflections on a "Riot"
By Heron E. Simmonds
Part Time Philosophy Professor at Canisius College

At the ends of every month cyclists join together in a growing civic ritual. Critical Mass is a good idea brought into reality by the independent wills of positive people. The last Critical Mass was ruined by officers who displayed horrendous bad judgment. It is a reminder that the rule of law can be ruined by the poor judgment of the self-righteous. I wish to share some thoughts that still ring in my head about the different elements of this alleged "riot". First, not only did the police display very poor judgment, it also seems futile for the average citizen to even attempt communication with them. Next, Critical Mass will continue to be misunderstood by many who refuse to put themselves in the place of cyclists and by dysfunctional attitudes about traffic. Last, a civil solution is possible but is made unlikely by a general civic malaise wherein the law has become a mere instrument of social power.

The Police
There were three distinct stages in the interaction between the police and last month's Critical Mass ride. At every stage the police performed poorly and they got worse as there were more of them present.

When there were two officers there seemed to be some attempt to communicate. I say 'seemed' because the action of the officers did not harmonize with their instruction. They told the cyclists at the front of the group to ride to the right, but then they gave two people at the very end of the group tickets. They gave tickets to those least likely to have heard their instruction. Also, the ticket was not for blocking traffic, as they warned about, it was for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. This is pretty absurd considering that the emergency vehicle was the squad car delivering the ticket.

It seemed to me that if the first two officers really wanted the group of riders to leave a way for cars, then they would have followed the group for a while. The presence of the squad car would reinforce the message of leaving a way for motorists. This was not what happened. The officers instead stopped at the rear of the group to write nuisance tickets to two trailers. The group, Critical Mass, was left to ride on.

The officers were surprised that the mass of cyclists rode back and waited. When the riders started up a collection to meet the two intimidating $75 tickets, another person was ticketed for jaywalking. He was given this ticket while attempting to add to the collection.

So far, the police are having an ill effect on traffic flow. Whereas Critical Mass slows down traffic, the police stop it. Also these two police are guilty of giving out nuisance tickets. This sort of policing is unfair and wasteful. The Buffalo police do this too much. A particularly disturbing instance of this manifested in January when police deliberately blocked traffic on multiple streets giving out nuisance tickets to pressure the city into giving them a raise.

When there were six officers communication got worse. I don't know why extra officers were called, or if the four new officers were in some way briefed by the original two. What I do know is that police officer J. Santiago addressed those of us who were on the eastern side of the street and said we had to go. He gave no reason and our obvious question was why? We were no longer on the street or riding. We were not loud or offensive. We were simply waiting for the ticketing to be finished so we could all leave. Santiago did not point out any infraction he just said we had to leave.

When he addressed me directly I told him I was watching my friend's bike. For some strange reason jaywalking Gerald was in the back of the first squad car. His bicycle was leaned against the rear of this car. Santiago's response was to say, "Okay, you stay, everyone else leave."

The senseless command did not have the desired effect so he now said we were blocking traffic. I don't know if anyone started to leave, but soon he was telling me to leave again. The last thing he said to me before I was arrested was that I was blocking side walk traffic. I pointed to my feet and said, "I'm not even on the side walk." This was, evidently, the last straw. Santiago suddenly declares that I was under arrest.

I was not the only person shocked by this turn of events. I could hear the people behind me groan in unison and complain, "For what!?" I was not told why I was arrested. When I was booked my appearance ticket recorded that I was charged with (1) felony riot, (2) disorderly conduct, (3) unlawful assembly, and (4) resisting arrest. When I later read my booking report the second charge, disorderly conduct, was broken down into 6 offenses. I was charged with (1) fighting/violent behavior, (2) unreasonable noise, (3) obscene language/gestures, (4) obstructing traffic, (5) refusing to move on, and (6) creating dangerous act. These charges are fabrications. The officers simply looked in a book and picked a bunch of charges hoping that some might stick. In reality, I did not see any of the waiting cyclists lost their composure and I was guilty of no greater disorder than having a ripped shirt.

Michael Niman continued to snap pictures as I am handcuffed and walked to another squad car. These pictures prove to be rather important because they contradict the bogus riot, fighting, obstruction, and resisting arrest charges. Backing up Santiago's fiction, police officers Joseph Ahmed and Robert Johnson claim "the defendant did fight and struggle with officers and did refuse to allow officers to handcuff him. The defendant did have to be forcibly subdued and handcuffed." This story implies that it required two officers to physically restrain me. In fact, pictures show him handcuffing me with only one hand, as he held a flashlight in his other hand. As I am being put into the squad car Dr. Niman is attacked from behind by officer Johnson. Johnson claims that Niman attacked him from behind, but again photographs show that this is quite impossible. Pictures from different cameras show Johnson closing in on Niman from behind and savagely choking Niman.

Thus far the additional officers have not improved the situation in any sense. Once again the police stopped traffic. They did this while having a car to car conversation. Once out of their squad car these new officers gave baseless orders to our group and falsely arrested me. But now the officers go beyond just nuisance tickets and false arrest; these behaviors might be defensible. What is utterly indefensible is officer Johnson's attack on a journalist in the act of documenting a false arrest. Now the behavior of the police goes from poor to criminal. The fact that the officers Santiago, Johnson, and Ahmed blatantly lied in their police reports shows that they knew they were acting wrongly and lamely attempted to clean up their crimes.

When there were seven to 28 officers on the scene things got surreal. Lesley Lannan came across the street to plead with the officers to stop beating Dr. Niman. She also implored the crowd of cyclists to leave. For this "crime" she was arrested! Senselessly she was charged with rioting. Other people begged the officers to stop also. Most of these people were arrested.

When the white shirt and gold-badge lieutenants arrived one might think that cool heads would prevail. No such luck. They lead the charge, shoving some people to the ground, grabbing others to arrest, and mysteriously leaving some people totally alone. Strangely, I saw one cop start chasing a cyclist; strange because they were telling people to leave. Jaywalking Gerald, who is still trapped in a squad car, for no good reason, is taken on this bizarre chase. In the end, Gerald is driven to his car, released with his $75 jaywalking ticket, and without his bicycle.

Right at this point the word 'riot' almost became applicable, but alas, before the police could really get destructive, the small crowd of peaceful bike riders sufficiently dispersed. It was not that all the cyclists had left. Some people remained doing exactly what I was doing: looking after fellow rider's bikes. The last photographs show cyclists and police officers picking up bikes and leaving. It seems the only reason why the 'riot' stopped is that the many assembled police officers finally get a hold of themselves.

Not only did the officers over react. They seemed trapped in a kind of berserker fit. They were out of control and seemed to have difficulty stopping themselves. The fact that higher ranking officers were just as bad as Santiago and Johnson was depressing. Moreover, the aggressive posture and attempts to intimidate through tickets and arrests was transparent. One of the main reasons that no one wanted to leave was that they would be deserting innocent people to corrupt cops.

After the violence was initiated by the officers, it was the most compassionate people who got arrested. In the end, not only did the police use the law as an instrument of intimidation, they attacked innocent citizens, and especially attacked people who acted on the best of intentions. The whole thing made me see the gang reality of the police. It brought to mind KRS-ONE's lyric about rogue police officers, "You were sent here to protect us, but who protects us from you?"

The People
Usually, a riot is perpetrated by enraged oppressed people. Usually, there is destruction of property and a threat to general order. In this case, the word 'riot' was thought up because it legitimized the unjustifiable behavior of the police. The charge of riot did not exist until the officers thought of it in the booking room about an hour after they started arresting people. What inspired all of this over reacting and over statement? I think it has something to do with a misperception of what critical mass is and with the growing coarseness of our culture.

Whenever the people come together for a common activity without a governing authority they remain the people. Critical Mass is nothing more than some of the people joined for a particular activity, riding bicycles. As individuals the people have the right to ride bicycles on the road and as a group of individuals they retain that right. The false perception that Critical Mass is a protest against cars is just that, a false perception. Critical Mass is not a protest at all; it is a celebration of riding bicycles.

Some people will not accept this. White rapper Paul Barman articulates the dominant negative stereotype: "Critical Mass; that's just half-assed agitprop to piss off traffic cops." While this assessment may be true of some individuals it doesn't hold true for all or even most of the cyclists who participate in Critical Mass. For such cynical people, who assume we intend to antagonize motorists, the only way we can answer them is by becoming some sort of cycling saints. This whole way of thinking is juvenile. Either there is an assumption that riders must be bent on disturbing the peace, or they have to conduct themselves at the most exemplary level. Since they see us as devils we have to act like angels or they will treat us as criminals.

This brand of dysfunction reminds me of the slightly older dysfunction dubbed "road rage". It’s hard to believe that one person might murder another person over a traffic infraction, but it happens. In 1994, a 54 year old bookkeeper shot a 42 year old man dead with a crossbow. In 1996, a 57 year old man killed a college student, for not turning off his anti-theft alarm. In 1995, a 52 year old bumped his SUV into the jeep of a 6 months pregnant woman. When the woman approached the older man he yelled at her and punched her in the eye. He broke her sunglasses and gave her a black eye that lasted ten days.

The annoyance that motorist harbor for Critical Mass cyclists has more to do with a fascism over the road than a particular problem with bicycles. I think the celebration of bicycles that is Critical Mass gets lost on too many motorists who only see that they are being delayed in their Friday night commute. The main reason for this (and I am sure there are many more) seems to be a simple lack of imagination. Most motorists can not imagine themselves riding bikes as a method of transportation. For most car owners a bike is an instrument of leisure or exercise. On this view, bikes belong on neighborhood streets or park trails, but not on the main thoroughfares. Whenever this instrument of fun interferes with the pace of their travel the assumption is that the cyclist is getting in their way, as if the cyclist has no right to the road.

Well, what is to be done? Critical Mass remains an activity not an organization. There is no leader, no hierarchy, and no followers. The only way to reform Critical Mass is to reform the people. This involves cyclists and motorists. If the cyclists and motorists are educated on the law and duly reminded to avoid the extremes of human passion they may be able to peacefully coexist.

The Law
¤ 1234 - Riding on roadways, shoulders, bicycle lanes and bicycle paths
Rider must drive on right side of roadway. There are some conditions and exceptions - see N.Y.C. Traffic Rules and Regulations Section 4-12;
Bicyclists may not ride more than two abreast.

The problem with the law is that it does not point to a clear solution of the problem we face. If bicyclists ride two abreast in Buffalo, then cars will not be able to pass safely on most of our city streets. This is because most streets only accommodate one lane of traffic both ways. The other lane is usually a parking lane. When cars are parked on such roads the cyclist has only the small space between car and driving lane. Riding two abreast will mean riding in the driving lane. Thus for a car to pass they would have to break the double yellow line, which is hazardous. The only streets where cyclists could ride safely two abreast with cars are those with two driving lanes; streets like Delaware Avenue and Main Street.

There is a simple solution to all of this. All involved should be more considerate and relax. Critical Mass is only once a month. It does not block traffic, it slows traffic down. The cyclists can be more sensitive to the extent to which they inconvenience motorists and motorists can try to not have a horse because they are being delayed on the street. We don't "lose it" when a funeral procession slows us down. Those happen much more frequently and affect much more traffic.

No solution will work where respect for the law remains as low as it evidently is in our culture. We should have been outraged when the police held the city hostage in January for raises through organized abuses of the law. It is one thing for officers to not show up for work, it is another thing all together for officers to use their position to manipulate a political process. What if the military interfered with free trade because the pentagon budget was cut? Just as nuisance stops and tickets are wrong in general, the particular treatment of Critical Mass last month was wrong and very disturbing.

As the next Critical Mass ride approaches nine innocent citizens walk around with felony charges floating over our heads. The district attorney has formally brought charges but we still expect these charges to be dropped. If charges are not dropped then the expenses of bad policing in our budget strapped city would appear to be the story. Dr. Niman wrote in a previous Art Voice that the story of the event was the nonviolence of the cyclists. These are both interesting points, but I think the story is and will continue to be that the police do not respect the law. Too many of them use the law as a tool of intimidation--an instrument of power.

Another police fabrication, the police/city lost this one.



Superior Court Judge Rules Against SF in Critical Mass Roundup;
Bicyclist Wins Judgment in False Arrest

In a rebuke to San Francisco Police mass arrest tactics, a Superior Court Judge has ruled in favor of bicyclists who were rounded up at the July 1997 Critical Mass ride.

In the only case to come to trial from that mass arrest, bicyclist Howard Besser charged that police had illegally declared an unlawful assembly and had arbitrarily arrested 100 bicyclists, and that under orders of Mayor Willie Brown they had tried to permanently confiscate all the arrestees' bicycles.

Despite a strong attempt by the City Attorney's Office to win the case (including an Appeal of Besser's December 1998 Small Claims Court victory, and a full-day Superior Court Trial involving 9 witnesses), this past Thursday San Francisco Superior Court Judge Thomas Mellon awarded Besser $1,000 plus court costs. (This is a judge who, 18 months later made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle [11/25/00] when the Public Defenders Office demanded that he be removed from all criminal cases because he was habitually pro-prosecution.) The judge noted that, despite the difficult situation facing police that night, they had no right to arbitrarily arrest a group of bicycle riders solely because they were on a Critical Mass ride. Before such a mass arrest takes place, arrestees must be breaking the law and be audibly warned to leave or be arrested.

"It's about time the courts rebuked Willie Brown for his gestapo-like tactics," declared Besser, a faculty member at both UCLA and UC Berkeley. "The police can't arbitrarily round up people and arrest them just because they oppose some of the Mayor's policies. They can't handcuff and lock people up in order to stifle dissent, knowing full well that the Courts or the D.A. will drop the charges later. And as the D.A. told the Mayor right after this happened, you can't permanently confiscate peoples' bikes just because the Mayor doesn't like Critical Mass."

Besser pointed out that the monthly Critical Mass rides had caused little controversy for many years until the summer of 1997. "Suddenly the Mayor decided that Critical Mass caused traffic jams, and in his typical bombastic and imperious way he tried to outlaw the ride and even developed plans to arrest all 5,000 people involved. He ignored the fact that cars are the real cause of traffic jams, and that his own escorted vehicle and escorts for his visiting dignitaries cause many more traffic jams than Critical Mass ever has. And that a single stalled car on the Bay Bridge will block traffic for hours, whereas the Critical Mass inconvenience to motorists can be measured in minutes."

"The Mayor made a big deal about the July 1997 ride, then he went on to dabble in other things. Though the Mayor professed that Critical Mass had suddenly become intolerable, the monthly rides have been pretty much the same for a decade. The controversy was that Brown suddenly decided to make them controversial. It's interesting that the monthly rides have barely made the papers since summer of 1997, yet the rides themselves are almost exactly the same. The only thing that's changed is where Brown focuses his attention."

"The DA handling the recent pie-throwing case stated the City's support for peaceful forms of protest. If the City Attorney believed that as well, she'd apologize to the 100 people illegally arrested in that Critical Mass ride and order the police department to quit using mass sweeps of innocent protesters to stifle dissent that the Mayor doesn't like."

Despite the Court victory, Besser was upset that he was embroiled in the process for 20 months. "It's amazing how time consuming the legal proceedings in this case have been. I spent more than 350 hours and hundreds of dollars fighting this. None of the other arrestees were able to spend the time it took to fight this. In December the Small Claims Court awarded me $500, and the City even appealed that award, costing them much more than $500 and costing me another 100 hours of effort. This whole process has been a waste of San Francisco taxpayers' money, all in an attempt to keep an Imperious Mayor from looking bad. But the courts have slapped his hands for violation of basic rights of free speech and assembly, and his liberal facade is crumbling. People are finally beginning to see that the Emperor has no clothes. And, with apologies to the Biotic Baking Brigade, I think that the courts have shown that he has egg on his face."

Hmmm, now I can't figure out who the idiots are.

Point one: the suffix -ist implies that a person is proficient at whatever it is that they are doing. Ergo an idiot riding a bicycle who flauts the rules of the road is NOT a bicyclist.

Point two: I just LOVE {dripping with heavy sarcasm here** people who try to tell me how I'm supposed to do something, when I KNOW they do not do that thing at all. i.e.: the ones who haven't been on a bicycle since they were in grade school who try to tell me to ride against traffic; or those who don't keep Shabbat (the 7th Day Sabbath) who say it's okay for me to do such-and-such because "you aren't working".

Point three: The problems with the idiots on bicycles is not just one thing, it's a culmination of several things. 1) Today's society treats a bicycle as a child's play thing, rather than as a vehicle. 2) Driver's education does not include the operation of a bicycle, nor how to operate motor vehicles AROUND bicycles. Yes, there usually are rules of the road for bicycles written into states' Revised Codes, but they are not as widely published nor as widely known as the motor vehicle codes. And since the general attitude of the general public is that a bicycle is a child's play thing and not a vehicle it causes several misconceptions: The idiot on the bike thinks he does not have to follow the rules of the road; the idiot in the motor vehicle thinks the idiot on the bike doesn't have to follow the rules of the road (until an idiot on a bike pulls out right in front of them or something like that); and police officers don't think they have to enforce the rules of the road on the idiots on the bikes (but they do seem to think that it's okay to tell the bicyclists to FLAUT the rules of the road, go figure).

The ONLY way to fix this situation is with a LOT of time, money and EDUCATION (education of not ONLY the idiots on the bicycles, but also the idiots in the motor vehicles and the idiots with the badges, too). The problem is that society (especially in the U.S.A.) is not going to want to spend the time to educate everyone and ESPECIALLY spend all that money. They'd rather complain that the President of the U.S. spends to much time protecting oil interests while burning gasoline which comes from OIL.

My two cents' worth! ~~Bren

This discussion reminds me of an old saying:

"If you can't dazzle people with your brilliance, then baffle them with your BS."

If this thread continues much longer, we'll need a wheel loader!

:crash:

I have one more post, and I'll leave this one alone. But I have GOT to tell you what I saw this weekend.

Saturday morning, August 23, I was out for a 50k ride. In the distance I see a... guy-on-a-bike (I won't call him a cyclist) riding in the same direction as me, BUT, of course on the wrong side of the road. Typical, I think.

Soon, I see a car ahead of me, heading in the opposite direction, this guy-on-a-bike crosses to the other side of the road (the correct side), waits until the car passes, then crosses back. I shake my head, rub my eyes, and think to myself.....this can't be. So I hang back behind this guy about half a km, just to see if he does it again.

Some cars pass me heading in the same direction, this guy-on-a-bike stays on the wrong side of the road. Soon, another car appears ahead of me, this guy-on-a-bike crosses to the other side (the correct side), waits for the car to pass, then crosses back.

Sure enough every time a car appeared ahead of us, he would cross over, wait for the car to pass, then cross back. I guess he was being especially 'safe' and avoiding a hit from behind by riding on the opposite side, and also avoiding a head-on collision from cars in front by crossing to the other side.

I am not sure what would happen if 2 opposing cars passed him at the same moment. I did not stick around.

No, I didn't say anything, I don't talk to dead people.

Digger

Originally posted by digger
I am not sure what would happen if 2 opposing cars passed him at the same moment. I did not stick around.

No, I didn't say anything, I don't talk to dead people.

Digger

He would of got an earfull from me, that's for certain.

Oh, give me a break you all!

Maybe some of you stop at every stop sign but I've never seen you. In all my life, I can only remember two person stopping, a mother and her young son. Everyone else threats stop as yield and red light as a stop at best. My observation is that, in general, the smaller the vehicule, the less people are likely to follow the law, from pedestrians, to cyclist, to car drivers to truckers and even plane pilots.

I'm so sick and tired of those "stupid people" comments. Most people aren't inherently stupid, they have bad moments sometimes and that's when accidents happen. My hat's off to Chi who admitted making a mistake.

And I'm with BrenHebert on the education bit. This is actually something I think my tax dollars SHOULD be spent on...

I'm a long, long time road cyclist, but I have to say CM are annoying morons. Whenever CM shows up, the National Guard should come out and turn fire hoses on them. The other group that's detrimental to cycling in general are these wa*k*rs who dress up in pro team jerseys and ride around in groups like they're in the Tour de France. These arrogant, f'ing poseurs are a menace and should be sentenced to ride Huffys while wearing knee-high socks and white t-shirts.

Not the coolest thing, digging up a 4.5 year old thread.
Even better, you start off your first post in BFs by dumping on other cyclist because they do not fit your mold.
You sort of sound more like a JAM than a cyclist.

I'm a long, long time road cyclist, but I have to say CM are annoying morons. Whenever CM shows up, the National Guard should come out and turn fire hoses on them. The other group that's detrimental to cycling in general are these wa*k*rs who dress up in pro team jerseys and ride around in groups like they're in the Tour de France. These arrogant, f'ing poseurs are a menace and should be sentenced to ride Huffys while wearing knee-high socks and white t-shirts.

Wow, who needs cagers when we have 'cyclists' witht this attitude :rolleyes:

...back to the education side of things, I helped teach bike ed at a local school for a few years. This involved teaching the road laws, safe riding techniques and taking small groups of children for rides on busy roads. Apart from the occassional stupid car driver doing some braindead act and only a few kids making some dumb mistakes it all went well....with adult supervision. However much to my frustration, later in the day when the kids were riding home from school, everything they were taught went out the window, how some of them made it home alive is a miracle.
It seems those of us who are long time responsible cyclists will continue to ride responsibly, the rest will do as they please and no amount of pleading, threatenings and warnings will make any difference whatsoever.
The answer???....Do the right thing yourself and let the rest suffer the consequences of their actions.

I'm a long, long time road cyclist...

And a poster boy too for the stereotyped attitude!

I think the problem is with road infrastructure. Maybe a portion of the riders do what they do because they dont know any better, but I would wager most of it is an ad hoc solution to roads which are not designed for cyclists. Its easier and faster to blow through a stop sign, cars often yield to cyclists anyway. Its easier to ride on the wrong side of the road than make your way across 3 lanes of traffic into an unprotected left. I think most "bad cyclists" are merely reacting to a deficiency of roads to provide a convenient riding environment for cyclists. Around here, there are no protected lefts, cars travel at 60mph+, lights do not recognize cyclists, there are often 3-4 lanes on arterial roads one must cross. All of those things make it hard for cyclists. If indeed people tend to take the easiest path from Point A to Point B that more often than not probably involves blowing through stop signs, and riding on sidewalks. Chances are on any given ride they wil be safe, its only when that becomes a pattern of behavior that they will see consequences.
I always advocate best practices while cycling, but I honestly do understand why people choose to cycle poorly. They don't really choose at all, its what make sense unless you understand the consequences of that kind of behavior. Better roads for cyclists would do a lot to solve the problem.

Part of the problem is fostered by our schools and social institutions. Too many people are afraid of causing "poor self esteem" or "disrespect" (especially to the young), and the result is an entire generation of self-righteous morons. That's what you get when everybody is afraid of calling a person an idiot, even when they richly deserve the moniker.
Next time you see somebody do some bonehead stunt like that, catch up to them, and tell them that they are being a $#!* headed @$$#+\^! Somebody has to!


It sucks when the first time you hear "No" its from a judge I always say.

Quick roll up your pants....it's too late to save your shoes. This thread was over by post #4

Not the coolest thing, digging up a 4.5 year old thread.
Even better, you start off your first post in BFs by dumping on other cyclist because they do not fit your mold.
You sort of sound more like a JAM than a cyclist.

Yeah, but I agree with him.

Yeah, but I agree with him.

Are you also "a long, long time road cyclist?" :rolleyes: Are you in the same cycling club with Poster Boy?

I live in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada where it is illegal to ride a
bicycle with a wheel diameter greater than 400mm (16") on a sidewalk,
but it doesn't seem to stop anyone and this bylaw it isn't enforced. When
I'm on a sidewalk, I'm a pedestrian, and having a Mountain Bike pass me
on a 4' wide sidewalk is not a safe experience at all.
When I'm on the sidewalk, I'm usually walking my dog (70kg), and again,
having someone pass me at speed on a 4' wide sidewalk when I'm trying
haul my dog up onto someone's lawn to avoid an unpleasant situation is not
fair to those of us that obey the laws.
I'm not knocking Bicyclists, but the sidewalks are for pedestrians here &
for those bicycles with a wheel diameter of 400mm (16") or less (=Children).
Bicycles here are considered "vehicles" and must follow the same rules of
the road as other vehicles but very few bicyclers seem to do so. I personally
believe there is a great need for some educational enforcement on this issue.
I wouldn't dream of driving my CB750K on the sidewalks, or to a corner
and through a red light (even though I'm driving across the street in a cross
walk against that same red light) or in traffic in the winter, as that would be
dangerously dumb on my part. Not everyone on a bicycle or a motorcycle
or a truck is an idiot, but the ones that ignore the law are not helping the rest
of us. I'm not picking on Bicyclers here; just the ones that think the Law is just
for other people.