General Cycling Discussion - Poll: How often are you harassed while on the bike?

How often and to what degree would you say you are harassed per year, month or whatever. I suspect some casual riders who are out under 2,000 miles a year might never get harassed...And also, where you live, city , country, backwater, etc.
What light harassment.= Getting the one finger solute. Severe- something like being hit by a beer keg.
I would say. Casual harassment. twice a month.. Severe once a month...I average 6,000 to 8,000 miles a year in mostly suburban riding.

To my knowledge & recollection, I've never been harrassed while riding here on the streets of SoCal. I doubt that most cyclists get harrassed in any degree.

Okay. I expected to see an actual voting box but that's okay. :)

I also want to differentiate intentional harassment from simply bad encounters such as errant drivers. I get harassed maybe once a month on average. Many times it's simply "ride on the sidewalk" or a quick derogatory term being shouted out of the window. I've gotten some honks at times too. Physical harassment is very rare. I think I've had things thrown at me twice in all my cycling experience and none of them occurred in the area where I live currently. I live in a suburb of Seattle but travel into the city by bike often enough. The Seattle area is in general pretty cycling-friendly when compared to other parts of the country.

Maybe once a year, tops.

I get harrassed about once a month, I'd say. So far, there has been no deliberate physical harrassment, just things to laugh at. For instance, I have now been yelled at, twice, by irate drivers who, I assume, did not understand why I was occupying an entire lane. I can only assume that this was their complaint, since they forgot to roll down the window, and I don't read lips very well.

If I forget myself, and allow old habits to return, I sometimes drift to the right side of my lane, which some drivers take to mean that I want to share the lane. Unfortunately, these drivers also forget that their mirrors are in my way. Necessarily, this makes it easy to knock on their windows and remind them.

Once, but it was in Oceanside, CA, not in Colorado! Ride about 3,500 miles per year.

Yeah..Thinking about it...Severe harassment...Once a month is probably an overstatement... Severe harassment. Realistically, maybe 4 times a year...I would consider someone throwing an empty plastic cub, borders on severe harassment more than casual harassment. But, then I ride a lot...
I do think I am a cautious rider.With the wide bike lanes about Fallbrook, I would say I stray over the white line less than most cyclists..
Don't think and hope it not caused by me.
But, mean comments, gestures...once, twice a month is probably realistic.

Light - almost daily.
Severe - only a handful of times in the 15 years I've cycled.

How often and to what degree would you say you are harassed per year, month or whatever. I suspect some casual riders who are out under 2,000 miles a year might never get harassed...And also, where you live, city , country, backwater, etc.
What light harassment.= Getting the one finger solute. Severe- something like being hit by a beer keg.
I would say. Casual harassment. twice a month.. Severe once a month...I average 6,000 to 8,000 miles a year in mostly suburban riding.

I average about 4500 miles per year and have been harassed twice. I have been scared by morons a lot more often than that, but harassed only twice.

The last time, about four months ago, this idiot was actually chasing me in his car, screaming out the passenger window. I had previoulsy suggested that he do something anatomically impossible after he ran through a yield sign and almost hit me. He was screaming "What did you say?" and a few unpleasantries. I finally hit on an inspiration and said "I said 'Do you want to see my badge?'" That caused him to speed off.

I don't know if this would qualify as harassment, but I had a woman whistle at me and shout "Nice butt!" I need more of this type.

Trekie...Guess she needs attend a sexual harassment class. Guess, I would not make a complaint of it.

In all honesty, it depends entirely on the neighborhood I'm riding in. I average about 100-180 miles a week, and I ride all over Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. Say, I ride over to my old neighborhood, on the west side of town, I can almost guarantee that someone will yell at me at least once. Plus, I usually have to contend with the obligatory cigarette butts and soda cans. Hell, my brother and myself were out for a ride and some ******* in a pickup truck made an unsavory comment about our sexual preferences. I need not note that he was wrong. Of course, my brother and I are of the elitist type, so we promptly displayed our middle fingers and went on our merry way. :)

However, if I ride over to the east side, I am treated with respect and given a wide berth on the road. Why is this? Well, the east side is considerably more affluent and more aware of the rights of bicyclists. I hate to make any claims based on something as irrelevent as neighborhoods, but here in Cincinnati it's true.

Once since I got the new Raleigh, but since I know how crazy it is out there these days I cary a ultralight 357 in my cargo pocket and an emerson knife.

A passing, yelled out comment is not harassment, just heckling, and more often then not, you just heard a bit of a conversation by a "loud" person. (Southern expression there) I've never been harassed by a motorist. I have been harassed by other bike riders, not cyclists. Currently, I'm having two problems with neighbors: one throws things at me, but she is going senile, and one considers skin tight clothing to be indecent. I did have a beer bottle thrown at me, and it broke over my helmeted head, but on the strong part of the helmet and I never felt it.

Think about this: the ones that yell at you have seen you, it's the ones that don't yell that worry me, wondering if they saw me.

Think about this: the ones that yell at you have seen you, it's the ones that don't yell that worry me, wondering if they saw me.

The ones who don't yell have as much chance of seeing you. The only difference is they don't share the same small-minded bigotry as those who do yell.

In answer to the original question, honked or yelled at almost daily. I have close calls with just plain incompetent drivers on a regular basis, but fortunately few of them manage to take it any further than that -- although it does happen from time to time.

Australia has so many team members on European pro teams..Australia is like considered to nuture almost more cycists than any country outside of Europe. All the velodome contests and the enthusism I read about at those velodomes..
Am just surprised Australia has not a great reverance for cyclists..Just from what I read.
An bike acquaintence biked through New Zealand.. She said every little village has a cycle club...Sounded like New Zealand is a cycling heaven..True.? Other than Queensland...? Australians seems to hassle cyclists throughout the whole country?

Other than Queensland...? Australians seems to hassle cyclists throughout the whole country?

As I said in another post, Queensland is just particularly bad compared to the rest of the country. Although I understand the rest of the country is pretty ordinary compared to Europe.

How often and to what degree would you say you are harassed per year, month or whatever. I suspect some casual riders who are out under 2,000 miles a year might never get harassed....

FYI... When you first post a thread you have the option of creating an actual poll, with voting and statistics and bar graphs and all that neato stuff.

At any rate, I commute between 30-60 miles/week year round in the Boulder, CO area. Very bike friendly place, always many, many more positive encounters than negative. Motorists yielding, not crowding, occasionally "too nice" (stopping in the middle of the road). The "worst" (i.e., not that bad) encounters over the years have been car-fulls of teenage dude-lers yelling profanities, an occasional soccer mom insisting via a car horn and frantic arm waving that my bike didn't belong on her road, and a FedEX driver who used to regularly backfire his truck behind bikers to see them jump out of their saddles.

I got pegged by a doughnut on friday night. They got me off the top cornor of my camelbak...I think it was a boston creme. Teenagers, go figure.

How often and to what degree would you say you are harassed per year, month or whatever.

I was yelled at and then flashed by three high school girls the other afternoon. They yelled "Hey, can't you tell we're in HS?" then pulled next to me, leaned out the windows of their car, then pulled their shirts up and flashed. What kind of harassment does that qualify as?

welcome?

welcome?

LOL, I can certainly think of worse things that could happen. "Welcome" is one category.

How often and to what degree would you say you are harassed per year, month or whatever. I suspect some casual riders who are out under 2,000 miles a year might never get harassed...And also, where you live, city , country, backwater, etc.
What light harassment.= Getting the one finger solute. Severe- something like being hit by a beer keg.
I would say. Casual harassment. twice a month.. Severe once a month...I average 6,000 to 8,000 miles a year in mostly suburban riding.

i live in nyc - i get subtle harassment once or twice a month. severe once every 3 to 4 months. however, where i ride and when have a lot to do with it. if i choose to ride in the park, for example, i almost never get any harassment. south bronx - tons.

I had something thrown at me once, and yelled at twice, honked at once. That's in the last 15 years.

I have never been harassed. I suppose I am lucky that I live in a very bike friendly province.

How often and to what degree would you say you are harassed per year, month or whatever. I suspect some casual riders who are out under 2,000 miles a year might never get harassed...And also, where you live, city , country, backwater, etc.
What light harassment.= Getting the one finger solute. Severe- something like being hit by a beer keg.
I would say. Casual harassment. twice a month.. Severe once a month...I average 6,000 to 8,000 miles a year in mostly suburban riding.

I get some for of hate almost every week...but I would only count about every month, since half of those are people who are pissed at me due to their inability to make up their minds...in other words light rail users who dont want to sit in the open seats on their side, and are mad that....*gasp*...I'm trying to mount my bike onto the bike rack where I'm supposed to be! :eek:

Those guys to me don't count in much of anything.....If a person can't just sit down and take a seat, maybe they need to rethink their commuting method, as harsh as it sounds.

I don't know if this would qualify as harassment, but I had a woman whistle at me and shout "Nice butt!" I need more of this type.
I used to get the "nice butt" comment all the time. It usually came out like: "your nice, BUT...." I consider that the cruelest form of harrassment.

Light (verbal) - once a month. Severe (physical) - once in my life.

55/Rad

I have had Light abuse(yelling) twice. And I have had physical once.

I don't know if this would qualify as harassment, but I had a woman whistle at me and shout "Nice butt!" I need more of this type.
who was riding with you? :)

I usually get a monthly dose of "I am in an SUV" down here in the streets of Chicago. Believe it or not, the peds are the worst, especially on Wells in the Loop. I should buy a lance and joust 'em all.

Oh yeah. I forgot the a-hole pedestrians walking in the bike lane. Does that count as abuse? Last week another lady refused to get out of the bike lane, telling me "I have as much right to be here as you do!"

BTW if I'm wrong and peds can walk in the bike lane, please tell me and i'll go and apologize to all the people I have been telling to move.

I live near the Ohio State campus. About once a week (generally on Friday or Saturday nights) I will get some idiots that yell crap at me. Usually just something about me breaking the speed limit or other things like that. I have never been seriously harassed. I will probably ride about 4000 miles this year.

BTW if I'm wrong and peds can walk in the bike lane, please tell me and i'll go and apologize to all the people I have been telling to move.

I think you might have some apologising to do. In most places, the term "bike lane" or "bike path" is a bit of a misnomer. Check your local laws on this issue -- you may well find that the term they use is "shared lane". If not, ask your local authority to do some signage indicating that it is bikes only.

Ahh I see. The bike "lane" im referring to is on the street, right next to the sidewalk.

I can ask my schools police officer tomorrow morning.

Ahh I see. The bike "lane" im referring to is on the street, right next to the sidewalk.

I can ask my schools police officer tomorrow morning.

You could ask them, but if I were you I'd be googling the legislation for your part of the world and looking up the law directly. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that a police officer could be wrong in their interpretation of the law.

Ahh I see. The bike "lane" im referring to is on the street, right next to the sidewalk.

I can ask my schools police officer tomorrow morning.

I think it's as if someone were walking around in the middle of the road. They're not supposed to be there but you are required to yield to them regardless.

Well I looked it up and it said something about passing pedestrians so im assuming that peds are allowed in the bike lane. Well, I guess I have some apologising to do this saturday.