Living Car Free - A commuter's rant....how do you relate?

The past week i've been slowly massaging an old found Nishiki Century back to life(will have pix of it up here soon), as i've been awaiting a new wheel for my Trek commuter....I've been pretty much car-free the past few months, and i'm adjusting to this lifestyle more and more (for better and, lately, also worse :notamused: )

The past week i've ridden to work 4 out of 5 days (25-30 miles round trip, depending on route alternation) For some reason this week alone, i've had:
A car full of teenagers toss a cup of soda w/ ice at me(which i returned the sentiment with a dual-handed, single-finger salute)....the next day, someone in a raggedy old Nissan Pathfinder tossed coins out the window(as if he were implying i was on a bike because i was poor or something) and this morning at 3am after a long night at work, i'm within a mile from my house, and an oncoming idiot in a big diesel truck is speeding around a curve, and i know he sees me, and continues to drift into my lane forcing me off the road, and on the ground:crash:....As I'm standing up, and shaking off the dirt bath, I shout some choice words towards the vehicle, but it keeps trucking....Damn, I was fired up!! The guy was probably drunk, but i thought to myself "How could I let this A-hole know that he almost killed me?"...seriously, if i had a gun, i would have emptied the entire magazine on that truck....Eerrrrgggh :mad:

Three times this week i was subjected to people in their protected shells on wheels harboring a total lack of respect for fellow humans...
To anyone reading this, do you ever feel like your love of the bicycle is making you a target for lowlifes in cars? Do you ever feel humiliated riding a bike sometimes?

get a camera and record the incidents then give them to the police

I feel your pain I always get the punk kids throwing the cup of unknown liquid I have this problem so much that I now carry an old sock full of broken padlocks looped through my belt to combat against that problem as soon as the cup leaves the vehicle their back window is gone.But if you wanna take a less aggressive path the camera might be a good idea....or a small notepad or voice recorder to jot down a plate number

Good luck and ride safe

Yeah, unfortunately, it takes place more than I would like it to. I am all about cycling advocacy, but sometimes I just have to know when riding on the sidewalk or riding in the gravel is a smarter choice at that moment. I've been buzzed, cussed at, told I should be on the sidewalk (which is just an uneducated statement that pains me whenever I hear it), and even hit by careless drivers.

But I just love the bike and I've come to learn that its all part of the game. As cyclists I think we just take on an inherent risk. Its unfortunate, but true.

Its funny how those kind of incidents cluster. One night I had a car passenger reach out of the car and grab my elbow to try and pull me down, and the next night in the exact same place, the passenger of a truck shot me with a pellet gun. Nothing serious since.

I do get exasperated at all the "clever" in-duh-viduals who invent sassing cyclists and get such joy from their unique idea, only to be followed two cars later by someone else who is also so clever to invent this new sport as well. But nothing to do except thank God for another yet another chance for me to work on keeping my composure and my focus. He's very generous with those opportunities. :D

Trust me, it will get to the point that you will barely even notice these things. You were on the right path with the coins, just laugh about how stupid these people are.

Oh, and if you really are given to rash actions, don't carry gun.

Police Report
digi cam
or at least try to remember make, color and last 3 digits of license plate, and the time.

cell phone.

program local police into your calling list.

call police right then and there

http://www.youtube.com/user/jmizereck

you can post things on Craigslist
try to gather a group of cyclists
go to City Hall, city meetings... use the 3 minutes or whatever your town allows for Open Public Comment.

email to local transportation agencies...

there's a ton of things a person can do.

the worst thing to do, is have an adverse emotional reaction.

a very good method is to research local law, and try to recite any laws that pertain to bicycle rights, as accurately as possible.

if you're going to ride your bike
the worst thing you can do is to ignore these issues.

you want to advocate cycling and being safe.

however, some communities simply do not recognize bicyclist's rights.

personally, I speak up at City Hall, or at least send email.

I've actually moved from areas due to lack of bicycle infrastructure/culture.

and let City Hall know, exactly why.

It amazes me when I see this type of post. I think you brought the aggression onto yourself.

This past week, you shared the road with lots of people. At least some of them saw a cyclist giving the double finger to a car full of kids. Nearly all of them saw a fearful grouchy cyclist on the verge of road rage.

How much less aggression would there have been this week if some of those people saw a happy person going about his life? How many people looked at you and said, "wow, he looks like he's enjoying himself. Maybe I'll dig *my* bike out of the garage this weekend!".

How many people saw you share the road with dignity and respect? How many did you inspire to share the road back?

You know what -- I'm outta line. You're posting a rant, and I'm pissing on your rant. You had a ****ty week, you feel crappy about it, you want to move on.

I truly hope next week is better for you. Really. I'm sorry everybody this week (including me) was such a jerk.


Cheers!

I knew you guys would understand, and thanks for the input so far...Artkansas, sorry to here about the BS you went through...I mean a pellet gun? dude....its a good thing i dont carry a gun...yet:twitchy:.... i live in a part of the country where cops would laugh at you if you were to complain about a motorist being aggressive to you (probably one of their off-duty drinking buddies anyway) So, in the back-woods society i've grown up and lived in my whole life, i've found it's better to take these matters into my own hands....i know i should obey certain laws and protect myself legally in the process, but idea's like ChitownD773's sock full of padlocks would have been handy for the idiot that tried to run me over :notamused: Not to sound sadistic or anything, but it makes me feel better knowing alot of other people go through the same thing...I can handle the varied simple to colorful insults...ignorance and jealousy (but i love it when a hot chick hollers "Hey Sexy!" out their window :D)

You know what -- I'm outta line. You're posting a rant, and I'm pissing on your rant. You had a ****ty week, you feel crappy about it, you want to move on.

I truly hope next week is better for you. Really. I'm sorry everybody this week (including me) was such a jerk.


Cheers!

LOL, You were posting as i was replying...if you were pissing on my rant, then fine...it was just a rant...you got a right to throw your $0.02 out there too if you like....but to set the record straight for everybody, i'm usually pretty happy-go-lucky on my bike...i'm usually smiling, waving at people outside, polite, and usually, most motorists are kind and polite in return...i think it has to do with the focus you put into each pedal stroke, and when that concentration gets interrupted by a rude driver, the energy that was once positive turns negative (testosterone level increased too) and it's hard to hold back when someone in a car deliberately pisses you off...no worries about pissing on my rant, tj.... i'm guessing you had a ****ty week too!

Cheers

kill... Kill... KILLL!

(sorry... I was just channeling Alice's Restaurant)

This won't prevent all harassment, but I have found that you can psychologically influence drivers with your appearance and riding style. I have found that I get much more respect when I am riding in full roadie mode. For that reason, I wear full roadie kit when commuting and I seem to avoid more confrontations that way. My guess is that people tend not to project a tree-hugging, hippie, commie type of image onto me. Just an observation. Different appearances and riding styles will probably have different psychological effects in different areas. For WV, I'd probably try wearing a Marines or Navy Seal jersey when riding.

I'm sorry... but one of the things I really appreciated about the "living car free" forum was the lack of commuter-rants. The Commuter forum has plenty of these postings with all sorts of wonderful support and sympathy and suggestions about extracting revenge, choice of weapons, and occasionally sensible advice. But hey, maybe this falls under the category of "places to avoid being car free".

see post #36

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=519488&page=2

Its funny how those kind of incidents cluster. One night I had a car passenger reach out of the car and grab my elbow to try and pull me down, and the next night in the exact same place, the passenger of a truck shot me with a pellet gun. Nothing serious since.

I do get exasperated at all the "clever" in-duh-viduals who invent sassing cyclists and get such joy from their unique idea, only to be followed two cars later by someone else who is also so clever to invent this new sport as well. But nothing to do except thank God for another yet another chance for me to work on keeping my composure and my focus. He's very generous with those opportunities. :D

Ah, you must have met the same pellet gun welcome committee that I did, and that must have been my promotion/demotion from being soaked by another carload of bored teenagers with soda/acid fire extinguishers quite a few years back.

Yeah, the incidents do cluster, so try to ride it out. I almost never have trouble with motorists, even though I live in a very car-friendly city. I try to remember that for every JAM, there are at least a thousand--probably more like ten thousand-- who overtake me safely and quietly.

Like Zardhex, I tend to respond in a pretty hostile manner. I don't know why I keep doing this even though I know my hostility usually makes the situation worse rather than better.

My favorite word to yell is the B___ word and then I am on my happy way LOL. Sometimes you just have to yell and get it out and then move on. I am with everyone else, keep a record of things that go on and most of the time I only do that.
Recently I have had a neighbor, within a block of my house, almost run me over because they were on the cell phone and didn't want to LOOK while turning. I also had someone from one state over turn and almost run me over. A nice finger did the trick and they were pretty scared.

If all else fails I just put on full cycle gear, bicycle shirt, Skort and I usually get more people staring then trying to run me over. :)

Yeah, it seems that the psychological switch would work on most of the potential offenders (wearing a more "professional" or traditional type roadie outfit...but I was never in the military (thanks for the tip, though, mihlbach....i know the military has a much-deserved respect around my area, but i just dont want to pretend to be a vet when i'm not) and, to be fair to the seasoned cyclists more serious than i am, i just don't want to deck myself out in the typical roadie (jackets/spandex wear) that most people are accustomed to seeing when they spot a "hard-core" cyclist....but, because i like to wear what is comfortable, and definitely more "me", does that make me less hardcore of a rider to the average person? I guess appearance does matter, but not so much to me...****, you'll typically find me riding in my favorite pair of camouflage shorts and a wife-beater, but never the skin-tights, and blindingly bright(and expensive) cycle-wear :innocent:

Man I am really surprised at how much harrasement everybody gets, I get my share of getting buzzed that is really about it. I go in kit and regular clothes, those with complaints are you in suburbs, rural or inner city? For me inner city is very friendly, rural when I make it that far is friendly but suburbs seems to be the danger zone.

get tag #'s and trace them....a little c4 will put an end to that behavior. :innocent:

I don't know if I could live through a week like that without breaking my toe kicking the wall. I've thought of all sorts of ways of taking revenge. I don't know how many hours I've wasted contemplating which tire you should shoot out in a car to get it to go left :)

My life really started to get better when I pretended people did the asinine things they did because they were my friends. So now I wave and smile like an idiot when someone does something aggressive towards me. It helps me get over it. That's the important thing.

Having said that, I would make police reports in all three of those cases. My experience has been that even backwoods cops take throwing things out of a car at people very seriously. People have coins to throw at other cars too, it's dangerous as all get out. And as far as the guy that came at you, report someone driving erratically. I have to admit, this happened to me a couple of months ago, and I didn't report it because I saw the guy was on his cellphone. Probably should have.

I have been contemplating purchasing one of these: http://alturl.com/g2qy I don't know if it would cause more harm then good though...

.... i live in a part of the country where cops would laugh at you if you were to complain about a motorist being aggressive to you (probably one of their off-duty drinking buddies anyway)

is there a part of the country where this isn't the case?

seriously: in general the cops
a) don't know the law
b) regard you as nothing more than a source of paper work
c) probably think the road is 'for cars' anyway.

i know how it is to get abused and feel frustrated and like you want to do something, but calling the cops isn't it.

I have been contemplating purchasing one of these: http://alturl.com/g2qy I don't know if it would cause more harm then good though...

those things are amazing LOUD.

works awesome!

is there a part of the country where this isn't the case?

seriously: in general the cops
a) don't know the law
b) regard you as nothing more than a source of paper work
c) probably think the road is 'for cars' anyway.

i know how it is to get abused and feel frustrated and like you want to do something, but calling the cops isn't it.
Monterey Peninsula (California)
honestly
a bunch of the guys in our local club(s) are cops
sheriff, Seaside PD, Monterey PD, Del Rey Oaks PD, Salinas PD, CHP
plus City Councilmen
Fire Fighters
Fire Chief
retired detectives

the list goes on

plus local health care professionals

its called "Advocacy"

honestly
i know it must sound crazy
but thats the case.

is there a part of the country where this isn't the case?

seriously: in general the cops
a) don't know the law
b) regard you as nothing more than a source of paper work
c) probably think the road is 'for cars' anyway.

i know how it is to get abused and feel frustrated and like you want to do something, but calling the cops isn't it.

of course, Portland
www.BikePortland.org
Davis, Ca is super bike friendly too

This won't prevent all harassment, but I have found that you can psychologically influence drivers with your appearance and riding style. I have found that I get much more respect when I am riding in full roadie mode. For that reason, I wear full roadie kit when commuting and I seem to avoid more confrontations that way. My guess is that people tend not to project a tree-hugging, hippie, commie type of image onto me. Just an observation. Different appearances and riding styles will probably have different psychological effects in different areas. For WV, I'd probably try wearing a Marines or Navy Seal jersey when riding.

Or you could try this. You wouldn't seem like a tree-hugging, hippie environmentalist then...

http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000002/walking-bike-police.jpg

This won't prevent all harassment, but I have found that you can psychologically influence drivers with your appearance and riding style. I have found that I get much more respect when I am riding in full roadie mode. For that reason, I wear full roadie kit when commuting and I seem to avoid more confrontations that way. My guess is that people tend not to project a tree-hugging, hippie, commie type of image onto me. Just an observation. Different appearances and riding styles will probably have different psychological effects in different areas. For WV, I'd probably try wearing a Marines or Navy Seal jersey when riding.

Methinks this poster may be on to something. I, also commute in 'full kit', ie cycling shirt, shorts, socks and clipless shoes. Have only had 1 or 2 instances of harrassment in quite a few years. Never really equated the two until now. I DO know that people have told me that they appreciate my lighting during the day...I use a Cateye Opticube Sport and a PB SF both on blink mode for added visibility.

A car followed me in the right lane. The lady yelled for me to get on the sidewalk. I deliberately rode in the center lane and she had to go around. Later, I called my insurance company and doubled my life insurance policy. I also added accidental. Sad but true.

It looks as if it's a serious problem that has been faced by countless cyclists over the many, many years...some of you guys want to do things legally, which is perfectly cool (and probably more appropriate for your area)...but others (like myself) want to find a solution that puts the offending motorist in their place, and if they (offending drivers) are smart enough to realize their offense, will learn from their mistakes and find a new respect for a person on a bicycle...but i can also dream of a perfect world, where everyone is civil and respectful to each other, and I could also cure world hunger while i'm at it (heh...you get the idea :rolleyes:) I think it all comes down to the fact that those of us that want to ride our bikes, will ride....no matter what the cost....I am one of those folks...I appreciate all of the feedback from everyone replying to this rant...and i admit that this may have been better suited for the Commuting forum...but I figured, "Hey...I'm car-free, and i'm certain that alot of my car-free brethren have faced the same (or worse) physical turmoils that have recently (but temporarily) caused me to second-guess my decision to take this leap into the bike-only world of transportation...It's unfortunate that it's a never-ending battle between powerful motorists and smart cyclists....whatever the risk, whatever the ignorance, I will NOT stop riding my bicycle!

:D

I'm odd and fairly lucky I guess. I don't get harrased or abused I just get totally IGNORED - like I'm a ghost and I think I'm hard to miss ( Red & Black clothing matching Helmet - bag & Bike).

The MOST horrible I was ever treated was on a recreational trail - I guess this "trail" is used by many cyclist to "train" - its NOT marked as such - but nevertheless as I cruised along enjoying the scenery, obeying trail riding rules - I was yelled at...told to get out of the way..get off the trail....etc.

I rode 5 miles of this trail - all while taking abuse - then said EFF it and turned around and headed for home. I was pretty mad, hurt and upset that I had been treated that way PLUS I had RIDDEN over 20 miles to visit this trail :O/

I won't ride there again and I WILL tell EVERYONE who asks me about riding that trail what my experience was.

The trail itself is BEAUTIFUL - but the MAJORITY of the riders are VERY unfriendly and I have NO IDEA WHY ????

Maybe it was the day?? a weekday @ about 10am - I thought it would be quiet at that time.

Sad thing is I won't go again to see if that were true - there are just too many other beautiful places to go riding.

Sad huh?? I don't get flak in the city ( which I could maybe understand) but I get it on a BICYCLE TRAIL -- makes ZERO sense.

Lofi

I'm odd and fairly lucky I guess. I don't get harrased or abused I just get totally IGNORED - like I'm a ghost and I think I'm hard to miss ( Red & Black clothing matching Helmet - bag & Bike).

The MOST horrible I was ever treated was on a recreational trail - I guess this "trail" is used by many cyclist to "train" - its NOT marked as such - but nevertheless as I cruised along enjoying the scenery, obeying trail riding rules - I was yelled at...told to get out of the way..get off the trail....etc.

I rode 5 miles of this trail - all while taking abuse - then said EFF it and turned around and headed for home. I was pretty mad, hurt and upset that I had been treated that way PLUS I had RIDDEN over 20 miles to visit this trail :O/

I won't ride there again and I WILL tell EVERYONE who asks me about riding that trail what my experience was.

The trail itself is BEAUTIFUL - but the MAJORITY of the riders are VERY unfriendly and I have NO IDEA WHY ????

Maybe it was the day?? a weekday @ about 10am - I thought it would be quiet at that time.

Sad thing is I won't go again to see if that were true - there are just too many other beautiful places to go riding.

Sad huh?? I don't get flak in the city ( which I could maybe understand) but I get it on a BICYCLE TRAIL -- makes ZERO sense.

Lofi
Just my personality type but that kind of treatment would only make me want to ride their more. I would read up to make sure that I was not ACTUALLY violating any rules. Assuming you were in the right I would go back and educate everyone by riding their as much as possible.

is there a part of the country where this isn't the case?

seriously: in general the cops
a) don't know the law
b) regard you as nothing more than a source of paper work
c) probably think the road is 'for cars' anyway.

i know how it is to get abused and feel frustrated and like you want to do something, but calling the cops isn't it.

http://www.spoofscript.com/dev/couragewolf/couragewolf.inc.php?line1=pack+heat&line2=kill+rude+motorists&size=28

Just my personality type but that kind of treatment would only make me want to ride their more. I would read up to make sure that I was not ACTUALLY violating any rules. Assuming you were in the right I would go back and educate everyone by riding their as much as possible.

+1

BikeNinjagirl, i wouldnt let that kind of rude behavior stop you! If there was public access to the trail, and there weren't any "No Trespassing" signs posted, then you are perfectly within your rights to ride there...better yet, bring a friend (or two or three) to bike with and start a regular club ;)

Get used to it,it's part of the fun.

is there a part of the country where this isn't the case?

seriously: in general the cops
a) don't know the law
b) regard you as nothing more than a source of paper work
c) probably think the road is 'for cars' anyway.

i know how it is to get abused and feel frustrated and like you want to do something, but calling the cops isn't it.


The cops I have known are nicer, more rational people than your impression. But like most people, they don't enjoy wasting their time. If it's your word against the motorist that they were driving recklessly, the cop knows that's going nowhere, regardless of whether he believes you or sympathizes. Keep in mind that it is only rational for a cop to not believe every pissed off guy they hear from; don't take it personally.

The truck driver you thought must be drunk may be a different story. Call the cops. If you've got a license plate number, and decent reason to think he's intoxicated, that's worth pulling him over.

Yep I ALWAYS obey trail rules. I've been using the Rails to Trails system for many years now, so I'm very familiar with proper mup trail use. This "unfriendly" trail is a PUBLIC trail - I checked before I rode it because I had never ridden there before and I wanted to make sure it was okay to take a bike there - so no prob there.

It's the Minneola Trail up in the Orlando area. It's a BEAUTIFUL trail - very very hilly for that area and I am aware that the area is used by Tri athletes. But I also know that many other people ride it - I've seen others on it - elderly, kids etc. We weren't the only ones that got yelled at - another couple on nice road bikes also got the finger and a "get off the effing trail" yelled in their faces...fortunately, I had turned to look behind me and saw this guy rocketing towards us - we just exited the trail onto the grass as quickly as possible - he flew by tossing more obscenities our way.

Now if I had only KNOWN that people were training ON the trail I might not have been so taken aback...rude is rude no matter what.... but if I'm correct my tax money pays for that trail too...so I shouldn't be harrased for taking it easy and enjoyng the scenery.

I may go back and ride it again....maybe. My friend says "no way" but I might do it just to see if a second time I get a totally diff experience. I'm open to this.

I will say that on one of the worst climbs two very nice roadies passed us up - as they passed they spoke and wished us a good day. So it wasn't ALL bad - just most of it :(

oh well....I'll be back in that area at the begining of August so I may go again.

Thanks for the encouragement !

Lofi