General Cycling Discussion - Just annoyed, nothing more

Today was a not so good commute. The weather aside, one idiot ran a red light, right in front of me when I was mid-intersection, other pedestrians not paying attention at all (walking right into traffic WITHOUT looking), and finally, another idiot driver. Not sure what he said initially, but yelled something. I told him to F off. I tire of people yelling things out their windows. Sure I'll yell when riding, but it is as close as I get to a horn. This person said that they said "good job" or something to the effect, then said I had a bad attitude. I told him yelling things at a cyclists is bound to elicit a negative response. To be honest, I didn't care what he said. "Good job" or whatever seems condescending and negative, coming from someone in a car. Good job compared to what? Am I in a race? Do I go by people in cars and tell them good job? No. People in cars should keep their comments to themselves. Yes, this is a cycling forum, yes I am ranting. Ok. I feel better now. Happy cycling!

I hafta agree -- shut up and drive. You can't ride for some reason or another, so be it; just don't buzz me, don't honk unless I'm about to fall asleep @ the handlebar and fall in front of you, and keep your lips buttoned when you pass.

For me, its the "I'm being nice" thing that drivers do, that seems to cause more trouble. The whole "wave me through" when I am supposed to stop or "helpful words" when you really don't want to hear from them is just annoying. They are "nice" so much so that one idiot tried to wave me through an intersection (Four way stop, I was going through, they turning left across my direction), then when I didn't move, nor give any hint I was going to, flipped me off and then drove STRAIGHT through the intersection, not making the turn they both signalled for and were in the lane for. I didn't wave or say anything, just shook my head and rode on. This is why I don't trust them when they are "nice". This is why I don't need to hear their "encouragement". I'm just trying to get from A to B safely, and with as little hassle as possible. Riding is supposed to be fun, usually is. If it isn't, why would I continue?

I'm equally frustrated by all careless operators of wheeled vehicles and "friendly" operators of the same. There have been so many accidents caused by someone stopping in a two-lane road to let another car turn left only to have a car in the left lane plow into them. I've seen too many cyclists ride on the road and ignore traffic signs and signals only to get pissed when cars ignore them...

I just stay cautious and watchful.

Stop skipping your meds.

Meds? Yeah, real laugh riot you are. Besides, venting in a forum, as I was, is far more constructive than any medication could possibly be.

I totally agree with the "nice" driver complaint! It kills me, whether driving or riding. In fact, after griping in the car after stopping short behind a "nice" driver yesterday, I had to explain to my three-year-old riding in the back that "being nice to one person means being unpredictable and not nice to the people behind you".

You follow the rules, I follow the rules, then we all know what is going to happen.

I agree with billyymc. Ya'll all need a good purgative!!

Mike, I gotta say, take the compliments where ya can. ;) The less complimentary comments, just smile and wave like it was a compliment. If it was a compliment like "Good job", they mean well. If they were yelling something nasty, you just confuse them and they don't get the rise they hoped for. That makes them less likely to get nasty later.

the "nice" people are probably the most frustrating. when i come to a stop sign, i come to a complete stop but try to do a feeble track stand to not have to clip out. i hate when i get to the stop sign after another car is already stopped and its their turn to go but they decide to try to wave me through. i came to the stop sign expecting to perform a complete stop and then to go after them, now i have to let go of the handle bar while trying to balance to wave THEM through because i don't trust them to not change their mind and kill me half way into the intersection. this usually ends in each person waving at each other about 3 times and me having to clip out anyway. if they'd just follow the rules of the road, everything would work smoothly.

Sheesh. You guys need to lighten up - jerks on the road annoy you, people being nice annoy you...

Guess what? The driver of a car, who is NOT a cyclist, does not know that his or her main purpose is to make sure that you are not inconvenienced in the least bit. Way to be jerks to the nice drivers and spoil the overall perception drivers have for cyclists.

Seriously, if dealing with traffic at a stop sign or something is that annoying, stop cycling to work.

V.

It isn't that nice people are annoying. Nice is good. Nice I can deal with. It is the "nice" that causes problems, that can cause injury, that can cause death. That is the issue. The driver being "nice" stopping (more so when there is no visible reason for them to stop) and waving someone through while the other drivers don't stop is the issue. My safety is my responsibility. I will proceed when safe, not when someone else deems it safe. Unless they have white gloves and a badge, I'm not adhering to their traffic direction. People have tried to be "nice" waving me through a stop sign while they were running the stop sign, and turning into me. As such, I do not trust the person waving at me.

In the case of someone saying something out the car, they need to keep their comments, good or bad, to themselves. As I stated to the driver, yelling something out at a cyclist is bound to result in a negative response. I'm not there to fill the need of the driver to feel better about themselves. I'm there to get from A to B. It is usually fun. I'm also trying to get there safely. Having a driver try to strike up a conversation or make comments while I'm trying to avoid other cars, debris, etc is not safe for me. I'm concentrating on riding down the road. They should be as well.

I don't bicycle to work because I have to, I do because I WANT to. I would have other idiots to contend with in ANY mode of transport. It happens. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes. Sometimes I am the idiot. Again, it happens.

Fair enough - I didnt mean to come across as railing on your post.

It was just a general comment based on stuff I read. Too much of an "us vs them" mentality and expecting the other person to act as per our expectations on BF - and I think these repeated negative posts about @#%@ing cagers affect everyone, to the point that others are more likely to look for offense, even where none was intended.

I can understand that on an individual level, each instance may be justified - but on an aggregate level, continuously *****ing about how we cyclists are harassed by cagers doesnt exactly make for a "let's all coexist" mindset, no matter how justified we may think our viewpoint is.

And since I'm a self-loathing hypocrite, I'll admit to having a couple of angry confrontations in the past week with motorists who cut me off. One particular pickup driver is going to get the snot beaten out of him if he cuts me off again (which will be his third time). So dont mind me :)

V.

In the case of someone saying something out the car, they need to keep their comments, good or bad, to themselves. As I stated to the driver, yelling something out at a cyclist is bound to result in a negative response. I'm not there to fill the need of the driver to feel better about themselves. I'm there to get from A to B. It is usually fun. I'm also trying to get there safely. Having a driver try to strike up a conversation or make comments while I'm trying to avoid other cars, debris, etc is not safe for me. I'm concentrating on riding down the road. They should be as well.

When you're walking somewhere, you probably object to a stranger saying hi to you as you pass too, don't you?

I think you are in a real small minority on this point. The person noticed you... that is a good thing to indicate they are paying attention.

Any person, at least in the US, has the right to say whatever they want... sometimes it is helpful, sometimes it is not. You have the same right, and if you choose to shout profanities instead of a civil "Thanks" or a cordial "Good Morning" that is your right. Don't expect it to provide any relief to your anthropophobia.

Mike, I gotta say, take the compliments where ya can. ;) The less complimentary comments, just smile and wave like it was a compliment. If it was a compliment like "Good job", they mean well. If they were yelling something nasty, you just confuse them and they don't get the rise they hoped for. That makes them less likely to get nasty later.

+1

If you chose to live in a civilization, act like it. Even bad words don't cause permanent wounds.

Take it from someone who has accidently flipped off a senior VP he works with off when all the VP was doing is tooting hello. I did that more than once, than I recognized the car. He was actually amused rather than offended by it.

Though it probably wasn't necessary for the guy to say "good job" to you, he was trying to have a small, friendly interaction. Our roads could use much more of this. Assuming, of course, that he wasn't causing a safety hazard.

When people try to wave me through inappropriately, I plant my feet on the ground and wave them through with exaggerated body language. I smile and say, right out loud so that they can read my lips, "No..you go right ahead". It's not hard to make it clear that I'm not going anywhere. They almost always go ahead immediately and everyone feels better about being co-operative with a stranger.

To me anyway, it seems almost like a social thing. Nothing there for me to grind my teeth over.

But don't get me wrong; if you just needed to vent, then this is the place. I'll come back when some stupid cager ticks me off and do some venting of my own :)

Again, as others have demonstrated, honking or yelling things out to a cyclist while they are riding is bound to illicit a negative response. I tell this to all my friends. Now, comparing walking to cycling? Two different animals. I'm not walking at 22 mph with cars and debris to contend with. In this case, we are talking about a four lane highway with cars parked along side while going 22 mph. I don't need to be conversing with strangers yelling random things out their car windows while getting through it. I need to be avoiding problems. Now, if someone wants to say something while I'm stopped at a light, I'll talk. I have no problems with that. I rather enjoy it when it is positive. One of the parts I like best about travelling by train is the social interaction. Eating with strangers in the dining car is quite enjoyable. I also say hello to most cyclists I pass or those that pass me (I'm not a racer not pretend to be, I just go at my own pace). I don't roll by and start conversations. There are times to converse, times not to converse. That is my point, my only point.

Also, I don't refer to those driving cars as "cagers". If nothing else, I also drive. "Cagers" is a motorcycle thing, and I rarely seem to have a good interaction with those on motorcycles (too many times seeing them drive in bicycle lanes, park on sidewalks, drive on the wrong side of the road, pass over a double line WITH oncoming traffic usually on blind turns, overly loud...) I know they aren't all like that, but too many are!

And now that is all over with, back to packing for my seven day bicycling trip in the Pacific Northwest. WooHoo! (and not WaMu, that became WhuOH!)

Actually, my interactions with people on motorcycles has varied from neutral to very positive, sd_mike
. I only mention that because I was surprised till I got used to it.