Commuting - Have I entered the cyclist-hated world of commuting?

Just started riding my bike about everywhere I go I’m on it. Today I got up to do some stuff, so I hopped back on my ol' Raleigh and headed towards the store. On my way there’s this bridge with sidewalks on the side of it, and I hate squeezing through the bridge with cars zooming by me, so I took the sidewalk.

.. Weeelll I guess this was a bad idea.. Cause half way on the bridge I saw an older guy (probably in the 50
-60 range) and he stopped walking and stood still to let me by I was guessing, even though we had enough room. As I was about to pass him he gives me the finger right up to my face.

I’m probably making a big deal out of this, and I’m sure you guys have worse commuting stories.. But I just thought it was a little odd that the guy just gave me the finger like that... I guess it was because I didn't ride on the road, or the guy just had mental problems... Or maybe a little combination of both..

Do you guys often get this stuff when you’re commuting on your bike?

No. Not often. One thing you have to remember about bicycle commuting is that you are more exposed to other people. Law of averages will dictate that you will have more interaction with people while on the bike than when in a car. So, since your interacting with other people more, in many different ways, chances are that you'll run into "nuts" now and then. Don't take what this guy did to heart. Just shrug it off and enjoy your riding!

Yea, I get more flak ... err "jokes" from my spouse than I ever hear out in public. It never fails that each time we're in the car, he'll exclaim "look at that dork on the bike He didn't [fill in the infraction]"

Do you guys often get this stuff when you’re commuting on your bike?

Think about it this way: they are trapped in cars, you are not.

When you combined the trapped feeling with the absurd feeling of power that most people get when driving their own car, it leads to delusions of superiority.

When they flip you off, just wave (with all fingers, instead of one). It confuses them.

On my way there’s this bridge with sidewalks on the side of it, and I hate squeezing through the bridge with cars zooming by me, so I took the sidewalk.

.. Weeelll I guess this was a bad idea.. Cause half way on the bridge I saw an older guy (probably in the 50
-60 range) and he stopped walking and stood still to let me by I was guessing, even though we had enough room. As I was about to pass him he gives me the finger right up to my face.
I'd say the guy was carrying around a huge chip on his shoulder. It had nothing to do with you, personally. Sort of like when some guy jumped up from sitting on the ground as I walked past and started screaming, "It's always something! Blah, blah, blah, blabbbbbb...."

These people have serious personal issues that have nothing to do with you.

Bikes get a lot of reactions, both good and bad-- but I think more people are possitive and friendly than mean and negitive. I just try to take all in stride (or cadence?) I got hit by truck last winter (intentionaly I'm pretty sure) and it had me pretty down about riding.

But a couple days afterward I got back on the bike and people seemed so friendly, so supportive. Everybody waved, drivers didn't crowd me, kids raced up to me on the BMX bikes. Spring came and other than a few nasty scars on my face, getting hit is a like a bad dream.

I'm sure I'm in for another hard luck patch were my tires keep going flat and motorists crowd me and ever other person I see flips me off. But I'll ride though it.

Just don't stop riding Cobra, things always get better on a bike!

Maybe he didn't want you on the sidewalk, and was expressing to you that you should be in the street, where you belong.

As I was about to pass him he gives me the finger right up to my face.

Maybe he's German and thought that you were Lance Armstrong .... :-)

Perhaps if you had said "Good Morning" to him and smiled before you got next to him it would defused such unpleasantness. But being you didn't do that and he gave you the finger; you should have gotten off your bike and beat the living c... out of him.

Bikes get a lot of reactions, both good and bad-- but I think more people are possitive and friendly than mean and negitive.

Geez, can I move to your part of the world?


But being you didn't do that and he gave you the finger; you should have gotten off your bike and beat the living c... out of him.

Bad idea. Even if you win the fight, you still have other problems, such as assault charges.

In answer to the original question, as I recently posted over in Advocacy and Safety, never in the last decade (apart from when I've been holidaying in far away places) have I gone a week without getting some form of abuse from drivers. I really think arrogance is the best defence against this sort of thing. If you just treat their behaviour with the contempt it deserves, it will ruin your day a lot less than it ruins theirs.

Of course, if they get really nasty (yes, I've been hit with a few projectiles in the past, and dodged many more), I just call the cops.

Just started riding my bike about everywhere I go I’m on it. Today I got up to do some stuff, so I hopped back on my ol' Raleigh and headed towards the store. On my way there’s this bridge with sidewalks on the side of it, and I hate squeezing through the bridge with cars zooming by me, so I took the sidewalk.

Claiming the lane should stop most people from doing that.


.. Weeelll I guess this was a bad idea.. Cause half way on the bridge I saw an older guy (probably in the 50
-60 range) and he stopped walking and stood still to let me by I was guessing, even though we had enough room. As I was about to pass him he gives me the finger right up to my face.

Hey, at least he stopped and gave you room to pass. I've always wondered what 'the finger' is actually supposed to achieve. Does anyone actually get offended by it? That said if someone did wave a finger right up to my face while I was riding past, I'd be inclined to bite at it. ;)


I’m probably making a big deal out of this, and I’m sure you guys have worse commuting stories.. But I just thought it was a little odd that the guy just gave me the finger like that... I guess it was because I didn't ride on the road, or the guy just had mental problems... Or maybe a little combination of both..

Do you guys often get this stuff when you’re commuting on your bike?

Not really, but then I don't use the footpath if I can avoid it.

Where I ride, footpaths are a no-go for cyclists by law. So I would expect to be confronted if I for some reason chose to ride on footpath. Heck, I would be equally upset if I saw someone driving a car on a bikepath.

I do agree that the finger may not be the best way of letting someone know they're at a wrong place.

--J

I've always wondered what 'the finger' is actually supposed to achieve. Does anyone actually get offended by it?

It's actually a subtle compliment. They're using their biggest finger to tell you you're #1.

Cobra, I have an exact similar situation. When I first moved to this city I took the road and the lane, but the number of close calls was just too much to deal with.

These cars whip along this bridge (speed limit 35 mph) up at around 45 mph or faster, and even though it is two lane in each direction, there is literally no bail point as there is a thigh-high concrete barrier seperating the roadway from the walkway sidewalk. Plus, I have to slow way down about half way across to exit so the flak I was taking for this was unbelieveable from the people who were behind me and decided not to pass.Once winter rolled around and the road across the bridge got back I decided for my safety to take the sidewalk, especially since there was never a soul on it from november to april.

Now I routinely take the walk, and never have a problem. I always slow down when approaching someone head on (read stop pedaling and coast) so they know you are being careful on the pass. And I always slow way down and call out passing when approaching someone from behind, I think you just got a bad apple. I get them all the time too, just haven't come across one on this bridge yet. And even though the bridge is between two shore business districts (where it is illegal to ride sidewalks), I don't think anyone is going to stop me for doing this across the bridge (if it is even considered business district)

I think he was saying get off ur bike walk over and slap me in the face.

Ahahahahaha I can just imagine some cranky old man doing that to you. That's gold. :)
I'd just laugh it off, cause really, it's laughable.

There's always the option to walk your bike across the bridge.

Maybe he didn't want you on the sidewalk, and was expressing to you that you should be in the street, where you belong.

This was my first thought as well. Pedistrians do have the right of way, especially on a sidewalk. If you have to use a sidewalk with pedestrians, you may want to dismount. It may even be the law depending on where you live.

As to the man who expressed to you, perhaps he did/does feel less safe with cyclists riding by, perhaps it was not the first time. From your perspective you may have felt in control, but from his perspective he may not like cyclists riding by so close, hence stopping so he can watch. Just like a close passing car may think they are in control and they think they won't hit you, but from a cyclists perspective a close passing car seems threatening.

Perhaps you should consider riding on the road and to avoid having cars squeeze you, take the lane, just for the duration of the bridge.

Al

Cobra, I have an exact similar situation. When I first moved to this city I took the road and the lane, but the number of close calls was just too much to deal with.

These cars whip along this bridge (speed limit 35 mph) up at around 45 mph or faster, and even though it is two lane in each direction, there is literally no bail point as there is a thigh-high concrete barrier seperating the roadway from the walkway sidewalk. Plus, I have to slow way down about half way across to exit so the flak I was taking for this was unbelieveable from the people who were behind me and decided not to pass.Once winter rolled around and the road across the bridge got back I decided for my safety to take the sidewalk, especially since there was never a soul on it from november to april.

Now I routinely take the walk, and never have a problem. I always slow down when approaching someone head on (read stop pedaling and coast) so they know you are being careful on the pass. And I always slow way down and call out passing when approaching someone from behind, I think you just got a bad apple. I get them all the time too, just haven't come across one on this bridge yet. And even though the bridge is between two shore business districts (where it is illegal to ride sidewalks), I don't think anyone is going to stop me for doing this across the bridge (if it is even considered business district)

Thats about my situation. The bridge has a concrete barrier thats about stomach-high on me. Ive rode on the road through the bridge before, but I wasn't comfterble at all. The walkway is pretty wide too so I didn't think it would be any trouble.

And yeah, I did slow down when I passed him. I even nodded a thank you at him.

Its hard or me to get used to the roads around here because im literally surrounded by the busiest roads in the county.


This was my first thought as well. Pedistrians do have the right of way, especially on a sidewalk. If you have to use a sidewalk with pedestrians, you may want to dismount. It may even be the law depending on where you live.

As to the man who expressed to you, perhaps he did/does feel less safe with cyclists riding by, perhaps it was not the first time. From your perspective you may have felt in control, but from his perspective he may not like cyclists riding by so close, hence stopping so he can watch. Just like a close passing car may think they are in control and they think they won't hit you, but from a cyclists perspective a close passing car seems threatening.

Perhaps you should consider riding on the road and to avoid having cars squeeze you, take the lane, just for the duration of the bridge.

Al

Good point

Maybe the old man was actually a mean troll and wanted to eat you for breakfast, but you were too speedy for him. ;)

Maybe the old man was actually a mean troll and wanted to eat you for breakfast, but you were too speedy for him. ;)
Hmmmm... don't they usually reside under the bridge? Ours do. ;)

It is illegal to ride on the sidewalk and extremely poor cycling etiquette to ride on a narrow bridge sidewalk, regardless of your perception that the sidewalk may be wide enough. If traffic makes it unsafe to ride in the roadway, I walk my bike on the sidewalk.

get a take a look mirror. that way you can see if someone is trying to run you over... i really need to get one. anyway.. if you can see them you can react... instead of just being crushed.

It is illegal to ride on the sidewalk

except that in some places it's not.


and extremely poor cycling etiquette to ride on a narrow bridge sidewalk,

except that in most cases one can (and i do) pass people at a walking pace quite safely.


regardless of your perception that the sidewalk may be wide enough. If traffic makes it unsafe to ride in the roadway, I walk my bike on the sidewalk.

I'll walk my bike if it's unsafe to ride it. I'll ride my bike on the sidewalk if the sidewalk is empty or if there's room to give pedestrians space to feel comfortable. In some places there are miles and miles of sidewalk that are used by an average of three pedestrians per day.

It is illegal to ride on the sidewalk and extremely poor cycling etiquette to ride on a narrow bridge sidewalk, regardless of your perception that the sidewalk may be wide enough. If traffic makes it unsafe to ride in the roadway, I walk my bike on the sidewalk.

In Manhattan, it is against the law to cycle with motor traffic on ALL BRIDGES. In fact, doing so will lead to a huge fine by the police. On bridges that do not had ped walkways, there is no access. Some bridges require you to walk your bike while other allow you cycle through.

Bottom line. There is no one rule regarding the use of walkways across bridges. Regulations on bridge crossings vary everywhere.

get a take a look mirror. that way you can see if someone is trying to run you over... i really need to get one. anyway.. if you can see them you can react... instead of just being crushed.

I do use a helmet mounted mirror, and believe me I can clearly see how many times a car has come up too close in my mind, or is going to pass me without clearing my whole lane. But when do you know to bail out? How do you keep your eyes on the vehicle drivers all the time, becuase it only takes a fraction for them to get from point a (safe distance) to point b (crushing distance) when they are going 3-4 times faster than the cyclist. How many times would I have had to take a flying leap over the concrete barrier to avoid possible "crushing"? If I would do it when I had time to I'd be looking like superman constantly flying over the barrier. Because there is no where else to go, no curb or shoulder. I'm all for following the rules and riding the road whenever possible, but each situation, law, and riders ability level are different.

I was driving a car this weekend (aack!) and a young guy in another car flipped me off. Nobody is immune to being exposed to poor manners,

It is illegal to ride on the sidewalk...


In Manhattan, it is against the law to cycle with motor traffic on ALL BRIDGES....

So, what the hell are we supposed to do, fly our bikes like planes?

Can't use sidewalks, can't ride in the street.

Maybe some smart entrepeneur will follow the lead of buisnessmen of the 1890's and build indoor velodromes where we can ride our bikes indoors, in circles (for a small fee.)

I guess I'm getting a little grumpy... :D

Maybe he didn't want you on the sidewalk, and was expressing to you that you should be in the street, where you belong.

In very rare situations, getting on the sidewalk may be a necessity. But my rule for sidewalk riding is that if I even annoy a pedestrian, it's my fault. So I almost always get off and walk. In this case, if the pedestian was close enough to put his middle finger in your face, you probably should have dismounted and walked passed him.

You may want to consider taking the lane on the bridge. Sure, it slows traffic down, but if it is the only way to safely ride in traffic, then that's what you should do.

You belong on the street, not the sidewalk.

Maybe he's German and thought that you were Lance Armstrong .... :-)

Amen to that! I love it.

Jenn

There are a lot of threads about bikers getting yelled out, or given the finger, or what have you. But in my case, it is literally true that I have cursed at cars more than I noticed anyone cursing at me. And I've even given the finger to a dog a couple of times.

I mean, come one admit it, when you're biking don't you curse at the cars, and some silly pedestrians, and the dogs?

I mean, come one admit it, when you're biking don't you curse at the cars, and some silly pedestrians, and the dogs?

I don't anymore. There are only so many times you can see morons doing stupid things and still be sufficiently shocked to react to it. I passed that several years ago.