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Martha's Vinyard is very bike unfriendly

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Martha's Vinyard is very bike unfriendly

Old 07-31-14, 09:33 PM
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Martha's Vinyard is very bike unfriendly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4p8fpUPfL4
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Old 08-01-14, 04:43 AM
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Didn't watch the whole video, but I don't think it's fair or accurate to accuse all of Martha Vineyard of being "bike unfriendly" because of one a-hole.
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Old 08-05-14, 07:27 AM
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I agree that you can't generalize the whole of Martha's Vineyard based on one person's behavior.

The title of your video is unjustifiably inflammatory. While it may not have been the safest moment to pass, nobody was run off the road - or even close to it. It also appeared that you had some room to move over to the right, but for whatever reason chose not to until the last minute.

My suggestion... Take a deep breath and relax. Why was it so important to get the person's license plate number? It's not as if the police would have done anything about it. Just accept that every now and then you will run into a jerk. As long as he didn't jeopardize your safety, pedal on and don't let it get to you. You're on Martha's Vineyard for crying out loud! Do you know how many of us would love to trade places with you - even with a guy honking his horn?

At the risk of being inflammatory myself, could this be a symptom of velomobile enthusiasts thinking that they are just a little bit more special than the common bicyclist? While that may not have been the intent here, it risks coming across that way.

Last edited by VTBike; 08-05-14 at 08:40 AM.
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Old 08-05-14, 07:45 AM
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I just took the time to read the comments to the video. It is well worth the read.

Lowracer1, I'll be frank with you. Regardless of whether you are right or wrong, your tactics are not conducive to garnering respect for our hobby. As an example, take a look at this exchange:

MrJHawk
: never thought id say thank god for the black dog but i guess this might be the exception, these idiotic bikes are worse then the mopeds and were completely out of line in traffic
lowracer1: y
up another overweight fat man with a comment.

I don't see how anyone feels entitled to claim the moral high ground with behavior like this.

Last edited by VTBike; 08-05-14 at 09:13 AM.
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Old 08-05-14, 08:55 AM
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cool rigs. when I bike there I generally stay further to the right. meaning right of that white line. I see parts are narrower than others and has some sand which would inhibit that somewhat. that island though, can be difficult in many areas with the mopeds and narrow windy roads up island.
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Old 08-05-14, 02:52 PM
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Now that I've looked at the video, I don't see what the problem was, except for the honking. He didn't reflexively swerve into the oncoming lane, as most drivers would do. He just gave the cyclist an obnoxious warning that he was going to pass him. In my opinion, that doesn't even BEGIN to suggest that Martha's Vineyard is bike unfriendly -- let alone VERY bike unfriendly.
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Old 08-05-14, 03:50 PM
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Clearly a ticket-able offense on the part of the van driver...so yes, it was an unsafe pass, and yes, it did endanger the cyclists.
Don't apologize for azzhat drivers, and don't suggest that legal road users should forfeit their place in the lane so an impatient wing-nut can get to their pointless destination sooner.

In defense of MV drivers in general, I would say they are way above average in courtesy to cyclists.
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Old 08-05-14, 06:21 PM
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I guess I missed something. What I saw in that video happens to me at least once a day here on Long Island, so it didn't seem like a big deal.
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Old 09-04-14, 05:09 PM
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I bike the Vineyard every summer and have done so for the last 33 years. I've never had any issues. Go figure.
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Old 09-04-14, 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Papa Tom
I guess I missed something. What I saw in that video happens to me at least once a day here on Long Island, so it didn't seem like a big deal.
*note to self* Long Island is very bike unfriendly.

Both unacceptable rudeness with the horn and unsafe driving by that van. I truly hope you are exaggerating and don't get that treatment more than once a month at the most.
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Old 09-04-14, 08:23 PM
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I do the vast majority of my riding on the south shore of Long Island and only occasionally encounter that kind of horn blowing and unsafe passing.

That said, the van driver did not brush past these riders, he/she did give decent clearance (from what. I observed) they were just pissed off that the bents were so far into the lane.

One has to wonder though that on MV, it doesn't take forever to get places, unless it's Friday and the ferry just got in. It's just not that big an island.

I thus assume that motorists are tired about having to share roads with poor shoulders and with a lot of cyclists using those roads.

The bent riders were in a no win situation. The shoulder occasionally disappears, then it's better, then not, but better to be taking the lane then riding the white line and getting passed too closely, which is the only option. I will typically just slow down at times when I get a decent shoulder and let a whole lot of cars get passed me, the move back into the lane, trying to give the motorists a break when I can. Just like any slow moving vehicle is supposed to do.
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