Let The Excuses Begin
 

45 MPH road in California. Steady oncoming traffic. Vehicle was stuck behind them for several minutes.


https://i.postimg.cc/52CFBnhL/518392...13945877-n.jpg

What is the point of this post?

General Cycling Discussion. I am a bit disappointed to have to point that out to you.

As a driver I see a group of bicyclists not using the cycling lane. As a bicyclist, I see a group of a-holes.

Reasonably put. I concur.

*edit*

I took the liberty of posting this where it'll get a lot more attention, in a thread more appropriately named. And note the page number.

https://advrider.com/f/threads/the-*...8043/page-2128

I stopped doing group training rides decades ago because of that kind of moronic behavior. No different from motorcycle clubs clogging roads, except that motorcycles can match traffic speed. Though they don't always: you sometimes see the same "Screw you, we own the road" deliberate road-hogging.

I can only dream of nice, clean, wide bike lanes like that.
If you want to ride in the "lane" that's fine, but when you know there is a vehicle approaching, move into the bike lane.
If you don't, you can stop wondering why motorist sometimes despise cyclists.

We don’t know what the cycle lane is like. Maybe they know it’s full of debris and crap, and rather than weaving in and out of the bike lane to avoid crap, they’re taking the more predictable and arguably safer approach of staying in one lane. Annoying to motorists, sure - but what do cyclists do that isn’t annoying to motorists? Sometimes just breathing in and out repeatedly is enough 🙄

Group Think!

There are of course sometimes legitimate reasons to lawfully ride in the traffic lanes, I will sometimes take a lane if riding on the far shoulder imperils me but will move back once the risk ends. Since I ride alone 99% of the time, I do not feel emboldened or entitled to otherwise take a whole lane. Just too many things that could go wrong like intentionally being targeted. Just me mitigating risk and my own safety.

Think about the many situations with 5-10% ascents, with no bike lane, where the drivers are legally obliged to stay behind the cyclist riding with 8-10 km/h or lower, because crossing the continuous line is forbidden. The drivers should be legally allowed to cross the continuous line for overtaking cyclists, having the obligation to execute this in a safe manner.
But I think that in many countries the authorities fail to implement such an easy fix...

This ranks pretty low on my list of concerns regarding bicycle/automobile traffic. I wouldn’t want to ride with that group, but the ratio of maddening behavior from motorists vs. cyclists is just too high for me to get riled over this.

Looks like a perfectly maintained road, including the bike lane. But large groups of racers or would-be racers like the group pictured are prone to clogging roads deliberately, even when there's a good bike lane at hand.

Many years ago, I was on a group email list that announced when and where informal training rides would take place. One day, the guy who maintained the list forwarded an email from a motorcyclist that had been forwarded from the Baltimore Bicycling Club.

In it, the MC guy said that he'd had to take evasive maneuvers when he came around a blind corner and saw, with a second or two to spare, that a group of racer-looking guys were spread across the road and over into his lane. He wanted to point out how dangerous such riding was and suggest that the riders be more careful.

Jeering replies to the MC guy were sent from some of the riders who were on that ride, including the guy who maintained the list. Example: "I guess he needs to take some motorcycle handling courses if he doesn't know what he's doing!"

I thanked the MC guy and agreed that I'd seen such behavior many times and had stopped riding with the group for that reason.

Reply to me from the list maintainer: "Were you there?? Did you see what happened?" Imbecile.

Before I could reply, a rider jumped into the conversation to say that she too had stopped riding with the group because of the unsafe practices of the riders, especially on the twisty, narrow two-lane roads in northern Baltimore County.

"I didn't care if they get hit, but I was afraid an oncoming car would swerve to avoid them and hit me!," she said.

She was a very successful racer who was well respected in the local racing community, so that turned the tide.

I took the opportunity to suggest diplomatically to the ride leader/list maintainer that, since everyone in the group respected him, he should set the conditions for all of the training rides regarding road safety. He ate up the flattery and proceeded to set the rules for subsequent rides.

I emailed the motorcyclist separately, thanking him for his email and apologizing for the rudeness of the others. In his reply he thanked me for steering the conversation and said, about the rude replies, "Boys will be boys."

Seems much more suited for the A&S forum.

I suppose your position it is related to your experience. In my 75 years with 71 years on two wheels I have had a very different experience having coming upon a stupid group with a very damaged gent laying half in the bike lane and half in the vehicle lane waiting for an ambulance. A situation said to have occurred from simply a vehicle brushing another riders handlebar.

Despicible and infuriating behaviour by some groups of cyclists. The best you can do is avoid being part of groups that behave irresponsibly.

I guess this fits in the “Advocacy” part of A&S. Moving it there.

Last time I rode across the spillway in the cycling lane, I got a flat from the busted glass that was in it. I too should have stayed in the traffic lane where it's blown clean by all the cars. And gets deposited into the cycling lane.

Some people eschew all shoulders, aprons and bike lanes because there MIGHT be debris. It is situational for me. If there is hazardous debris, I won't use it. If there isn't, I will use it. Some people consider a few small pebbles to be hazardous debris. By that standard, there's not a road in NOLA they could ride. The bicycle lane pictured looks very clean. Cleaner than any road you'll find around here.

Let the excuses begin.

35 MPH road in Georgia. Steady oncoming traffic. Vehicle was struck behind them for several minutes.

https://i.imgur.com/NGvMp8k.png

Let the excuses begin.

35 MPH road in Georgia. Attempting to make a right hand turn. Vehicle was struck behind them for several minutes.

https://i.imgur.com/QMtNuaP.png

Let the excuses begin.

35 MPH road in Alabama. Attempting to transit the STOP sign. Vehicle was struck behind them for several minutes.

https://i.imgur.com/GkFC63q.png

Why do people keep using the word "struck"?

Don't you both mean "stuck"?

The pickup at least is happy to share the generous bike lane.

How it feels when I see other people using public roadways ahead of me:

https://cogpunksteamscribe.wordpress...mes-tissot.jpg

In that case, you should be careful to have about your person at all times a handkerchief scented with eau de cologne.