Gave up on bike commuting
 

I've been pretty hardcore about bike commuting over the past two years. Rain or shine, snow or summer, had no issue riding 55 miles round trip 5 days a week when I worked in another city.

I wear my high viz helmet every ride. I use two 60 lumen tail lights, one strobe one steady. Two headlights, 750 lumens steady 200 lumens strobe. Every article of clothing I wear is neon orange or neon yellow, and has reflective decals. I use reflective ankle straps. I signal every turn and lane change, respect all stop signs and traffic lights, and try to avoid confrontations in general.

At my last job I even added 7 miles to my commute each way to try to make my route as safe as possible, utilizing bike lanes and low speed limit roads as best as my city allows me to.

Recently I gave it up.

The drivers here are really antagonistic towards cyclists, which is my main issue. Its incredibly rare for me to be able to go a single 10 mile commute without feeling like my life is in danger. Every single day I would get multiple passes with only 8 to 12 inches of clearance. I'd have people ride my rear wheel and lay o the horn instead of using the next lane over. I have people throw things at me. Cut me off intentionally so I have to slam on my brakes.

I report every blatant infraction I film on my go pro to the police. After doing that for two years I have yet to hear about anything being done with those videos, and I've never even received a response back.

The worst part is I got hit by a car a few months ago. Completely their fault. I had all my bright lights on, was in the far right lane in a reasonable position laterally, straight line, totally predictable. Got the whole thing on video with my go pro. Well, I've got a stack of medical bills 3 inches thick, combined over 15,000$. Got a 1000$ road bike completely demolished. Been in the talks with his insurance company since the accident with nothing to show for it. In the meantime my credit is getting ****ed and I had to buy a new bike out of pocket (That I plan to sell).

Its sad feeling like I have to give up something I love, but I genuinely feel that is my only option until I can move. I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to be in another accident with how recklessly people drive around here. Being a father I don't think its a responsible decision to put my enjoyment over my safety.

Kind of ironic. I got a screaming deal on my CF road bike because the guy I bought it from was a father in my same situation. He sold his road bikes and kept his mountain bikes. I think I'm going down the same road :/

Sounds frustrating. You probably should take a break from bicycling for awhile, at least on public roads.

I believe the hostility toward cyclists in a region can be changed, but it takes a long, consistent and concerted effort from many participants to make that change happen.

I used to cycle commute daily in Southern California and the Washington DC area in the 1970s-early '80s when I was in the Navy, and planned to continue doing so in Texas when I returned home. But that changed pretty quickly. The hostility toward cyclists came way too close to murderous aggression and I gave it up within a month. I didn't resume cycling again -- at all -- for about 30 years.

By the time I got back into it other cyclists had worked hard and consistently for decades to affect a positive, constructive change in attitudes. There are many cycling clubs throughout Texas, particularly in the D/FW area. Lots of cycling events for all kinds of riders. Our mayor of Fort Worth is a fitness buff and avid cyclist and proponent of cycling infrastructure (probably the single attribute most often criticized by her political opponents, who sound desperate to find something, anything, to criticize no matter how silly). And she continues cycling despite a fairly serious cycling accident and injury a few years ago.

So by the time I reconnected with cycling I was literally riding on the backs of hundreds of other folks who'd made the area among the most cycling-friendly places I've lived.

While it might be best for your own peace of mind to take a break from cycle commuting, perhaps you could join other like minded folks in your area in an effort to make your city safer and more friendly for cyclists. But expect a long effort. This stuff doesn't happen quickly, and there will be setbacks and opposition from negative ninnies on news comment sections online.

I was telling my son about a fellow biker who says he was taunted and then actually beat up by a motorist. He still has more surgeries, but continues to ride. He has also had bottles through at him.

This fellow is such a gentleman and hard to think he has remained so with such treatment. My son and I came to the conclusion that some people are just mean. Perhaps they are on drugs or need a prescription, I do not know. It sad, but it seems that rage is the reaction for some when someone dares to slow them down.

Bad times sorry you had to stop such a clean healthy way of life. Crank els advice
Gets my second.

That's really rough, OP. Where in the world do you live? It's pretty tough to imagine. I'm sorry to hear...

approx what town/state?

Hats Off to you. 275 miles per week, 4 season commuting is very impressive. Have you ever taken a cycling safety class? I'm not suggesting you did anything wrong but when I took a class called Cycling Savvy, I was surprised how much safer I could ride. Much of the techniques are counter intuitive. Regarding your accident, you should get a lawyer who specializes in Bike law and don't sell your bike yet.

wow, that's a rough story.

it's too bad that you live in such a bicycle-hostile environment that you feel you have to give up an activity that you would otherwise greatly enjoy.

i guess i'm quite lucky that i don't have to deal with such daunting challenges when it comes to bike commuting simply due to where i live and ride.

and as others have said, GET A LAWYER. don't try to fight someone else's insurance company on your own. they will dick you around for eternity.


also, 55 miles per day, 5 days a week is crazy impressive. from one father to another, how the hell did you find the time for that?

Are there any other cyclists in the area? Do they have similar frustrations? Maybe tracking down a group or something could help somehow. Or at least give you another way to get some rides in even if commuting doesn't work.

That stinks. I feel very fortunate to live and work where bikes are common and well supported and there are lots of MUPs. If I were riding on arteries without bike lanes everywhere, I think I wouldn't.

Sorry to hear about your issue and that you find it bad enough to give up. I wont speak to anything you did, didn't do, or could have done, since I'm not in your shoes.

However, you had a car crash with injuries and are facing hospital bills. This is a clear case for hiring an attorney, because it's serious $$$$ stakes.

Also, if you happen to own an insured car, you can also process the claim through your own insurance, which (in most states) is obligated to cover your injuries and treatment, and represent you in any other damage claims against the other driver.

So, my advice. Purdue your claims aggressively, then recover, then take your time before making any life decisions.

Unless he can get one for free or very low cost, such as through a legal aid society, that $15K + the value of the bike is going to disappear pretty quickly. A better approach might be to see what the "small claims court" jurisdictional limit is. If damages are below that limit, it might be worth pursing the claim on his own after giving the insurance company an ultimatum.


Many years ago I got hit by a cab while commuting. I am a lawyer. When the cab's insurance company tried to dick me around over the repairs to my bike (only a few hundred dollars), I told them they had better deliver the check within X number of days or I would take them to small claims court. I also told them that they better hope I don't develop some soft tissue pain in my back. They put the check through my mail slot the next day with a release for me to sign, which I never did sign. The poetic justice of it all was that the check was delivered by...wait for it...a bike courier.

Hire a lawyer. I highly recommend Bike Law.

Sorry to hear about your situation. When I hear stories like yours, it makes me realize how lucky I have it. I've been bike commuting for nearly 10 years, riding more than 40,000 miles, and never had a serious problem. Drivers seldom honk or yell at me and are just as likely to wave or say something nice at a traffic light.

I second the questions from others -- where do you live? It really SUCKS that you're treated like this.

I personally CAN'T ride road bikes, I require suspension. There are times of the year when I take to main roads, but my town has made that unnecessary. There's little foot traffic here, so sidewalks ARE a viable option -- and I haven't seen 20 mph in a year and a half, likely never again.

Over the last decade, our pro-cycling mayor has made great strides in making the town more bike-friendly. It used to be JUST LIKE your experience; now, the only "buzzers" I encounter are immigrant drivers.

I'm concerned on two levels -- I HATE seeing anyone drop riding, but I also hate endangerment. All the best to you, bud. Hope you get back to pedaling soon.

I agree that hiring a lawyer can quickly eat in to a possible award, sometimes to the extent that one is thrown for a loss. OTOH very few states have small claims limits high enough for that to be a better option.

But, there are plenty of lawyers who specialize in these kinds of cases and most, if not all, will give an initial consult for free. So, whatever may turn out to be the smartest strategy, consulting a lawyer to get a sense of what's what is a good place to start.

Also, if the OP is facing $15,000 in medical expenses, after his medical insurance, then it's a sizable claim, and his medical insurer is an ally in wanting to move this from a medical claim to a liability claim against the driver, so it's a decent sized case and warrants being pursued as hard as possible.

all i know is that when i was hit by a bus with injuries and a totalled bike, i sure was glad that i hired a lawyer.

he worked 100% on contingency and was able to get the CTA to settle for $8,500. he took 1/3, or $2,800, for his efforts. medical bills took another $3,500, which left me with $2,200 to buy a new bike (the bike that was totalled was an old '90s MTB that was probably "worth" ~$200, but i had put a bunch of upgrades/customizations into it, making its replacement cost a fair bit more)

was it worth $2,200 dollars to get hit by a bus? hell no, but i sure was glad to have a lawyer on my side fighting for me to make sure i was fairly compensated for the trouble.

Man, some of the stories here are making ME want to quit cycommuting while I'm ahead!

I've only been commuting about five years. I am on Long Island, a NY City suburb, and my ~3-mile commute comprises a quiet "country" road, a busier 2X2 30mph road that leads to a high school, and a crossing at a very busy turnpike. In all that time, I have never had any type of run-in or near miss with a motorist, and just about every driver out here has at least two eyes on a smartphone and no eyes on the road at any given time.

I'm going to say this at the risk of insulting many cyclists (again), but my observation is that the cyclists who seem to be magnets for trouble are the ones who dress in flashy bike clothing and run all the stop signs and red lights. Drivers foam at the mouth when given the opportunity to screw with this kind of cyclist, if only because they are jealous.

I'm like a granny on my bike, usually dressed in khaki shorts, a black t-shirt, and white sneakers, making sure to follow all the traffic signals and signs, and communicating with smiles to all the cars I pull up beside. You'd think a 54-year-old dude riding a bike this way would have a target on his back, but I have never been harassed by the high schoolers driving or taking the bus to school and I have never had anyone shout something out their window, throw anything at me, or try to drive me off the road.

I'll ask again, SexyBiker, where y'all from????

Tom, I hear you

BUT

People, places, conditions and circumstances vary tremendously. Some people have the luxury or relatively short commutes on quite side roads, others have longer commutes and no option other than major corridors. Also the driver culture varies throughout the country. Here in the metro NYC area, we have drivers very used to sharing the road with bicyclists, and equally used to traffic delays. Elsewhere, folks aren't used to either cyclists or delays, never mind what they see as delays caused by cyclists.

There's no reason that one make make decisions about their own lives based on conditions others face in other places. You and I enjoy relatively bike friendly communities, and are comfortable with our own commutes, so I don't see why you open with the statement that the stories are making you reconsider.

Likewise there's no need to start stereotyping cyclists here within the bike community. Leave that to those who hate cyclists and want to justify their hatred.

True, but I actually assumed that drivers would be MORE accepting of cyclists outside of New York. At least that's what I see almost everywhere I travel.

If I knew how to use emojis, I'd have inserted some type of wink or something there. I was simply commenting that I am shocked by the experiences some of the posters recounted.

Definitely not stereotyping anybody, or not intending to, anyway. It's a fact that many cyclists wear flashy clothing and that many cyclists blow through traffic lights. Some cyclists do both. From speaking extensively with drivers who have remarked to me that they "despise those bicyclists on the road," I have gotten a good deal of insight into who "those bicyclists" are, and it almost always comes down to the ones who ignore the rules of the road. And in the physical description that ensues (the one that includes all the nasty and violent things they'd like to do to "those bicyclists"), there is always some mention of the yellow jerseys and the tight shiny pants. So my conclusion is that many drivers are irked by the behavior of many cyclists on the road and that (for some reason) the flamboyant clothing worn by many cyclists adds even more fuel to the fire.

I can tell you from personal experience that I have never had any problems with motorists, but that I hear from the same local roadies all the time that they "nearly had a fist fight" or "almost got pushed off the road" by a driver. These are ALWAYS the same guys I've seen fly through intersections against red lights and give drivers the finger when they honk. So I don't think I'm stereotyping and, truthfully, I'm getting tired of apologizing every time I use the word "roadie" or "lycra" ...or CHRISTMAS!!!!! (insert appropriate emoji here)

Have it your way on the question of stereotyping.

In any case, nobody (certainly not me) is asking for an apology.

This is a forum, you post what you think, I post what I think, others post what they think, and readers draw their own conclusions. No apology is needed for saying what you think. Not ever, IMO.

+1 on get a lawyer immediately. Insurance company is waiting for the 2 year cut off when you can no longer file against them.

If the police will not do anything with your videos, take all your old videos and all future videos and send them to the major auto insurance companies for your area. They will take a keen interest in raising the rates of the motorist in the videos.

Anyway, I'd be curious to know where the OP is from to have a better idea of that region's attitude toward cyclists. I just came from visiting my kids out in Palm Springs, CA and I commented to a local out there about all the painted bike lanes on the roadways. His response was "Yeah, that's how all the gay guys get around" -- and he said it as if anyone on the street in Palm Springs would concur. This idiot is a successful surgeon, so that goes to show how disdain for cyclists crosses all educational and economical boundaries.

Never mind disdain for cyclists, what about disdain for the gay community?! Do we live in the 21st century or the 19th?

I'm curious to know where the OP is as well. I'm thinking it can't possibly be in Canada or U.S.

I'm sorry to read of your plight, SC. It upsets me greatly to read about a cyclist being bullied off the streets by other road users. Sometimes we need to stand up for our rights and be more assertive in traffic. I get honks or yells every other ride, but almost no close passes or other truly dangerous behavior. No matter how upset some motorists get, virtually none actually want to hurt us. I too would like to know where it is you ride.