HenryL

I have had my share of encounters with bad drivers but yesterday the tides changed.

1. tight 2 land road with car stopped on right (4 ways flashing), tough to get around, 18 wheeler tapped horn, pointed for me to proceed and held traffic behind him until I cleared waved as he went by.

2. Me in left hand turn lane at red, opposing traffic in right hand turn lane preparing to proceed, holds traffic after light changes to allow me to proceed.

3. Hammering over a bridge with no shoulder (short steep climb over RR tracks) both lanes held behind me for the 20 seconds it took, drivers smiled and gave me a thumbs up for clearing the bridge at 25 MPH.

I guess they aren't all bad

Flimflam

I chatted with a trucker last weekend, he was saying the same thing as I - he just likes to keep that momentum going - he seemed to get the plight of a cyclist. There are a good number of courteous/gracious drivers out there too, it's all too bad we see the asshats more than we do the good guys. I guess they feel we're inferior on our human powered devices and it's easier to attack the lesser-ones.

Good for you, and nice work on the bridge

acroy

good stories. the majority of drivers just want to get where they're going and owe us no ill-will... a few of them are nice,like your encounters, and a few are jerks. The jerks poison it for all of them, unfortunatly.
Cheers

lil brown bat

Not so much -- a jerk is a jerk to anyone else on "their" road, whether a motorist, motorcyclist, biker or pedestrian.

Elusor

from Toronto,

is this. they compatible to commuter cyclist
they has very much program too today
they bike site incorporated to city municipal records and websites1

very good then in toronto

in toronto they has giant bike for 20 cyclists today even at event the poeple arrive to big bike event today driving their cars! hee hee so you understand

even professionals do it

Bill Kapaun

It seems to me, at least in my "burb", that more drivers are becoming aware of bikes and are realizing they are a fact of life. Thus, greater acceptance.
Since the weather has turned nice, I think I'm seeing probably 40-50% more bikes on the road than a year ago. Probably due to gas prices, which are about $.40-.50/gal. more than a year ago.
You're always going to have some jerks, no matter what they "ride".

CliftonGK1

When my company team was riding the Tour de Cure a couple weeks ago, a guy pulled up next to us at a stop sign and asked if we were racing. Then he asked how far we were going; and we told him 44 miles. He looked at us like we were crazy and said "I wouldn't even drive that far. You guys have a safe ride."


Earlier in the spring, I stopped and gave somebody a lift to the LBS. I was driving to my Friday afternoon meeting (the one day I can't bike in to work) and he was carrying his bike along the shoulder of the road. Looked like he flatted out and dinged his rim pretty bad.

CBBaron

I always appreciate when vehicles follow the rules of the road, which is why cases like #2 actually annoy me. Sometimes it can be helpful if there is no turn lane and a line of traffic in the on coming lane but usually it just means and unpredictable situation to me.
Is he waiting for me or just slow off the line? If I go is someone going to pass on his right? Will he decide I'm not going to turn in front of him and go anyways?
Too many ways for thing to go wrong. I prefer to wait for an opening in traffic or a light change like I would in a car. I have this situation happen about every other week at an intersection with 2 lanes in each way but no turn lanes. This is very dangerous for me because traffic behind the "good samaritan" can pull to the left to pass him, possibly not seeing me. However I don't like sitting in a lane with the light green.
Craig

1ply

A couple of days ago, I was stuck following a lawnmower (tractor used to cut the grass in parks). He saw me in the mirror and actually before I got to him, he moved over to his left leaving 1/2 the right lane open for me to pass. Waved and smiled as I went by

cradduck

Friendlies are always appreciated on my ride to work. The people who purposefuly move a little bit to the left to give you more room than actually need, people who will stop and wait for you to pass before making their right hand turn (even though they could have just cut you off), people who will actually stop when they see you trying to fix a flat at the side of the road.

In reality there are perhaps several hundred good drivers for every one punkass.

kmcrawford111

I've been surprised of late, I've only just started regularly bike-commuting
to work and every time I've gone, I haven't had a single problem with any motorist. I did have one good situation where guy in a pickup couldn't pass me on the left because of oncoming traffic patiently waited behind me, and when he was able to pass waved as he did so. That was nice, and I waved back. It seems to me that people are finally waking up in the US and realizing how wasteful and irresponsible our lifestyles have been, unfortunately the actually doing something part seems to be lagging, but part of that I'm sure is that changing a system that has had so much momentum is a big ordeal that will take time. What I'm trying to do is set a good example ny being corteous to motorists, etc. Hopefully this way we'll get more people on bikes this way and less people zipping around with their cars. I have hope.

huhenio

I was one, still am

Driving back home from my bike trail commute, I spot roadie with two flat tires.

Lo and behold, I had my bike rack with me. Lo and behold, he happened to be the son of my wife's boss.

Lo and behold, we are both Argentinean nationals living in the US

lil brown bat

I must say, I get a great many more friendlies than hostiles...and I do appreciate it, after reading some of the horror stories.

CastIron

I more than appreciate when I get some courtesy from drivers. Having said that, there seems to be a fair sized lot who take it far enough to come full circle and be a pain. All part of the adventure, I guess.

vulpes

+1 I've been commuting for about 3 months now and have encountered no animosity whatever. Most motorists give me a wider berth than is necessary, some have waved me on when they're waiting to turn across my path, etc., and I've had a few 'right on' sort of responses. One exception is that the MUP I use for about 3 miles of the commute crosses one busy intersection where a lot of cars traveling parallel to my course are turning right. The MUP crossing has a pedestrian crossing light on traffic signal which I always activate by pushing the button. Regardless, many of the right turning vehicles ignore it and turn right as soon as the light changes, even when I know they see me waiting to cross. A cyclist could get right hooked there pretty easily if he/she gave them the chance. I don't.

knobster

I rarely have any issues either. I do commute in a very country area on purpose though, so my exposure to motorists is limited. What I don't like seeing is people here commenting on how they chased down this "cager" and screamed at them because they honked at them. Makes it harder on the rest of us.

nightc1

Yeah that gets me as well. I just hope none of these psycho bicyclists live around here and have tainted a lot of the people I'm going to see during my commute which I'm gearing up for now.