"Cyclists are jerks"
 

Yep, another thread on the topic. I do most of my riding on the Eastern end of the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia, which is in a more populated area. It is used by walkers, cyclists, skaters, moms with strollers, folks with dogs, and children on wobbly bikes. I am appalled by the lack of concern and safety some bike riders show on the trail.

The tradition here is to announce "on your left" as you close in on slower traffic, then move to the left lane to pass. I've had many a pedestrian thank me as I went by. Just common courtesy, and safety.

That being said, I have seen cyclists blow by moms with strollers and dodge oncoming traffic without any warning to anyone.

This past week I was on a downhill roll with no one in sight. I took the time to adjust my left foot toe clip and was slowly drifting towards the center line when I heard the sizzle of a fast approaching race bike behind me. This tour pro wannabe blew by me like I was standing still with inches to spare.

After my calling out "thanks for the heads up" this guy actually braked and asked me what I said. I took the opportunity to explain the etiquette on a mix-use trail and he then proceeded to continue his training run.

I hate to think what would have happened if he had creasted a hill and encountered a child wobbling all over the place.

In his defense, his jersey suggested that he was from out of state so he didn't know the less used parts of the SCT are further West and more suited for hard riding.

Cyclists think most drivers are jerks on the road and a lot of people think cyclists are jerks because of a few entitled idiots.

End of rant...

Actually, I think the opposite. I think that about 98% of drivers are generally polite with bicyclists, sometimes to the point at which I'm not sure what they are doing. But which ones to I think about after I get home? It's the 2% that are jerks.
There's a lot of people who ride bicycles. That 2% of drivers who act like jerks - give them a bicycle and they are still self centered jerks. Probably about 2% of all bike riders.

Right.

Happened to me a few weekends ago. I was riding for a short time on a popular MUP. Some guy with 1% body fat and no hair buzzed me. The trail was wide, and there was no oncoming traffic. I called him something I can't repeat on this forum. From a self preservation standpoint, it's a dumb thing to do. I was not riding my road bike but rather my heavy-ass LHT with front and rear racks attached as I had been doing some dirt riding in preparation for a tour. I also had a good 40 lbs. on the dude. If I had suddenly swerved, he would have been the one to go down, not me.

Try Riding in a few other Countries, for a different experience..

No kidding, you'll get a different experience, depending where you go. Has anybody ever ridden in a 3rd World country?

Cyclists are in the middle, and should keep in mind that (many) pedestrians think about bicycles the same way (many) bicyclists think about motorists.

Following that logic, I try to show pedestrians the same courtesies I expect (or hope to receive) from motorists. That means no close passes, no passes at a high speed differential, and no demanding that anybody get out of my way.

Anytime I find myself thinking that pedestrians are interfering with my free use of the MUP, I know that it's time to find someplace to ride.

Retro, you are probably right about the 2 percent but they do a fine job of making us all look bad.

Part of the issue is perception of speed. 10 miles per hour is blazing to a pedestrian but is a snail's pace to a road cyclist on the trail.

Lol I think you may want to reread your post as you next statement invalidates this pretty conclusively. There are almost no places on the silver comet that don't have several hundred yards of visibility. If you need to make that much of an adjustment you should stop and use one of the many rest areas along the trail.

Wannabe riders on MUPs are not just jerks, they are dangerous to cyclists. These folks amaze me with their clogging the entire path and somehow cannot see a cyclist approaching. I've ended up yelling "HEY!!!!" just to squeek out a slivver of path to ride by.

Some Cyclist are jerks because some people are jerks. No difference. However I don't believe it's 2 percent if my math is correct it's 10 percent. Remembering cyclist are just people riding bikes, well one in every 10 is gonna give you flack. On the bright side, it's all perception. To some I'm a jerk especially when I'm being objective. And if you think there's nothing wrong with riding full speed on a mup and also not letting someone know you're passing on the left, my perception is you're a 10 percenter.

I approached a couple from behind on a nearby rail trail, and they were of course walking two abreast, taking up the entire width of the trail. At ~50ft, as I am moving along at a blistering 10mph, I give a single ring of the bell. The woman, who is walking on the right side of the path, directly in front of me, just stops. Doesn't turn her head, doesn't do anything other than stand fast. As both lanes are fully occupied, I swerve off of the trail to dodge some of the decorative plants, and emit a sort of "Uggghhhh" sound as I pass.

The gentleman then announces, somewhat loudly, "Should have rung the bell sooner!"

Another 50 feet down the path is one of those signs stating STAY TO RIGHT OF PATH, PASS ON LEFT.

But I'm sure that was somehow my fault, at least in that guy's mind.

Any cyclist that doesn't have a horn or a bell on there bike to warn people they are aproaching from behind is a bit if a nut case.

I also ride on the Silver Comet Trail (and the Beltline, which is even busier) and I'm one of those people who does not say "on your left" as I go by. Why? Because a significant percentage of people, upon hearing those words, turn left into my path! :eek:

Instead, I either give them a wide berth as I go by, or if the trail is congested, slow down until the speed differential is low enough to pass safely. For wobbly kids and dogs on long (or extendable) leashes I slow down and give a wide berth.

If you hear "on your left" from me it's because you're in a group of people stretched all the way across the damn trail, oblivious to everything, and I've been wobbling along behind you at 2 MPH, ringing my bell like a madman, trying to get your attention for the last thirty seconds so you'll move a couple of feet over! :mad:

These are the worst ones most of the time. The first rule of driving should be "be predictable." 99.999997% of drivers or cyclists will never hit anything if they can tell where it's going to be when they get to it. It's when some imbecile does something unpredictable, even when it's intended to be helpful, that wrecks happen.

I ride on the comet, too, and I'm also somewhat annoyed by the racer packs on there. Of course they have the right to be out there, but honestly if I were in half as good a shape as these guys and moving at those speeds, I'd be out riding on real roads with hills and getting in a solid training session. What kind of training are they really getting on 60+ miles of mostly flat trail?

I ride pretty slow on a Trek 7.5FX turned touring bike, and just try to enjoy the scenery. And I'm with mrchaotica about not calling "on your left" because people get startled and do irrational things. I just coast by people, nice and slow, giving plenty of room. Also, even though I live in Cobb county, I rarely ride on the Cobb section anymore. I'll usually drive out to Paulding County and park around the 20 mile mark, and then ride west. Not nearly so many moms with strollers. Adds significantly to the drive time, but I find it worth it if I'm going to be out there for a few hours.

Makes no difference. Almost every walker, runner or fellow cyclist I see on the MUP here has damn headphones on. I tapped a woman on the shoulder once because she was completely engrossed in her phone with her headphones on. She was walking and swerving like she was drunk. There was no safe side to pass on. Scared the hell out of her, but you know, be aware of your surroundings. Be aware that it is a MULTI USE PATH, for everyone.

I choose not to run a bell or a horn, but I also adjust my speed when I am approaching cyclists or pedestrians.

+1

Great, another 'on your left' thread.

What's the current view on waving?

Yes they are. But everyone here is an exception.

I've noticed that cycling seems to bring out more jerk-ass behaviour out of people then other types of activities...Take a cyclist off the bike and they act normal. Put them back on a bike and their personality transforms...Personally I feel more aggressive when riding a bike then when I drive and I am far more likely to cuss at somebody when I am cycling then when I am driving...When riding on an MUP you need to slow down, give other people plenty of room and use a bell instead of yelling some cycling jargon at people.

In saying this, you are being a jerk too.

I ride the SCT all the time but rarely east of Florence. The east end of the trail is super crowded. If a rider announced himself to every pedestrian and cyclists on the east end of the trail they would repeat "On your left, on your left, on your left" to the point of not being able to catch a breath.

An experienced cyclist gauges whom he is passing. You should be flattered that he thought you sophisticated enough that he didn't have to yell "on your left" to pass you, that he thought you would understand.

If you heard his freewheel then he was obviously coasting and not "blowing past" you. The sound of his freewheel should have been enough for an experienced cyclist.

Maybe he blew past you with inches to spare because you were drifting into his path. Clipless pedals and this whole thing never happened.


-Tim-

MUP cyclists are there because they don't have the skillset to ride in the roads - and with the availability of a MUP, they don't have to develop them.

The OP is talking about a 96 mile long MUP. Atlanta west well into Alabama.

I've seen NoComs on the Silver Comet Trail many times. This isn't an quarter mile long urban path. It goes through some very remote rural areas and is one of the nicest cycling resources in the country.

I use my MUP as a shortcut to get to the east/west roads. Where I live, there is an MUP .22 miles from my door. The road outside my complex is not cycling friendly and is completely out of the way. You should generalize less, and think more.