mcours2006

Generally, cyclists don't stop, hop on the curb, press the crossing button, and then wait to cross. Generally speaking, cyclists will stop at the light along with the traffic, and when light turns green, they proceed along with the cars.

What you are doing is crossing as a pedestrian. Nothing wrong, but you should dismount and walk your bike across, and you'd better be watching out for the right hook from cars going your way and cars from the right.

As for honking, well...
https://www.outsideonline.com/232678...our-mouth-shut

I don't necessarily agree with everything single thing he says, but he's so compelling that I am inclined to.

foothillbilly

I've been riding roads and streets for 50 years, mostly for transportation purposes and never with the kind of gear hobby riders use. There have always been some who respected me for my riding, quite a few who mistook me for a hobbyist (which annoys me), and a few negative people. Most people don't even pay attention. Nobody's opinion ever made my ride harder or easier or changed it in any way.

Jefferson House

I've been riding since I was 6, about 57 years. And didn't start driving until I was 20, didn't have a need to. Back then the big thing was 'stay out of the way of cars'. Not because 'they' owned the road or thought they did, but because they could KILL you.

Now it seems like most everyone here can't find a reason why riders aren't liked or just won't admit to knowing any. The fact that all the people who walk up and talk to you is irrelevant. If they've already have decided they don't like you they're not going to talk to you. Does anyone here go around stating friendly conversations with all the people they don't like? (Rhetorical and condescending)

Now I'm going to assume that most of the folks here are pretty nice and reasonable people, by far. But don't anyone waste there time telling me that you've 'never' had brake or swerve to avoid hitting an irresponsible rider when you were driving. Never seen anyone cutting lanes and risk getting hit when a car changes lanes. Never seen a rider come up on the blind side of a car as it's about to turn. Never seen a group of riders take up the highway. Never seen anyone pumping down the road with their head down.

NO NEVER, things like that don't happen. All bike come with a halo, perfect behavior and total absolution of responsibility.

The sad thing here is that it only takes a few bad riders to make it hard on the rest of us. And disregarding how non riders feel, "forget about them they're clueless', is how you begin to become one of those jerks that makes it hard for everyone else.

Yes there are clueless drivers out there. There are also dangerous and deadly ones too. I've had drivers smile at me just before they tried to run me off the road or force me into oncoming traffic, on both bicycles and motorcycles. But that does not absolve us of our responsibility to ride courteously, cautiously, responsibly, safely and exercise some sense of survival. The latter being something I see very little these days.

Drivers may not have a GOOD reason to dislike us, but they do have their reasons.

Maelochs

Except there are a lot of lights which won't give you a signal because you either don't weigh enough, or aren't conductive enough to trigger the mechanism Your options then are to ride when you feel it is safe, against the red light, or to push the button.
And once you push the button the Traffic Light changes, not just eh walk/don't walk sign, so it would be foolish to stop being a vehicle and become a pedestrian while crossing ... you might not make it across, at several lights I encounter.

I have done two cross-country tours and I don’t care.

You’re no cyclist.

Oh, well, there you go then. I did my South/North tour with rat-traps and my West-East tour with flat pedals. I am Not a cyclist … as I suspected.

What a relief.

Maelochs

Ummm ... Dude, I DO own the road. You don't pay taxes?

Doge

Look at images from Internet search "people riding bikes" . Then search "cyclist"
One group all have cleats, the others mostly do not. The Internet knows.

Groundhog2

On "slow roads" (e.g. streets) I am universally met by smiling people implying approval and applause for my activity. My impression is that they feel bikers are out there earning points and getting the exercise they see as "good" for everyone. The only place I've seen or heard hints of disapproval/aggravation is on higher speed roads (where speed limits are 50 mph or more.) Some drivers there feel we are obstructions. Once in 10 years I've had someone lay on the horn passing me. Twenty or 30 times I've had teenagers (and mental juveniles regardless of age) yell out the window as they roar by, usually attempting to frighten me. A very few times I've had truckers hit the 'jake brakes' timed to scare me or purposely time the release of air from their air brakes. No major issues.

Maelochs

it is the internet in the red corner, weighing in at over one trillion porn sites, and in the blue corner, we have the notorious (Not a cyclist, a commuter" Jim-From-Not-Needham.

Jim from the land that fomented revolution says anyone who does a long enough tour is a cyclist. i agree with you, Mr. Doge, father-of-racer, i am not because i didn't wear cleats.

But i dispute the notion that the internet knows anything. Except porn.

livedarklions

Most riders and most drivers are actually pretty good and courteous. The big difference I see is that people generalize more from their bad experiences with bicyclists than they do with drivers No question sore thumbs stick out, but when a bike rider is acting as he/she should be, it probably doesn't even register on the driver at all. They just remember the jerk they almost hit.

Doge

I road 160-200 miles a day and was called a peddler and bike rider by several national news groups and commentators.
I had cleats, so I knew I was a cyclist. That and my 22mph average speed through TX :-)

mcours2006

Yes, I've done both. Generally, though, there is are cars waiting to cross either my way or the opposite, so I get the green.

Around here once that button is pressed it is assumed that it's a pedestrian crossing, and therefore the light is much longer, like well over 30 seconds. If it was just a car triggering the sensor the light it is much shorter, or as long as it takes for most/all of the traffic to make it through. Sometimes it is frustratingly short as I am approaching it and think there is a chance of making it...no.

BadGrandma

Don't know how to ride single file instead of echelon?

Witterings

As I'm sure everyone else appreciated it was meant from the context of they own the road and nobody else has the right to be there .... irrespective of whether those other users are paying the same taxes and as such have as much right as they do.

There's no excuse for total disregard for others irrespective of whether they're equal stakeholders or not .... especially when that complete disregard and reckless riding may cause serious injury or even death as per the 2 events I witnessed with a minute of each and and as below

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45154708

52telecaster

+100

52telecaster

+1000, although i have been called a marxist.

slowrevs

Good for you. You are part of a trend. However, spandex and lots of gear does not necessarily endear you to anyone, nor does it mean you are better off than those riding in casual attire. The crackheads on stolen bikes are pretty obvious to anyone.

In SoCal where I ride, cyclists are not generally viewed or treated negatively.

However, there is a trend among politicians and those in auto related businesses to knock cyclists and cycling as inferiors and as inferior modes of transportation because it cuts into sales tax revenues, sales and profits, respectively. Trends that will only continue as more people realize that cycling is an antidote to greenhouse gas emissions and as more baby boomers retire and learn the general benefits derived from cycling outweigh the seeming convenience of driving autos and trucks. Let alone the money saved from not carrying multiple unnecessary vehicles.

In Los Angeles, negative political response has gone so far as to close bike paths under the guise of "improving them" to force cyclists onto more dangerous streets and roads to reduce bicycle commuting.

jefnvk

And if the very basic definition makes no differentiation between someone who rides once a year to go get ice cream on half flat tires at the park two blocks away and someone who professionally races and rides 20,000 miles a year, I would also wonder how useful it is.

I don't think they are due any less respect, I just don't think they are what I would classify as a cyclist: someone who is on a bicycle because they care about the sport. Then again, it is hard for me to imagine someone racking up hundreds of miles a week on a bike unless they were somewhat passionate about it.

FWIW, even though she drives a car every single day I don't consider my wife a motorist. Yes, by the very basic definition, she is (before we get into that), but then again what good is the definition if it encompasses 95% of the population. A car is utility to her, nothing more, nothing less. She doesn't care about it past its utility. She does not advocate for anything involving it legally. She does not care for racing, modifying, tinkering with it. If it were totaled tomorrow, she would emotionlessly pick a new one and care nothing about the old. Calling her a motorist, at least to me, would imply she cares about the item in any way but for its utility and the transport it provides her. She does not.

Doge

Kinda, sorta related. This time of year in SoCal the weather is nice (65-75F) and riding the scooter is something I do each week. I get pretty much the same attitude. I rarely move to the front at a light. If I'm going 35 someone thinks I am in their way. I also get that feeling someone thinks I can't afford a car. If my helmet matched the scooter, well, they would know I was just doing it for fun.

The scooter is about the most expensive per mile thing traveled on in our house, 2nd to the bikes of course.

Doge

Its not. I find words and definition very useful. Road Bike, Gravel Bike, MTB Bike - tourist, etc. It just helps better define what it is. Grunts work too, but I prefer definition. I appreciate the art in choosing the most precise word/s using the least of them.

slowrevs

Neilswheel

I used to go to a high end grocery store just off of North and South drive in Houston. I used to ride my bike there. When I checked out I had a backpack that they would put my groceries in. The lady who owned the store thought it was cute. My parents were out of town once so I drove my father's Mercedes. I drove it to the grocery store and this time I got bags. Quizzically the owner followed me out. If you could have seen her expression it was priceless.

mcours2006

Though no one has actually stated it explicitly there seems to be an 'elitist' undertone to some of the posts, like I'm a cyclist and I don't want to be lumped in with the riff raffs who carry plastic grocery bags on their handlebars, and splitting hairs with labels and definitions. Pullllllease!

jon c. 

Single file is worse for drivers. You still can't pass unless the opposing lane is clear and on winding country roads the opportunities are limited. With a longer single file line you'd never have a chance to pass.

KraneXL

You say that like its a bad things.

Gresp15C

Nobody suggested absolving anybody of responsibility. That's a red herring.

Perhaps a good generalization would be that drivers dislike everybody else on the road. In fact, if you get drivers talking about other drivers, they will tell far more hair raising horror stories than they will tell about cyclists. Usually, the cyclist is blamed for getting in the way and putting themselves in danger. But car drivers are blamed for getting in the way and endangering everybody else on the road.

Here's a thought-experiment. When people talk about the inconveniences and dangerous behaviors that they've experienced while driving, keep track of how many of those stories involved bicycles, and how many involved motor vehicles.

In my view, what's worth talking about is when motorists have a dislike of cyclists that's disproportionate to the actual problems that occur. I believe this is actually relatively rare.