Harassed Comments By Drivers?
 

I'm new at cycling at about 2 weeks now. I've noticed when doing long distances or even short ones within close by streets, Car users tend to make comments directly to me, is this normal? I just get paranoid because why would they take the effort and time to make rude, nasty or plain stupid comments so that I would react. What has users said to you and how often does this usually happen?
I'm curious because people have either laughed out the window directly at me, called me a s lut, slagging me off by saying keep going come on etc :(

This is sad to hear that you get this reaction from people. I started cycling in 2014 as a big, fat guy and was always worried about rude comments or nasty remarks, but all I ever heard was people saying stuff like "Looking good" or "Keep it up".

People can really suck sometimes. Don't give up!

if you've only been riding for 2 weeks, are you doing something to precipitate these comments...?

maybe you should examine your handling skills...riding predictably, obeying rules of the road, etc...

Sorry to hear about the verbal abuse, especially from a new cyclist. I've been commuting full time a few years now and experienced this only a few times (yelled at through a window.) I think they do it because there's a sense of anonymity, they can shout out from the safety of their vehicle. I've found that face-to-face, people are curious about going car-free if not a bit envious.

I ride on the pavements only, except when crossing the road obviously. I always wear cycle leggings with a long and baggy rain coat, both are black. So as you can see I gave no reason for them to even call me that.

You're lucky only a few times over the years, it seems like to me it happens quite frequently already. This hasn't put me off it just has me wondering why people feel the need to say such things, especially the really rude comment when I was wearing a long flowy rain coat then went down to my knees anyway which made me confused. Some others said about being envious but the thing is, these three encounters were all male and I own a pretty girly/chic bike so I don't understand how they could be jealous :/

Thanks for your comments I hate when they say stuff like that because for me it just makes me confused why they feel the need to even find the effort to rush to manually pull their window down to say anything :O

This is really an unfortunate problem that both pedestrians and cyclist have to deal with. There are a lot of people whom believe the car should have the right away and to heck with everyone else. You can blame many different things for this, society, the auto industry on pushing cars onto us or just the fact there are jerks in life that we all have to work with in one manner or another.

The best thing to do is to let it slide and you as the cyclist continue doing what you think is right and what makes you happy.

My Wife had a similar incident 18 years ago when she was riding to school (college). She has disliked riding bikes ever since, even if I'm with her, she just doesn't want to do it. Which I view as being sad.....she doesn't realize what she is really missing. Spending time with her husband doing something he loves is something she won't do. It's also sad that there is a $500 bike hanging in my garage not being used.

Not meaning to be critical here, but are you by any chance in the UK? You refer to 'pavements'; are you riding on what we in North America usually call the sidewalk, as opposed to on/in the street? If so, why? Is riding on the pavement/sidewalk legal in your area? It isn't in most jurisdictions here. That (if my assumptions are correct), along with some of your other comments certainly cast this in a slightly different light.

Yeah, I was always reluctant to ride my bike to and from my college's campus, I feel like it's exacerbated by being female because rarely have the comments been about cycling, they're generally something sexually suggestive if not outright explicit. Trying to work up the courage to take up cycling again now that I'm back in the U.S., after the bike-friendly culture of Germany I'm not sure I'm ready to encounter having comments about my hindquarters yelled at from the cab of two-ton pickups again... It definitely is discouraging, but I'm trying to not let that sort of behavior discourage me from doing something I love, as I don't think that there is actually any danger in most cases.

Welcome to the real world. There are a number of ******** out there, and this is what they think passes for a good time. They yell at you because they can, after all, what can you do about it.

Just tune them out, and recognize them as the proverbial empty barrels on wheels that they are, and go on with your day. Don't worry about them doing more than yelling, that's all they have.

BTW - try to maintain perspective. These jerks are the exception, and not the rule. Consider them in the same category as the broken glass and potholes that you encounter on the road.

Not so much jealous of my bike, although I've got some nice steel here, but the riding itself. There's a freedom to it. I'm out in the open, not riding around in a box looking out a window. I can park just about anywhere, go pedestrian on a whim.

I'm a 69 year old grey haired bearded guy and I was wearing baggy jeans and a T shirt and I had some guy yell "Hi" "Hi" and then wave and blow kisses at me.
I must really look sexy is all I can say so it must have been the bike?

I had a beer can thrown at me from a vehicle passing when I turned on a main road from the development in which I live. Since then i have not had major issues. People can be very rude, just shrug it off and keep riding!

Yeah, I love that, especially when it's followed with the "what, I'm just paying you a compliment" bull. Put some people behind a steel, glass, moving protective device and there's not much they won't yell out the window to anyone. There's a really funny post on ****** where people write about the weird comments they've gotten and things they've had thrown at them while running.

There's not much to do about that except ignore it and don't escalate. If possible, try to alter your route so you're not exposed to as many of them.

In a practical sense, you might want to look into altering your route if possible.

^This. Being a cyclist requires thick skin.

Welcome to being the most vulnerable person on the road, an area that brings out the worst in humanity.

am a kind of big, worked AS doorman at pubs! Ones there was a man in a car who was an aashole and stopped me, I got off me bike and was ready, 2 secunds later he went back in the car and drove away!!!
Loved it:roflmao2:

I had someone shout out a rear window of a car the other morning, "Hey, you look great in lime green." I said, "Thank you," and continued on my way. At least I know he could see me in my lime green jacket and bright lights.

Smile, say "HI" and wave --- they will start worrying that you know them......................

I actually get more rude comments yelled at me when WALKING the side of a road than when cycling the same. I'm an old skinny bald white guy. I don't get it

In my 3 years of commuting so far I have only a few incidents where drivers shouted something at me. This one time I was still in the bike lane (which are all over the place in my area, which are just the shoulders of the road really) waiting to make a left hand tunr to get across the street. The road was only 2 lane (no middle or I would have waited there for the turn). As I was waiting by looking both ways this guy passing by shouted "make sure your looking behind you" which just confused me as I was already doing that.
Others that seem to be the most popular are people that honk as they pass by, which have happened two times recently: 1) When I was waiting at a crosswalk for the light to change 2) the other was when I was riding down the sidewalk. Both of these were perfectly fine, I dont do stupid acts or anything to warrant these... idk its weird.

Actually I think we bicyclists ask for "some" of the harassment we receive by riding our bikes on roads that we have no business what so ever being on. Narrow curvy roads with no shoulder on them are extremely dangerous for both the biker and the car. The mentality that a bicyclist can ride on any road at any time he wants is pure stupitidiy. Flame away...

It happens, people are selfish sometimes. One day, I forgot my road helmet and had to wear my mtb helmet. It has a light attached to the top and I didn't take it off because I was out of time from looking for the road helmet.
About an hour into our group, this car with two men in it is cursing us all out as they pass us. When they got to me, I turned my head and as I was pointing to the helmet light, said "hi, wave for the camera"..... they sped off.
Now, I wear my GoPro on all rides and a few times, it was proven to provide some good info about the rides.

No need to flame. Sometimes the "pure stupitidiy" (I think you meant to write "pure stupidity"?) of a comment is quite self-evident.

So sorry my spelling is not up to your educational standards, never the less, the statement is true wether you agree or not.