gerv 

Have you ever been in that situation, circling the neighborhood for a parking spot... the most frustrating thing I have ever done. No wonder there's so much road rage.

B. Carfree

My walk to two of my neighborhood grocery stores takes me past several brewpubs/bars/restaurants. My city allows these businesses to operate without providing any parking, so the cars just circle the neighborhood looking for a place to land. I have seen the same cars pass me three times on the same block in spite of the fact that there is an empty parking lot three blocks away next to one of the grocery stores.

I-Like-To-Bike

Ask the motorists backed up following relatively slow cyclist(s) "taking a lane" on a busy 40mph+ road (legal passing not safely possible) that has a little used parallel and adjacent bike lane; better yet a little used parallel and adjacent bike trail.

Roody

I have never seen that happen, but if I do I will be sure to flag down motorists to ask them what they thought of it. Personally, I will be happy to use a bike lane or path whenever there is one.

I-Like-To-Bike

I have in Philadelphia on the East River Drive (AKA Kelly Drive). Very narrow traffic lanes, very busy, 40mph, continually winding, no intersections, no traffic lights, no shoulder but a parallel off road paved bike path the entire length. Cyclists in full so-called "kit" arrive (often from the suburbs by car) to "train" on this road.

Roody

Were they breaking a local law or ordinance by training on that twice-named road? Did you flag them down and ask them to please pedal their bikes someplace else? Or is this just something you like to gripe about on the Internet?

I-Like-To-Bike

Was the driver breaking a local law or ordinance by holding up seven or eight other people in order to shorten his own walk to the store by 15 steps? If not, what was your gripe on this thread? Or is griping about motorists just something you like to do?

Roody

Why do the cyclists like to train on the particular road you mentioned? If they're driving there, they must prefer it for some reason over other roads that they could ride on. And they do have a right to use public roads, even if it pisses off motorists (and you).

wolfchild

Some people will do amazingly stupid things to shorten their walk .What I noticed a lot around my area is people parking along the fire route at the local grocery stores just to shorten their walk. It's not only illegal but it also makes is more difficult for other cars to pass because those idiots are blocking part of the lane. I love it when cops show up and start handing out tickets...BTW I completely agree with you about how a lot of "fully kitted" cyclists avoid bike lanes and ride in such a way that it makes it more difficult for cars to pass. That's why I am not a club rider and I don't want to be part of any such groups.

I-Like-To-Bike

Why? Probably because they are obnoxious a-holes who like to flaunt it. They are rolling f-yous to everybody else, including other cyclists. If you have never encountered the same, consider yourself lucky.

Partially legal since the City posted the road so that bike riding is illegal during morning and evening rush hours.

B. Carfree

Many times, bike lanes that look fine from the seat of a car and are fine for someone riding 10 mph with 45 mm tires are not safe for someone who is riding 27 mph on 21 mm tires. The same thing goes for lots of narrow shoulders and road edges. Sure, most folks who can ride at speeds above 20 mph tend to ride lots of miles and thus have found the virtues of cycling specific clothing outweigh the prospects of being criticized by the fashion police, but there's more to lane position than being a rolling obscene gesture.

I find it rather sad that so many folks who ride bikes insist that the only way to ride is the way they do it.

Artkansas 

Yeah, in my teens, a wise friend pointed out that it was quicker to park in the boonies and walk a little further than to spend time circling. There is no point in circling unless all the spots are taken.

Roody

And if all the spots are taken, drive home and ride your bike back.

I-Like-To-Bike

Yeah, life is a beech, eh? Ya know, even motorists sometimes have to slow down due to road conditions though they would like to drive a lot faster.
Sounds to me that some cyclists might need to reconsider the wisdom of cycling 27mph on 21mm tires if/when the local road conditions make it unsafe, or maybe, shudder, slow down to a safe speed for awhile.

B. Carfree

First you whine because the cyclists are riding too slowly. Then, when some of them take steps to increase their speed, you think they should change equipment, apparently to something you approve of, so that they go slowly again.

Before you obsess over the side path on the road you were referring to, I suggest that their route is unlikely to take them on roads that never require taking the lane. Would you prefer being behind a 10 mph cyclist or a 27 mph cyclist?

Again, I find it sad that some people think there is only one way to cycle.

I-Like-To-Bike

??

Roody

I'm sorry if you're sad, but you sound one-sided too, only on the other side of the issue. To the motorist going 55 mph, there really isn't much difference between a cyclist going 10 mph or 27 mph.

Artkansas 

And if Sam Whittingham passed them doing 56, they'd be just as mad.

I-Like-To-Bike

Correct! Even more so to the motorist who cannot go 55mph because that bicyclist is unnecessarily taking a lane and safe passing is not possible.

B. Carfree

Do try to keep up with what you have said.

I-Like-To-Bike

Who dat?

Artkansas 

Sam Whittingham set the the record for going 56.373 miles in an hour. He also had the ultimate speed record of 82.819mph until the Battle Mountain Speed Challenge this year, where they cracked 83mph.

I-Like-To-Bike

I know what I said.
See https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post16305719
All cyclists traveling at a speed far below the motorized traffic flow is relatively slow, including you on your 21mm tires at 27mph if on a busy 40mph+ road.

B. Carfree

Except that the road in question has a 40 mph speed limit. Thus there is a world of difference between a 27 mph cyclist and a 10 mph cyclist. Besides, the roads are not reserved for the exclusive use of motorists. They were our commons long before bikes and cars were invented and are a shared space where everyone has to wait their turn.

Also, the sad comments relate to the constant harping on what people are wearing, what type of bike they are riding and what their apparent purpose in riding is. What difference does it make whether someone chooses to wear lycra bibs with a chamois and a full-zipper jersey with pockets in the back and ride a 14 pound carbon wonder or whether that same person chooses to ride his thirty year old mountain bike in denim cut-offs and a T-shirt? It's time we stopped Balkanizing the all-too-small cycling community and stopped dissing each other.

I-Like-To-Bike

Are you on the wrong BF list? Harping about clothing, equipment, and purpose is seldom found on the LCF list. Maybe if you dig hard enough you might find a post or two like that but hardly enough to get into a sad funk about it.