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Message To An Idiot Bicyclist


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#1 tony

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Posted 30 August 2012 - 09:02 AM

To the grey-haired guy in the blue bike jersey riding a nice road bike who broke no less than 5 traffic laws in about 15 seconds around 7:50 am this morning at the intersection of Fargo and Montrose/Dean, how did you ever get to be that old? Before you got to the intersection (a 4-way stop), there were already five cars and two bicycles (carrying me and my five and seven-year-old sons) stopped or nearly stopped at all four legs of the intersection (as school was just about to start at St. John Notre Dame School). You proceeded to move from the right side of NB Fargo to the left around the two cars stopped in front of you (failing to signal, passing in an intersection and failure to yield at an intersection) and then rode diagonally through the intersection (failure to stop at a stop sign) and onto the wrong side of Fargo (riding on the wrong side of the road) and into the parking lot of the office building there. But you didn't stop there. Then you used the parking lot as a short cut to get onto WB Natoma Street, and proceeded to ride the wrong way in the bike lane. You are lucky that all the stopped motorists were focused on driving safely in the presence of my kids on bikes. Otherwise you probably would have ended up in the hospital.

I expect that kind of move from a 15-year-old on a bmx bike with his pants falling off (not to stereo-type, just to provide a contrast in age and expected maturity level), not from a clearly avid senior citizen cyclist. People like you are why so many motorists hate bicyclists. But, hey, thanks for making such a nice (bad) example of yourself; it was really easy for my boys to get the message of just how dangerous that kind of behavior is (although the message may have been clearer if one of those motorists would have hit you). Reminds me of a very good Bernstein Bears book in which Papa teaches his son to ride a bike by demonstrating all of the wrong ways. People, grow up!

#2 eVader

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Posted 30 August 2012 - 09:26 AM

i think his "son" (if he has one) is a burly, muscle man on a mtn bike. Give cyclists a bad rep.
Maybe they should move to the NYC or SF and become bike messengers like in the movies.

#3 Tulum Lover

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Posted 01 September 2012 - 03:50 PM

Tony ~ While I can't say it's the same man, I can tell you that many, many times I have seen an elderly man with grayish-white hair riding his bike up and down East Natoma with absolutely no regard to signals nor traffic!!! I have seen him cutting through the parking lot that you mentioned, the Circle K parking lot ~ cutting corners going into oncoming traffic ~ the guy rides like a moron!!!

I have been so furious with him at times because he startles me when he zips around corners ~ it would be just my luck to hit him ~ of course, then it would be my fault!!!

I wonder ~ can you report unsafe bike riding?

As you said, it's a wonder he's reached the age he has!!!

#4 Terry

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 03:23 PM

So this message is for the obnoxious bicycle rider at about 3:30 pm this evening who yelled "what the f*** is wrong with you?". Yes, I tapped (and yes, tapped!) my horn at you after you had run the stop sign at Lembi and Sibley, then went in and out of the bike lane, then the car lane on Sibley, and then you turned left on Bidwell again without stopping or even slowing down! I'll tell you "what the f*** is wrong" with me - you are exactly the idiot bicyclist type as previously and often complained about on this site. If you really don't understand what was "wrong" then you have absolutely no business riding a bike on city streets. You failed to yield to at least 4 vehicles just at Sibley and Bidwell, after you had failed to yield to me at Lembi and Sibley.

But if you still don't get it......just hope you have good health insurance.

#5 Folsom_Blues

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 04:39 PM

Yes, I tapped (and yes, tapped!) my horn at you after you had run the stop sign at Lembi and Sibley, then went in and out of the bike lane, then the car lane on Sibley, and then you turned left on Bidwell again without stopping or even slowing down!


In fairness, there are no bike lanes on Sibley. Not that that defends the actions.

I have had people yell at me to "Get in the bike lane!" on Sibley. To which I reply, "THERE AREN'T ANY!" But yes, we do need them and quickly. Lots of road rage on that street!

:footballhelmet:

#6 sat

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 04:51 PM

I have a question for cyclists. Maybe Tony can add his expertise.

This past weekend I had to travel back and forth on E. Natoma, going to Rodeo and Kuntz Parks for various sport activities. Several times, but two especially, I encountered groups of cyclists. These two groups of 20 or so cyclists rode in the bike lane, but were five wide. That meant cars had to slow down behind them, and wait for room to pass, which is difficult or impossible when it is a two-lane road. (This is the part between Blue Ravine and Rodeo Park). I just wondered why they could not cycle in single file, or at the most, two wide.

I'm all for them getting out and enjoying the wonderful weather, but it seems dangerous for them to insist on using road other than the bike lane. These two groups were the worst, but I encountered several smaller groups doing the same thing.

#7 chris v

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 07:09 PM

The bike lane isn't always the safest place for a cyclist to ride. Bicycles are 100% allowed to occupy the road if that is the case.

#8 sat

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 07:21 PM

The bike lane isn't always the safest place for a cyclist to ride. Bicycles are 100% allowed to occupy the road if that is the case.


I'm all for sharing the road. But when they ride five cyclists wide, and they can narrow it down, why wouldn't they? After all, it's compromising their safety more than a driver of a car. They are half in the bike lane, half in the traffic lane, so I think drivers get confused. Should I slow down and follow them, or try to pass when I think I have a chance? This was not an isolated incidence, it happened several times over the weekend.

#9 Redone

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 07:26 PM

Bicyclists are notorius for breaking traffic laws. Look at Empire Ranch road and Broadstone any time and you'll see bikes coming downhill 45 MPH and never stop at the 4 Way.

#10 mac_convert

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 09:12 PM

There was a bozo riding a recumbent bike today on Stewart and crossed Iron Point that was weaving between sides of the street. He had a flag to help drivers see him, but he'd better have good health insurance because he is even more dangerous than regular bike riders in my opinion.

#11 MrsTuffPaws

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 09:50 PM

A cyclist scared the crap out of me in the Intel parking lot the other morning. He was using the pedestrian crossing path in the middle of the lot in-between parked cars, but he was going so fast and didn't look for oncoming traffic, it really startled me!

#12 supermom

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 10:47 PM

The other day a cyclist came up from behind me ( he was in the bike lane) on Oak ave pkwy. He crossed directly infront of me before I got to the stoip light. He did not stop until he was 2 car legthns infront of the the white line- and actually in oncoming traffic on F-A. I came to a stop at the red and realized the significant danger of lots of people.

So I laid my hand on the horn, so that oncoming traffic coming dow n the hill might hear it. I kept my hand on the horn until my light turned green.

Can you believe the cyclist flipped me off?

I think I saved his life and he flips me off!!!! Whatever skin tight lycro dude in the blue "USA" outfit.

#13 tony

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 09:19 AM

I'm all for sharing the road. But when they ride five cyclists wide, and they can narrow it down, why wouldn't they? After all, it's compromising their safety more than a driver of a car. They are half in the bike lane, half in the traffic lane, so I think drivers get confused. Should I slow down and follow them, or try to pass when I think I have a chance? This was not an isolated incidence, it happened several times over the weekend.

This is why I avoid group rides; they foster bad cycling. There is no reason for them to ride five abreast if that is what they were doing. On E Natoma, which has reasonable bike lanes, cyclists should not be outside of the bike lane unless there is a specific hazard in the bike lane, although leaving the bike lane to pass another cyclist is perfectly legal, as long as it is safe to do so (20 of your friends on a group ride do not constitute a hazard to be bypassed).

Not to condone the stop sign running (clearly I don't, given that I started this thread), but as Folsom_Blues noted, Sibley (north of Glenn) does not have bike lanes; the striped shoulder on Sibley varies from about 15' wide to less than 0' (where potholes extend through the narrow shoulder into the lane a couple of places). Cyclist can legally and SHOULD ride in the middle of the lane on this stretch. I say SHOULD, because hugging the white line or riding on the 2' shoulder encourages drivers to try and squeeze by in the presence of oncoming traffic.

And, since I started this thread, I'm going to hi-jack it to highlight some more bad motorist behavior. To the woman in the silver Prius who was turning right from WB Blue Ravine to NB Folsom Boulevard at about 9 pm last night, you are a allowed to make a right turn on red AFTER STOPPING AT THE STOP LINE, which comes before the crosswalk. If you were wondering who was shining a very bright (600 lumens -- just bought it yesterday) light in your eyes and suggesting that you vacate the crosswalk, it was I. Fortunately for my 10 and 12-year-old sons who were riding in front of me (with appropriate lights and reflectors, of course), they are good enough bike drivers to know that motorists frequently do not stop to make right turns on red, saw you coming and stopped until you finally did. And what's the difference between the idiot woman -- no gender offense; just happened the idiot was a woman in this case -- and Supermom's idiot bicyclist? The difference is that if Supermom didn't see him and stop (and toot her horn), the idiot bicyclist might have been hurt or killed, whereas if my 10-year-old were not a better bike driver than most motorists, he might have been hurt or killed by the idiot motorist. But he is, so as is so often the case, instead of a "close call", he had an "incident", in which he was in control. It's called defensive driving (whether you're driving a car or a bike or a team of horses, or just walking across the street. It's just too bad that it's needed so often.

People, learn ho to drive (whatever you are driving)!

Bicyclists are notorius for breaking traffic laws. Look at Empire Ranch road and Broadstone any time and you'll see bikes coming downhill 45 MPH and never stop at the 4 Way.

Most bicyclists are motorists too. The bad ones do both poorly. Bicyclists certainly do not have a monopoly on bad behavior, motorists just focus on it because bicyclists are "different" and "get in their way".

#14 tony

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 09:39 AM

The other day a cyclist came up from behind me ( he was in the bike lane) on Oak ave pkwy. He crossed directly infront of me before I got to the stoip light. He did not stop until he was 2 car legthns infront of the the white line- and actually in oncoming traffic on F-A. I came to a stop at the red and realized the significant danger of lots of people.

So I laid my hand on the horn, so that oncoming traffic coming dow n the hill might hear it. I kept my hand on the horn until my light turned green.

Can you believe the cyclist flipped me off?

I think I saved his life and he flips me off!!!! Whatever skin tight lycro dude in the blue "USA" outfit.

While I would never flip anyone off, yes, I can believe he did. The horn is a lot like a sledge hammer. You sit behind someone on a bike and lay on the horn through an entire green phase and expect him not to react? How is he supposed to know what you are thinking? Frankly, how is anyone supposed to know why you are honking? last I checked, laying on the horn for extended periods of time is generally interpreted as anger, not an effort to direct traffic. If you were concerned that he was too far out into the intersection, you might have yelled that to him; otherwise, it's really his problem and honking isn't going to do much for oncoming cars besides confuse them. Oh, and are his clothes really relevant?

#15 (The Dude)

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 10:42 AM

Maybe those bad riders should wear looser pants because its obviously impacting their thinking with their brains located down there




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