Bike and Cars - share the road

[cmtbiz]

Last night I listened to this local radio station 101.5 NJ.  Their topic is about sharing the road between Bike and Cars.  Although the announcer D&D doesn't condone hurting cyclist, he is full of hate on the cyclist.  He is blaming that cycling are the problem to the road. He explained that some group or pack cyclist dont abide to traffic rules and so why do car drivers need to share the road with them. According to D&D, some cyclist are arrogant and they treath the car drivers when they are riding in groups. 

I guess this happens only to those Road Cyclist not the Touring individuals.  The Road cyclist tend to feel that they are elite and think they own the road. Probably they feel like they are Lance Armstrong.

In New Jersey, bicycles have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicles.
- ride on the right
- obey all signals
- travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded
- ride with traffic

My own experience, I also do seen a few that don't follow the traffic rules and they hit the red lights or crossing over moving vehicles and sometime will give you the finger salute if you honk your horn for their action. This is a big shame to those who give bad rep for us cyclist.

[adbirds]

Respect, eye contact, signaling intent, and high visibility go a long way.  There are a lot of crappy drivers on the road too, and while that is too bad we don't want to be part of a problem by flipping people off.  If you have to take the lane, then take it and be sure you are seen.   The radio guy just needs to be told; - don't be a hater. 

[johnsondasw]

Frankly, cmtbiz, I'm nopt sure from your post that I can determine the point of the post.  Are you supporting the radio announcer or not?  Are you, too, fed up with cyclists?  Are you a road biker yourself, and what do you really think of all this.

True, there are cyclists, especiall in the urban scene (I see this every time I ride in Seattle) who do not help our image.   We need to follow the rules and show respect for motorists.  However, there are lots of drivers who could learn to do the same.  They cut us off, too, and don't leave adequate space for bikes.

As a cyclist, I know I have to be extra cautious and defensive and take care of myself.  I don't stand a chance if I don't do everything I can to protect myself.  For me, that means being hyper alert and always keeping an eye in my mirror.  Also, we can't anticipate what a car is about to do.  Half the time (not an exaggeration) they don't signal for turns, and sometimes when they do, they don't turn or they turn the other direction.

So follow the rules of the road, wait your turn at intersections, and be safe!

[Pat Lamb]

I had a conversation with a nice lady at work last month.  She started off with, "Pat was that you I saw riding a bike on XXX yesterday?  OMG, that bicyclist was riding down the middle of the road, and then he turned left!"  I let her vent, and then responded with, "Susie, was that you I saw driving a car on YYY last night?  That person turned left from the right hand lane right in front of me!"

She laughed and walked off.

[cmtbiz]

No no no.. please dont get wrong.. I am not the supporter of the radio.  What I am trying to say is that the announcer is full of bull.  He just probably experienced this a few times but he made it a big issue.  What I am saying also that I hope that every cyclist in my town should follow the rules so that the true cyclist will not be painted with bad image. 

I just dont want to say or describe the type of people here.. but I guess you can guess who they are.. those people who ride their flimsy mountain bike, carrying 1 brown lunch bag in one hand and goes to work in the early morning.  They cut people off without thinking.   

True.. as there are many mindless car drivers too. 

Also what I heard is that there will be coming out a new product that can blast as loud as a car horn to catch the car drivers attention.

[cmtbiz]

I think its this one... it was mentioned by the same announcer D&D and he doesnt want to have that available in the market.  Why does he hates so much? lol

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lansey/loud-bicycle-car-horns-for-cyclists

[wouterdhoye]

A lot of the frustration comes of both drivers and cyclists not/hardly understanding eachother. I believe that a lot can be done by better educating both groups. The main rule should be to use common sense and being courteous to, and cautious of other road users, regardless of your rights. And that counts for every road user.

Now cycling is something that is still gaining a lot of popularity in the US where cars were (and still are) king for a vast amount of time. Many people are not used to bicycles and hardly know how to deal with them in traffic. For instance  people are often not aware of the suction effect when passing a cyclist at high speed. These are things that can be included in drivers eduction for the new drivers. But is harder to bring down to the older generation of drivers.

The same counts for cyclists. Over here in belgium (when i was young at least) cycling was an important chapter in elementary school. A lot of time was spent on riding skills and traffic law.

Now as a cyclist you should be aware that you are in a very weak position on the road. So act accordingly. And whatever happens, stay friendly, assume that people just make mistakes and don't mean you any harm.

Kind regards,

[cmtbiz]

I know.. I personally experienced that suction effect as a cyclist.  That's one of the reason that I am still scared of riding long distance on highways if there are no other options for bike lanes.  I personally drive slow passing a cyclist and if condition permits, I would go over half the other lane just to make sure not to get too close to the cyclist.  I am more afraid that I might kill/injure the cyclist than hitting head-on from on-coming cars. I agree that many car driver do not know how a cyclist ride on the road, they never experience that.  They also probably thinking why dont the cyclist go to the side when cars coming by from behind. We cant simply do that with the rough unpaved road or maybe worse with those no shoulder at all. 

[freightbike]

Rachel Maddow recently did a great piece on the definition of "Troll". What the radio guy is doing is getting his ratings up by inciting the demographic that listens to his station to call in and rant about some other group. We have the same issues here in MN.

[MNRider]

- Obey the law
- Practice courtesy and respect even when it is not returned
- Stay visible and signal your intent
- Realize that many non-cyclists aren't aware of cycling laws and practices and that there has been very little done to educate them in a civil and productive manner

It bothers me when riders fail to give right of way to those who legally should have it or are otherwise discourteous or rude. Not everyone does it, but it doesn't take many instances before everyone on two wheels gets a reputation by association. How we act does reflect on other riders and vice-versa so we should all be advocating for improved relationships with drivers and pedestrians beginning with conducting ourselves as civil and mature human beings.

In my ideal world, we'd all drive and ride like we had each other's backs instead of as if we were in each other's way.

[Bike Hermit]

I agree with the comments about being visible and predictable. Also, know the laws and ordinances where you are riding and try to follow them. IMO, most of the anti cyclist sentiment is caused by team strip wearing middle of road riding "racers" or by tight pants wearing tattooed hipster messenger wannnabes. I think drivers are more courteous when they see a relatively normally dressed individual on a  bike with racks and bags. Maybe that's just my bike touring snobbery shining through 

[wouterdhoye]

I actually agree with you.

as a tourer people consider you something as an adventurer; which many people have a lot of respect for. Alos you're a less common sight making you stand out more to begin with; so those two things combined might make motorists pay more attention to you and be more cautious.

the opposite happens too.; people who have a bad bias against those wannabe racers etc; are anyed by you even before you do anything wrong..

So perspective matters a lot. people will give little kids on their bike waay more room than adults,... many example where the mindset of the motorist plays a large role

kind regards,