Fu*king Cyclists

[muted]

I dunno man, it's impossible to tell what is happening in the pic, what point you are making, or what kind of biker you are if you don't give all the details. Makes me wonder why we bother arguing on the internet about subject like this when each incident is so nuanced and subjective.

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

I dunno man, it's impossible to tell what is happening in the pic, what point you are making, or what kind of biker you are if you don't give all the details. Makes me wonder why we bother arguing on the internet about subject like this when each incident is so nuanced and subjective.

You want to look at the video and tell me if you can tell it's photoshopped because of the pixels? A driver decided, much like Old Goat, that a cyclist can never be out of the bike lane, and (after honking for a solid three seconds) passed within six inches of my handlebars to remind me of that fact, despite an open lane to his left and a car immediately in front of me/us, giving him no reason to pass. As I said, I was going the speed limit (you want my strava link showing me hitting 27 mph on the downhill?). There's no nuance here, just an asshole behind the wheel who thinks cars always come first and bikes can fuck right off. And yet people will debate whether it's the cyclist's fault because things are nuanced and subjective.

[SuccessfulRoach]

I dunno man, it's impossible to tell what is happening in the pic, what point you are making, or what kind of biker you are if you don't give all the details. Makes me wonder why we bother arguing on the internet about subject like this when each incident is so nuanced and subjective.

Use your eyes, you vole

[muted]

You didn't understand what I was trying to say with my last post, but that's OK. Let's move on and take a deep breath.

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

It must be amazing to never be wrong, and to always do things right.

[SuccessfulRoach]

It must be amazing to never be wrong, and to always do things right.

This is why I am so successful. Did you see my Lake Tahoe compound?

[old goat]

Sure, dumb shit happens on all roads, all day, every day. But automatically taking the cars/drivers-are-victims angle, constantly inconvenienced by the hegemony of entitled pedestrians and cyclists is laughable.
I mean, just the effort to whip out your phone and take this picture, apparently without digesting exactly what was happening strikes me as funny. "Just wait till the boys back at TGR see this..."

We have far greater things to worry about these days, don't we?

Gonna get a little Poly-Ass here, spritz some gas on the fire and say it's like the alt-right of transportation.

The picture is from the Sacramento Bee, accompanying an article about how they've added bike lanes on Freeport Blvd near McClatchy HS.
You guys are funny--you look at the picture and see all kinds of stuff that isn't there, make all sorts of inferences like how pissed and entitled the car drivers waiting for the kids to cross are when there's nothing to indicate that, making up reasons for the guy riding is bike down the yellow line (who doesn't look like one of the HS kids to me) to be there. Where did I say that the car drivers are victims? You infer that based on nothing I said, because all I said was that it was the middle of the block, no other commentary on the picture. Your inference tells us a lot more about you than it does about me.
Like I said before-- Rorschach test.
What you bike rider apologists (and yet again I feel I have to point out that I ride a bike a lot myself) don't realize is that those of us complaining about the entitled behavior of some cyclists are the good guys--we complain because we don't want to hurt anyone and because it can be stressful trying to avoid hitting people on bikes doing unpredictable and dangerous things. We complain about having to wait behind a cyclist blocking the road, but we wait. The people who pass too close, who run cyclists off the road, who hit them, who kill them aren't the people posting in this thread.

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

The people who pass too close, who run cyclists off the road, who hit them, who kill them aren't the people posting in this thread.

Your posts here show a fundamental misunderstanding of the rules of the road, and a perspective that says everyone should get out of your way. That's exactly the kind of person who passes too close or drives up to within a car length when a cyclist is "blocking" your road. As Muted would be fond of saying, maybe there's nuance and we should learn more about what kind of driver you are.

[stfu&gbtw]

Your posts here show a fundamental misunderstanding of the rules of the road, and a perspective that says everyone should get out of your way. That's exactly the kind of person who passes too close or drives up to within a car length when a cyclist is "blocking" your road. As Muted would be fond of saying, maybe there's nuance and we should learn more about what kind of driver you are.

This is the same sort of reasoning by which some feminists arrive at the conclusion that all men are rapists, and that a woman's behavior can have no legitimate effect on the likelihood of her becoming the victim of sexual assault.

[Dexter Rutecki]

Just saw a good one earlier today--another cyclist almost eating it (possibly for good). Going the wrong way on a one way side street, shoots out across Second Avenue (busy, 6 lane avenue) with oncoming traffic, a delivery truck misses the guy by inches and a bus pulls up short to avoid killing the dude.

This is why when I've come across their carcasses lying there in the past I just assume it was some stupid shit they tried to pull and finally got unlucky. Probably once a month I have to do something (slam on the brakes, swerve) to avoid killing another one.

[old goat]

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Oli...04&sk=70C6CD1A

Man who killed cyclists awaiting verdict. Meth involved.

[stfu&gbtw]

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Oli...04&sk=70C6CD1A

Man who killed cyclists awaiting medal presentation ceremony, Key to the City.

Fify...

[old goat]

Fify...

Figured I needed to throw some red meat in the other cage.

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

This is the same sort of reasoning by which some feminists arrive at the conclusion that all men are rapists, and that a woman's behavior can have no legitimate effect on the likelihood of her becoming the victim of sexual assault.

It's pretty clear you think both women and cyclists are asking for it.

[old goat]

Did the cyclist just make a left turn? Maybe the pedestrians were crossing against the light and he moved to give them space? Cyclists aren't obligate to be in a bike lane just because it exists though. I'm not sure what this photo "proves"... that someone might have inconvenienced a superior human in a car for a moment, maybe?

"I'm doing the world a favor riding my bike."

34 pages but it basically comes down to this.

[stfu&gbtw]

It's pretty clear you think both women and cyclists are asking for it.

Some certainly are. And it's incredibly out of touch with reality (not to mention dangerous) to suggest that people should pretend that the obvious link between behavior and risk doesn't exist. But if you choose to put yourself at risk because you enjoy feeling indignant about it, and look forward to one day blaming someone for something they did to you, by all means, feel free to do so.

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

Some certainly are. And it's incredibly out of touch with reality (not to mention dangerous) to suggest that people should pretend that the obvious link between behavior and risk doesn't exist. But if you choose to put yourself at risk because you enjoy feeling indignant about it, and look forward to one day blaming someone for something they did to you, by all means, feel free to do so.

Ah yes, the obvious link between following the rules of the road and certain death. And the petulant wish for drivers to slow the fuck down every once in a while, unbury yourself from watching porn on your phone, and not hit other people. The nerve.

[stfu&gbtw]

Ah yes, the obvious link between following the rules of the road and certain death. And the petulant wish for drivers to slow the fuck down every once in a while, unbury yourself from watching porn on your phone, and not hit other people. The nerve.

If you choose to ride your toy where people are driving, you put yourself at risk of injury. The idea that some measurable portion of the otherwise sane and sober drivers in the country are uniquely inclined to intentionally harm bicyclists is a fantasy your community retells among itself, to both claim victimhood, and to justify assholish behavior on your own part. The reality is that people driving cars hurt themselves, each other, and innocent bystanders every single day without any special inclination to do so. Choosing to ride a bicycle among them is a pretty dumb idea in any instance, let alone for recreation, on roads that have limited lines of sight, and limited shoulder room. The insistence on putting yourself in harm's way, expecting the people around you to take responsibility for your safety, and citing your feelings of anxiety as justification for provocative behavior is childish, unreasonable, and in the end only serves to increase your own risk of injury or death. Claims about how we all have a right to the road are comically hypocritical. We should pick a week during which drivers will be allowed to intimidate bicyclists on roadways the way bicyclists intimidate pedestrians on bike paths...

No one is blameless in this, and few are intentionally responsible. If you want to reduce the risk of being hit by a car, ride where there are fewer cars. You can stand there with your hands on your spandex clad hips indignantly proclaiming how right you are as much as you want... Doesn't change the fact that riding on the road puts you at risk, and if you want to mitigate that risk, you should take responsibility for doing so.

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

Keep beating that dead horse. Driver stupidity is to be expected. Driver aggression isn't, but I guess we're in a brave new world of normalizing anti-social behavior and expecting everyone else to be cool with our externalities.

[stfu&gbtw]

Keep beating that dead horse. Driver stupidity is to be expected. But I guess we're in a brave new world of claiming victimhood every time we encounter inconsiderate behavior and expecting everyone else to adapt their behavior to our preferences.

Fify.

For what it's worth, if I spent more than about 10 seconds with my junk crammed into those stupid shorts, I'd be cranky too.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

As a long time bicycle commuter and recreational rider in the Bay Area and now here in central WA, I've had far more negative interactions with motorists as a motorist than I've ever had on my bike. I think many of the incidents that cyclists perceive as aggressive are just that, perceived aggression, there is no malicious intention. I also never understand cyclists who insist on riding main thoroughfares when there is almost always a safer and many times faster way to get anywhere.

[54-46]

Cyclists need to assume the drivers are inattentive at best. Doesn't matter who is right; the cyclist will get hurt. Take care out there.

[PowderHorse]

5th cyclist in Boulder County was killed today. Between shitty drivers, peds, bikes, skateboarders, etc, Boulder is like a fucking video game trying to get points for not killing people. Sucks.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_30616595

[ex-powderbroker]

This was an interesting sidebar, 3/5 of the drivers involved are up on charges. I wonder what it looks like for injuries.



Boulder County cyclist deaths

Five bicyclists have been fatally struck by vehicles in Boulder County this year.

May 20: Peyton Knowlton, 8, was hit and killed by a 20-year-old driver while she rode her bicycle at the intersection of 17th Avenue and Alpine Street in Longmont. Kyle Kenneth Couch, 20, is charged with vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of marijuana in connection with the fatal crash. He is due in court Jan. 13 to be arraigned.

June 21: Shane Swope, 46, died a day after being involved in a collision with a pickup truck on 17th Avenue near Gay Street in Longmont. Felipe Peralta-Alvarez, 24, pleaded not guilty to charges of careless driving resulting in death and driving without a valid driver's license in connection with the fatal crash. He is due in court Jan. 31.

June 25: Bill Davis, 35, was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver in a hit-and-run while he was cycling on Jay Road near 30th Street in unincorporated Boulder County. Callie Kuhasz, 24, pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular homicide, DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and weaving. She is scheduled to stand trial in April.

Aug. 7: Michelle Walters, 34, an Ironman Boulder competitor, was struck and killed on U.S. 36 north of Broadway during the race. The Colorado State Patrol determined that Walters swerved out of the race lane and into traffic.

Nov. 30: A man in his 60s was struck and killed by a semitrailer at 28th Street and Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder during evening rush hour. The crash is under investigation.

[Art Shirk]

Provided without comment