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rant
This morning i was abused by a cyclist in a yellow jersey.
I followed him across a main road to a dual-lane street (2-way street, each with 2 lanes) with parked cars. I noticed a lack of cars to my right, so filtered right to avoid the parked cars. The cyclist indicated the same intention after I filtered right, but as 1. there was a line of cars behind me, 2. he signalled immediately before he started filtering, I didn't have time to slow down and instead continued in the lane and passed him but left enough room for him to pass. He abused me anyway. This has highlighted to me several aspects of behaviour that are very prominent despite the good behaviour of many other cyclists. To this nob and other roadies/commuters like him, a number of things need to be set straight.
1. Understand some basic laws of physics.
Principle 1 - if you signal an action with inadequate time for me to respond, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO RESPOND IN TIME. I will instead have to do what i can considering the safety of the circumstances.
Principle 2 - and I cannot stress this enough, OBJECTS WITH GREATER MOMENTUM THAN YOU HAVE RIGHT OF WAY. Don't even try to argue with that, this whole principle is what caused the near meltdown of the Fukushima Dai-ichi.
Principle 3 - YOU ARE SMALLER THAN A CAR. Amazingly, this means drivers will treat you as if you were smaller than a car.
2. Understand some nuances of road rules. This is a dual-lane with parked cars, not a merging lane. Signalling an intention to filter into a lane does not automatically entitle you to do so. Not even if you are a cyclist.
3. Understand some basic psychology. I get it, you dont like to stop. Goes the same for the drivers too, believe it or not. So if you signal last-minute, even if I could, I'd be reluctant to let you in. Especially if you were a car. P.S. I let you in anyway, but just remember Physics Principle 3 above - and dont expect me to give you a whole car's breadth especially if there is oncoming traffic on my right.
4. Understand some basic facts of life. From Physics Principles 2 & 3 above it should be clear that no matter what your ideal of how road rules should apply, the fact of life is that you WILL be disadvantaged on the road. Arguing with this brings you a one-way ticket to the hospital, return if you're lucky. If you are coming up to a parked car with a stream of traffic apporaching on your right, here's an idea - maybe you should FARKING STOP.
5. Understand that you are an @$$hol3. By this I mean you have to have titanium gonads to be able to do this everyday, and you're tense with your guard always up. What this means is that you're strung up tighter than piano wire. So calm the F!@# down. It helps. It also means that you're not always the victim you like to make yourself out to be. Today you were the perpetrator.
6. Understand that some drivers are cyclists too. The line "cyclists are drivers too" is driven hard (no pun intended) when presenting arguments towards drivers. Nothing wrong with reinforcing that message, but YOU have to remember too that the opposite is sometimes also true. You should not automatically assume that all drivers are at odds with you, and abusing drivers puts you at risk of alienating those of us who support you. Us. You know what I mean.
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I like this post its, good....
I ride a lot and consider myself a safe rider and am intuitive as to what's going on around me. I thought your post was very well written and agree with you completely.
I always try to keep in mind that no matter how confident in traffic i may be, I'm still riding a tin bicycle in my underwear...
I really dislike this post. Reading your explanation it's clear there are two sides to the story, from his point of view you both had to merge into the right lane, and you pushed past. You probably would have waited your turn if it was a car.
Apart from that, and I obviously have no direct knowledge of what went on, your aggressive language reminds me of what I occasionally cop on my commute, when drivers perceive I have no right to ride my bike on the road. Take a chill pill and take your anger elsewhere, NobMob is a mountain bike site.
I think Pivot and I were both being fairly tongue in cheek so to speak....
... line, and sinker...
If the guy in the bike is coming up to a parked car, it doesn't take a lot to figure out he's going to come out and around it.
It is one of my pet hates that after I've moved into in the left lane after the last parked car out of courtesy to the drivers behind me, that some deadshit in a car is going to try to squeeze me when I need to move back.
Sometimes I think f#$% it, I'll just stay in the centre of the right lane and you can all wait, if that's how you're going to repay the favour.
So yes, there are two sides to it.
I'm a bit surprised to hear this coming from a fellow cyclist. Maybe he doesn't commute?
I'm siding with chicken-boy on this one. At the end of the day the cyclist hasn't just asked for the same rights as a car, he's demanded special rights and then abused someone when he didn't get them. As the person changing lanes the onus is on him to indicate with fair notice (something which is realistically pretty hard when on a bike), give way to traffic already in the lane and then change lanes safely. When you're the slower vehicle this can be difficult, which is exactly why buses are the only vehicle on the road that can take right of way when pulling out of the left lane. He can't just barge into the lane and expect the waters to part around him, it's a great way to shorten your lifespan if nothing else. funk-meister made space for him and still cops an ear-full, sounds like Mr FlouroVest is a dickwad to me.
We don't know how far away the parked cars were in this case, road width, relative speeds or how much notice was given so it's hard to sit on our couches and throw stones (even if it is fun sometimes). I know when I commute the scenario of coming onto parked cars is always dodgy, do you skim the parked cars and risk a door or stick yourself into the traffic and risk getting nailed by someone SMSing their mum? I certainly don't bet my skin that I'm going to have someone nicely give way to me.
Yes there are 2 sides, you heard mine but not his. It could be skewed in my favour for all you know. Way I see it, it was difficult to tell who was absolutely at fault. But that's half of what i'm getting at, and my post had more to do with the reaction of the cyclist than anything else.
1. As is rightly pointed out, the reality is that there are 2 sides to it. From the cyclist's perspective, I could have made a dangerous maneuver. From mine, I did what I could given the circumstances. As a driver, I am not always 100% right, but as a roadie/commuter, can you say with outright certainty that every encounter you will ever have leaves you entirely blameless?
2. What is the result of the encounter? I feel aggrieved because I feel the cyclist's abuse unjustified. I gave him no response. Yet if the "2 sides to the story" is upheld, the question is - why is it justified that he abuse me?
3. Following on from that - that's the point of keeping a cool head. It's got me out of scrapes with other drivers, who knows it may even have gotten me out of an unwanted altercation this morning.
4. Commuters / roadies are, like it or not, at a physical disadvantage on the road ("Tin bicycle in underwear"). To me, suggesting you take a stop behind a parked car instead of braving a line of traffic is plain common sense. Taking a driving analogy, I'd rather stop than pull in front of a bus that's bearing down on me. To many others, the same suggestion bears scorn - why is that?
5. The rest of the original points in the post were an attempt at addressing an attitude in THAT cyclist and similar roadie/commuters, that I thought may have given rise to his reaction. The overall point is to take a step back - you're not necessarily right in every situation, not every driver is intentionally trying to kill you, your concepts of when a driver should give way to you do not always accord with drivers, and maybe you should err on the side of caution, given the relative fragility. All words that pay lip service now, but I guarantee are easily forgotten by both driver and roadie/commuter alike.
Opinions of me (one way or another) based on the rant are expected, but are missing the point. What the tone of the post reminds you of is also irrelevant. So too are facts about me, or what I would have done if the roles were reversed, or if I would have let another car in (I couldn't have - there was no time). I will nevertheless indulge - No, I dont commute because I am far too afraid to. I am not trolling. This is part of my chill pill, the other guy managed to let off his steam at me. Yes it is a MTB site. (why- what's this? a scummer's section? you sly dog!)
Maybe this topic should be removed before something ugly gets said
Jerry - Jerry - Jerry - ...
Then I wouldn't need to get medieval on his ass.
What?
LOL!
The reason I ride a mountain bike (and participate in this forum) is because I just don't trust drivers. & I enjoy MTB'ing!
I always see drivers texting on their phones or putting makeup on while driving or etc etc. It freaks me out. I've already been hit once and I only 'commute' 2km from my place to the bush. Maybe this thread should be in a different forum.
Or, maybe I could start a rant about those pesky kangaroos that cut in front of me near the Morisset hospital. Almost taken me out twice now!
(P.S. On a + note. As a forum member for a little while now, I must say a HUGE thank you to the MTB community. I have had an absolute blast, met some great people, and learn a LOT about bike maintenance.)
Following on from my earlier post I should add that most (99%+) of the time, drivers are really good and quite considerate. It's just the occasional self-important prat that doesn't repay your courtesy.
For clarity: second sentence not at all aimed at you, funky.