[weimie]

I commute to work everday and ride at lunchtime and encounter at least 1 person walking/running everyday with their head up their arse not paying attention to what's going on around them. I ride alot of open space trails and paved connector paths on my commute and lunch ride and I see people almost get nailed everday because they are either walking/running on the wrong side of the path and a cyclist will come up to them on a blind corner or you let them know your going to pass on their left and they either stop and turn into you or you scare the bejezous out of them.

A few months ago, I came upon a lady walking towards me on a wood bridge. She wasn't paying attention and walking in the middle of the bridge. I saw her before she saw me and I was slowing down, but when she finally looked in my direction after hearing my tires on the bridge, she stopped put her hands to her face and screamed! I couldn't help but laugh and the cyclist behind her said to me as I was passing, loud enough for her to hear "You should have hit the dumb b&tch". That made me feel better.

Today, I was riding down a busy street in the bike lane when I see a kid (well teenager) waiting to cross the street. He looks in my direction, I assume he also see's me (my first mistake) and he waits for traffic to clear. When the cars are clear, he steps into the street....well I'm right there! I have to jam on my brakes, back tire starts to skid and when he hears my tire skid he stops and I swerve around him calling him a dumba$$ as I ride by.

What gives? I don't understand how some people can be so clueless

 

[loco-gringo]

Please note your location.

 

[weimie]

Yes, I live in Boulder and ride in Boulder and there are a lot of "spacey" people around here but people should be used to cyclist by now.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Now you know how drivers feel about cyclists.

 

[llkoolkeg]

You'd love Amsterdam. You get to watch stupid tourists get nearly creamed all day long when they step into the bike lanes or across the tram tracks.

 

[weimie]

Now you know how drivers feel about cyclists.

Good point. And I also see people riding that do stupid things. I'm amazed to see cyclist's who think they have the right of way at all times and don't obey stop signs or traffic lights.

Why can't we all just get along

 

[llkoolkeg]

Now you know how drivers feel about cyclists.

I wanted to kill this plushly-backed blond on a road bike yesterday. Here in Hunt Valley, the roadies tour the farmland in the middle of two lane country roads during rush hour like they own every bit of pavement within 10 miles of Oregon Ridge Park. This cushytush makes me miss two super-long stoplights in a row by refusing to edge over to the shoulder and let vehicles pass her on a 200 yard climb. Now I like watching curvy caboose twist as much as the next guy- probably more- but it was SO frustrating missing those lights solely because she refused to yield when it would have slowed her down not a bit to do so. It's the same thing as ornery dumbasses driving the speed limit in the overtaking lane for no other reason than to be speeding-patrol pricks.

 

[weimie]

I feel the same way about motorist's that cut me off turning into traffic because they are too uptight to wait a few seconds to let me pass.

Anyway, I thought it was illegal for cyclists to interfere traffic. And if a bike lane only justifies single file use then it's illegal to ride 2 abreast.

I think the problem is that most people don't know what the laws are (or choose to ignore them). Like at stop signs, cyclists need to yield the same way cars do and in bike lanes it's either single file or 2 abreast if the bike lane is big enough. And if you're walking on a bike path or something that you should stay to your right.

 

[sanjuro]

Now you know how drivers feel about cyclists.

I doubt that. I ride 99.9% of time in bike lanes and next to parked cars. The only cars which have a problem with me are idiots who have no clue that other vehicles exist.

 

[rooftest]

- but it was SO frustrating missing those lights solely because she refused to yield when it would have slowed her down not a bit to do so. It's the same thing as ornery dumbasses driving the speed limit in the overtaking lane for no other reason than to be speeding-patrol pricks.

What I've learned is that you have to make people go around you. If you don't, they just pass you dangerously close. If I ride 2 inches from the road's edge, that's when I start seeing bus mirrors going directly over my head. If I ride a foot & 1/2 in the lane, then everyone just goes around and gives me space.

This is when there's no bike lane, of course.

 

[sanjuro]

I think the bottom line with multi-use trails is being realistic about what speeds you can go.

On the one I ride, I usually do around 12mph in the more heavily travelled section, and around 20mph where there is no one around...

 

[corey_freerider]

It's the same thing as ornery dumbasses driving the speed limit in the overtaking lane for no other reason than to be speeding-patrol pricks.

/\ thats what always pisses me off.

 

[loco-gringo]

I doubt that. I ride 99.9% of time in bike lanes and next to parked cars. The only cars which have a problem with me are idiots who have no clue that other vehicles exist.

Those people are miserable to be around given any circumstance.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Slow down. Walk if necessary. Pedestrians have the right of way. Period.

 

[Jeronimo]

It's not about any particular user group being idiots, it's about idiots being in any particular user group. Unfortunately, idiots wear many different hats.

You should have run that screeching pedestrian over.

 

[Jeronimo]

Pedestrians have the right of way.

Not if they jump off of a curb in front of you.

 

[OGRipper]

I doubt that. I ride 99.9% of time in bike lanes and next to parked cars. The only cars which have a problem with me are idiots who have no clue that other vehicles exist.

Well you know what you're doing. I think Burley's comment is directed at the vast numbers of cyclists who do stupid things that can only be attributed to cluelessness or intentional assertion of their right s when there is no need to do so.

My favorite lately is how cyclists will sit at a red light and intentionally block someone trying to take a right on red, when all they have to do is move a little to the left. There's no reason for the block and it's infuriating if you're the one in the car. Come on, give people the same courtesy and accommodation you expect in return.

 

[weimie]

All I'm curious about is why so many people don't pay attention to cyclists....do they not see us?

Anyway, karma got back at me this morning for yelling at the kid. I got 2 flats on my morning commute today

 

[sanjuro]

Well you know what you're doing. I think Burley's comment is directed at the vast numbers of cyclists who do stupid things that can only be attributed to cluelessness or intentional assertion of their right s when there is no need to do so.

My favorite lately is how cyclists will sit at a red light and intentionally block someone trying to take a right on red, when all they have to do is move a little to the left. There's no reason for the block and it's infuriating if you're the one in the car. Come on, give people the same courtesy and accommodation you expect in return.

I'm guilty of that, mostly when cars drive in the bike lane without consideration of bikers...

 

[sanjuro]

All I'm curious about is why so many people don't pay attention to cyclists....do they not see us?

Of course not. What I like is pedestrians who act like the crosswalk is protected with invisible shields. One drunk driver would show them...

 

[SilentJ]

I'm guilty of that, mostly when cars drive in the bike lane without consideration of bikers...

What are these "bike lanes" you speak of?

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Not if they jump off of a curb in front of you.

I should know better than to argue with you, but the principle is that you are supposed to be in control of your vehicle at all times. If I have sufficient attention to pay to fools trying to car door me in the city, it's equally reasonable for me not to assume that pedestrians or any other movable object will behave predictably.

I took out one pedestrian in Boston while commuting - I regard the incident as my fault, not his.

 

[OGRipper]

I should know better than to argue with you, but the principle is that you are supposed to be in control of your vehicle at all times. If I have sufficient attention to pay to fools trying to car door me in the city, it's equally reasonable for me not to assume that pedestrians or any other movable object will behave predictably.

I took out one pedestrian in Boston while commuting - I regard the incident as my fault, not his.

Being in control and being able to stop instantly when someone steps in front of you are two different things. In a busy city, you would need to ride 2 miles an hour to live by what you are saying. The sidewalks are lined with people - if a pedestrian steps in front of you without looking a split second before you enter an intersection on a green light, traveling at a reasonable speed, there is sometimes nothing you can do. I hit a pedestrian in SF under this exact scenario and the cops agreed with me: The right of way does not entitle you to disregard reality.

 

[zedro]

i dunno, as a pedestrian i find bikes somehow dont readily fall into the field of vision, especially when you are so tuned-in to dodging cars. Bikes are silent, quick, manouverable....they are the hardest contigient on the roads to deal with. I know when you're riding, you become very acutely aware of your surroundings, your perception and vision becomes very deep. Now contrast that to the poor sap commuter getting off the filthy bus desperatly clinging to his double expresso to keep from lapsing into a post-workday coma...we just arent all on the same wavelength.

I could walk a block with my eyes closed and survive...it's doubtfull i could in any vehicle

 

[johnbryanpeters]

OGRipper: I agree. You can only do your best.

 

[zedro]

The right of way does not entitle you to disregard reality.

no, but just because the speed limit says you can go that fast, it doesnt mean its always safe to do so. You cannot expect people in a busy environment to be 100% aware of everything; there is an inherant expectation of safety in circumstance. If you are the one biker in a crowd of a hundred, you are the minority creating the disturbance and so should be exercising caution, not the other way around.

 

[Jeronimo]

All I'm curious about is why so many people don't pay attention to cyclists....do they not see us?

Oh, they see us, they just don't care.

 

[Jeronimo]

OGRipper: I agree. You can only do your best.

Yet, you were quick to not agree with me.

I actually feel sorry for anyone who stumbles into my path because they will get injured much worse than I do.

 

[eaterofdog]

I don't call them pedestrians, I call them the Undercarriage Inspection Team.

 

[OGRipper]

no, but just because the speed limit says you can go that fast, it doesnt mean its always safe to do so. You cannot expect people in a busy environment to be 100% aware of everything; there is an inherant expectation of safety in circumstance. If you are the one biker in a crowd of a hundred, you are the minority creating the disturbance and so should be exercising caution, not the other way around.

Come on. "The minority creating the disturbance"? I'm not talking about sprinting through a yellow light at Mach 10, I'm talking about approaching a clearly green light at a reasonable pace on a busy street where cars, buses, and taxis routinely blow lights while going way faster than the speed limit, not some outskirt where there is no traffic and a bike comes out of nowhere. Is the normal flow of traffic a disturbance to you? Sure there is a responsibility to be aware of what's happening in front of you and ride defensively, but there is only so much you can do if you are flowing at a normal speed.

As for expectations, saying a pedestrian can expect to be more safe in a busy city is kind of kooky. There should be LESS expectation of safety under those circumstances. In a busy city everyone should be MORE aware of their surroundings and be careful before stepping into the road. Otherwise, they will end up under a bus.

 

[dan wask]

I wanted to kill this plushly-backed blond on a road bike yesterday. Here in Hunt Valley, the roadies tour the farmland in the middle of two lane country roads during rush hour like they own every bit of pavement within 10 miles of Oregon Ridge Park. This cushytush makes me miss two super-long stoplights in a row by refusing to edge over to the shoulder and let vehicles pass her on a 200 yard climb. Now I like watching curvy caboose twist as much as the next guy- probably more- but it was SO frustrating missing those lights solely because she refused to yield when it would have slowed her down not a bit to do so. It's the same thing as ornery dumbasses driving the speed limit in the overtaking lane for no other reason than to be speeding-patrol pricks.

when was this ? I was on my way home from school that way the other day becuase the beltway sucked hardcore and I believe I saw the same butt on a bike.

 

[Tattooo]

Just do what I did at Nationals this year when some little clueless blonde thing walked into the middle of my race run.

Drop your shoulder, grit your teeth and make road kill. Little Baby Jesus, all 8 pound, 6 ounces of him, will forgive you.

 

[stoney]

I agree with both Zedro and OG, as Zedro says, YOU are the one responsible for yourself. That being said, the idiot walking into traffic blindly is responsible for themself. If he is too stupid, busy, or other to pay attention to surrounding traffic in a busy city, then Darwin will eventually catch up to them. In the case that Darwin is a cyclist, they should consider themselves lucky not to be a taxi hood ornament. How's that old saying go: Are you so willing to be right that you're dead right? Even if you *technically* have the right of way as a pedestrian, if you walk out into a busy intersection without looking, you are stupid.
I have leveled people when they blindly walk out into the street, not because I was out of control, but because they blindly walked into traffic. Flip-side, I have almost been leveled by cabs because I blindly walked into an intersection in which I had right of way.
Being in the right is great, but sometimes, common sense is of far more importance.

 

[zedro]

As for expectations, saying a pedestrian can expect to be more safe in a busy city is kind of kooky.

well i'm talking more about the psychology, he did ask what the hell was wrong with them.

If i'm walking downtown at lunch, it's 49% pedestrians, 49% cars and 2% bikes...my mind is not on bikes zipping along, especially since they are the least visible ones going at the same clip (or faster!) than cars. If i dip off the curb (ready to j-walk montreal style) to see whats around that parked car, i don't expect my head to be be ripped off by some guy needlessly splitting the inside lane. If its busy, you dont plow through as usual, it's as simple as that and applies to everyone.

But living in montreal, the pedestrian does rule the downtown roads, the bike is unfortunatly last on the food chain.

 

[chuffer]

having done my fair share of riding in urban settings (the hairiest was tokyo), all i can add is that as a rider you have develop super-human-jedi-ninja powers of reading everything around you. i actually used to get a good buzz out ripping around with my buds at mach 3 through tokyo traffic. that said, in retrospect, i got off really light in a couple of run-ins with taxis and delivery trucks.

nothing quite like the feel of time standing still as you perform a two wheeled skid into something that has suddenly appeared in front of you. time standing so still that you have time to analyze...there's gotta be a way out. right? no! left? no! through it? fagettaboutit! grit your teeth and tuck your chin. here comes the ground...close your eyes. bang!

 

[zedro]

i actually used to get a good buzz out ripping around with my buds at mach 3 through tokyo traffic.

yeah i love that rush too, especially out gunning cars (like a cheap and dirty DH-fix), but really it was the pollution that gets me; it was impossible to ride hard continuously.

 

[sanjuro]

The closest I came to getting hit as a pedestrian was a rainy evening, where I had my hood up. I looked briefly to my left before entering the crosswalk before some drunk dude on a cruiser called me an ahole because I was stepped in his way as he was about 10 feet from me. Apparently his POS bike (no lights either) had a problem stopping in the rain.

In my nonconfrontational manner, I told him to come back so I could show him the crosswalk, preferably with my foot on the back of his neck.

Normally, I am looking for any vehicle as I step into a crosswalk, and I move swiftly as well, so there are no surprises.

 

[sanjuro]

I wanted to kill this plushly-backed blond on a road bike yesterday. Here in Hunt Valley, the roadies tour the farmland in the middle of two lane country roads during rush hour like they own every bit of pavement within 10 miles of Oregon Ridge Park. This cushytush makes me miss two super-long stoplights in a row by refusing to edge over to the shoulder and let vehicles pass her on a 200 yard climb. Now I like watching curvy caboose twist as much as the next guy- probably more- but it was SO frustrating missing those lights solely because she refused to yield when it would have slowed her down not a bit to do so. It's the same thing as ornery dumbasses driving the speed limit in the overtaking lane for no other reason than to be speeding-patrol pricks.

When you write "yield", you wanted her to move over or to stop?