::..bICYCLISTS in Iowa are p'ssin' me off BIGTIME..::

[hANNAbONE]

I'd like to know what YOUR state would do in this case.

 

Problem : We have many bicyclists who travel on the streets of Des Moines -

for fun and for getting to/from work.

It isn't really the number of them...

it's the way they act when behind the controls.

 

Our bikers seem to think that red stop signs or stop lights don't include them.

 

They seem to think that they are like "joggers" - that they can dart into and out of an intersection at their own whim.

Red Light-Schmed Light - I'm going is the nature of these riders.

 

[[ and they wonder why the other drivers are so pissed at them ]]

 

I'm pretty sure that because they are on a conveyance that puts them in harms way with other motorists on roadways,

that they would come under the same laws.

 

I have yet to see one ticketed.

 

Okay - enuf about me/&/Iowa -- what would your state do ?

[Jerry Johnston]

We've got some pretty bad drivers here in Spokane, WA. I'm betting they would just run over the bicyclist.

[Kitsap]

We've got some pretty bad drivers here in Spokane, WA. I'm betting they would just run over the bicyclist.

 

That sounds like something someone from the Ingrown Empire would do.

[philbytx]

Try riding the Texas Hill Country with the b$@t$rds !

Yeah, I know I am lumping them all together but who cares.....!

Instead of single file, they ride side by side or in groups on the narrower (nice and twistier!) roads. You come hacking around a corner and TaDa! There you see the ass of Mr. 50yo in hot pants, and his buddy, yakking side by side and taking up over half the lane! All this at a heady 5/10mph! Share the lane my arse!!

 

Ok Rant over......

[rad]

[ltljohn]

We get the same crap around here. Blocking traffic so the whole group can run the stop sign together, ignoring traffic signals and signs, riding 3 or 4 wide on narrow back roads at 5 mph. Everytime someone says anything about it they start whining about their right to use the road. They never want to discuss their responsibility to follow the rules of the road when using it though.

[rad]

I love bicycles, I love riding the Santa Cruz Mountains almost every day.

 

I find that those of us on bicycles can be just as gracious a road user as the cars and motorcycles that populate our highways and there are those of us who can be total jerks on our bicycles, just like their counterparts on motorcycles and in cars.

 

Do I jump double yellows and pass on my motorcycle….could be

Do I run stop signs on my bicycle….. could be

 

I am fit

I am great

share the road

 

[eddd]

bONE, I this post was going to be about you getting stuck behind this group.

[elkroeger]

...That sounds like something someone from the Ingrown Empire would do.

 

Hey, now. I resemble that remark!

[Kitsap]

...That sounds like something someone from the Ingrown Empire would do.

 

Hey, now. I resemble that remark!

 

Me too. I lived there for 9+ years and my oldest was born there.

 

My Spokane born neighbor used to refer to the place as I previously mentioned.

[motoguy128]

I hate those in cage. ALL of them are always yacking on the phone, not paying attention, running stop signs, cutting people off... blah, blah, blah.

 

Sound familiar. There are inconsiderate drivers, on 2 and 4 wheel with and without motors.

 

It's nothing new. Just the roads are more congested, and there more folks on bicycles these days.

 

Please don't lump all bicyclists together. I'm sure they don't lump all motorists together or all motorcycle riders together.

 

 

As a bicyclists myself, I will tell you that a large group of Harleys parading 10mph under the limit, is a lot harder to pass and get around than a pack of cyclists. And getting buzzed on a bicycle by a 5000lb pick-up or a pack of open pipe crusiers isn't a lot of fun either.

[Kitsap]

I didn't do any lumping as I usually cover around 60 miles a week minimum on the bicycle. But I can say that my bicycle riding buddies can't stand motorcycle riders that couldn't haul their fat butts up any incline without a motor between their legs, rev their damn loud pipes, and pass way too close. Just sayin..

 

They tolerate me because of my fine piece of german engineering that's nice and quiet.

[Jake]

bONE -

 

Just want you to know that we're doing our part down here in the Banana Republic. We just mow 'em down.

 

Florida Hates Bicyclists

[motoguy128]

I didn't do any lumping as I usually cover around 60 miles a week minimum on the bicycle. But I can say that my bicycle riding buddies can't stand motorcycle riders that couldn't haul their fat butts up any incline without a motor between their legs, rev their damn loud pipes, and pass way too close. Just sayin..

 

They tolerate me because of my fine piece of german engineering that's nice and quiet.

 

 

I get a good laugh when I'd able to pass them on a nice downhill turn or keep up with them with a little help from a tail wind. Once I roll past...every time I hear "blaaahht!!!"... hard on the gas to pull back ahead and get a lung full of unburnt fuel pouring our their unmuffled pipes.

[Knifemaker]

I LOVE ALL BICYCLE RIDERS.....

 

 

 

More gas for my bikes.....

[russell_bynum]

.

 

Okay - enuf about me/&/Iowa -- what would your state do ?

 

That's easy...

 

California would pass a $10 Billion dollar initiative to setup a self-esteem program to make sure the cyclists all felt good about themselves. The initiative would be funded by an additional 50 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. When that doesn't work, we'll pass an unfunded $28 Billion dollar initiative to increase the width of bike lanes (without increasing the overall width of the road), and put up "share the road" signs everywhere. The initiative will also include a "bikes for kids" program to provide bicycles (which retail for $3500 each but the State buys for the bargain price of $5500 each) to illegal immigrant children and other underprivledged youth.

[Limecreek]

California would pass a $10 Billion dollar initiative to setup a self-esteem program to make sure the cyclists all felt good about themselves. The initiative would be funded by an additional 50 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. When that doesn't work, we'll pass an unfunded $28 Billion dollar initiative to increase the width of bike lanes (without increasing the overall width of the road), and put up "share the road" signs everywhere. The initiative will also include a "bikes for kids" program to provide bicycles (which retail for $3500 each but the State buys for the bargain price of $5500 each) to illegal immigrant children and other underprivledged youth.

Holy crap Russell--I think it is time you moved back to TX. Be careful, you could get elected with that kind of thinking.

[onmyrt]

Here in Oklahoma, bicyclists are subject to the same laws as motorized vehicles.

But honestly, I have never heard of a single bicyclist being fined for running a stop sign or a red light.

 

So maybe it really boils down to a Law Enforcement issue.

 

I used to be an avid bicyclist. I commuted to work on a regular basis and considered it my right to be on the road alongside all of the other traffic.

Then I moved to Holland and spent 3 years riding on their amazing bicycle path network.

Not only are they completely separated from vehicle traffic, but they even have their own signal lights at intersections.

And in the winter time, the bike paths get de-iced before the roads do.

 

When I moved back to the States and began riding inches away from speeding vehicles again, it scared the crap out of me.

Add to that the increase in cell phone usage by cagers, and my days of riding in mixed company were over with.

It just wasn't worth the risk anymore.

 

I am now of the opinion that busy roadways without bicycle lanes are simply a recipe for disaster, and bicycle traffic should not be allowed.

And all new city and state road construction should allow a vote of the people to approve the extra money for bicycle lanes on each side of the road.

 

Those who say that bicycles have as much right to the roads as vehicles need to consider that the road system was created specifically for motorized vehicle traffic only.

[Dave39]

I love bicycles, I love riding the Santa Cruz Mountains almost every day.

 

I find that those of us on bicycles can be just as gracious a road user as the cars and motorcycles that populate our highways and there are those of us who can be total jerks on our bicycles, just like their counterparts on motorcycles and in cars.

 

Do I jump double yellows and pass on my motorcycle….could be

Do I run stop signs on my bicycle….. could be

 

I am fit

I am great

share the road

 

I guess we CA riders need to stick together. Sure, there are jerks out there on bikes, and I get irritated by them too because of the image they generate for the rest of us, but I think there is as least a similar, if not greater, percentage of obnoxious drivers out there endangering everyone on the road, speeding, texting, running red lights, and cutting off other drivers and two-wheelers. I guess bicyclists stand out more and draw the attention of motorists, especially if they are jerks, and maybe dangerous, rude drivers are more obvious to we vulnerable bike riders. A jerk is a jerk no matter what he's riding, but one on four wheels is one hell of a lot more dangerous than a jerk on two.

[Rinkydink]

I love the way they declare that they have the same rights as a cage but run stop signs and lights etc. When they ride 4-5 abreast on our curvy/hilly two lane roads refusing to go to single file...I wait until it is safe to pass, then pass them and severely slow down so thay have to brake and wait on me for a change....can't we all just get along?

[Lone_RT_rider]

California would pass a $10 Billion dollar initiative to setup a self-esteem program to make sure the cyclists all felt good about themselves. The initiative would be funded by an additional 50 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. When that doesn't work, we'll pass an unfunded $28 Billion dollar initiative to increase the width of bike lanes (without increasing the overall width of the road), and put up "share the road" signs everywhere. The initiative will also include a "bikes for kids" program to provide bicycles (which retail for $3500 each but the State buys for the bargain price of $5500 each) to illegal immigrant children and other underprivledged youth.

Holy crap Russell--I think it is time you moved back to TX. Be careful, you could get elected with that kind of thinking.

 

Yep, I keep wondering why he stays there.

[rad]

I love the way they declare that they have the same rights as a cage but run stop signs and lights etc. When they ride 4-5 abreast on our curvy/hilly two lane roads refusing to go to single file...I wait until it is safe to pass, then pass them and severely slow down so thay have to brake and wait on me for a change....can't we all just get along?

 

There a So Cal doctor who did that little trick, he did jail time for his stunt.

[Patallaire]

The truth of the matter is that unless the State has a law on the books bicyclists are afforded the same rights as a slow motorist. They have a right to the lane, they also have a right, like Harley riders, to ride two abreast. They do not have the right to dis-obey traffic laws, in fact two of my friends were ticketed, one for 56 mph in a 25 mph zone(Big Downhill) and the other for DUI, both on bicycles at the time. They should not be doing rolling stops or just running lights etc. no more than we should be doing 85 mph on Colorado roads, passing on the shoulder or weaving in and out of traffic. They do it, we do it. Be careful who throws the first stone.

[pbbeck]

.

 

Okay - enuf about me/&/Iowa -- what would your state do ?

 

That's easy...

 

California would pass a $10 Billion dollar initiative to setup a self-esteem program to m

ake sure the cyclists all felt good about themselves. The initiative would be funded by an additional 50 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. When that doesn't work, we'll pass an unfunded $28 Billion dollar initiative to increase the width of bike lanes (without increasing the overall width of the road), and put up "share the road" signs everywhere. The initiative will also include a "bikes for kids" program to provide bicycles (which retail for $3500 each but the State buys for the bargain price of $5500 each) to illegal immigrant children and other underprivledged youth.

 

How right you are. Long Beach Sharrows

[philbytx]

Pat,

 

FYI - A slow motorist can be given a ticket !

 

[tallman]

In Florida it is a problem because they get the same rights as a vehicle on the road, yet the same rights as a pedestrian in a crosswalk even if they are pedaling and going thewrong way on a street.

You can pull up look both ways, start to turn right on red (carefully checking back to your left for cars) and as you pull up a bicyclist riding the wrong way enters the crosswalk (at any rate of speed) and your car hits them.

You are at fault.

I think they should have to act like a conveyance when on the road.

They are supposed to stop at lights/signs/traffic control, but often don't.

 

I think if you're a "vehicle" drive on the correct side, obey traffic control.

If you want the rights of a pedestria, get off and walk the bike.

 

[Husker Red]

On my commute to work I have to take a very narrow 4 lane road. It probably used to be a wide 2 lane road that they squeezed into 4. There are often bikes on the road and passing them is very difficult because both lanes are crowded. The bikes gather a long parade of impatient drivers behind them. When the cars finally get around they usually get stuck at the next light (which they would have easily made if not stuck behind a bike.) Of course, then the bicycle passes all the stopped cars at the light (usually by illegally getting on the sidewalk and running the light) and the annoying parade starts all over again.

 

I support bicycle rights, but I wish more them would follow their own "Same road, same rules" mantra. They are a nuisance on the roadway.

 

 

[Boone60]

If I'm out on the road on my motorcycle or in the car and I see bicyclers moving through the traffic faster--I'm cheering them on for using their own power to beat the machines.

 

If the biker rolls the stop sign, it's not a big deal to me if there isn't any traffic to stop for anyway, and it's easier for the bike rider to keep moving.

 

If bikers are riding abreast, roll down your window and yell at them, "What's wrong with you? Ride single file!"

 

One Bike

One Less Car

[motoguy128]

On my commute to work I have to take a very narrow 4 lane road. It probably used to be a wide 2 lane road that they squeezed into 4. There are often bikes on the road and passing them is very difficult because both lanes are crowded. The bikes gather a long parade of impatient drivers behind them. When the cars finally get around they usually get stuck at the next light (which they would have easily made if not stuck behind a bike.) Of course, then the bicycle passes all the stopped cars at the light (usually by illegally getting on the sidewalk and running the light) and the annoying parade starts all over again.

 

I support bicycle rights, but I wish more them would follow their own "Same road, same rules" mantra. They are a nuisance on the roadway.

 

 

In your example, there are studies that show traffic will move more effceintly if the road was converted to 2 lanes, with a center turn lane and bicycle lanes on each side. They call it a "road diet". The assumption is that 4 lanes = hgher traffic volume. But unfortunately with narrow roads, bicycles and traffic turning, it's actually slower and the accident rate is 2-3 times higher.

 

 

Ya'll just need to move away from the city. I can go for a 40 miles bike ride and get passed by as few and 10 vehciles, which are easily able to move into the other lane to make a safe pass often without even slowing down below the 55mph speed limit on 2 lane rural roads. I follow all traffic signals... except one that uses a ground loop sensor. I treat it as a 2 way stop or wait for a car to pull up behind me. I do run stop signs in residential areas, but I do slwo down and only roll through if there are no vehciles approaching or in the intersection.

[motoguy128]

Ultimately, as motorcyclists, we'd be better off joning forcess as fellow minorities road users rather than fighting each other. Actually I find many motorcycles wave to me and I wave to most motorcycles passing the opposite way. I think both recognize we're out on the road enjoying a hobby... that has many similarities and share some of the same technology and development. After all, don't forget, motorcycles were orignially motorized bicycles. I actually find it a little disappointing that others on 2 wheels can't find some common ground and have so much hatred against one group.

[markgoodrich]

Try riding the Texas Hill Country with the b$@t$rds !

Yeah, I know I am lumping them all together but who cares.....!

Instead of single file, they ride side by side or in groups on the narrower (nice and twistier!) roads. You come hacking around a corner and TaDa! There you see the ass of Mr. 50yo in hot pants, and his buddy, yakking side by side and taking up over half the lane! All this at a heady 5/10mph! Share the lane my arse!!

 

Ok Rant over......

 

Uh, Phil? You're pretty far off base here. In Texas bicycles have all the same rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle. We can take up the entire lane on our motorcycles, our cars, our trucks, or our bicycles. In my experience, the very vast majority of bicyclists out in the country are courteous and move over. It's the other drivers that are discourteous to the bicyclists.

 

Always amusing to me how a standard comment has to do with cycling apparel. Like our ATTGATT, it's purposely designed for the activity. Try riding 40-50 miles in your shorts and undewear. You'll learn why the bicyclist wears those form-fitting pants.

[philbytx]

Pretty far off base ! Sorry Mr. 50yo in hot pants !!

 

Actually, my beef is with them doing the side by side 5/10mph sitting in the middle of the lane.....and I am also a cyclist BTW.

 

Ok...so these darn Austinites load up their SUV's with their bikes on a bike rack, drive miles and park up in the middle of the 3 Sisters and go do their "Iron man" thingy showing each other how bleedin' tough they are climbing hills and riding miles.

Just stick to the freakin' side of the road is all I ask.....

 

Rant over......(again )

 

 

 

 

[Kitsap]

As an avid cyclist I agree with you, the asshats that don't pull over when fellow riders yell "car back" realy piss me off. What's worse is when they flip the motorist the bird, not exactly the picture other riders like to see painted.

[RevRay]

Rant over......(again )

 

 

Ok I'll pick up where you left off. Four years ago I decide to dig out an old Schwinn from the early 80's,first generation mountain bike? not sure. Rode it to work six weeks later I bought a new Fugi hybird then I finailly settled on A Jamis Aurora a Touring bike fitted with fenders and rear rack to carry my lunch box/brief case along with a change of clothes. My daily commute just under 15 miles. I monitier my heart rate etc. Commuting and exercise at the same time, good thing. So along the way I joined a couple bicycle groups ie transportation alternatives. Joined in on a couple big events 5 boro tour, NYC century. Never have I had the pleasure of meeting a more radical bunch I liken them to Nazi, extremist Muslims trying to convert the transportation world to bicycle totalitarianism. I still ride to work everyday obey traffic signs when nesessary. Rejected said memberships. BTW I also feel the same about motorcyle runs that stop traffic for a cause. Just sayin

 

 

 

 

 

[philbytx]

Hi RevRay :wave

No disagreement from me there

[sgendler]

Those who say that bicycles have as much right to the roads as vehicles need to consider that the road system was created specifically for motorized vehicle traffic only.

 

Those who think this ought to consider that the first paved roads were created specifically for bicyclists in this country and it was the motorists who came along later and messed it all up.

[sgendler]

.

 

Okay - enuf about me/&/Iowa -- what would your state do ?

 

That's easy...

 

California would pass a $10 Billion dollar initiative to setup a self-esteem program to m

ake sure the cyclists all felt good about themselves. The initiative would be funded by an additional 50 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. When that doesn't work, we'll pass an unfunded $28 Billion dollar initiative to increase the width of bike lanes (without increasing the overall width of the road), and put up "share the road" signs everywhere. The initiative will also include a "bikes for kids" program to provide bicycles (which retail for $3500 each but the State buys for the bargain price of $5500 each) to illegal immigrant children and other underprivledged youth.

 

How right you are. Long Beach Sharrows

 

Sharrows are nothing particularly new. The green stripe is. I actually think the green stripe is a little confusin, as it does make the sharrow area feel a bit too much like a bike-exclusive lane. There are roads all over hollywood and the valley that just have the sharrow figure painted on them periodically and it definitely causes traffic to treat bicyclists much more politely. The visible reflection of the attitude that bicycles don't belong on the road goes entirely away. I like them and they are a very cheap mechanism for changing driver behaviour.

[philbytx]

Great. Now have a sticker for bicycles!!

That will pay for those that wanted them and use them......

[motoguy128]

Those who say that bicycles have as much right to the roads as vehicles need to consider that the road system was created specifically for motorized vehicle traffic only.

 

Those who think this ought to consider that the first paved roads were created specifically for bicyclists in this country and it was the motorists who came along later and messed it all up.

 

Not entirely correct. Many roads were laid out and designed only for automobiles in mind. Bicycles became a common from of transportation only a short time before horseless carriages and automobiles arrived. But they weren't really used for more than local transport or deliveries. Not promary transportation.

 

One could also say that in an old city with narrow roads, that the roads weren't deisnged for automobiles so only pedestrians, bicycles or horses and buggies will be allowed.

 

Ultimately we shouldn't place restrictions on motor traffic any more than we should bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

 

Yes they should follow the law. But at the same time motorists need to provide them with a certain amount of courtesy.

[Joe G]

I am appalled at this thread. I am appalled that someone who knows the joy of being on two wheels thinks it acceptable behavior to get in front of a bicyclist and then brake, or to "gas" them with exhaust or to yell at them from the safety of an automobile.

 

If you are in so much of a hurry that you think it acceptable to act out irresponsibly, perhaps you should have left earlier, rather than endanger human beings.

 

I have said often that Without Exception this list has some of the best people I've ever met on it. I guess I'm now disallowed of that notion.

 

Shame on you.

[russell_bynum]

I am appalled at this thread. I am appalled that someone who knows the joy of being on two wheels thinks it acceptable behavior to get in front of a bicyclist and then brake, or to "gas" them with exhaust or to yell at them from the safety of an automobile.

 

If you are in so much of a hurry that you think it acceptable to act out irresponsibly, perhaps you should have left earlier, rather than endanger human beings.

 

I have said often that Without Exception this list has some of the best people I've ever met on it. I guess I'm now disallowed of that notion.

 

Shame on you.

 

LOL!

[philbytx]

HOODAT DEN ?

Noone on here said such a thing...them's fightin' words pardner

[russell_bynum]

HOODAT DEN ?

Noone on here said such a thing...them's fightin' words pardner

 

Does anyone else think it's funny that Hannabone, who is probably the nicest guy I've ever met, has been the target of two attacks lately?

 

Come to think of it...maybe "sad" is a better word than "funny".

[Kathy R]

I'd like to know what YOUR state would do in this case.

 

Problem : We have many bicyclists who travel on the streets of Des Moines -

for fun and for getting to/from work.

It isn't really the number of them...

it's the way they act when behind the controls.

 

Our bikers seem to think that red stop signs or stop lights don't include them.

 

They seem to think that they are like "joggers" - that they can dart into and out of an intersection at their own whim.

Red Light-Schmed Light - I'm going is the nature of these riders.

 

[[ and they wonder why the other drivers are so pissed at them ]]

 

I'm pretty sure that because they are on a conveyance that puts them in harms way with other motorists on roadways,

that they would come under the same laws.

 

I have yet to see one ticketed.

 

Okay - enuf about me/&/Iowa -- what would your state do ?

 

 

 

What would my state do? New York? They'd write unfunded mandates into the books.

 

 

IMHO, I think some folks, in the minority, have very bad manners, no matter what they are doing or where they live.

 

And some folks are impatient in their world (in the car and on the bicycle) and need to step back and reflect on what they are doing to their own inner self when they put themselves before others. Since I don't have a commute I have found I'm much more patient with other humans.

 

Most bicylists around here obey the laws of the roadway, as they are required to do.

 

More and more, I believe, folks know what its like to be both the driver and the rider, or have a loved one who does. That helps all keep a level head.

[Patallaire]

Feel not sorry for Brother bone, he loves the attention! Like a politian, any press is good press. That is why he has such a conservative avatar, never blings his bikes, rides slowly, and changed his name from John to Hannabone. Never does he have a crowd around him as he spins a story and has clearly demonstrated his compassion for fellow riders as friends.

Feel not for brother bone, he is, alas, a big boy{ in more ways than one}

[russell_bynum]

Feel not sorry for Brother bone, he loves the attention! Like a politian, any press is good press. That is why he has such a conservative avatar, never blings his bikes, rides slowly, and changed his name from John to Hannabone. Never does he have a crowd around him as he spins a story and has clearly demonstrated his compassion for fellow riders as friends.

Feel not for brother bone, he is, alas, a big boy{ in more ways than one}

 

Oh, for sure. Bone abides.

 

 

[sgendler]

Great. Now have a sticker for bicycles!!

That will pay for those that wanted them and use them......

 

WHat percentage of bicyclists do you suppose don't own a vehicle on which they pay road tax? What percentage of road building and maintenance is the result of bicycle traffic? I don't think there's any argument to be made with regard to unfairness when it comes to paying for the use of road infrastructure.

[hANNAbONE]

I am appalled at this thread. I am appalled that someone who knows the joy of being on two wheels thinks it acceptable behavior to get in front of a bicyclist and then brake, or to "gas" them with exhaust or to yell at them from the safety of an automobile.

 

If you are in so much of a hurry that you think it acceptable to act out irresponsibly, perhaps you should have left earlier, rather than endanger human beings.

 

I have said often that Without Exception this list has some of the best people I've ever met on it. I guess I'm now disallowed of that notion.

 

Shame on you.

 

 

uH - jOE....

 

did you read "MY" post..like the original post...'cause I'm afraid you have misread the entire feel of this thread.

Please do go back and read my original posting - then comment on what I said, cool?

 

You cannot come into this thread 1/2 way and kill me because I started the thought process.

 

I said nothing about what you have commented on.

N O T H I N G..!

 

(*Man, what is it - something in the water...did I forget the deodorant again...I mean, what the f.............*)

[philbytx]

Bone,

I feel you brudda...

 

I actually er, read your post and defended your honor !

[donbmw]

I have the same problem where I live. The road to our home is one the local bike club rides every Tuesday evening. 20 or more pack and you cannot get around them safe. The road is also a road motorcycles like to ride. It is a wonder that someone has not hit a bikecycle rider coming around a curve. I have called the police many times about this, has not help, even talking to the riders has not help. When I was in a bike club we would only ride 2 side by side and split the pack up. There is no courtisy these day by some bike riders with and with out motors.