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renie408

(9,854 posts)

39. Is it OK for cyclists to ride down the middle of the road in groups of 40-50...

Sun Nov 10, 2013, 12:07 PM

Nov 2013

because they want to pretend that they are in the Tour de France, ignoring every single rule of public road use?

We live in the country...unfortunately, not FAR ENOUGH in the country. We are about thirty minutes outside of Charlotte, NC, and every weekend HORDES of cyclists park at the local elementary school and bike around here. Nearly every weekend we are held up by groups of 40-50 cyclists strung out over several hundred feet of road, taking up the entire lane. You cannot pass them because they are too strung out. But they can only go about 30 mph. When you do finally get into our little one stop light town, you will find yourself stuck at the light while hordes of bikers just run right through it.

I hate cyclists. I would not intentionally endanger one with my vehicle, but I have been seriously tempted to stop and beat the hell out of them on more than one occasion. Almost worse than the giant groups are the little packs of 3-4 that ride side by side taking up the road. WTF? Why can't they go single file when a car comes? Around here it is almost as if the cyclists take pride in holding up the cars.

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Is It O.K. to Kill Cyclists? [View all] kpete Nov 2013 OP

Stop at stoplights and don't try to whip around cars Recursion Nov 2013 #1

and please, if you're going to cycle at night, particularly on poorly lit roads cali Nov 2013 #2

they should also Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #4

Do NOT wear black at night, especially if you are dark skinned. RC Nov 2013 #49

Same thing with walking or running! Yo_Mama Nov 2013 #66

HUGE problem where I live Scootaloo Nov 2013 #117

Better yet - Ms. Toad Nov 2013 #140

As a distance runner I have more issues with cyclist than cars FreeState Nov 2013 #142

I ride every day, and the biggest danger is: other bikers who pay no attention to laws Berlum Nov 2013 #12

Hey, I saw a distracted jogger cause a bad bike accident Yo_Mama Nov 2013 #73

...or get killed! Iggo Nov 2013 #18

Thank you. nt RiffRandell Nov 2013 #44

I obey the law scrupulously. It does nothing to protect me from kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #59

what happens to me if, the other lane isn't clear, i am too paranoid to get too close to the cyclist dionysus Nov 2013 #88

You putter along until the coast is clear for you to pass - kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #112

smv? slow moving vehicles? guess so. i wish we could have dedicated bike paths everywhere, dionysus Nov 2013 #113

There is no way to have bike paths everywhere, sadly. And bike lanes are almost as kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #137

tragic. i know it's a pipe dream but it'd create jobs, save lives, and help people get more exercise dionysus Nov 2013 #139

I stop at stops, I don't whip around cars, and still have to deal with dangerous drivers weekly. Gormy Cuss Nov 2013 #64

Do you watch out for pedestrians? Recursion Nov 2013 #67

What's a pedestrian? Gormy Cuss Nov 2013 #78

My pedestrian son got clobbered by bicyclist going wrong way on one way street. redwitch Nov 2013 #109

Hope she learned a lesson. nt KAESNO2 Nov 2013 #129

I hope she did too. Also hope she is ok. redwitch Nov 2013 #150

I've been hit twice. Lizzie Poppet Nov 2013 #130

No Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #3

"stay to the right of the road" jberryhill Nov 2013 #10

Follow the rules Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #19

That comes from the mentality they think cyclists are pedestrians. duffyduff Nov 2013 #27

Did you know in several cities the law is that cyclists should dismount and walk at intersections? Recursion Nov 2013 #47

That's only if you are in the crosswalk. If you are in traffic lanes, kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #62

DC has updated their bike lanes jberryhill Nov 2013 #147

Yes on the right with some exceptions Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #107

You are aware that that is a local law - Ms. Toad Nov 2013 #141

of course Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #151

Not really. Ms. Toad Nov 2013 #152

When I rode, stayed right on the edge. Yahoos still tried to see how close they could come Hoyt Nov 2013 #14

Sometimes you can't go all the way to the right, and the law recognizes this. duffyduff Nov 2013 #29

^^^THIS^^^ kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #63

I have seen some with a death wish NutmegYankee Nov 2013 #5

No, it is certainly not OK to kill cyclists AndyA Nov 2013 #6

If you hit and kill one, the onus is on YOU. duffyduff Nov 2013 #23

Hell yes. Daemonaquila Nov 2013 #33

+100. At worst, cyclists cost motorists a few seconds. Heck, slow cars held me up plenty of times. Hoyt Nov 2013 #57

Inordinate lengths? wercal Nov 2013 #85

Cyclists have the same responsibilities on the road as automobile drivers AndyA Nov 2013 #34

Hardly. kcr Nov 2013 #96

I can agree with you on the narrow curved roads Niceguy1 Nov 2013 #38

Where I live, there's a bag limit of two per season Orrex Nov 2013 #7

News flash: it cuts both ways, folks IDemo Nov 2013 #8

thanks IDemo kpete Nov 2013 #9

Be Ware MoronPhone Berlum Nov 2013 #15

Yep. Ikonoklast Nov 2013 #103

And frankly, the driver is at fault if he or she kills one. duffyduff Nov 2013 #24

Fault depends on who is breaking the traffic laws not vehicle size. n/t Gore1FL Nov 2013 #36

Agreed, when I biked I followed all traffic laws but had many drivers nearly run me down Bjorn Against Nov 2013 #45

For anybody who BOTHERED to read the article, it does cite a study that kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #68

Very precisely stated. Yo_Mama Nov 2013 #76

I can't help but feel that part of the problem with our society ... surrealAmerican Nov 2013 #11

you're right... Chan790 Nov 2013 #13

And short skirts. They're just asking for trouble n/t IDemo Nov 2013 #16

... or, just maybe, we could make driving ... surrealAmerican Nov 2013 #20

No way in hell PasadenaTrudy Nov 2013 #17

I stick to bike trails and only one road do I ride meadowlark5 Nov 2013 #32

I hear ya! PasadenaTrudy Nov 2013 #35

In 100k+ miles of cycling, I've never been hit or threatened bhikkhu Nov 2013 #21

True. I have done it close to 40 years. duffyduff Nov 2013 #25

ride predictably is the most important thing in this thread loli phabay Nov 2013 #26

Wrong. Daemonaquila Nov 2013 #37

no not wrong, almost hit one last night on a country road, no lights reflectors etc, luckily for thi loli phabay Nov 2013 #43

Basic safety FAIL. I'm living proof that hypervigilant kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #69

There is a rise in distracted drivers, cyclists and runners Yo_Mama Nov 2013 #79

Same here. Ridden 40 yrs. all over Chicago, just not at night; bright clothes, rear view mirror, ancianita Nov 2013 #90

Having been seriously hit by a bike, and having seriously hit a cyclist, I msanthrope Nov 2013 #22

NO KentuckyWoman Nov 2013 #28

It's the LAW. Bicycles are considered vehicles. They are not pedestrians. n/t duffyduff Nov 2013 #30

Actually that depends. In some jurisdictions they are considered vehicles *and* pedestrians Recursion Nov 2013 #61

I almost hit a guy on a bike.. pangaia Nov 2013 #31

Is it OK for cyclists to ride down the middle of the road in groups of 40-50... renie408 Nov 2013 #39

Same thing here PasadenaTrudy Nov 2013 #42

Under my state's laws: bobclark86 Nov 2013 #46

What part of 'in the country' did you not understand, bro? renie408 Nov 2013 #50

ERMEGERD! I'm being inconvenienced!!! bobclark86 Nov 2013 #52

LOL renie408 Nov 2013 #53

Better than threatening people... bobclark86 Nov 2013 #56

I would like to spend my time getting where I need to go renie408 Nov 2013 #94

It is not a cyclist's job to "get out of your way" any more than it is kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #72

You can read, right? renie408 Nov 2013 #84

As are those who drive 65 in a zoned-60 thoroughfare. LanternWaste Nov 2013 #156

If you kill someone on two wheels... awoke_in_2003 Nov 2013 #40

I wish this nation would seriously consider contructing Bike Lanes in any future urban planning... tenderfoot Nov 2013 #41

Then the joggers will whine about the cyclists! B Calm Nov 2013 #70

Why? How many people jog on the street? tenderfoot Nov 2013 #80

Most of them around here gollygee Nov 2013 #153

I run smack dab in the middle of Madison Avenue. sir pball Nov 2013 #155

I wish this nation would seriously consider appropriate punishments kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #74

Like guns? This thread is about bicycles. tenderfoot Nov 2013 #82

Cars are deadly weapons. And they are used irresponsibly in a way kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #87

I saw that was addressed in the article and I agree, it is really effed up... tenderfoot Nov 2013 #93

+1 Shankapotomus Nov 2013 #77

They have them in Philadelphia Tree-Hugger Nov 2013 #116

Bike lanes are great, except when cyclists insist on riding 3 & 4 abreast. Fla Dem Nov 2013 #127

How about when cars veer into bike lanes? tenderfoot Nov 2013 #145

The fact of the matter is Prism Nov 2013 #48

Thank you. renie408 Nov 2013 #51

I live in Los Angeles and can say that in 30+ years here I have NEVER seen kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #83

Not what I'm talking about Prism Nov 2013 #86

I do it myself in a car hfojvt Nov 2013 #102

sigh, another day, another mountain out of a molehill hfojvt Nov 2013 #54

good to know Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #60

petulance does not become you hfojvt Nov 2013 #71

so you do not follow the law? Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #91

it's not luck hfojvt Nov 2013 #99

I guess I will start doing this as you say it is OK Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #108

You say your location is Kansas Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #101

fortunately you can still rock in America hfojvt Nov 2013 #106

just do not cry when you get hit Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #111

Fun fact... Roads are for cars... Decaffeinated Nov 2013 #55

Read your state laws. You will find that in all 50 states, roads are for kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #89

I should have spoken more specifically.. Decaffeinated Nov 2013 #98

You should recaffinate... XRubicon Nov 2013 #104

It's the car drivers who are "playing" in traffic with their NASCAR antics. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #132

Wrong Springslips Nov 2013 #97

Fun fact, the law says roads are for bikes as well Bjorn Against Nov 2013 #100

As stated above... Decaffeinated Nov 2013 #118

No one said it did, but that truck needs to share the road. Bjorn Against Nov 2013 #119

Ahh.. the magical realm of Shouldland... Decaffeinated Nov 2013 #120

And cars should respect the bikers who do stay to the side of the road Bjorn Against Nov 2013 #121

Have you ever hit a cyclist? morningfog Nov 2013 #124

He's probably the type that never misses an opportunity to sideswipe one kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #135

No, you hypergonadal tweaker types need to get out of your fucking hurry. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #134

I'll hurry where I please... Decaffeinated Nov 2013 #143

It's built for ALL PEOPLE to use by VARIOUS MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #146

Projecting much? Decaffeinated Nov 2013 #148

I'm not the uneducated conservative in this picture, sweetcakes. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #158

That makes two... Decaffeinated Nov 2013 #159

Hahahaha, I'm not computer savvy enough to know how to circumvent the TOS. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #160

Your entitled attitude marks you as a person who is so much of a danger to others on the road, kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #133

Correction: Roads are for wheels, bikes included. morningfog Nov 2013 #123

and also follow the rules Duckhunter935 Nov 2013 #125

I want to get into cycling, and this has been a bit of an eye-opener for me TlalocW Nov 2013 #58

Generally, no. lumberjack_jeff Nov 2013 #65

One must first learn the #1 rule of the road, the one with the biggest wheels wins B Calm Nov 2013 #75

Dumb article title LittleBlue Nov 2013 #81

My bicycle is perfectly safe until some driver of a deadly weapon decides kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #92

How many drivers decide to murder you? LittleBlue Nov 2013 #95

Nope, I've had people try to intimidate me, throw things at me, try to scare me, and worse. Hoyt Nov 2013 #105

Exactly. There's the clueless ones, and there's the vicious ones. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #115

They have all decided to not pay attention. They have all decided kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #114

It is the kpete Nov 2013 #136

These driveway dashers are terrifying for pedestrians, too. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #138

Of course it isn't "ok" to kill cyclists. Captain Stern Nov 2013 #110

Short answer: NOOOOOOOO!!!!! Initech Nov 2013 #122

Is it "OK" to T-bone safe drivers in cars? Is it "OK" to hit someone walking on a dark road with no MADem Nov 2013 #126

I've ridden 6 or 7 years now. ileus Nov 2013 #128

Seems to me there are four problems here: KAESNO2 Nov 2013 #131

Absolutely not. AngryOldDem Nov 2013 #144

I always just slow down when I am approaching people on bikes... slor Nov 2013 #149

I am super careful when driving around someone on a bike gollygee Nov 2013 #154

Only in cyclist season Pretzel_Warrior Nov 2013 #157