Do you ride a bicycle on the street/road?
- Thread starter Dr. Nole
- Start date
No. Not against it but I get irrationally angry when a bike rider is holding up traffic riding in the road when there is a sidewalk with no one on it that they could get on for 30 seconds to let all the traffic pass.
The road into my neighborhood is a hilly, narrow 2 lane with no shoulders. It drops off into ditches on both sides and folks drive 30-40 mph. All they would have to do is cut through a couple of subdivisions and they could avoid most of this road....but they don't and cars have to slow way down and can't pass until at the top of a hill. It's ridiculous and on Saturday's we have to deal with the wannabee peloton groups.
My neighborhood is a golf course community here in DFW area. It's very popular with serious weekend cyclists. They use the roads and more or less take over a road lane when passing through even though we have bike designated walkways in both directions down our main parkway.
Not sure how it is where others live, but where I am cyclists over 12 years old are not allowed on the sidewalks. So the only option if you want to ride your bike is to use the streets where there are no designated bike paths. Thankfully you can go pretty far using the paths and side streets, but there are definitely some crossing points that are a little dicey. I try to stay as far to the right as possible and don't mind cars passing me. I can't stand the people who "pace" me instead of just going around when there's no oncoming traffic from the other direction.
yes. there are a crap ton of bike lanes around me though and probably 95% of most rides i do use the bike lanes and if not then we're on country back roads where you see few cars. i'm not going to ride on a multi-use path with pedestrians. that's not safe for either cyclist or walker/runner.
i usually ride about 200 miles per week unless i'm being lazy.
i usually ride about 200 miles per week unless i'm being lazy.
as an extension of my post above most serious cyclists will generally take the safest path of least resistance. while i don't generally ride on the multi-use paths if they are empty and i'm on a narrow road i will jump onto them.
for example i also live in a golf community. most of the main through roads are 2 lanes in both directions but one area on a bend does narrow to single lane each way. i will usually hop on the path in that area if road traffic is busy and foot traffic is light. i'd normally be at the end of a ride anyway at that point so intensity would be backed way off.
I personally would fear for my life if I were on the road with cars...right of way/bike lanes...whatever...the biker "loses" if there is any contact with a car.
What peeves me is the riders who seem to "demand their space/I am viewed as a vehicle just like your car is" which by law is allowed...but then don't follow the laws when they come to say, intersections/red lights etc. ("Oh, I'm just on a bike...")
What peeves me is the riders who seem to "demand their space/I am viewed as a vehicle just like your car is" which by law is allowed...but then don't follow the laws when they come to say, intersections/red lights etc. ("Oh, I'm just on a bike...")
all fair points and there's plenty of dickhead cyclists out there but by the same token there are some cycling specific laws in some states that driver's don't always know about such as cyclists being permitted to roll through stop signs (essentially treat them as yield signs) when they deem it's safe to do so. florida has such a bill pending. already law in colorado, california etc.
cyclists that bust through red lights need to be punched in the face.
in terms of being concerned about the traffic, it doesn't generally bother me. i used to commute to work in city centers when i lived in england and as noted above, most of the riding i do is either in designated bike lanes or on quiet country roads.
with that said there are times when i'm just not going to take that risk. for example we air bnb'd a place a few miles east of cashiers, nc a couple of years ago. i had my road bike with me but there was no way i was riding on that stretch of state road 64. too narrow and too steep for the speed of traffic passing. i can tuck in and get small on flat roads to get out of the way but that is much harder when you're slogging up a hill at 8-10 mph.
Gbr reminding me I need to get my bike out more.
This makes no sense. If you want to get off your bike and use the crosswalk, fine. In the road, you are just like any other vehicle...or so the bikers say.
Yep! I'm a long-time cyclist and it's not only annoying but dangerous the way some cyclists around here behave. Such as taking up an entire lane of a two-lane narrow winding road and not expecting cars behind them to get impatient. Or riding on 4-lane high speed roads with no shoulders to speak of. I truly hope no one who does these things gets injured, but if they do, IMO it's a 'Darwin award.' Just because it's legal to do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. And of course the trail riders who fly by you (within a foot or two) at 30 mph without the slightest warning they're coming up on you and your dog (which may easily get spooked.) I'm starting to think these people should be required to get licenses and take safety classes their behavior is so idiotic. OK, done venting. :~)
""Just because it's legal to do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it.""
Very true.
I by no means want to lump every bike rider into one group...just as you shouldn't for anything. Like most things, it's the few (like ones described above) that make it bad for the others.
Very true.
I by no means want to lump every bike rider into one group...just as you shouldn't for anything. Like most things, it's the few (like ones described above) that make it bad for the others.
i guess you're probably looking at it under the assumption of the intersection being busy? that's not the spirit of the law. it's intended for those times at stop signs where essentially there is no vehicle at another stop sign. it keeps the flow of traffic moving and prevents a cyclist from having to put a foot down more than is necessary.
the quicker i can get through an intersection the better. i'm more vulnerable there, especially when stopped, than in the open road.
keep in mind that 99.9% of cyclists are drivers too. i don't think we're more tolerant behind the wheel, just more the case we're checking out the bike porn as we pass! there's as many exotic bikes as there are cars down here in naples 😂
only ride on the road in my neighborhood you ride a bicycle on the streets of Tally when all the kids are in town you're taking your life in your hands.
Sometimes on a nice spring or fall weekend there will be a group of 20 or so bikers heading up busy sections of Meridian or Centerville toward the open country roads in Georgia.
On the one hand they have a right to use the road and I admire their zeal; on the other hand it backs cars up and creates danger for everyone.
I wish they would drive away from town to a rally point and bike from there which I suppose is the lesson that recreational bikers need to pick and choose at the risk of their lives.
On the one hand they have a right to use the road and I admire their zeal; on the other hand it backs cars up and creates danger for everyone.
I wish they would drive away from town to a rally point and bike from there which I suppose is the lesson that recreational bikers need to pick and choose at the risk of their lives.
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Yep. The few times i’ve ridden my road bike in Tally it’s always north up meridian in towards Georgia.
i typically bring my mountain bike when im up there. Some great mtb trails in Tallahassee.
As a cyclist, I would never do this... it's not only stupid and dangerous, it's inconsiderate, and will NOT help promoting cycling by annoying motorists. I have NO idea why they can't ride single-file, close to the edge of the road, until they get out into the boondocks.... especially with all the 'road rage' incidents lately. IMO it's not worth dying to prove your point...
i will say the last time i was riding south on meridian it was into a heck of a headwind and those little kickers feel like monsters going up them in a stiff breeze. there was only two of us, we rode single file and got super tight to the verge to let cars pass as easily as possible. not sure if it was just that day or Tally in general but the few cars we did encounter were super courteous despite us moving at what felt like snail pace.
with respect to ride start points most rides do begin in a more quiet location. most drive to that start point but unless it's some special event i always ride there.
with respect to ride start points most rides do begin in a more quiet location. most drive to that start point but unless it's some special event i always ride there.
No, I don't have a death wish.
With all the distracted driving of people texting, eating , putting on makeup and generally just not paying attention to the road. I personally think you're absolutely crazy cycling on a well trafficked road. I get nervous for the cyclists when I see them on the road. I know here in Tallahassee at least one or two per year get killed on average.
A motor vehicle wins every single time. It's just a matter of how badly you'll be injured or lose your life.
With all the distracted driving of people texting, eating , putting on makeup and generally just not paying attention to the road. I personally think you're absolutely crazy cycling on a well trafficked road. I get nervous for the cyclists when I see them on the road. I know here in Tallahassee at least one or two per year get killed on average.
A motor vehicle wins every single time. It's just a matter of how badly you'll be injured or lose your life.
The people who have even more of a death wish than the cyclists are the runners who run on the road, and I'm not talking about the interior streets of a neighborhood where people frequently walk and run. I'm talking about a road like Thomasville Rd in Tallahassee. The cyclists at least have the legal right to be there. The runners have no legal right to be there. I enjoy running myself, but I think you'd have to have a screw loose to run on a major highway or well trafficked road. But I see people do it 🤷♂️
the vast majority of cycling deaths are not to your typical cycling fanatic like you see on group rides etc. overwhelmingly it's an average joe commuting around. it's easy to see this in the stats from the sheer number of deaths where no helmet was worn.
not to say that weekend warriors are impervious though. far from it.
i use garmin varia radar on my bike. bloody brilliant device - i know precisely when a vehicle is approaching, how far back, the size of it and how many. i couldn't imagine not having it now just like i can't imagine not having my gps and phone on me.
if you have a family member that is a cyclist and are pondering a gift ever, get them one.
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www.cyclistshub.com
I had no idea they had something like that.the vast majority of cycling deaths are not to your typical cycling fanatic like you see on group rides etc. overwhelmingly it's an average joe commuting around. it's easy to see this in the stats from the sheer number of deaths where no helmet was worn.
not to say that weekend warriors are impervious though. far from it.
i use garmin varia radar on my bike. bloody brilliant device - i know precisely when a vehicle is approaching, how far back, the size of it and how many. i couldn't imagine not having it now just like i can't imagine not having my gps and phone on me.
if you have a family member that is a cyclist and are pondering a gift ever, get them one.
▷Garmin Varia RTL515 Radar Review: Is It Worth It?
Read my in-depth Varia RTL515 review to find out.
I stopped riding on Tally city streets after two cyclists were hit by cars in one week. In one of the cases, the car veered into the bike lane and hit the cyclist.
With the vast majority of “university motorists” tethered to their phones while driving, the idea of sharing a roadway there — without your own 3,000 pound protective cocoon — is risky.
I think it’s illegal in some municipalities to ride a bike on a sidewalk instead of the street.
They can risk the civil infraction and ride on the sidewalk for 10 seconds to keep a wreck from occurring.
a local weather forecaster did that several years ago to avoid traffic. he hit the curb with his front wheel, clipped a sign, went over the handlebars and killed himself. sometimes the traffic just needs to chill for a second. god forbid the commute takes 10 seconds longer.
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I don't understand how what happened to him is due to the "traffic" needing to chill? He chose to avoid the traffic correct?
yes. he did what pops suggested. he got onto the sidewalk to give way to cars. he didn't need to, he had every right to be on the road, the place where it occurred isn't a massive congestion point but he still gave way and made a horrendous mistake while doing it and paid for it with his life.
perhaps if it wasn't regularly suggested that bicycle riders should give way to cars he might not have made that choice and still be alive?
it's not the easiest call to make really. as i mentioned in an earlier post there is a pinch point in my neighborhood on a bend with a T-junction intersection where the road narrows from 2 lanes to 1 lane. horrible job by the town planners really. there are plenty of occasions where i have jumped onto the sidewalk for that section of road when the traffic is busy. i would consider myself a substantially more capable cyclist than the weather man though.
it was never stated in the news reports. most cycling fatalities are without a helmet.
