Why do people yell at me from their cars when I'm on my bike?

[Joey_1978]

Test.
First post here. Here I am posting.
The subject is serious though -- why? I can't hear a thing they say!
Please don't do this if you have a car, it's silly.

 

[Papist]

Test.
First post here. Here I am posting.
The subject is serious though -- why? I can't hear a thing they say!
Please don't do this if you have a car, it's silly.

I don't see this happening alot. How's your driving? 

 

[Joey_1978]

Test.
First post here. Here I am posting.
The subject is serious though -- why? I can't hear a thing they say!
Please don't do this if you have a car, it's silly.

I don't see this happening alot. How's your driving? 

Oh you'd be surprised. At least once each time I ride. It's usually "Blsaaarha!" My driving is fine, but I'm on a bike in Southern California amongst Humvees and other assault type vehicles, so I kind of stick out. I wish that once, just once, it was, "You're doing a great job! Hope you get to class on time!

 

[zoarthegleaner]

As a once avid Bike rider, I heard my share of motorized vehicle slash and slur profanity.  I even once experienced a thrown unopened can of Coors into my chest in a drive by...to which my fellow biker promptly popped open and guzzled while I was lying on the ground in pain, I didn't get nary a drop.

However, the fact is that paved roads were introduced for bicyclist: [http://www.lhtac.org/publications/...e and inch and the Hummer will take a mile...

 

[SolEX01]

I ride on sidewalk if I can't ride with the flow of traffic.  Never had a problem with cars although a friend had eggs thrown at him by drunk college students.  I've had more rollerbladers run into me than anyone else and that was before iPods.  ???

 

[ozgeorge]

My visitors from the US were astonished at the fact that we have cycle-ways here in Australia, even on highways, freeways and motorways.

 

[Papist]

Test.
First post here. Here I am posting.
The subject is serious though -- why? I can't hear a thing they say!
Please don't do this if you have a car, it's silly.

I don't see this happening alot. How's your driving? 

Oh you'd be surprised. At least once each time I ride. It's usually "Blsaaarha!" My driving is fine, but I'm on a bike in Southern California amongst Humvees and other assault type vehicles, so I kind of stick out. I wish that once, just once, it was, "You're doing a great job! Hope you get to class on time!

Well, sorry to hear that this is happening to you. I'll pray that you God grants you the patiences to deal with rude drivers.

 

[Aristocles]

My visitors from the US were astonished at the fact that we have cycle-ways here in Australia, even on highways, freeways and motorways.

Cool. In Pennsylvania those cycle-ways are for Amish buggies.

 

[tuesdayschild]

Why do people yell at me from their cars when I'm on my bike?

Maybe you should stop playing chicken with oncoming traffic.  ;D

 

[ozgeorge]

My visitors from the US were astonished at the fact that we have cycle-ways here in Australia, even on highways, freeways and motorways.

Cool. In Pennsylvania those cycle-ways are for Amish buggies.

I'd love to see that- the contrast between rushing traffic and a horse and buggie.
In Japan, Buddhist monks do what's called the "Ox Walk" in busy city centres. They will walk deliberately slowly and ring a bell each time they take a step. If someone gives them alms, they will stop and recite a prayer for them, then continue their "Ox Walk". It's meant to be a reminder to the people to slow down and not rush, but live in the moment. Here's a video of a Tokyo monk Ox Walking in the CDB:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw7DjJ-x6-E&feature=related

 

[PeterTheAleut]

Heck, here in Portland, Oregon, I've read newspaper reports of bicyclists being rude to drivers.  There was one report of a cyclist actually beating a driver over the head with his bicycle after the driver got out of his car to confront the cyclist for rude behavior.   Ironically, the driver was himself an avid bicycling advocate.

 

[Quinault]

It is 50/50 on the rudeness with cyclists and drivers here too. They pass buses at stops on the right constantly which is very dangerous for those getting off the bus.

 

[PeterTheAleut]

It is 50/50 on the rudeness with cyclists and drivers here too. They pass buses at stops on the right constantly which is very dangerous for those getting off the bus.

Not to mention those cyclists I've seen try to pass a bus to the left as the driver was attempting to merge his bus into traffic after a stop or to the right as the bus was pulling over to make a stop.  I've seen more than one bus driver almost have a heart attack for the shock of nearly hitting a cyclist who pulled such a stupid stunt.  What's more?  The cyclist in each case blamed the bus driver for almost killing her.  (Despite the huge side-view mirrors, bus drivers still have very limited visibility to the sides and rears of their vehicles.)

 

[Nyssa The Hobbit]

It's not just to bicyclists.  I'll get comments as a pedestrian, on the sidewalk, minding my own business.  Half the time I don't even know what they're saying.  It's really annoying.

 

[Myrrh23]

I hate it when bikers are riding on the street, but they act like the rules of the road somehow don't apply to them, like when they go through stopsigns, especially at high speeds. I nearly hit an idiot who did that one time. The guy then followed my car cursing and reprimanding me. :

 

[Starlight]

Years ago, in Ukraine I used to drive bicycle a lot.

I would find Boston relatively bicycle-friendly. Still, IMO a little bit less conditions compared then Washington and Philly, and possibly even Baltimore. But much better compared to NYC.

Edited for spelling.

 

[SolEX01]

I hate it when bikers are riding on the street, but they act like the rules of the road somehow don't apply to them, like when they go through stopsigns, especially at high speeds.

I always stopped at stop signs and traffic lights while on a bike in Boston.  Maybe half the time, I would yield the right of way and proceed from a traffic light.  ;D

I nearly hit an idiot who did that one time. The guy then followed my car cursing and reprimanding me. :

My bike once broke down in a tough Irish neighborhood of West Cambridge.  I felt like I was attending a New Kids on the Block Concert so I had to "Hang Tough." 

 

[username!]

Around here there are miles upon miles of abandoned railroads that they've turned into a path for bikers, horses (they use the grass edge), walkers, cross country skiing, joggers, runners, and so on.  Riding on these is far safer than the road in my opinion.

 

[username!]

I hate it when bikers are riding on the street, but they act like the rules of the road somehow don't apply to them, like when they go through stopsigns, especially at high speeds.

I always stopped at stop signs and traffic lights while on a bike in Boston.  Maybe half the time, I would yield the right of way and proceed from a traffic light.  ;D

I nearly hit an idiot who did that one time. The guy then followed my car cursing and reprimanding me. :

My bike once broke down in a tough Irish neighborhood of West Cambridge.  I felt like I was attending a New Kids on the Block Concert so I had to "Hang Tough." 

The one university town near here if you don't obey the traffic laws while on a bike the police will ticket you. 

 

[Quinault]

It is 50/50 on the rudeness with cyclists and drivers here too. They pass buses at stops on the right constantly which is very dangerous for those getting off the bus.

Not to mention those cyclists I've seen try to pass a bus to the left as the driver was attempting to merge his bus into traffic after a stop or to the right as the bus was pulling over to make a stop.  I've seen more than one bus driver almost have a heart attack for the shock of nearly hitting a cyclist who pulled such a stupid stunt.  What's more?  The cyclist in each case blamed the bus driver for almost killing her.  (Despite the huge side-view mirrors, bus drivers still have very limited visibility to the sides and rears of their vehicles.)

Oh my have I heard about this! My husbands civilian job is driving for transit here.

 

[Marat]

I hate it when bikers are riding on the street, but they act like the rules of the road somehow don't apply to them, like when they go through stopsigns, especially at high speeds. I nearly hit an idiot who did that one time. The guy then followed my car cursing and reprimanding me. :

Oh do I ever hear you on this. Driving around downtown here in Austin, the bike riders do this constantly. I've nearly hit riders several times when they are running red lights. I nearly hit one the other night riding along the street the wrong direction on a one way street. That is, he was riding the wrong way, not me. On the campus here at the University of Texas, bike riders come screaming down crowded side walks.

While the OP doesn't sound like one of these types of riders, they do seem to be quite common. I think they are to blame for the attitude you get from those driving along side of you.

 

[SolEX01]

The one university town near here if you don't obey the traffic laws while on a bike the police will ticket you.

Now that I don't ride a bike, in my car, I pay attention to groups of motorcyclists popping wheelies at 100+ MPH.  Yelling doesn't do them much good....  :

 

[zoarthegleaner]

"Now that I don't ride a bike, in my car,..."

Wow!  I have never riden my bike in my car....what size and kind of car do you drive?

 

[Fr. George]

I only "yell" to bikers in my car (i.e. not out the windows, just inside, to "vent") for one of the following reasons (and I strictly adhere to this):

1. If a bicyclist is on the road (instead of the sidewalk) but doesn't follow the legal standards for road-riding (in OH, it's a helmet, pads, and iirc a mirror).
2. If a bicyclist is on the road but not following the laws for traffic (which they must follow, as if they were a car or motorcycle) - not signaling turns, not stopping for lights and signs, etc.
3. Unsafe riding (weaving, sudden stops - the kinds of things I'd yell at drivers for).

My visitors from the US were astonished at the fact that we have cycle-ways here in Australia, even on highways, freeways and motorways.

While I've seen cycle-ways in US cities on highways and city streets, I believe it is illegal to ride a non-motorized vehicle on the U.S. Interstate Highway System (sorry, the Dwight D. Eisenhower United States Interstate Highway System).

I always stopped at stop signs and traffic lights while on a bike in Boston.  Maybe half the time, I would yield the right of way and proceed from a traffic light.   ;D

My bike once broke down in a tough Irish neighborhood of West Cambridge.  I felt like I was attending a New Kids on the Block Concert so I had to "Hang Tough."  

Yikes -> bikes + Boston drivers = complete mess.  Btw: If I had broken down in some of the W. Cambridge parts, I would have felt fine.  Getting stuck in Roxbury?  I'd run.

 

[SolEX01]

"Now that I don't ride a bike, in my car,..."
Wow!  I have never riden my bike in my car....what size and kind of car do you drive?

Work on your prepositional phrases.    I wrote a grammatically correct sentence although I probably should have written:

Now that I don't have a bike, I pay attention ... while driving my car.

 

[Joey_1978]

I had no idea this was going to be such a heated subject.

Heck, here in Portland, Oregon, I've read newspaper reports of bicyclists being rude to drivers.  There was one report of a cyclist actually beating a driver over the head with his bicycle after the driver got out of his car to confront the cyclist for rude behavior.   Ironically, the driver was himself an avid bicycling advocate.

et al.

I am extremely "rude" to drivers when I am on the street. (Though not to the point of beating someone over the head with a bike, I hope.) Let me explain:

I am riding, at my fastest, 18 mph. I am on top of about 20 lbs. of aluminum in a t-shirt and shorts with a piece of styrofoam on my head.
Even a Mini-Cooper weighs over  ton, and for the most part travels around 30-40 mph. In the majority of cases me vs. Mini Cooper = my life ending. My life. For the mini cooper, maybe a scratch or a bent rear-view mirror. In Southern California I pray for Mini Coopers as I said in the OP, most are driving far far larger automobiles, while talking on cellphones (in defiance of the law), while driving 10+ miles over the speed limit (in defiance of the law), while never coming to complete stops at stop signs, or stop lights (in defiance of the law), and completely not paying attention to their surroundings (AFAIK in defiance of the law ). If I am not purposefully visible it could be the end of me. This means that unfortunately I have to take up more space than needed, and I constantly position myself in the line of sight of as many drivers as possible.

So understand that it's a matter of life or death for cyclists, and if someone gets pissed that they missed a light, or has to slightly angle their steering wheel to the left and at the same time carefully flex their ankle to accelerate, and then leans out to unleash a string of profanity...

That was a lot of typing and parentheses.
/test

 

[ozgeorge]

I had no idea this was going to be such a heated subject.

The colour of the sky is a heated subject here. Welcome to orthodoxchristianity.net!