Why do you hate bicyclists?

[bedub1]

I mean I know we all do...so what are your reasons?

[Symmetry]

Because they're too awesome?

[thegreekdog]

I voted for the first eight options. My favorites (or least favorites), and I can't put either of them as my most, least favorite:

- Riding in the middle of the road as if the bicycle were a motor vehicle, thereby depriving the motor vehicle behind the bicycle of driving at least the speed limit. There is little worse than leaving work late and getting stuck behind a bicycle for five city blocks.
- Going through stop lights.

[maxfaraday]

I mean I know we all do...so what are your reasons?

FOED.

I ride my bike everyday.
And everyday you car drivers try to kill me.
So far, you didn't manage to do it.
Let's try some experiment:
I give you my bike, and you give me your car.
We'll see who kills who.

[fadedpsychosis]

you think bicycles are bad? try mopeds in F'ing naples! try all of the above, but add in the law that if you hit them and they're wearing a helmet you're at fault regardless of how they're driving... oh, and the locals learn to drive on their mopeds... so they drive their cars the EXACT SAME WAY. stop lights/signs and street lines are an illusion here my friend

[maxfaraday]

They ride on the sidewalk

To avoid car drivers who want to kill us

They obstruct vehicle traffic

Like I said, we try to avoid cars as much as possible, so no we don't obstruct vehicle traffic

They run stop signs

Funny you should say that... about a year and a half ago some dickhead like you ran a stop light, I was on my bike, he was in his car, got two broken ribs and was surprised to be still alive, he fled, if I ever see him again I kill him

They run stop lights

See above

They weave in and out of traffic

Again, in order not to get killed

They illegally pass stopped cars and jump to the front of the line

Same thing

They are oblivious to the world around them

No we're not, trust me. We're way more careful that you could ever imagine, since you car drivers want to kill us.
They ride the wrong way on one-way streets

And?

They don't pay taxes to maintain the road

Yes we do, like all citizens

They aren't licensed

I have a license to drive a car.

They aren't insured

Why do you care? Car vs Bike Car wins, so it's your insurance that will matter

The ride erratically, swerving into traffic without checking other vehicles around them.

Wrong, Again we're very careful since you car drivers want to kill us.

[bedub1]

They ride on the sidewalk

To avoid car drivers who want to kill us

They obstruct vehicle traffic

Like I said, we try to avoid cars as much as possible, so no we don't obstruct vehicle traffic

They run stop signs

Funny you should say that... about a year and a half ago some dickhead like you ran a stop light, I was on my bike, he was in his car, got two broken ribs and was surprised to be still alive, he fled, if I ever see him again I kill him

They run stop lights

See above

They weave in and out of traffic

Again, in order not to get killed

They illegally pass stopped cars and jump to the front of the line

Same thing

They are oblivious to the world around them

No we're not, trust me. We're way more careful that you could ever imagine, since you car drivers want to kill us.
They ride the wrong way on one-way streets

And?

They don't pay taxes to maintain the road

Yes we do, like all citizens

They aren't licensed

I have a license to drive a car.

They aren't insured

Why do you care? Car vs Bike Car wins, so it's your insurance that will matter

The ride erratically, swerving into traffic without checking other vehicles around them.

Wrong, Again we're very careful since you car drivers want to kill us.

So you just try to kill pedestrians? You are a car, not a pedestrian.
Yes you still do obstruct vehicle traffic.
I see bicyclists run stop signs all the time because they don't want to stop.
I see bicyclists run red lights too.
They weave in and out of traffic that is moving slower than they want to move.
They illegally pass cars, which is very dangerous to them.
I see them swerving into traffic and cutting off cars. No checking blind spots, nothing. just head straight forward pedaling with headphones in oblivious to the world around them.
Not all citizens pay taxes to maintain roads. Here in my state it's car registration and gas tax. Bicyclists don't pay anything for the roads unless they also register a car/buy gas.

Obviously you don't represent every bicyclists on the road, and I haven't seen every one. If you are smarter than the majority that is good.

[bedub1]

Sometimes when driving around bicyclists, it's like bumper cars with little kids running around in the area. You can't change a lane without checking your blindspot like 15 times because some crazy bicyclists might be sweeping across 3 lanes of traffic and popping out behind some vehicle right into the spot where you are trying to go.

Watch this great video of a stupid bicyclist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2UsaO9vEJs

That's 100% his fault.

[BigBallinStalin]

My main mode of transport are my two bikes. One's a road bike, and the other is what I call an "upright cruiser." (I just make up my own terms.)


Let's see....


They ride on the sidewalk
This is where most drivers want us, but that's stupid.

They obstruct vehicle traffic
By riding on the road where we're suppose to? For one who complains about people not following laws, in this instance, you conveniently withhold the complaint for following the law. Derp derp derp!

They run stop signs
If there's no one coming, then it's inefficient to stop for no one, and then go. If there's someone coming, but you're way closer to the stop sign then he is, then it makes sense to go. Otherwise, you'd have to stop, then he stops, then you go. That would be pointless.


They run stop lights
If there's no one coming, then it's inefficient to stop for no one, and then go.
If you can make it before the cars hit you, then go for it, but it's not nice to force the cars to slow down.

They weave in and out of traffic
Yeah, if the cars are going slow, I'll pass you up. Sorry if you're jealous.


They illegally pass stopped cars and jump to the front of the line
There's nothing wrong with allowing others to be more efficient. This underlined statement seems to suggest that since you can't enjoy X, then no one can enjoy X, even if doing X causes no harm but creates benefits for others. Just selfish raging in that sentence.


They are oblivious to the world around them
Some are, most aren't; otherwise, they'd get hit and significantly hurt. If you're surrounded in a frame of steel, how much do you fear being hit--compared to a bicyclist?


They ride the wrong way on one-way streets
This is the only legitimate complaint in the poll. Yeah, driving down one-ways is stupid.


They don't pay taxes to maintain the road
This statement is dumb if you think about it.


They aren't licensed
For a bike? Haha, okay.

Let's compare that to the awesome licensing for motorists. It's the easiest cheapest test to ever take, and the motorist gets to drive 70+ mph while his risks of causing harm are subsidized by insurance. There's about 35,000 vehicle-related deaths per year, and we wonder what may contribute to it...


They aren't insured
For a bike? lol, okay. If anything, being uninsured means you have to be more careful.


"OMG, you ran into me and dented my car!" Court says, "you owe $200" WHOA! "what if he doesn't pay?" That's a court issue, but I'm sure lobbying for insurance boondoggles will definitely solve this problem and be mutually beneficial! ...
(and this is assuming that the children failed to settle out of court).


The ride erratically, swerving into traffic without checking other vehicles around them
This is a another dumb sentence. You could say the same of some drivers, and duh not all bicyclists do this. (see response to "They are oblivious to the world around them").

[jimboston]

They ride on the sidewalk

To avoid car drivers who want to kill us

They obstruct vehicle traffic

Like I said, we try to avoid cars as much as possible, so no we don't obstruct vehicle traffic

They run stop signs

Funny you should say that... about a year and a half ago some dickhead like you ran a stop light, I was on my bike, he was in his car, got two broken ribs and was surprised to be still alive, he fled, if I ever see him again I kill him

They run stop lights

See above

They weave in and out of traffic

Again, in order not to get killed

They illegally pass stopped cars and jump to the front of the line

Same thing

They are oblivious to the world around them

No we're not, trust me. We're way more careful that you could ever imagine, since you car drivers want to kill us.
They ride the wrong way on one-way streets

And?

They don't pay taxes to maintain the road

Yes we do, like all citizens

They aren't licensed

I have a license to drive a car.

They aren't insured

Why do you care? Car vs Bike Car wins, so it's your insurance that will matter

The ride erratically, swerving into traffic without checking other vehicles around them.

Wrong, Again we're very careful since you car drivers want to kill us.

Clearly there are good and bad Cyclists.

Unfortunately we (car drivers) tend to forget the good ones and notice the terrible ones.

[BigBallinStalin]

Well said, jimbo.

[bedub1]

My main mode of transport are my two bikes. One's a road bike, and the other is what I call an "upright cruiser." (I just make up my own terms.)


Let's see....

There are 12 poll options. Lets just number them before this gets too confusing.

1. - illegal to ride on the sidewalk. cars that want you there are wrong.
2. - Bikes aren't doing anything wrong. This is just a gripe. Funny it has the most votes.
3. - illegal and dangerous
4. - illegal and dangerous
5. - illegal and dangerous
6. - illegal and dangerous
7. - lots of people are oblivious. It's probably just easier to see the bikers as they aren't surrounded by glass/car.
8. - illegal and dangerous
9. - In my state the roads are paid for my vehicle registration/gas tax. bikes don't pay either. they use the roads. I think they should be registered/taxed.
10. - I think riders should have to take both a written and driving test to confirm they know the road rules and specifically how they apply to bikes. It's also to ensure they are good safe riders. They operate on the roads with vehicles, riders should need a bike license.
11. - Nice bikes are expensive. Nice cars are expensive. Injuries to bikers are severe. They should carry insurance for their own good and the good of others.
12. - I posted a video of this. It's obviously a mix of questions 5,6,7. This is probably the main reason I hate bicyclists.

Out of all 12 questions, question 2 is the only one that bikers aren't to blame for. They are well within their right and aren't doing anything illegal. In fact when I pass them, I know they are a car, so I make sure to move at least 1/2 to a full lane over. You wouldn't pass a car/motorcycle in it's lane, why would you pass a bike like that? All of the other 11 statements are completely accurate and easily defended. I just wonder how prevalent the actions are.

[bedub1]

you think bicycles are bad? try mopeds in F'ing naples! try all of the above, but add in the law that if you hit them and they're wearing a helmet you're at fault regardless of how they're driving... oh, and the locals learn to drive on their mopeds... so they drive their cars the EXACT SAME WAY. stop lights/signs and street lines are an illusion here my friend

That sounds terrible.

[BigBallinStalin]

How is running a stop sign dangerous where there's no cars around?

If you construe that as dangerous, then it's not worth engaging you on the other points.

[bedub1]

How is running a stop sign dangerous where there's no cars around?

If you construe that as dangerous, then it's not worth engaging you on the other points.

Well I've said the same thing as the driver of a car, so I feel for you.

How is running a stop sign dangerous when there's nobody else around? It's the cars you don't see. It's the bikes you don't see. It's the pedestrian you don't see. It's the kid that goes darting into the street you don't see. It's the habit. Once you admit it's bad in a car, you understand why it's even worse on a bike.

EDIT: In hindsight I should add another option. The belief by bike riders that laws don't apply to them and it's okay for them to break them. They almost seem arrogant about it. (not specifically you guys, but serious bike riders in general)

[nietzsche]

I block motorcycles at stop signs so they can't pass me and get to the front at stop lights.

You let them think they will easily pass and then right when they've committed to that lane between you and the other car, you get close to the other car so they can't pass. The trick is doing this when the car behind them is close enough so they can't go back and try to use another lane.

[BigBallinStalin]

How is running a stop sign dangerous where there's no cars around?

If you construe that as dangerous, then it's not worth engaging you on the other points.

Well I've said the same thing as the driver of a car, so I feel for you.

How is running a stop sign dangerous when there's nobody else around? It's the cars you don't see. It's the bikes you don't see. It's the pedestrian you don't see. It's the kid that goes darting into the street you don't see. It's the habit. Once you admit it's bad in a car, you understand why it's even worse on a bike.

Oh egad! Thank God I use my eyeballs to see. And if I can't see around corners, I can slow down as a I see farther down the corner, and then decide to go or not.

Granted, some people can't use their brain as quickly, but hey, I don't see any good reason why I should be brought down to the levels of the Lesser Competent by forcing me to adhere laws which needlessly apply to me.

A bike weighs.... 25 pounds on average? A car weighs... one to two tons? And somehow, cautiously rolling through stop signs is more dangerous with a bike than with a two-ton car? Yeahh...

[bedub1]

How is running a stop sign dangerous where there's no cars around?

If you construe that as dangerous, then it's not worth engaging you on the other points.

Well I've said the same thing as the driver of a car, so I feel for you.

How is running a stop sign dangerous when there's nobody else around? It's the cars you don't see. It's the bikes you don't see. It's the pedestrian you don't see. It's the kid that goes darting into the street you don't see. It's the habit. Once you admit it's bad in a car, you understand why it's even worse on a bike.

Oh egad! Thank God I use my eyeballs to see. And if I can't see around corners, I can slow down as a I see farther down the corner, and then decide to go or not.

Granted, some people can't use their brain as quickly, but hey, I don't see any good reason why I should be brought down to the levels of the Lesser Competent by forcing me to adhere laws which needlessly apply to me.

A bike weighs.... 25 pounds on average? A car weighs... one to two tons? And somehow, cautiously rolling through stop signs is more dangerous with a bike than with a two-ton car? Yeahh...

See my edit. And it's more dangerous to you the biker. If I in my two-ton car get t-boned by a semi it's one thing. If you get t-boned by a semi you are called a bug and he just wipes you off with his windshield wipers.

I also think that bikers think they are better than drivers. They are smug and arrogant.

[notyou2]

Every possible option could just as easily be said about cars and some drivers.

[BigBallinStalin]

That's a good point, bedub, but the slippery slope argument of being t-boned doesn't apply to me because I know how to ride a bike. Furthermore, I know how to create and modify my own informal rules regarding stop signs, red lights, etc. in order to arrive to some optimal outcome.

That ability explains why I don't view most of the list of complaints as applicable or worthy. Of course, some bicyclists are idiots, and if they're breaking a law and get hit, ideally the court should throw out their claim to any damages, but that's another topic.

[bedub1]

That's a good point, bedub, but the slippery slope argument of being t-boned doesn't apply to me because I know how to ride a bike. Furthermore, I know how to create and modify my own informal rules regarding stop signs, red lights, etc. in order to arrive to some optimal outcome.

That ability explains why I don't view most of the list of complaints as applicable or worthy. Of course, some bicyclists are idiots, and if they're breaking a law and get hit, ideally the court should throw out their claim to any damages, but that's another topic.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean you personally. I meant if a bike rider get's hit.

[maxfaraday]

That's a good point, bedub, but the slippery slope argument of being t-boned doesn't apply to me because I know how to ride a bike. Furthermore, I know how to create and modify my own informal rules regarding stop signs, red lights, etc. in order to arrive to some optimal outcome.

That ability explains why I don't view most of the list of complaints as applicable or worthy. Of course, some bicyclists are idiots, and if they're breaking a law and get hit, ideally the court should throw out their claim to any damages, but that's another topic.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean you personally. I meant if a bike rider get's hit.

I'm a bike rider.
I got hit (like I said, 2 broken ribs).
The car driver fled, because he had broken the law.
I'm a grown-up, so I didn't die, but had it be be a child...
And your bitching about bicyclicsts breaking the law?
I mean, when a bicyclist breaks the law, some car driver will have a reason to blame bicyclists.
When car drivers break the law, bicyclists get killed.

[maxfaraday]

And fyi, I'm not the one obstructing the traffic you care drivers are.

[thegreekdog]

They obstruct vehicle traffic
By riding on the road where we're suppose to? For one who complains about people not following laws, in this instance, you conveniently withhold the complaint for following the law. Derp derp derp!

You need to drive on the side of the road. Not in a car lane. Not in the middle of the road. Until riders ride on the side of the road rather than the middle, I will continue to complain.

They run stop signs
If there's no one coming, then it's inefficient to stop for no one, and then go. If there's someone coming, but you're way closer to the stop sign then he is, then it makes sense to go. Otherwise, you'd have to stop, then he stops, then you go. That would be pointless.

The first part "[i]f there's no one coming" seems to be important. How does a cyclist determine if no one is coming? By looking both ways, right? How does a cyclist look both ways when he/she zooms through the stop sign or stop light?

They weave in and out of traffic
Yeah, if the cars are going slow, I'll pass you up. Sorry if you're jealous.

Define slow. Is 25 mph slow? How about 15 mph?

They are oblivious to the world around them
Some are, most aren't; otherwise, they'd get hit and significantly hurt. If you're surrounded in a frame of steel, how much do you fear being hit--compared to a bicyclist?

I fear law suits and jail time.

Are there cyclists that are careful and obey the law? Yes. I may encouter one such person once a week. I encounter cyclists who are not careful and don't obey the law on a daily basis.

[keiths31]

Roads weren't designed to handle both cars/trucks and bikes. My city has put in bike lanes, but not by winding the roads, but squeezing them in. I am nervous as hell driving by a person on a bike as there is not much room. They lose control or swerve in front of me by accident...my van wins. I do agree though that many cyclists ignore many rules of the road with no repercussions. Motorists blows a red light, they get a ticket. Cyclists blows one, it is accepted. Cyclists argue they deserve their share of the road, and I agree that they do, but they also need to follow the rules of the road.