Annoying Cyclists

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by creekster

That is the sort of thing I hate to see. WHy piss people off? Cars will always win the fight, so why start it?

Exactly. I wasn't going to do anything to hurt them. All I wanted was a bit of consideration on their part in order to keep moving.

I'd guess that I saw about 75 or so cyclists along the highways on my vacation. They all had sleep rolls and looked as if they were making a long distance ride in order to enjoy how beautiful it is along the roads in SD and Wyo. Only 3 were dickheads about it.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Exactly. I wasn't going to do anything to hurt them. All I wanted was a bit of consideration on their part in order to keep moving.

I'd guess that I saw about 75 or so cyclists along the highways on my vacation. They all had sleep rolls and looked as if they were making a long distance ride in order to enjoy how beautiful it is along the roads in SD and Wyo. Only 3 were dickheads about it.

And the thing that really bugs is - how would them moving over & going single-file for a few seconds hurt them in any way?

No, they were just being jackasses, for no good reason whatsoever. Common courtesy should rule out.

[SteelBlue]

Cyclists who ignore stop signs and traffic lights really piss me off as they give us all a bad name. There's no shortage of these types either, unfortunately. I am noticing that there is a lot more of this type of stuff as more people commute due to gas prices. I'm seeing a ton of sidewalk riding, no helmet wearing, crosswalk using, stoplight running types. They all have the $99 Mongoose "full suspension" special from Wal-Mart.

There is only one street during my commute where I take the lane right down the middle, even though I am going 10-15 mph slower than the flow of traffic. The reason I do it is that there are parked cars lining the street and the lane is not wide enough for cars to safely pass me. The problem is that they will try to pass me regardless of how tight a fit it is so I take the lane. It's about a sixth of my commute.

[bluegoose]

Not that I really care about the Utah cycling laws, but here is what the law specifically says about staying to the right of the lane:

Bicyclists traveling less than the normal speed of traffic must ride as near as practicable to the right-hand edge of the roadway except to: pass; make a left turn; when there is a right-turn only lane; and to avoid hazards.

I see nothing in there about yielding to upcoming traffic, regardless of their speed. Maybe its in the regular state vehicle code, but I doubt it.

http://health.utah.gov/vipp/pdf/Utahbicyclelaws.pdf

Edit: Note at the bottom of the link, taken directly from the Utah Driver Handbook

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

Not that I really care about the Utah cycling laws, but here is what the law specifically says about staying to the right of the lane:

I see nothing in there about yielding to upcoming traffic, regardless of their speed. Maybe its in the regular state vehicle code, but I doubt it.

http://health.utah.gov/vipp/pdf/Utahbicyclelaws.pdf

Sorry, I should have been more specific.

The law, as defined in the standard Utah motor vehicle book, which you can find at any DMV, pertains specifically to motor vehicles.

[bluegoose]

Originally Posted by Spaz

Sorry, I should have been more specific.

The law, as defined in the standard Utah motor vehicle book, which you can find at any DMV, pertains specifically to motor vehicles.

Fair enough. Next time I am in a Utah DMV I will be sure to pick one up.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

Fair enough. Next time I am in a Utah DMV I will be sure to pick one up.

You do that

Actually, I found the handbook. It looks like they've changed the language a bit - they've removed the part about "even if they are traveling faster than the speed limit".


At any rate, this:

If another vehicle wants to pass you,
you must move safely to the right, and you may
not increase your speed until the other vehicle
has passed you.

Combined with this:

Bicycle riders on public streets and highways have the
same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers.
Drivers of motor vehicles must treat bicycle riders the
same as drivers of other vehicles.

Seems to get pretty much the same meaning across, doesn't it?


http://driverlicense.utah.gov/pdf/20...20Handbook.pdf


It's interesting that they have to put "common courtesy" into the handbook so often. If only more drivers (of cars & bicycles alike) would be more courteous on the roads, I think the world would be a much happier place.

[Spaz]

BTW, the handbook has nine "tips" for cyclists, at least three of which the cyclist in question broke:

Tips for Bicyclists
1. Obey traffic signs and signals - Bicyclists must
drive like other vehicles if they are to be taken
seriously by motorists.
2. Never ride against traffic - Motorists do not look
for or expect bicyclists riding on the wrong side of
the roadway.
3. Use hand signals - Hand signals tell motorists
what you intend to do. Signal as a matter of law, of
courtesy, and of self-protection.
4. Ride in a straight line - Whenever possible, ride
in a straight line and to the right of traffic but about
the width of a car door away from parked cars.
5. Follow lane markings - Do not turn left from the
right lane. Do not go straight in a lane marked for
right turns only.
6. Do not pass on the right - Do not pass on the
right side of vehicles in traffic at intersections.
Motorists turning right may not look for or see a
bicycle passing on the right.
7. Watch for cars pulling out - Even though you
make eye contact with drivers, you must assume
that they do not see you and may pull out in front
of you.
8. Scan the road behind you - Learn to look back
over your shoulder without losing your balance or
swerving left. Some riders use rear-view mirrors.
9. Keep both hands ready to brake - You may not
stop in time if you brake one-handed. Allow extra
distance for stopping in the rain or on wet surfaces
because brakes are less effective when wet.

[bluegoose]

You know, I was perfectly willing to drop this thing several posts ago, but these last two posts deserve some attention.

First of all, you're being awfully selective with which parts of the driver handbook you are choosing to quote. For instance you forgot to quote the section in there that states:

5. Do not crowd bicyclists. When the lane is too narrow to pass a cyclist safely, wait until the next lane is clear and give the bicycle all the rights of any other slow moving vehicle.

or this:

Although bicyclists will normally ride near the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, they can legally move left to turn left, to pass a vehicle or another bicycle, or to avoid debris or parked cars.

Are you sure there wasn't any crap on the side of the road, perhaps that he could see that you could not?

And remind me again which three "tips" the cyclist in question broke? With the limited info that you gave us, I can only see one - running the stop sign (I agree, this was inexcusable).

And your quotes :

At any rate, this:

Quote:
If another vehicle wants to pass you,
you must move safely to the right, and you may
not increase your speed until the other vehicle
has passed you.

Combined with this:

Quote:
Bicycle riders on public streets and highways have the
same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers.
Drivers of motor vehicles must treat bicycle riders the
same as drivers of other vehicles.

are irrelevant to this discussion. You said it was a 2 lane road. You wouldn't expect a car to pull over to the side of the road to let you pass, would you? Thats ridiculous.

While he may have been able to pull over the shoulder, you have no way of really knowing if it was safe to ride a bike there. And he was perfectly within his rights, according the the great state of Utah and their DMV handbook, to do what he did.

I'm just sayin', since he's not here to defend himself, someone else has to try.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

You know, I was perfectly willing to drop this thing several posts ago, but these last two posts deserve some attention.

First of all, you're being awfully selective with which parts of the driver handbook you are choosing to quote. For instance you forgot to quote the section in there that states:


or this:

Are you sure there wasn't any crap on the side of the road, perhaps that he could see that you could not?

And remind me again which three "tips" the cyclist in question broke? With the limited info that you gave us, I can only see one - running the stop sign (I agree, this was inexcusable).

And your quotes :



are irrelevant to this discussion. You said it was a 2 lane road. You wouldn't expect a car to pull over to the side of the road to let you pass, would you? Thats ridiculous.

While he may have been able to pull over the shoulder, you have no way of really knowing if it was safe to ride a bike there. And he was perfectly within his rights, according the the great state of Utah and their DMV handbook, to do what he did.

I'm just sayin', since he's not here to defend himself, someone else has to try.

-Tips #1, 4, & 6.

Yes, I'm absolutely sure there was nothing unsafe about riding a bicycle within six feet of the curb, which would have easily allowed me the three feet of distance necessary to legally pass him.

I have, indeed, experienced cars pulling over on this portion of road to allow others (including me) to pass. Again, it's a two-lane road, but could easily support four lanes PLUS a bike lane.
That said, yes, it would be ridiculous for a motorist traveling the speed limit to pull over for me. Just as it is ridiculous (not to mention illegal) for a cyclist to ride in the middle of the actual travel lane when it is safe for him to ride closer to the curb.

I actually do have a way of knowing that it was safe for the cyclist to travel on the right side of the lane - I not only could see the road and see that there were no obstructions, but I've driven the road every day for three years and have plenty of experiences passing cars turning left on the right side of the road.