Bikes and cars!

[Nevermind]

Reading the crash posts, I decided to make this posts about stories with cars. It can be crashes, it can be close-calls, it can be funny, it can be whatever as long as it involves a car and a bike.

My story: Last week, my friend and I are out on the bike, on a pretty sunny day, having a blast just pedaling. After an hour and a half of climbing, we finally get to go down something. So we stay to the far right side of the road as we always do, trying not to hinder traffic which actually is pretty scarce on the road we are cycling on cruising at about 50km/h.

Behind us, I can hear a car coming, and it starts to literally punch his horn at us. But behold, it's not a car, it's a freaking motor home, that proceed to pass us and when it finally gets in front of us, brake in our faces. My friend almost ran into him. So I get a little on the left to try to see what the driver is doing and when he sees me, he starts yelling at us and stuff. My friend, who's actually 6,6 and looks huge on a bike just yell: Come outside your car and say that to my face. The driver then sped away and my friend was chasing behind him yelling stuff...

While it was pretty funny to watch, I really think it blows how in some parts of the world, car drivers and cyclists can't cohabit nicely.

Anyone else with such stories?

 

[Seth Bullock]

I can’t comment too much about the rest of the world, but Australia has got to be high on the list for having a driving general public who have an extremely intolerant attitude towards cyclists – I think most of them are ignorant of the road rules. Every single time I get on the bike I am pretty much guaranteed to come across some a$$hole in a car. It’s as though as soon as they see a cyclist they just have to beat them to the next intersection/roundabout/crest of the hill; it’s impossible for them to wait the 5-10sec it generally takes before they come to a point where they can safely pass and or turn in. Amazing. Abuse is another – the amount of times I’ve been called a f@ggot! or p@@fta! I’m beginning to wonder myself which team I’m on. I’ve been waterbombed a few times which I can confidently say isn’t totally painless when hitting you in the back and or head after been thrown from a 100km/hr moving car. Other mates have had eggs thrown at them and or had air rifles fired at them (which didn’t miss). Of course I recognise that at times it can be frustrating driving behind cyclists but I am one of the cyclists who doesn’t break the traffic rules – e.g. I keep as far as I can to the left and don’t go through red traffic lights. Sorry, rant I know but this is one topic which really gets me going. It’s unfortunate because even if I am in the right/obeying the rules etc., I’m always going to come off second best when I have a difference of opinion with a car…..

 

[BroDeal]

Rednecks! They are the same the world over, but maybe you guys down under do not have to put up with every other jerkoff thinking he needs a truck the size of a small apartment, often jacked up so high the driver has what should be criminally poor visibility.

 

[lookkg386]

I can’t comment too much about the rest of the world, but Australia has got to be high on the list for having a driving general public who have an extremely intolerant attitude towards cyclists – I think most of them are ignorant of the road rules. Every single time I get on the bike I am pretty much guaranteed to come across some a$$hole in a car. It’s as though as soon as they see a cyclist they just have to beat them to the next intersection/roundabout/crest of the hill; it’s impossible for them to wait the 5-10sec it generally takes before they come to a point where they can safely pass and or turn in. Amazing. Abuse is another – the amount of times I’ve been called a f@ggot! or p@@fta! I’m beginning to wonder myself which team I’m on. I’ve been waterbombed a few times which I can confidently say isn’t totally painless when hitting you in the back and or head after been thrown from a 100km/hr moving car. Other mates have had eggs thrown at them and or had air rifles fired at them (which didn’t miss). Of course I recognise that at times it can be frustrating driving behind cyclists but I am one of the cyclists who doesn’t break the traffic rules – e.g. I keep as far as I can to the left and don’t go through red traffic lights. Sorry, rant I know but this is one topic which really gets me going. It’s unfortunate because even if I am in the right/obeying the rules etc., I’m always going to come off second best when I have a difference of opinion with a car…..

Can I second that, Australian drivers seem to have a "hatred" towards cyclists that amazes me almost everytime I get out...

 

[Greg Johnson]

Australia has got to be high on the list for having a driving general public who have an extremely intolerant attitude towards cyclists – I think most of them are ignorant of the road rules.

They're not ignorant of the road rules Seth, because you'd need to know them in the first place in order to be ignorant of them

I introduce, Australian cycling's worst enemy:

Cheers
Greg Johnson

 

[Seth Bullock]

Rednecks! They are the same the world over, but maybe you guys down under do not have to put up with every other jerkoff thinking he needs a truck the size of a small apartment, often jacked up so high the driver has what should be criminally poor visibility.

Ahh rednecks, such a bunch of f@#king clowns - yes the same the world over. Here we have bevans who (as opposed to driving around in jacked up cars) like to drop the seat and push it back to the point where I find it difficult to believe they can see over the dashboard - also giving you would think criminally poor visibility...

I'd like to propose an Anti Redneck / Bevan law.

 

[Seth Bullock]

They're not ignorant of the road rules Seth, because you'd need to know them in the first place in order to be ignorant of them ]

Ahh yes, very true Greg .

 

[SimonC]

I have a couple of examples of our dear friend the motorist.

1) Communting to work and riding down the right hand side of a stationary line of traffic. Just as I'm passed a bloke in a Vauxhall Corsa he decides to pull further to the right forcing me into the oncoming traffic. So i stop to ask him why he felt it neccessary to try and kill me to which he replied I have to wait so do you. I just called him a W@@ker and left it at that.

2) Commuting home, for lads in a car start hurling abuse at me for no reason, normal stuff, you look gay etc. I give them a bit back at which point he spits at me (nice). As they are just about to turn right, I grab my water bottle and give him a quick squirt (god it good). Spent the rest of the ride home crapping myself hoping they wouldn't follow me.

 

[nathanbloke]

I was cycling along a lovely country lane in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales once. Not much traffic, good visibility.

I was aware that a car was coming up behind me, and it didn't sound like it was slowing. I turned my head as it approached me, and this stupid woman drove past me at about 50 mph without deviating from her line, leaving me 3 inches max clearance between my handlebars and her wing mirror. As I prepared to give her some abuse, her brake lights came on as she got to the approaching bend, she slowed to a crawl, and mounted high onto the the opposite verge as she gave more than enough clearance to a horse-rider - she was going so slow that my bike computer stopped giving a speed reading.

Like, I wanted to slag her off for being a selfish dangerous driver and congratulate her for being a considerate safe driver at the same time.

 

[Delicato]

Reading Seth Bullock's story, I assume that here (where I currently live) people are more tolerant to cyclists. At least I was never called "f@@got"(not in English, of course) when I was riding. Nor I have been thrown eggs at. Some extreme luck? Maybe..

 

[nathanbloke]

2) Commuting home, for lads in a car start hurling abuse at me for no reason, normal stuff, you look gay etc. I give them a bit back at which point he spits at me (nice). As they are just about to turn right, I grab my water bottle and give him a quick squirt (god it good). Spent the rest of the ride home crapping myself hoping they wouldn't follow me.

That reminded me of a non-car story which made me think "what was I thinking?"

I was cycling along a busy residential street in Cardiff, heading out for a ride in the country. I saw this bloke in his 20's stood by the side of the road. I think he thought he looked cool, in an emo sort of way, with the waistband of his jeans slung so low, that not just his pants were visible, but the whole of his buttock, to where they met his thigh. Dark green cotton, his pants were, if you're interested. In my youth, I used to wear "briefs" (they were fashionable up to the mid 80's), and if I'd worn my jean like him, you would've been able to see my ****-flesh.

As I was moving quite briskly, I shouted "Pull you jeans up, your R's is hanging out!" I'd always wanted to do that, but never had the guts to on foot. As he shouted "Eff off" (spelt correctly, though) at my disappearing behind, I was chuckling to myself, feeling almost proud.

I then passed a shop with a huge window, and glanced at my reflection - bright flourescent yellow lycra jersey, skin tight lycra bibshorts, shoes with weird plastic clips on that stopped me walking properly, gloves that looked like weightlifter's, a bulbous helmet on my head. Who's the one that needs style tips now, I thought to myself.

 

[Nevermind]

Hehehe Nathanbloke, both your stories are pretty good.

Is there anything we can do as cyclists, just enthusiast of the sport, in order to bring up awareness about sharing the road between bikes and cars? I mean, seriously, I think sometimes, some group rides exaggerate when they are riding 3 or 4 cyclists wide in traffic busy area but what's wrong with a group of 3 or 4 running in single file hugging the right side of the road!

Just wish I could do something to make our sport a little safer.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Hehehe Nathanbloke, both your stories are pretty good.

Is there anything we can do as cyclists, just enthusiast of the sport, in order to bring up awareness about sharing the road between bikes and cars? I mean, seriously, I think sometimes, some group rides exaggerate when they are riding 3 or 4 cyclists wide in traffic busy area but what's wrong with a group of 3 or 4 running in single file hugging the right side of the road!

Just wish I could do something to make our sport a little safer.

Unfortunately, the only thing we can do is be aware of and follow the rules, treat motorists better than they often deserve, and hope that the above actions help develop some motorist/cyclist empathy that will keep us all a lot safer and happier.

I like to think that, after a motorist behaves in an unneccesarily aggresive and dangerous fashion towards this hapless cyclist, they feel great remorse and even shame on the rest of their drive home. I like to think that, after their irrational rage has petered out, they think about me not as a traffic hindrance but as a son, brother, friend, and husband--somebody with a life every bit as real as theirs--and carry that consciousness with them to their next "encounter" with a cyclist.

Whenever possible, I acknowledge motorists who yield the right of way or respect my position on the road with a wave and a smiling "thanks." It may seem a bit silly to thank people for obeying the law, but all too often motorists DON'T obey the law, blowing off stop signs and the like when the vehicle to whom they should yield the right of way is a cyclist (I was almost hit like this the other day, and the woman yelled at ME to watch where I was going.). Whatever the case, I hope that the motorists I wave to remember those moments and project my smiling face onto whatever cyclists they encounter later, breeding a kind of empathy.

Having said all that, I also have to agree with your three-abreast comment. This kind of thing achieves the exact opposite of empathy by producing a negative association w/ cyclists in the minds of motorists. In Austin, though, I've found a different breed of this; instead of five or six lycra guys hogging the lane with their Colnagos, we often get one hipster faux-fixie doucher, the stop sign/light running type who rides all over the road and seems to enjoy the sport only for it's ability to make him look cool and **** off as many motorists as possible. (I guess that breed's actually pretty universal, but there are a LOT of them here.) I think it's obvious to all of us that this type of behavior only breeds resentment and, eventually (maybe) aggresion.

Anywho, just be safe out there, peeps, and try to keep your cool. I know it's hard sometimes, but our lives are literally in these people's hands and the only thing that will curb aggresion is them deciding, for whatever reason, not to be aggresive. Anything we can do to help foster some empathy can only help.