recently i decided to commute to work on a bicycle for various reasons. 1) my gut is showing 2) ridiculous gas prices 3) commuting by bike is actually faster as i was riding home from work the other day and some jackhole tried to run me off the road! i was obeying all laws and going along with traffic when suddenly this jackhole pulls up next to me, rolls down his window, and says "use the f'in side walk!" then he quickly pulled ahead of me and cut me off. as we came to a stop at a light i gave him the bird. (i was stopped behind him) he tried to spin his tires and sling mud at me. good thing i was far enough back to stay dry. so i gave him the harlem shuffle. mind you he was doing all this while talking on his cell phone. bicycles are supposed to travel on the street with the traffic. it only takes 5 seconds to change lanes and pass up a bicycle. plus the rider is doing you a favor by putting 1 less car on the road. please be courteous to the riders out there. thank you.
Why can't they use the sidewalks? If a car is in front me and is going 20 miles per hour less than the speed limit, I'm thinking they're a danger. They can be literally pullled over for driving too slow. They're impeding traffic. If there's not a sidewalk, I get it. No worries. I'll move over. But if there's a sidewalk....why not use it?
I think because it's a law (I remember my dad yelling at me about this when I was 10)? Sidewalks are for pedestrian use - things with wheels are (generally) not welcome.
Well, its a pain in the ass when a bike is only going 5 mph and you are trying to go 35 in a car. The people I hate mot are people that walk down the middle of the street. It happens in West U every morning when I am trying to drive. These old fat women walk 5-6 across and no cars can get by and they will never move. last week I reved my engine and got one to dive to the side. pretty funny
i think there's a law for it or something if i'm not mistaken. i agree with sharing the roads although it is kinda annoying... especially when the bikers themselves don't follow the rules of the road. running red lights so that you have to pass them twice, riding into oncomining traffic, etc.
because it is against the law - bikes are supposed to be on the street. i dont know how many times ive been called ******* or had people try to run me off the road on my bike simply for riding my bike. ive flipped people off or kicked some cars in the past, but i now carry a knife whenever im riding and the next person who messes w/ me is getting a nice flat tire or my bike u-lock thru their back windshield. i honestly cant wait!
lol im guessing you live in a nice neighborhood. You flip someone off or kick someones car in my neighborhood, you won't be going home again.
i dunno... i've had any close encounters with 'restaurant workers' going home on their bikes at 11~pm at night. i wish they use the sidewalk
As a regular bike commuter and having done a couple of longish bike trips, my first rule is always safety. That means not impeding traffic as best I can. Sidewalks are often not safe for cyclists. Something about hitting pedestrians, and old ladies yada yada yada. A bike goes much too fast for a sidewalk if there is a chance of pedestrians being there. Plus you're invisible to cars when you go across intersections and driveways. And it's a much slower ride. That's why it's against the law to ride them in many jurisdictions. I'll ride sidewalks anyway if the road is busy and narrow, the block is very long, and there is no chance of anyone coming out from a storefront or business. But it's almost always safer to ride the road. And anyone who cuts off a cyclist, or plays games by 'pretending' to sideswipe them or toss stuff at them is a complete asswipe. You're in a freaking car. You can kill a guy. Seriously. Even if you don't hit him, if you startle him enough to lose his balance or hit a rut he can go down and be seriously injured. Or die. Not funny. Get your kicks elsewhere.
Ironic that the lawyer was told, "it's the law, dummy." I seriously didn't know that. Ok, I'll be nicer now. There are bike lanes around the area I live and work in....but it still makes me nervous when passing a guy on a bike.
I agree and understand and sympathize. But riding your bike in houston on the road is suicide. People here cannot drive with other cars, let alone bikes.
Get one of those bikes with the really long front fork and fat tires and put a baseball card in between the spokes. That way, people will think you have a Harley and they'll give you a little more respect on the roads...
I agree: there's a difference between "what's legal" and "what's a good idea". I used to to work for a guy who rode his bike to work down San Felipe, West of the loop. I can't imagine anyone doing that during morning or afternoon rush hour. Of course, he eventually was hit by a car and got really messed up. Biking down dedicated bike paths is okay. Biking down streets that have designated bike lanes is dangerous (because of houston drivers) and biking down a street without a bike lane is suicide. Also, it may be illegal to bike on the sidewalk, but think about it.... on the sidewalk, you can look ahead and see pedestrians. On the street cars can come at you from out of nowhere hitting a pedestrian would be bad. Getting hit by a car would be a lot worse. You've probably got a lot less of a chance of hitting a pedestrian on a sidewalk than you do of hitting a car. Yeah, it's illegal. But are cops going to write you a ticket for riding your bike on the sidewalk? (answer: no) I'd recommend choosing a sidewalk over a street.
If you, as a cyclist, are following the law and not impeding traffic, I've got no problem with you. It's the jackasses who are in the middle of a lane at a stop light...if they stop at it. It's the moron in the middle of a lane on a 50 mph road. There was nothing worse than the month after the Tour De France in Austin while Lance was winning. Everyone and their grandma were out on bikes, wearing spandex and a yellow jersey. These idiots have no clue what the rules of the road are. I understand you have a right to the road. I will do my best to keep an eye out for you and to move around you at a safe distance. However, that doesn't mean that you get to ride around out there as if you're in a car. You're not. Get out of the way.
Sorry, I have little patience for people who cause traffic problems knowingly. Just because it's within the bounds of the law doesn't make it stupid or not dangerous. If you're riding your bike down the road alongside cars going 40+ MPH, you deserve whatever you get. (Note: I personally would never threaten/tease/run over these people but I have little sympathy) It's the price you have to pay for getting to give your pretentious speeches about how you ride your bike to work because you support the environment.
i live in central austin - granted, if i lived in houston i would be keeping my fingers and feet to myself. but generally, the drivers who yell at or try to run bikers off the road are p*****s - frat boys, yuppies or soccer moms. i will fight them.