You won't get any respect on the street as a cyclist in Texas even if you were Lance Armstrong (he had at least one reported case of a drink being thrown at him). Don't try to convert people too hard. That's what I'm saying. People act like they could have cured AIDS in those three seconds. But they can't now because you were crossing the street or riding your bike home. Way to inconvenience humanity jerkface street-crosser/cyclist. God I hate you so much. If you're hell bent on hitting a biker and taking a child's parent away from them, go ahead. If you're hell bent on acting irresponsible around motorists and getting yourself killed, be my guest. Understand that whatever the consequences of your actions are, they aren't isolated to the two of you, but affect your children, spouses, family, and bystanders (and if anything happens to them, THEIR families) as well.
What I hate more is people on a bike that are in the middle of the street taking their sweet as 2mph time like it's a stroll in the park. I know for a fact that some of these people in my neighborhood doesn't really need to go/be anywhere. They just wanna get on their bike for the sake of it and they ride in the middle of the street. I'm polite enough to not honk and just drive around them, but one thing that pisses me off is that some of these f****ers give me this dirty [wtf you lookin at] look when I drive by. I don't wish injury upon people, but if something happens, they won't get any sympathy. Nobody cares about those jackasses.
i do my best to ride as far on the right side of the lane. however, there are some nasty potholes. in those instances, im forced to go a little closer to the center of the lane. but i do my best to pass the pothole quickly and return to my spot on the very far right side of the lane. as far as the side walk goes. there are some really nice side walks that were built very wide w/ bike commuters in mind. however, the older side walks are worse than the street w/ some sections of side walk completely missing or 3-4 inch drops or rises between slabs... coming home today, a dude in an suv honked their horn and then zoomed into my lane. only to find out that i was following a bus 20 yards ahead of me. he slammed on his brakes and had to change out of my lane again. i wonder where he had to be in such a hurry. its rush hour. no one is going anywhere fast... i am guilty of creeping up to the front when everyone is stopped at a light. sorry but im always mindful of cars trying to make a right turn. i dont go far enough up so that i would impede their ability to make a right turn. this isnt true on all roads but the roads i ride... there is plenty of room for a car and a bike in the same lane. it seems like the drivers feel they are veering into the neighboring lane but in actuality theyre still in their own lane. more dedicated bike lanes wouldnt be a bad thing. the space is there. but i dont think it would encourage more houstonians to commute on bike. employers would have to provide lockers and showers. im lucky enough to work for an employer who does provide these things.
im just flushing out the rats. i knew it was out there, but i honestly had no idea there was this much animosity towards bikers. anyone who throws something at someone they dont know b/c they got upset over what some other person they dont know said on the internet is a very small minded person who will get what they deserve. they will feel very silly having to explain to the police that they assaulted someone b/c they got mad at what someone wrote on a basketball message board.
i have admitted that i ride on the sidewalk when the road has alot of traffic AND there are no pedestrians present. but to be relegated to sidewalks as many here seem to advocate is what im against. whats that term ive mentioned more than once in this thread? ...common sense. and i never said that was a reason people need to respect me on my bike (im not even sure what that means?). people in cars need to respect bikes b/c it is their right to be on the road. that and the fact that it is the law that bicycles are allowed on the street - sorry. you should respect the rights of bikes to be on the street. could have fooled me
Awww, come on guys, it's so simple maybe you need a refresher course. It's all ball bearings nowadays. Now you prepare that Fetzer valve with some 3-in-1 oil and some gauze pads, and I'm gonna need 'bout ten quarts of anti-freeze, preferably Prestone. No, no make that Quaker State.
madmax - in your legal opinion, if person a was riding their bike down the street, minding their own business and person b drove by and threw a full milkshake (preferably chocolate!) at person a, striking them in the head, knocking them off their bike and causing nasty scrapes and cuts or even severe injury, would person a be able to sue them in a court of law and/or would the police end up filing some kind of assault charge against them? what kind of money would person a be looking at and what kind of punishment would person b be looking at? there are consequences to your actions dudes. CA$H MONEY!
I ride a bike to work. Love it. No hassles with parking. It's faster (in a crowded city). Saves me money. And I don't get road rage any more. Sound like a blowhard? Probably to people in a car-heavy city like Houston. Too bad a lot of US cities are sprawling downtowns and suburbs and exburbs. I think it makes sense in a city dedicated to bike lanes and pedestrian flow... sadly cities like Houston may not have a bike culture (infrastructure, weather, expectations, etc.). Not saying it's a bad or good thing.. but it's a lifestyle consideration when choosing where you want to live...
I now have an opinion.. As I was leaving the Museum after work today I was sitting at a red light that lasted about five minutes. It took even longer because I was in the left turn lane and yada yada yada. When my turn finally came this biker comes outta nowhere from the cross street and proceeds to take a left on to my street causing me to miss the light. I don't have a problem with a bike using the road, I do have a problem with them not obeying street laws when using the road.
It's fortunate you came to me. I'm a specialist in bicycle/milkshake law. The answers to your questions are as follows: 1. yes 2. yes 3. depends on the injuries sustained
I see that alot....it pisses me off having to veer into a lane of oncoming traffic to go around bike dorks.
if they hit you with a shake, your case i will take. (or more likely refer you out to someone who actually would handle that sort of thing)
Like I said, I was trying to offer translation services (for free, even) on what FFB was saying....since you asked what his point was earlier in the thread. I should have put up my disclaimer....something to this effect: "The statements FFB uses do not necessarily reflect the thoughts and feelings of blah blah blah...." I completely respect bikes on the street, unless they do something asinine like the instance I mentioned in my earlier post. Otherwise.......have fun ridin' yo bike. I got no beef. As my final thought, I would like to try throwing a milkshake on someone. Not a cyclist, but just someone....anyone. I did have a guy throw his egg mcmuffin at me once. I rolled down the car window and asked if he had any coffee too. He yelled some obscenity at me and gunned it up the freeway....with his flowmasters growling up the road. Bahahhahahahahhahaaaa.....
Out by my house on the weekends......it's kinda like this....except add about 57 more people on bikes, widen the road by two more lanes each way, and add many more cars. Then you're close.
