i ride my bike early on the wkds, around 7-10am, and have people swerve and honk all the time. I generally give the one figer salute at first but if someone really buzzes me i am ready to throw down. i have tried to get guys to pull over or to cath them at the next light. i almost got one high school kid to stop... he would have felt pretty cool getting his ass kicked by a guy in bike shoes, shorts, and a singlet. AND I follow all the rules, hug the curb, ride on a road that has a passing lane, etc. I do triathlons so getting long rides in very important. people in cars are just fat as*hles sometimes. i am on a road bike doing around 22mph... how many ****** cpu geeks on this board can even attempt that? if you did, you would never honk, buzz, or swerve at a biker again.
read this on khou.com bikers be safe out there. this biker was riding off the road. the driver left the road before hitting the cyclist. probably an accident seeing as how the woman was 82 yrs old. but scary none the less... Elderly Conroe woman hits, kills man on bicycle 08:17 AM CST on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 KHOU.com staff report Raw video from the scene An elderly driver hit and killed a cyclist Tuesday night in Conroe. Police said the 82-year-old woman was driving a Ford Explorer around 7:30 p.m. when she hit the man, 41-year-old Brad Jennings on Highway 3083. "He was transported from the scene by EMS to Conroe Regional Medical Center, where was pronounced dead later that night," Officer Mike Tindell said. It's not known if any charges will be filed against the driver, Fern Crawford. Police said Jennings was biking off the shoulder. "That appears to be the fact right now, that she did leave the roadway prior to impact with the ped-cyclist," Officer Tindell said.
I am a casual biker (probably closer to a "****** cpu geek" ) but I respect people riding bikes except when they insist on riding on major roadways during rush hour. I will gladly swerve out of your way or break as long as it's not between 8am-9am or 5-6pm on a heavily travled communter route. Riding on those roads during that time is just dumb and arrogant (let the world wait for me) riding Sat and Sun mornings --- great!!! I will break and wait if I must.
Interesting that a lot of the motorists who complain about cyclists will see a cyclist break the law in some fashion and then proceed to get mad at ALL cyclists saying "those cyclists suck!" and "they shouldn't be allowed on the road!". However, if that same person saw another motorist breaking the law you don't hear them say "All Car Drivers Suck!". You hear them say "That guy sucks!" They don't complain about car drivers because, of course, they are a car driver as well. If seeing one cyclist break the law makes it okay to generalize ALL cyclists then doesn't the same "logic" apply to motorists? Shouldn't you guys who say that cyclists shouldn't be on the road because some of them get in your way or break the law be saying that cars shouldn't be on the road because some of them get in your way or break the law as well? If you see a cyclist breaking the law then why is it okay to blame and get angry at ALL cyclists? You may see a lot of cyclists break the law but you also see TONS of drivers break the law as well every day! I think people who run red lights or hog the road and impede traffic are assholes and should get tickets. Whether they ride bikes or drive cars. It's not hard to want to take away someone else's freedoms and privileges and the easiest way to rationalize it is to classify them as different somehow.
This is horrible. It relaly hits home as this is one of the primary roads I ride on and where I have had a rough time with drivers honking, swerving, etc. Huffmeister and Telge both need more speed traps. Granted the kid was wearing dark clothing and the visiblity at 6am in the rain is most likely poor. Moral of teh story is that if a car so much as touches a bike, the person on the bike is dead. Please keep this in mind when you see people on the road and do your best to give them some room. Whether the biker os on a major road or not, everyone would agree that it is irresponsible to dismiss the threat that you pose to a bike on the road. Hopefully this will help people be a bit more considerate on the road. ----------------------------------------- http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5397087.html Teen killed while riding bike to school in Cy-Fair By KEVIN MORAN Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle TOOLS Email Get section feed Print Subscribe NOW Comments (9) Recommend (1) A Cypress Falls High School student is dead after a car hit him while he was riding his bicycle, officials confirmed today. Zikariya Bin Yousaf, a 10th-grader, was struck in the dark and rain by a motorist in the 10400 block of Huffmeister shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday, the Harris County Sheriff's Department reported. Because of privacy laws, Cy-Fair school district officials declined comment today except to confirm Yousaf attended Cypress Falls. Sheriff's accident investigators said the person who was driving the car that struck the boy said she did not see Yousaf. A witness told investigators the teen was wearing dark clothing and his bicycle did not appear to have any lights or reflective equipment. Yousaf died shortly after the accident at a hospital, investigators said in a statement. kevin.moran@chron.com
bike lanes don't solve the problem when the bike lane is full of trash, gravel, dirt, and broken glass.
I don't like people that bike on the trail where people jog at Memorial Park. Can't they see the sign that no bikes are allowed??
Apparently I'm way late on this thread, but here's my $0.02: I bike commute a shade under 9 mi each way to the Med Center, and use the Bayou H&B path to do so. I don't do so over pretentious environmental issues, I do it because driving myself and parking would eat some $200/month I don't have to spare. I do however have enough of fat to spare for the biking. 1. Use the sidewalks! -->I use the hike & bike 90% of the time, but have to get on the streets at the med center. Can't use the sidewalks because there are too many people there. When they're empty I will. -->In Houston in general, have you seen the sidewalks? In downtown they're okay, but in many places, the heat and humidity of warped and cracked them to the extent that you'd have an easier time mountain biking. Bikes with road tires will blow out everytime. -->As mentioned ad nauseum, it's the law. A law I break frequently since I don't want to be on the street amongst cars, but hey. 2. Stay to the side/out of the way on the street! -->You get "bumped" or squeezed off the road once or twice by some redneck a-hole, and see if you're willing to invite that to happen again. 90% of drivers will be cool, but if I know there's people out there that will be dicks because they're just dicks - I'm not going to offer myself up to get hurt. 3. I agree with everyone saying it's jack when a biker is riding on a 40+ mph street. It's arrogant. Occasionally I find myself in that position (Braeswood), and believe me when I say I haul ass, keeping the spedometer above 20. Once again, though, it will be middle of the lane, because it's asking for a swipe otherwise. 4. To those that hate being inconvenienced by a biker: is this honestly screwing you over? Honestly? Any worse than going through a school zone? Look, you're in a mobile living room: comfy seats, a/c, stereo system. Chill out, listen to one extra song on the iPod. Seriously, how bad does it suck? Let the road rage go. For bikers, we're running the risk of getting our legs crushed or getting killed. Drivers, most of the time you're looking at 10 to 60 extra seconds in your drive. 5. Drivers: look before swinging your m.f.ing right turns and unprotected lefts. I can't count the amount of times I've nearly gotten creamed by Lexus-driving suburban moms hitting the intersection without even tapping the brakes, only looking left (right if a left turn) for oncoming cars, and swinging. Typically, I let them go ahead and wait, but I'm not willing to get trapped at a busy intersection where a stream of turners obliviously block me throughout my only protected crossing. 6. All the mutual internet threats: whatever. I'd be more bothered if I didn't know most of you take pride in being an eDouche in this one anonymous sector of your life. In summary: most bikers are trying to stay out of the way of cars since we know there are jacks out there who just might maim us, given the opportunity. All it takes is one incident and we may be permanently injured or killed. I'm sorry that there are arrogant Lance wannabes out there that unfairly tick off drivers. But PLEASE keep in mind that, again, you're talking about seconds added to your comfortable drive. I encounter bikers when I drive too, it's not the end of the world. Evan
which route do you take? im coming from i-10 & i-610. i usually take the sidewalks down 610 to richmond. then ride richmond ave to buffalo speedway. then left on university into the med center. riding richmond and buffalo speedway sucks ballz. you know of a safer route?
if youre willing to pay $50 a week for my gas and another $30 a month for my gym membership, then id be glad to drive. in fact id prefer to drive.
I have to say, when I ride a bike, ever since I was a kid, I drive into traffic. Personally, I like to see what's coming at me. If the road is too busy, I find alternate routes. People who expect drivers to watch for them are just asking to be nailed. I don't trust any driver out there.
You obviously don't get it. Do you jog to work? Biking is a way of commuting, not just exercise. And while it's harrowing with the traffic on the roadways, if you're smart and respectful of motorists, it can be fun! Honestly, the weather is no nice outside right now, I've been biking all over town to get places. Lets me feel a lot better since I don't have a convertible.
nicely put. i used to live on sabine st and would cruise to memorial for the picnic loop and never had a problem. now live in the burbs (cypress area) and it is horrible to bike. knowing this kid got killed on my route does not make me want to go ride at all....
With the sheer amount of morons behind the wheel of 4 wheeled vehicles, the only two wheeler I would ride on the roads better have a motor on it. Cycling was fun when I was younger, but I no longer think myself invulnerable and honestly, the idiocy factor of drivers in general has increased at a worrying pace in the last decade or so around here. I dont like driving by a cyclist, but it isnt cause you are pissing me off, its cause you never know when they will just suddenly jog your direction from inattentiveness or a imperfection on the road. Ill make you guys a deal, you cyclers try to be more considerate of others by not doing what has been the most common complaints in this thread about cyclers, and we will try to not run you off the roads. (not that I have ever done that, seriously) emjohn, I may be out of touch and not known about the use of the term eDouche, but I must thank you for using it in a thread I read...it is now my most favorite eInsult.
This would take a bit longer and I have never commuted this route, but I have ridden all of it on weekends .... You could cross over to Memorial Park. If you are on a road bike you would have a small stretch on Memorial, but there is more room for bikes than on Richmond. If you are on a hybrid there is a dirt path on the north side of Memorial. Go around the park loop, through West End on Blossom, down to Memorial on Detering, a short sprint on Memorial to Shepard, right on Shepard to Kirby, right on Kirby and then an immediate left on Troon (this is key), cut through River Oaks, cross over to to West U on Edloe and through West U (ride on Brompton or Belmont, not Buffalo Speedway, unless you can sustain close to 30 mph) to University. Definitely a bit longer, but better than riding on sidewalks or riding on Richmond. As for the overall topic, anybody suggesting that bikers ride on sidewalks has no clue. A decent biker is going way too fast for a sidewalk to be safe. Bikers need to obey the law and be considerate of cars, and vice versa. It would help to have more bike lanes, and for the ones they have to be rideable. Tires under 110 psi don't do well in crap bike lanes.
