OT: Rant about LA cyclists

I know many of you commute via bicycle, so this is not directed at *everyone* on a bike. But geez, I don't have that many pet peeves, but two things that make me rage with the fire of a thousand suns are rude service and cyclists. in. Los. Angeles.

Just for the record, if you are insterested in incurring rage and ill will wherever you go, please do the following:

- Take up an entire lane of traffic on a street that only *has* one lane. During rush hour.

- Bike on the wrong side of the road so that you come flying at people with little warning - especially when you round a corner and appear on top of someone turning right.

- Cut off cars in the left turn lane, again during rush hour, and then go through the turn as slowly as possible, fiddling with your handlebars and gears the whole way, so that only one car may make the turn in time and all the others have to wait an extra ten minutes to go thirty feet.

- Slow or stop in front of vital driveways and areas, like those to gas stations, post offices, metered parking spots, the emergency room...

- Cut across four lanes, without signaling, and without checking for oncoming traffic.

- Ride your black bike in a black hoodie and black jeans without any lights or reflectors in the middle of the night.

- Make sure to speed up when riding on the sidewalk with your girlfriend on the handlebars, so that you can cut in front of that car that's been waiting to turn for five minutes (instead of going behind, or pausing for a second so the car can go on its merry way). If you don't beat this car to the punch, you will look like such an unmanly fool!

- Ride in groups, but never in single file. Make sure to take up as many lanes as possible, so that you may chitchat and ride even slower while the road piles up behind you.

- Above all, when cars try to go around you, pass you, or otherwise circumvent the delay you're causing, scream and swear like it's bloody murder. You own the road, and how dare anyone else try to use it!

>:0

Ok. I think I'm done and can move on with my day now that I let that out... but dude, seriously, in any vehicle, if you think you deserve consideration on the road, be considerate yourself.

This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

24 Comments

  • HeleenH replied 11 years ago

    I know some cyclist can be a nuicance. But how exactly was the person that was taking up an entire lane of traffic on a street that only *has* one lane, during rush hour supposed to travel home safely on her/his bike if (s)he didn't use that one lane?

  • HelenInCanada replied 11 years ago

    I'm terrified just picturing all of this. Truly. Doesn't LA have designated bike lanes??! If not - wow. Fatality waiting to happen. Also, what happened to cyclist traffic rules? Are there fines or consquences for not following them? No joke. A former attorney general here in Canada hit and killed a cyclist downtown (Toronto). I slow to a crawl when a cyclist is riding parallel to me out of fear. There's got to be a better way - espesh during rush hour!!!

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Heleen, there are plenty of streets that have mulitple lanes each way, and there are also plenty of empty sidewalks. It's not like that's the only road into town... it's my opinion, but I think it's pretty rude to basically cause a traffic jam because you did not want to choose a street that can accomodate you.

    HelenInCanada, there are *some* bike lanes here, but definitely not enough to make biking a breeze. I understand that bikers have their own struggles, but yes, I DON'T WANT TO HIT AND KILL YOU. Make it easier for me to NOT KILL you by taking some ownership of your own safety. I feel so bad for the biker you mentioned as well as the lawyer... I've never seen a biker get a ticket, so I don't know how common that is.

  • annagybe replied 11 years ago

    Actually in most states you're not allowed to ride on the sidewalk. In Washington state if you do ride on the sidewalk, you have to be at a walking speed.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Anna, I don't know what the law is here, but I sure do see plenty of other cyclists on the sidewalks... especially if it is an area where bike messengers or restaurants deliver a lot.

  • replied 11 years ago

    No bike lanes? How dangerous for everyone!
    ETA: I just saw your response to Helen. I used to ride a mini motorcycle as a teenager- when I lived overseas - and I was taught to occupy the physical space of a full car, rather than ride on the side of the roads, for my own safety.
    I wonder if these cyclists are thinking the same?

  • Ana replied 11 years ago

    It's illegal to ride on the sidewalk here in Austin as well. And some bike lanes here are a joke. They're old and not even wide enough for a bike to travel in safely. It's actually safer to ride out in traffic, because then drivers can *see* you and not run you over (saying this a driver, not a cyclist).

    But yeah, riding at night with no lights, and otherwise disobeying traffic rules drives me crazy.

  • annagybe replied 11 years ago

    Doesn't say anything about sidewalks, but they can ride in the traffic lane if there is no safe way

    http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/bro.....ffdl37.htm

  • Sveta replied 11 years ago

    I can add my own pet peeve here too: when there is a designated bike line parallel to the sidewalk by all means still ride in the traffic line because you are to cool in your biking gear to comply with the rules! (and this bike path is very wide and good so no excuses here!)

  • HelenInCanada replied 11 years ago

    I agree 100% with you, rae. Cyclists have got to follow the rules of the road, or they're putting themselves and drivers in danger. Personally, I find ways to avoid major roads when I cycle (rare these days) - cutting through parks, or going along the waterfront. I HATE to be on a traffic-filled street when on a bike - it can be downright scary. Luckily, I have options other than cycling when I must be somewhere. (The lawyer-cyclist case was a huge deal here, because it really highlighted the problem.)

    For your sake, I hope this situation improves!

  • christieanne replied 11 years ago

    SF is the worst and Berkeley is close behind. Lot of media attention going on and responsible bikers (SF Bike Coalition for example) try to get other bikers to follow the etiquette and laws but a few dangerous riders make it bad for others.
    My pet peeve comes down to this: Bike riders are supposed to follow the rules of the road if they are on the streets. That means stopping for red lights and stop signs and signalling like a car. If they want to you use crosswalks or sidewalks, they are to act as pedestrian which means walking the bike. You can't have it both ways - not because I don't like it - but because it isn't safe.
    We have had a few incidents of elderly and slow walkers who were knocked over by bicyclists and died from injuries. This trend of removing brakes and competing for best travel times is dangerous in the city.

    Ok, my rant over. I love bikes and bicylists but want EVERYONE to share the road. We have bike lanes in Berkley and Oakland and I fully support that.
    I hear you Rae!

  • HelenInCanada replied 11 years ago

    I wonder if they could re-think that riding-on-sidewalk law (Toronto also bans cycling on sidewalks). I too see so many empty sidewalks, it's ridiculous. (Maybe set a cycling speed limit...? Not sure how that could be enforced, but it's an idea.) So perhaps a law allowing cyclists to ride on the right side of sidewalks (barring very busy pedestrian areas where sidewalks are typically filled, though). I know it sounds goofy, but it might work! Pedestrians need to be mindful, too, though. Sigh. Co-operation is so politically incorrect. ;)

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Anna and Zap, I hear you on the legality and safety. I have sympathy for sure when a biker takes up a whole lane on a regular street; it is easy to change lanes and go around them. At the same time, though, when my hubs and I bike, we just don't go down streets that have a single lane... I don't understand why people do it when it is 1) safer and 2) more polite to ride another street.

    Sveta, I have not come across that one, but it would make me quite irritated - like a bus not using the bus lane or a single driver in a carpool lane. :/

    Christieanne, that is just awful about the elderly pedestrians. Wow, I have not heard of removing brakes from bikes! How irresponsible... what if people did that to get better times in cars? I can't imagine the carnage.

    Helen, that would be a practical solution here, I think. In Italy, I saw some places that had extra wide sidewalks, where half was pedestrian and half was for cyclists - I like that idea, too. Hardly anyone walks in the city, anyway. If they do, it's usually just to and from the bus stop or around the block in a residential area.

  • catgirl replied 11 years ago

    What I was shocked at in L.A. was how few people carpool on their commute. Everyone I saw was a solo driver, and we were able to speed everywhere in the carpool lane. Maybe that's where bikers should be allowed.

    I can tell you that here drivers are happy to run bikers off the road, so my sympathies lie with the bikers. Most of our roads don't even havepavement or shoulders let alone bike lanes. But I'm sure it would be different in a crowded city.

  • cciele replied 11 years ago

    All I have to say is:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCqz3l33kU

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Cathy, I can't access youtube from here... but any chance that is the "I'm on a bike" song?

  • RandomThoughts (Andrea) replied 11 years ago

    Sidewalk cyclists make me want to crazy!

    As many of you know, I train dogs for a living. So I am often walking dogs on public sidewalks that have less than perfect leash manners, chase bicycles, bark and lunge like mad, etc. I do everything I can to PREVENT any dog I am training from ever "exploding" (if you see the problem, I have failed). However that is very difficult when a cyclist is doing what feels like a million miles an hour past me on a narrow sidewalk, when I did not even have time to prepare or get out of the way. The latter which I should not even have to do. SideWALK!

    Christieanne, I agree. I support people riding bikes - I think it's awesome. But we are part of a society. Bikes need to behave politely and follow the rules of the road, as does everyone else.

    I have an acquaintance who was riding her bicycle and 3 cyclists (guys in spandex with the special shoes etc - hardcore) slammed into her. She had some broken bones and a dislocated shoulder. They dropped her off at the ER and disappeared, taking no responsibility. :(

  • cciele replied 11 years ago

    Rae -- yeah, it's the "I'm on a m****f*** bike" song :)

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Ah, that stinks, Andrea. Your poor friend... and they just left her to deal with the hospital bills and everything alone? So scummy, regardless of vehicle, to take off after a hit & run. :T I agree that populated sidewalks are not good for bikes, either.

    Cathy, I *love* that video - it is exactly the attitude I feel from many, many bikers here. It's like they feel I owe them something for being cool/awesome/eco enough to bike.

  • Kari replied 11 years ago

    I think both sides really need to be more courteous and safe. I tried biking to work a few times. I live a couple miles away on flat roads that have (narrow) bike lanes. I wear a helmet and obey traffic laws, stopping at red lights, signaling with my hand when I'm turning. I try to stay as far over to the side of the bike lane as I can. I pay attention to traffic and try to make eye contact with drivers. And even so, some ass-hat would honk at me or put on the gas and veer around me at top speed, making it obvious that they were irritated that I was even on the road when I had every legal right to be. And I've noticed how drivers do not check their blind spot for people in bike lanes at all, and sometimes you aren't even sure they notice you are on the road. It was too stressful and I stopped. And this is in the city that's known as the bike capital of the northwest!

    In Seattle, we've had issues with drivers who hit-and-run bikers from time to time, too. http://tubulocity.com/?p=5719
    There are a lot of drivers who are going out of their way to make it unpleasant and unsafe for bikers to be on the road. The last thing I want to see if for it to turn into a situation like what Toronto bikers are going through: http://www.nowtoronto.com/news.....ent=186895

    On the flip side, it drives me crazy when bikers don't obey the laws of traffic - riding on sidewalks, darting across streets at red lights and stop signs, riding the wrong way on the street, not stopping at intersections, darting across lanes without signaling or even looking, not wearing helmets (which is a law in my county, and honestly, I think it's stupid and dangerous when someone doesn't!) If you are sharing the road, everyone needs to operate their vehicle safely and legally - and courteously!

  • Kari replied 11 years ago

    This is worth a look, too: http://www.mostwatchedtoday.co.....ne-ticket/

    "Casey Neistat receives a $50 ticket for riding his bike around a vehicle parked in the bike lane. Instead of the police officer giving the car a ticket he gives the biker a ticket. Casey goes ahead and films himself riding into obstructions in the bike lanes of New York City. The video ends with him riding his bike into a police car which is blocking the bike lane."

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Amen, Kari. I think both sides have a chip on their shoulder due to those who ruin it for everyone.

  • Kari replied 11 years ago

    I can also say that I had a VERY near miss with a biker last year. I was in my car waiting to turn out of the parking lot, checked both sides, and inched out. This is in a rather busy intersection leading up tot the freeway. And all of a sudden a biker comes flying through the bike lane right in front of my car going the WRONG WAY at top speed without a helmet! Luckily I was just inching out so I stopped in time, but it would have been so easy to hit him accidentally. I was just livid that someone would be so careless on the road.

  • Jenava replied 11 years ago

    I bike quite a bit and first, let me just say...I know it's infurirating and not fair, but PLEASE don't be aggressive with bikes. They are only on a bike and (as dumb as bikers can be themselves) you could easily kill them.

    I see both sides every time I ride, but I have less patience for careless drivers because they can kill the bikers...the bikers would merely make you take extra time out of your commute - which will NOT kill you!

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