Want to know why everyone hates cyclists?

[Hemi-Cuda]

Read the comments on this article

http://pvpost.com/2013/08/23/prairie...top-sign-20654

Cyclists actually acting indignant that the police had the gaul to ticket a group that ran a stop sign. I hated cyclists with a passion before, and this isn't helping (neither is that ridiculous bicycle lane design on 7th St downtown)

[RougeUnderoos]

I'm a "cyclist" myself.

I hate (with a passion no less!) motorists. You know why? Because not every one of them follows the rules all the time.

Also, I don't sound like a moron when I say that.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Read the comments on this article

http://pvpost.com/2013/08/23/prairie...top-sign-20654

Cyclists actually acting indignant that the police had the gaul to ticket a group that ran a stop sign. I hated cyclists with a passion before, and this isn't helping (neither is that ridiculous bicycle lane design on 7th St downtown)

I see no comments on that article.

[missdpuck]

I'll admit to being a dbag cyclist who often uses the sidewalk. There are very rarely any pedestrians on them, and the bike lanes just end. I dunno, I wish bike lanes were an extension of the sidewalk instead of being some tiny lane in the middle of the road. it's like asking for trouble. Down here there's a law that cyclists can't ride more than 2 abreast, yet they often do a blockade going down A1A (the beach road). Many parts of A1A have no bike lane and no shoulder. Forget your leisurely drive down the beach on the weekend. You end up hating the world.

[TurnedTheCorner]

No need, I completely understand it.

[MarchHare]

I snapped this photo in front of the Armoury on 11th St SW a few weeks ago:



Two d-bag cyclists in one shot! The first guy is riding on the sidewalk despite there being dedicated bike lanes along either side of 11th St. The second guy (yellow shirt) is using the bike line, but he's riding on the wrong side of the road. He should be using the lane on the right side instead of going against traffic. That's akin to a motorist driving in the left lane.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for making Calgary a more bike-friendly city and wish more people would walk/bike/take transit instead of drive, but cyclists can be their own worst enemies. The rules of the road exist for the safety of everyone. So many cyclists selectively choose which rules to obey and which to ignore, making themselves unpredictable and therefore a danger.

[CaptainCrunch]

There are a lot of cyclist who think that the rules don't apply to them, that come down between traffic in blind spots to get ahead of vehicles. Ride bikes through pedestrians crossing in cross walks etc. Jump up on sidewalks.

There's a temptation when your walking on the sidewalk and some ###### bag cyclists comes screaming down to stick an arm out.

Its easy to dislike them when they put their lives in dangerous.

[Cuz]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

There are a lot of cyclist who think that the rules don't apply to them, that come down between traffic in blind spots to get ahead of vehicles. Ride bikes through pedestrians crossing in cross walks etc. Jump up on sidewalks.

There's a temptation when your walking on the sidewalk and some ###### bag cyclists comes screaming down to stick an arm out.

Its easy to dislike them when they put their lives in dangerous.

I think this is the biggest reason for the hate towards cyclists, and when you call them out on it, they give you the finger or countinue their d-baggery.
I had a situation with one a few weeks ago heading EB on 17 Ave SW, approaching Richmond Rd. I was heading to the old children's hospital for a CT so I was about to turn right and this cyclist was taking this time getting to the intersection. I waited a bit, giving him plenty of room and he ended up stopping with at least two car lengths in front of him and the intersection. I decided to go around him (proper signaling and all) and got up to the intersection with my signal on showing I was going to turn right. So the light turns green and he decides to zoom around me on the right before I turn. Lucky for him I see him making this moronic move and let him go by and before I even honk at him, he turns and gives me the finger. What I did to deserve the finger I don't know, but this type of attitude, the one where cyclists feel they have more of a right to the road than a car, is why I hate cyclists (and this doesn't even tell you what I have seen as a transit operator).

[Bunk]

The lack of adherence to many rules can be annoying. In the case of stop signs, I think there is a strong case to be made for treating stop signs as yields for cyclists.

http://vimeo.com/boomhower/idahostop

As for riding on sidewalks, I think in most cases, it's just a matter of survival until there is proper on-street infrastructure in this city. I've been trying to avoid it if at all possible on my recent foray into bike commuting to work but in some instances I've simply had to.

That said, motorists don't often know what to do when a cyclist is trying to strictly adhere to rules of the road - they often treat the cyclist as pedestrian, when they are not.

Once better infrastructure is in place, I think we'll all benefit by seeing better compliance, better safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists - and ultimately more cyclists.

[Cuz]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Read the comments on this article

http://pvpost.com/2013/08/23/prairie...top-sign-20654

Cyclists actually acting indignant that the police had the gaul to ticket a group that ran a stop sign. I hated cyclists with a passion before, and this isn't helping (neither is that ridiculous bicycle lane design on 7th St downtown)

As a transit operator, I HATE the new bike lane on 7st. I wouldn't hate it at all if the city decided to put it on the right side of the road, but for some reason beyond logic they put it on the left. So now when an operator is turning left onto 7th Ave, we now have to watch out for cyclists wizzing by in addition to pedestrian traffic, which can be difficult during the rush hours. (end rant)

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Cuz

As a transit operator, I HATE the new bike lane on 7st. I wouldn't hate it at all if the city decided to put it on the right side of the road, but for some reason beyond logic they put it on the left. So now when an operator is turning left onto 7th Ave, we now have to watch out for cyclists wizzing by in addition to pedestrian traffic, which can be difficult during the rush hours. (end rant)

There were many, many trade offs as I understand in placing a two way on the left side on 7th - two being laneway access configurations, and the other big one being the number of parking stalls affected. This is the difficulty when changing the configuration of a roadway, or designing it in the first place, it is rarely ideal for all users.

As a rider, the experience of the 7th street lane is excellent. It's not at all unusual to see rather small children riding it.

That said, perhaps that could be addressed with a bus-activated left signal to advance the bus ahead of the 7th street traffic?

[Temporary_User]

Originally Posted by Bunk

The lack of adherence to many rules can be annoying. In the case of stop signs, I think there is a strong case to be made for treating stop signs as yields for cyclists.

http://vimeo.com/boomhower/idahostop

Came to post the same thing. Cars do the California stop, cyclists do the Idaho stop.
Cyclists occasionally hop up on the sidewalk (I don't), cars speed.
Cars pass too close (3 feet would be the minimum of for slow moving traffic), cyclists...I have nothing.

[Flashpoint]

Bikes and cars need to be kept separate.

That's pretty much the only way to allow both to work. Asking a cyclist to stop at stop signs would allow predictability, but would reduce the traffic behind them to a crawl.

Motorists don't want to go 20 mph when they don't have to, and lets face it - you get a license when you're 16, and then you're good to go for the rest of your life? People on the highways are idiots, and usually distracted idiots. A fender bender with a cyclist results in fatality.

Bottom line - you don't let your kids play in the street, you can't have cyclists out there either. Nor should cars be allowed on playgrounds, or near bike paths.

[calgarywinning]

Cyclists and Bicycle riders are two different animals in my opinion. There are times when a bicycle rider needs to be on the road, but shouldn't be confused with a cyclist.

I have ridden a road bike and understand that it's a very nice machine that rolls and performs. I just don't get the thrill of running the tape on inadequate highways with 10 tun trucks whizzing by with an inch of grace. The cyclist is almost like a bike courier who is flippant with his life and his relevance in terms of the greater beasts that are on the road. Cyclists are like magpies eating roadkill that only move at the last instance of your vehicle moving in at a 100 km/h affords them.

I've said it before, I always yield to the lesser vehicle assuming they will drive out in front of me, walk, jump on my hood or in my sunroof. When I am bicycling I will always yield no matter the intersection to the larger vehicle when I don't see them acknowledging or seeing me.

I think it's less about being right and more about just accepting that cyclists have their nuts cupped to tight in their riding shorts and their time trials to think rationally and actually consider motor vehicles as their superior.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bunk

The lack of adherence to many rules can be annoying. In the case of stop signs, I think there is a strong case to be made for treating stop signs as yields for cyclists.

http://vimeo.com/boomhower/idahostop

As for riding on sidewalks, I think in most cases, it's just a matter of survival until there is proper on-street infrastructure in this city. I've been trying to avoid it if at all possible on my recent foray into bike commuting to work but in some instances I've simply had to.

That said, motorists don't often know what to do when a cyclist is trying to strictly adhere to rules of the road - they often treat the cyclist as pedestrian, when they are not.

Once better infrastructure is in place, I think we'll all benefit by seeing better compliance, better safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists - and ultimately more cyclists.

How?

They want to analyze who has the right of way so they have the choice of blowing through it?

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Cuz

I think this is the biggest reason for the hate towards cyclists, and when you call them out on it, they give you the finger or countinue their d-baggery.
I had a situation with one a few weeks ago heading EB on 17 Ave SW, approaching Richmond Rd. I was heading to the old children's hospital for a CT so I was about to turn right and this cyclist was taking this time getting to the intersection. I waited a bit, giving him plenty of room and he ended up stopping with at least two car lengths in front of him and the intersection. I decided to go around him (proper signaling and all) and got up to the intersection with my signal on showing I was going to turn right. So the light turns green and he decides to zoom around me on the right before I turn. Lucky for him I see him making this moronic move and let him go by and before I even honk at him, he turns and gives me the finger. What I did to deserve the finger I don't know, but this type of attitude, the one where cyclists feel they have more of a right to the road than a car, is why I hate cyclists (and this doesn't even tell you what I have seen as a transit operator).

A bus driver (sorry, a "transit operator") that hates cyclists. That's great.

[JohnnyB]

I'm a cyclist, and I break the rules constantly. Where I live, everybody breaks the rules (including motorists) and nobody gets a bee in their bonnet over it. I like it that way. The infrastructure is a lot better for bikes here though. There is a flow that just seems to work most of the time.

[calgarywinning]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

I'm a cyclist, and I break the rules constantly. Where I live, everybody breaks the rules (including motorists) and nobody gets a bee in their bonnet over it. I like it that way. The infrastructure is a lot better for bikes here though. There is a flow that just seems to work most of the time.

No offence, but you are the reason I make a clear delineation between a cyclist and bicyclist. I hope you learn different before that little sticker on the side of every car called curb weight doesn't overcome your positive attitude.

Flow and 3000 lb vehicles will kill you instantly. There is no flow.

[Regulator75]

Don't worry, Winter is coming and all these convenient Summer cyclists will be no where to be found.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

No offence, but you are the reason I make a clear delineation between a cyclist and bicyclist. I hope you learn different before that little sticker on the side of every car called curb weight doesn't overcome your positive attitude.

Flow and 3000 lb vehicles will kill you instantly. There is no flow.

Look at his location. If you already did, you clearly have zero familiarity with bicycle culture and infrastructure in China. Suffice to say, bicycles are a way of life for a (albeit shrinking) majority of people.