Friggin' Cyclists - We need to punish these people

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by stone hands

the absolute horror of adding a few minutes to your commute so someone can legally use the road

i think you should just run her over

It's not a horror; it's perfectly legitimate. Have you seen all the bike lanes and bike paths around Calgary? Their existence is evidence that cyclists and vehicles sharing the road is not ideal. If it was ideal, we wouldn't need bike paths and lanes. I can't imagine anyone not accepting that premise. From there, is it that big of a leap to say that maybe there are some roads that - while legal - may still not be good places for cyclists to ride?

It's great if you want to pretend I'm acting like a nut about this, but if you care to convince me I'm being unreasonable you'll have to do so much better than a super unfunny pointless post.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Side rant... Why is this always the number trotted out? It's as stupid as "10 minutes to downtown".

Because Sliver has pretty specifically stated where this is happening, and as far as I can tell, it is a very short incline that is getting his suspenders in a bunch. Therefore, it's probably only 30 seconds of travel time lost in this stretch in the first place.

Obviously the human brain is going to make these waits feel longer and more awful, like waiting at a traffic light for what feels like minutes, when it's really only 90 seconds at most. Basically, unless Sliver wants to get more specific about the exact location and how he's unable to pass and whatnot, I'm going off what has been specified so far to give that estimate.

[stone hands]

Originally Posted by Sliver

It's not a horror; it's perfectly legitimate. Have you seen all the bike lanes and bike paths around Calgary? Their existence is evidence that cyclists and vehicles sharing the road is not ideal. If it was ideal, we wouldn't need bike paths and lanes. I can't imagine anyone not accepting that premise. From there, is it that big of a leap to say that maybe there are some roads that - while legal - may still not be good places for cyclists to ride?

It's great if you want to pretend I'm acting like a nut about this, but if you care to convince me I'm being unreasonable you'll have to do so much better than a super unfunny pointless post.

I mean it's not ideal, sure, I can buy that. I can also buy that maybe this person doesn't have a vehicle or chooses to bike instead of a car and lives in this area and needs to get home just the same as you do, and is using the legal means they have to do so

until the street in question has a bike lane i really have no sympathy that you need to wait a few minutes while someone safely takes advantage of the infrastructure provided to all of us with our tax dollars, sorry

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Because Sliver has pretty specifically stated where this is happening, and as far as I can tell, it is a very short incline that is getting his suspenders in a bunch. Therefore, it's probably only 30 seconds of travel time lost in this stretch in the first place.

Obviously the human brain is going to make these waits feel longer and more awful, like waiting at a traffic light for what feels like minutes, when it's really only 90 seconds at most. Basically, unless Sliver wants to get more specific about the exact location and how he's unable to pass and whatnot, I'm going off what has been specified so far to give that estimate.

It's the dual turning lane off Anderson onto Southbound Acadia. Go up that slight incline on a weighted down fat bike as a small 35 year-old chick and tell me it takes only 30 seconds. And when you slow people in the right lane coming off the Anderson to 7kph, there are way fewer cars getting through the intersection than there should be. Now you're waiting for a cycle of lights for east/west Anderson, then turn lanes coming off Acadia onto Anderson, then through traffic on Acadia, before you can turn again off Anderson onto Acadia. All so one lady can dawdle up the hill on her dumb bike when there are better alternatives six feet away from her (sidewalk) or other roads. So yeah, every single day this lady rides her bike, people wait.

Say it is 30 seconds, though. And say it's 20 people instead of 100. That's 10 man minutes every day, or one man hour a week waiting for this lady to ride her bike up a hill. That's unreasonable of her to put others out like that. It's rude. It's also rude not to see that it is rude.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Sliver

No, you're really not. You're being obtuse.



She could walk along the sidewalk. She could also ride along the sidewalk if she's comfortable bending the rules. I gave an example of how riding on the sidewalk isn't the worst law you can break, in the same way going 5 kph over the speed limit to stay with traffic is breaking the law, but is absolutely accepted by the police and every other citizen as it helps keep traffic running smoothly.



You're not being funny, you're disrupting the conversation, you're intentionally misunderstanding, you're not giving a fair ear to the discussion...like what's up? I don't get what your input is contributing here. A joke is always good, a counter point is important, asking me to see it a different way is helpful, but you're just being weird. I don't get it. Maybe you and I could just agree to disagree on this one?

I’m not trying to be funny.

I don’t think from the tabloid style thread title, the ‘solution’ you propose, or description of your problem really helps.

Maybe if there is a video of the impact on your journey, we could make an objective assessment. But there isn’t and your own description of yourself as an aggressive driver along with the other things outlined above, suggest the cyclist may not be the only problem in this scenario.

Road conditions vary dependent on the weather, so presumably this is a problem that isn’t faced every day. Are you sure you are not overreacting?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Barnet Flame

I’m not trying to be funny.

I don’t think from the tabloid style thread title, the ‘solution’ you propose, or description of your problem really helps.

Maybe if there is a video of the impact on your journey, we could make an objective assessment. But there isn’t and your own description of yourself as an aggressive driver along with the other things outlined above, suggest the cyclist may not be the only problem in this scenario.

Road conditions vary dependent on the weather, so presumably this is a problem that isn’t faced every day. Are you sure you are not overreacting?

[Kybosh]

There are two lanes so you're definitely only being minor inconvenienced. All vehicle traffic can get around her easily with the dual lane scenario. It's not like you're stuck behind her on some single lane road with no shoulder. The first turn on southbound Acadia southbound from Anderson is pretty far as well, so there's ample time to use that nice wide double lane to get around a slower vehicle. I can't see any scenario where you're stuck behind this person the entire way home.

Talk about hyperbole. Yeesh.

[calumniate]

How often does this occur? By way of explanation it seems like you encounter this person all the time. I find it hard to believe that you'd encounter the same cyclist in the exact same spot enough times to warrant 'punishment'

[OMG!WTF!]

This won't seem so bad when they drop the limit to 30 km/hr. Then you'll be so far behind you'll probably miss her completely.

[Bunk]

The thread title is a little uncalled for, but OK.

I think a pretty pragmatic solution to enabling safer cycling and avoiding this kind of problem is to convert sidewalks on collectors and some areterials of very low pedestrian volume to multi-use path. Often they are on boulevards, there is enough space to take the 1.5m sidewalk and pave a 2.5m or 3m pathway. That leaves enough space for passing pedestrians, easily. Drivers happy, cyclists happy, pedestrians happy. Everyone happy. This of course take money and political will.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

There are two lanes so you're definitely only being minor inconvenienced. All vehicle traffic can get around her easily with the dual lane scenario. It's not like you're stuck behind her on some single lane road with no shoulder. The first turn on southbound Acadia southbound from Anderson is pretty far as well, so there's ample time to use that nice wide double lane to get around a slower vehicle. I can't see any scenario where you're stuck behind this person the entire way home.

Talk about hyperbole. Yeesh.

Yeah, at 1pm on a Saturday it would be a non-issue. At rush hour, you have every single person that lives in Bonavista and Bonavista Downs and potentially some Parkland cut-through people converging at that intersection. The dual turn is packed so both the left lane and right lane or full of traffic. If somebody is turning left at the next intersection, the left lane can stop. Meanwhile, you have this struggler struggling in the right lane forcing every single person to go the pace of a middle-aged lady on a fat bike.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Sliver

All so one lady can dawdle up the hill on her dumb bike when there are better alternatives six feet away from her (sidewalk) or other roads. So yeah, every single day this lady rides her bike, people wait.

What other roads can she use to cross Anderson, though? Her options are:
- Bonaventure, which is functionally identical to Acadia at Anderson, so the same "problem" exists. It's 1.2 kilometers to the West of Acadia.
- The Bow River pathway, which has significantly long grades to climb to get up to Diamond Cove and over to Acadia. It's 1.2 kilometers to the East of Acadia.
- The Southcenter mall pedestrian bridge, which is likely too far West to be useful.

There is no incline after 120th Avenue, so again, how long does this inconvenience actually last?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by calumniate

How often does this occur? By way of explanation it seems like you encounter this person all the time. I find it hard to believe that you'd encounter the same cyclist in the exact same spot enough times to warrant 'punishment'

My work schedule and commute coincide perfectly with hers, it seems. I encounter it so frequently I feel like she's trolling me.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

What other roads can she use to cross Anderson, though? Her options are:
- Bonaventure, which is functionally identical to Acadia at Anderson, so the same "problem" exists. It's 1.2 kilometers to the West of Acadia.
- The Bow River pathway, which has significantly long grades to climb to get up to Diamond Cove and over to Acadia. It's 1.2 kilometers to the East of Acadia.
- The Southcenter mall pedestrian bridge, which is likely too far West to be useful.

There is no incline after 120th Avenue, so again, how long does this inconvenience actually last?

After 120th, at which I turn, she's still with me. It's super annoying.

There's a sidewalk that runs parallel to Acadia she could be on. There's an alley that runs parallel to the sidewalk she could be on. There's the road in front of the houses in front of the alley she could be on. It would add between zero and five minutes to her commute and save everyone else a combined man hour every day.

If she can't keep a reasonable pace, she could also get an e-bike. That's what I do and I take the diamond cove way home and to work to keep from clogging up arteries like Acadia and it also allows me to easily tackle the hills like coming up through the Downs without breaking a sweat.

[stone hands]

Do you know how entitled you sound? She should spend thousands of dollars to get an ebike so she doesnt inconvinence you for a few minutes a day in the winter? She should take a super roundabout way or break the law just to save you a few minutes? Dude, getting home at 4:32 instead of 4:30 is not that big of a deal

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Sliver

After 120th, at which I turn, she's still with me. It's super annoying.



There's a sidewalk that runs parallel to Acadia she could be on. There's an alley that runs parallel to the sidewalk she could be on. There's the road in front of the houses in front of the alley she could be on. It would add between zero and five minutes to her commute and save everyone else a combined man hour every day.



If she can't keep a reasonable pace, she could also get an e-bike. That's what I do and I take the diamond cove way home and to work to keep from clogging up arteries like Acadia and it also allows me to easily tackle the hills like coming up through the Downs without breaking a sweat.

I can understand the frustration if it keeps going long after 120th and you're right that there are options after 120th. Surely the road could be cleared enough though that you could safely pass her, and that would surprise me if it's not the case now. You don't need the entire road width to pull that off either. I'd be a little hesitant to bike on an alley that'll be pretty icy this time of year though.

Acadia and Fairmount are good North-South on street bike routes though, so don't expect cyclists to stay away from them. I haven't had any incidents biking on either of them in the past so far.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Bunk

The thread title is a little uncalled for, but OK.

I think a pretty pragmatic solution to enabling safer cycling and avoiding this kind of problem is to convert sidewalks on collectors and some areterials of very low pedestrian volume to multi-use path. Often they are on boulevards, there is enough space to take the 1.5m sidewalk and pave a 2.5m or 3m pathway. That leaves enough space for passing pedestrians, easily. Drivers happy, cyclists happy, pedestrians happy. Everyone happy. This of course take money and political will.

The problem with this solution is any road crossing. Do you expect a cyclist to dismount and walk their bike across every single intersection as the law states is required?

A better solution is a dedicated cycling infrastructure and an increased use of public transit/carpooling to decrease traffic congestion.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by stone hands

Do you know how entitled you sound? She should spend thousands of dollars to get an ebike so she doesnt inconvinence you for a few minutes a day in the winter? She should take a super roundabout way or break the law just to save you a few minutes? Dude, getting home at 4:32 instead of 4:30 is not that big of a deal

Hah, as if. It was yet another option I've given - not the only one. Entitled is holding up traffic on a daily basis for no good reason. Riding on the sidewalk is barely breaking the law, but she can also walk on the sidewalk if she's that concerned about it. Riding in the alley is not breaking the law and would add nothing to her time. Taking a different road might add five minutes, but would save others 10x that (in terms of man hours).

Also, maybe she should spend thousands of dollars to keep up with traffic. I did when I bought my car.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Adding frustration for me, is then this cyclist turns off when I do, then takes my next turn, and on it goes so I'm staring at her put in half effort for quintuple the amount of time I have the patience to deal with.

Originally Posted by Sliver

My work schedule and commute coincide perfectly with hers, it seems. I encounter it so frequently I feel like she's trolling me.

It seems like the friendly and neighbourly thing to do would be to offer to give her a ride home on days where the snow makes the road difficult for her to navigate.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

She isn't doing anything illegal and there is another lane for you to pass if you are so inclined. I for one commend someone who is cycling in the winter. She is the one who is taking more time to make the healthy, environmentally responsible choice. Maybe you could do the same and it would help with your stress filled nature.