Contrasts. Today I had a great solo ride, a copy of my last 3 solo rides. I marveled at how nice car drivers are to cyclists in my area. Everyone just gets along, I thought.
Then I get this message. It comes on the heels of last year, when they started cracking down in one county we ride in for riding 3 abreast (only 2), meaning that we can't even do double pace lines and have the front two riders peel off (4 abreast than) when their pull is over. Nope - only rotating in that county. When the world started hating cyclists, I don't know. I'm bummed though, especially since our club is one of the most diligent about following laws and rules.
----------------------------------------------------- Subject: POLICE NEWS/WARNING THIS WEEKEND
Hey guys...
I have it from a very very close source that there will be a fairly large scale crackdown on the cyclists THIS WEEKEND. Seems that the North Shore Police offices ( specifically HP but likely to include more than just HP) have received many calls in the last couple of weeks and they are under pressure to make a show and enforce stopping at stop signs and lights. As we've said countless times it is ridiculous of US to do some of the really stupid moves that a small minority do but reflect on all of us especially on the big rides. It only fuels the fire of the Irate North Shore Drivers.
Not sure when WE will actually understand in order for us to expect the driver's to show some respect and patience....WE need to do the same......when it makes sense. In the instances I am referring too it is all too obvious that we should chill. Yes, the drivers are over the top in stressing about cyclists causing them to slow down to almost the speed limit or SHOW us how loud and fast their cars are when passing inches from our elbows but they are the ones who are calling the police and complaining so the police will do what their constituents ask for and harass us....IF we continue to misbehave. Of course there is the absurdity of them calling 8 times last weekend because cyclists are not stopping at St Johns and Central ( 1st stop south of sheridan and st johns) ...here there is rarely a car or pedestrian or the fact that in general the cars just want us off the road so they can continue to drive over the speed limit....BUT we still do not do our part to avoid looking like idiots. Even at this intersection if there is a car present please, yield and wave nicely.
The [name deleted by Kaiser] ride has been singled out as one of the worst and if you'vebeen on one you know exactly the craziness that WE cyclists provide.....when we do lose some/all of these wonderful rides we worked so hard to build....we will have nobody to blame but ourselves. ......yes LOSE the rides....I believe that can happen and each and everyone of you should care a little more. Don't worry about that "stoplight" or " traffic confusion" to help your breakaway.....Trust me ..we all know that you all are studs and we already think that you are sooooo coool....so chill a bit...care about the cars, care about the 40+ riders behind you and I'll bet we can have rides to care about for a long time.
Wave to the cars, say thanks when appropriate and let's do our part to calm everyone down and make them realize we are not going to TERRORIZE their world.
OK, I have to chime in here. I commute on my bike, so I rely on the good will of drivers. When bad cyclists blow through stop signs and stoplights, they weaken and destroy that good will.
They put the rest of us cyclists —*and our road privileges — in danger.
Pedaling home from work yesterday evening in Little Rock, I was tickled pink to see two bike guys ahead of me on the road —*until we came to a major intersection and they sailed through the red light. Like kings. And they did this from the far right of the lane —*with a driver next to them signaling a righthand turn!!
Stop the planet all you peons, we own the road.
And these were not no-helmet, sidewalk-riding, poor-town dudes who don't know any better. No. They were decked out in $80 jerseys, riding very lightweight wheels.
I wanted the cars around me to know those idiots were not with me, so I flipped on my headlamp, moved into the middle of my lane, directly behind the car ahead, unclipped and sat there ostentatiously until the light changed and the law-abiding traffic was able to move.
We all goof sometimes and miss a stop sign or block a turn lane, but deliberately ignoring traffic laws is stupid, reckless, arrogant idiocy.
Ignorant, destructive, bad citizen cyclists. Grrrrr.
Good point CR some people dont help their own cause!
nearly ended up in the side window of a car this morning as the idiot overtook me when I was speeding up and then he turned left in front of me GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Disc brakes are a life saver at times!
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BFG
"The time for talking has passed, actions are speaking louder than words."
I agree CR, Often times though it seems to be a witch hunt for cyclists. Reading some of the responses by people to opening up the jammeson bridge to auto traffic really opened my eyes.
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Today's mighty oak was once just some nut who held his ground!
Yeah, ODB, we sure do have a long way to go to win hearts and minds in Arkansas. But I have seen tolerance building in the past five years, so I'm full of hope.
It's good to remember that most of the people who post to message boards about a topic like opening the river trail have an ax to grind. They don't represent the vast majority of drivers and park users — most people are compassionate people!
If these gas prices keep going up, there will be more bike traffic, and that will help our cause.
I hate this shit too. There have been some groups in Denver petitioning for a "bike highway" that follows our Lightrail network. Probably won't happen, but at least we can say we're trying. Then we can tell the drivers that they took away our opportunity by not voting for it.
Ah, screw it, you know what. I'm going to move to the mountains where everyone rides their bikes to work anyway.
Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
Posts: 5,857
CR makes great points. I wonder, thoguh, what would happen if your cycling club targeted a different group every month and reported every infraction they did. Start with red cars. "I saw a red car run a light. I think you should be cracking down on red cars." Make a lot of noise about a particular type of driver, to prove the absurdity of discriminating against bike riders.
MOST of us obey traffic laws BETTER than cars.
MOST of us know the traffic laws better than drivers.
MOST of us are better drivers in our cars because of our experiences on the bike.
I agree CR, Often times though it seems to be a witch hunt for cyclists. Reading some of the responses by people to opening up the jammeson bridge to auto traffic really opened my eyes.
Joe, are you familiar with why they were trying to open that up? It was Alltel pressuring the city, and refusing to allow the city to build their trail across it's river front unless the city opened that up so that all the WLR commuters could have a shorter drive. How irritating, no? If there are so many damn Alltell employee who live up in that WLR area, why don't they take advantage of the fact that they are so close by bike and start riding in to work?
There's a good challenge for BACA. Start a strong bike to work campaign focused on Alltel. Celia, you're still a member aren't you?
In response to Alltel's problems: here are some solutions that I have yet to see in any article or forum post about the subject.
1) Shuttle employees between the WLR office where there is more parking to the downtown office. There would be a gas savings, a decrease in cars on the road and riders could use the time on the bus to do things they can't or shouldn't do while driving like phone calls, reading for work or for pleasure, networking with coworkers.
2) Incentives for carpooling!!! This isn't a novel concept..come on folks!
3) Decrease traffic and increase employee health by encouraging alternative modes of transport. Organize group rides from the WLR lot to downtown via River Mtn-Rebsamen, so much faster than driving. When the pedestrian bridge opens it will be faster to commute to Riverdale from Maumelle by bike than by car. Encourage that!! Give employees time to shower and change...make it easier for them. I understand that not everyone can do these things. Some will have kids to drop off/pick up or second jobs or other obligations but these suggestions (except for the shuttle bus) are free to the taxpayers and pretty much free to Alltel.
as to the other issue-
Dear Obnoxious Cycler,
Please please please don't ruin it for the rest of us by behaving as badly as the rude drivers we complain about. Respect and thoughtfulness will eventually bring changes in attitude but being an ass on the road puts you in the same group as the SUV driving road hog who can't stay in his lane and makes you piss your pants on narrow roads.
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The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'.
JP, I'm not really "a member" of BACA. It's an advocacy organization, and I work for a newspaper. That's why those guys laughed and said, "Is Celia a member?!" when you asked me about it at the meeting.
I follow BACA closely because it's a newsworthy organization in my beat.
In my city (Tucson) we were dubbed a "gold" bicycle friendly city by Bicycling magazine. As far as I can tell, that means the city council put up a bunch of "Tucson is Bike Friendly" signs and painted some white stripes, calling them bike lanes, serving as a collection point for broken glass from accidents.
Oh, as we are a two-abreast city also. No double pace lines allowed.
Given all of that - I was following a large bike club ride yesterday (Sunday) and these bozos were clogging up the right traffic lane, six abreast, running stop signs, etc.
I am sooo bummed.
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