big chainring 

Just returned from an interesting morning ride.

Along Chicago's North Shore on saturday an Sunday mornings its pretty much a continual line if cyclists winding their way up the shore of lake Michigan. It's fun jumping in with a group and tearing up the road. Not all but many cyclists run the stop signs and red lights along the way.

So it was at a coffee shop at my turn around point that a local stopped and asked me about the rules of the road. Then proceeded to call me and cyclists in general a bunch of A- holes.

I wasn't offended. I actually said that, yeah, the big groups of 30+ riders are basically outlaws. A roaming group outside the law. They spread across the entire lane, don't stop for anything and basically take over the road.

He had some more choice words and was in his way. But I have to say I agree with most of his observations. But I don't know how you stop it. A good proportion of the riders are lawyers. Lots of wealthy oldsters too. Lots of influence if things do come to a head with local governments.

I am concerned with hot heads behind the wheel of a car. Lots of angry motorists peeved by all these cyclists. And also the perception that anyone on a bike is an A-hole.

So what are your observations?

timmbo

I was down in Chicago two weeks ago, and you know what********** The motorists have no frickin' respect for the bikes, therefore the bikes are forced to do what they need to do to watch out for themselves. I have never seen an area where the vehicles just don't give the bikes any respect. So props for having some outlaws to defend their ground.

Campag4life

My observation is as cyclists we own the road and should be able to do whatever we like.
Somebody should b-slap the crybaby.
Guys that hate cyclists are just like all the other haters in society outside looking in. Jealousy rules human emotion and there is no bound to self loathing that is directed to others in better health and having fun.

gsa103

And this is the problem. Everyone uses the other person's behavior to justify their own poor behavior. In before A&S....

StanSeven

I understand both sides of this. When you get a group of 30+ and everyone wants to do a fast, hard ride, stopping at intersections really breaks things up. Also a group that big really stands out for motorists and most drivers just slow down and let the group past.

On the other side, if groups want to ride that way, it's best to plan a ride away from traffic.

Niloc

Well cyclists are allowed the use the whole lane if they want, they are vehicles on the road after all. Is the road you're talking about one or two lane? Are they pulling a critical mass? Seems like car/cyclist congeniality is suffering whatever they're doing.

Re stop lights and signs, well yeah I'll blow through stop signs in remote quiet areas if it's safe to do so. Or for example at T-intersections where I'm not turning but continuing in a straight line; since I'm hugging the right side, even if there's was vehicle turning left, which there won't be or I'll stop, they wouldn't be in danger of hitting me. Of course I usually slow down and check for cross traffic, how much I slow down dependent upon visibility. C'mon on a bike you need to maintain momentum, you can't recover it like in a car by exerting a tiny bit of pressure on the accelerator with your big toe. At major arterial intersections, which I generally try to avoid, I will stop because it's safer and so as not to appear a total ******bag. I've never been berated for my behavior. The lakeshore blvd here is popular with cyclists especially on weekends and occasionally you see large double file groups. I think drivers on this road are just used to it, and have accepted that cyclists are a feature of this road. This road is more of a scenic surface street with a 30mph speed limit, with alternative routes available. If yours is more of an arterial and the only way into a bunch of subdivisions, I could see that those suburban dwellers would get more irate at "those damn cyclists".

timmbo

You know, everyone just needs to treat others with a little more respect. I see way to many cars drive in bike lanes, or cut cyclists off when making a turn or pulling out of a parking lot. A lot of motorists that do this to cyclists do this to other motorists as well. Certainly cyclists don't own the road, and cannot simply do whatever they want, whenever they want, but there are laws. MUTUAL RESPECT goes a long way!

Northwestrider

Build an overpass only for cyclists. The OP's point is valid, the solution elusive . I'll go out on a club ride comprised of fairly old fellows ( mostly retired ), and surprisingly blast through stop signs, but wait for stop lights. We live in a culture where being first is what counts, patience isn't valued much. Having said that, on your next ride if you see someone blast through ( after looking carefully ) a stop sign, it's could be me.

coasting 

so because a car has to slow down it means the cyclist is an a-hole? does every vehicle on the road have to travel at the speed that the fastest vehicle wants to travel at?

if something allowed to use the road slows you down, tough titties. that's natural. if something is in your way, you get slowed down or stopped.

coasting 

if that local had approached me, unprovoked and ranted at me, i would have gotten up to yell back at him. mofo.

chaadster

I got called a fa***t c***ksucker by a 70+ year old motorist today. Seriously.

WhyFi

That would make me laugh a genuine laugh.

surgeonstone

Getting 30 guys together in something that is fast paced and adrenaline inducing is a recipe for bad behavior that will only aggravate the cyclist-motorist antipathy that already exists. Best to follow the rules of the road. Still some will complain but less so and for non valid reasons.

gc3

are you saying you're not a fa***t c***ksucker?

gc3

whether there's a absolute right or wrong isn't the point IMO...having a stranger criticize you for somebody else's behavior is the ridiculous part...or maybe that's just...

Campag4life

King of soul is gone but not forgotten:

It's a Man's Man's Man's World - Christina Aguilera (live) - YouTube

gsa103

The alternative of everyone forced to go the speed of slowest vehicle that wants to use the road is equally impractical.

hueyhoolihan

it's a fundamental quality of a herd. nothing you can do about it.

surgeonstone

Sure there is.... Stay out of the herd.

big chainring 

This is one of the things I pointed out to the gentleman that I encountered. You get a large group, adrenaline pumping and you may as well through the rules of the road away. As the "premier" group of the bunch puts it, "we are an anarchy...". And it is so true. These dudes are hitting speeds of 30+mph on residential streets. And when you have a mass of 40, 50 guys, they set their own rules. Stop signs, stop lights, any hindrance of any kind and they blow thru it. They do get stopped on occasion by local police, but not often. It will be interesting to what happens the rest of the summer.

big chainring 

So a group of riders lose their ability of reason, and become a herd of animals. Thats a good definition of the "Judson" ride.

Campag4life

That would be unherd of.

surgeonstone

Good one.

headloss 

Should have asked for an address where your secretary could send the bill for his therapy session...

StanSeven

I ride with a group that got a lot of pressure from the local police. They tried to obey all the rules and rode two abreast at most. But when the leader went through a green light, it often turned yellow right after. The end of the line had to either stop, which meant everybody else did, part of the group got dropped, or they ran the light. Rules are great to follow in small towns or rural areas but difficult in large, high density places.