How Do You Deal With Harassment?
#76
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I sadly have to agree with this. It is rare that I have to deal with an aggressive driver, but both times that it escalated involved pickup trucks. Last week while commuting to work I heard a beep from behind. Did not put much thought into it as I was riding the white breakdown paintline and thought it might be a concerned driver. Two lane road, very light traffic, I was going about 18mph. Mind you I had a backpack on and did not have the lycra look that seems to set some drivers off. A blue pickup truck passed me with maybe 6 inches to spare- definitely an oh sh*t moment and got me emotional real quick. I raised my arm in a what are you doing motion and the driver just held his arm out and middle finger extended as he drove on. I screamed a bit (not how I normally handle things but it was way too close) and it took a few miles to settle back in. I will not ride that area again.
The truck was all-shiny-black, jacked-up, with dark tinted windows, extra wide tires and the big roll-bar front bumper.... so this clown really seemed to think he was Darth Vader or a ninja or something.
#77
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I have here in Albuquerque. I was east of town on old 66 that runs parallel to I-40. I heard the whiz of a bullet (so it must have been close), then a gun shot. All I can think is someone on their back porch using me for target practice.
#78
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1) Thanks buegelfrei for the text of the Berkley law, I sent that to each of my city councilors!
2) I think one way to defuse drivers is not give them anything to steam about. How many of us run stop signs? Don't do it, it gives them something to fume about (and chastise others that do, as drivers may take it out on you).
3) Further to gain favor with drivers obey all the laws and be polite, don't weave in and out of traffic or get in drivers way if easily avoidable. On some mountain road climbs I have stopped and pulled over to let cars pass.
4) I also try to help drivers. At an intersection, I get out of the right turn lane so drivers can turn right. Often a car will be a car length back, and especially if I notice they have the right blinker on, will motion for them to come on up and make their turn. I believe this builds good will.
5) If you do get into a conversation about not being on the street, and should be on the sidewalk, I point out at least here in New Mexico, metropolitan roads maintenance does NOT come from gas taxes, but property taxes, and I do pay my share of those. I ask how much they pay in property taxes (most low lifes are probably renters (spam me for making assumptions if you want) and I didn't say renters were low lifes). I remind drivers of that, and ask where is it posted no bicycles on this stretch.
One of my most confusing incidents was with a motorcycle. I thought motorcyclist and cyclist were in this together against idiotic car drivers. But once the passenger on a motocycle held out his right hand and thumped the back of my head real hard.
Stay safe my friends, we're no match to a car.
2) I think one way to defuse drivers is not give them anything to steam about. How many of us run stop signs? Don't do it, it gives them something to fume about (and chastise others that do, as drivers may take it out on you).
3) Further to gain favor with drivers obey all the laws and be polite, don't weave in and out of traffic or get in drivers way if easily avoidable. On some mountain road climbs I have stopped and pulled over to let cars pass.
4) I also try to help drivers. At an intersection, I get out of the right turn lane so drivers can turn right. Often a car will be a car length back, and especially if I notice they have the right blinker on, will motion for them to come on up and make their turn. I believe this builds good will.
5) If you do get into a conversation about not being on the street, and should be on the sidewalk, I point out at least here in New Mexico, metropolitan roads maintenance does NOT come from gas taxes, but property taxes, and I do pay my share of those. I ask how much they pay in property taxes (most low lifes are probably renters (spam me for making assumptions if you want) and I didn't say renters were low lifes). I remind drivers of that, and ask where is it posted no bicycles on this stretch.
One of my most confusing incidents was with a motorcycle. I thought motorcyclist and cyclist were in this together against idiotic car drivers. But once the passenger on a motocycle held out his right hand and thumped the back of my head real hard.
Stay safe my friends, we're no match to a car.
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#79
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Denver Critical Mass
We just had a huge ride here in Denver, maybe 250 people in protest to the recent deaths. A lot of cars got to see so many cyclists and I think it helped a lot.
Maybe try riding in groups on the weekends or whatever to get more visibility for cyclists?
Maybe try riding in groups on the weekends or whatever to get more visibility for cyclists?
#80
Full Member
"Smile and wave" isn't a bad suggestion. I would say just take a deep breadth and ride on. Assume the individual has a low IQ, smile to yourself at that realization and continue as you would normally. Need reason to let some ******* take away from the enjoyment of your ride (unless he/she is a real a**hole and continues to harass you. Then you find an alternate route ASAP).
Be smart. Be safe. Always have a plan b, c, d, etc.....
Be smart. Be safe. Always have a plan b, c, d, etc.....
#81
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So far, my camera seems to help: no harassment from drivers at all, today. Several decided to use their signals, slow down, pass with enough space and one decided to wait for me to pass before turning (when plenty of drivers usually make a turn right in front of me)--all things that they usually only do when the police are around.
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#82
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So far, my camera seems to help: no harassment from drivers at all, today. Several decided to use their signals, slow down, pass with enough space and one decided to wait for me to pass before turning (when plenty of drivers usually make a turn right in front of me)--all things that they usually only do when the police are around.
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l have been riding bikes for 53 years, and drove professionally for 39 years. l follow all the rules of the road. l believe that safety should be everyone's focus. Sidewalks should be for pedestrians, and maybe little children on bikes. When l ride my bike, l keep right so l don't obstruct traffic. lf l choose to use a road where the right side has pot holes, and unsafe cracks. l use a bike with beefier tires. Guess what, l never get harassed. But l might be on this forum.
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I have cycled in and around London for 7 years. In that time I've learned that being beeped hurts less than being shunted. There isn't much use in hugging the pavement whilst on the road and trying to give driver's as much space as possible. I have found that if you do that, you are inviting a close-pass and encouraging the idea that cyclists do not belong on the road. If cycle-paths were better designed, this would not be a problem.
#85
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l have been riding bikes for 53 years, and drove professionally for 39 years. l follow all the rules of the road. l believe that safety should be everyone's focus. Sidewalks should be for pedestrians, and maybe little children on bikes. When l ride my bike, l keep right so l don't obstruct traffic. lf l choose to use a road where the right side has pot holes, and unsafe cracks. l use a bike with beefier tires. Guess what, l never get harassed. But l might be on this forum.
I absolutely believe that the people doing this aren't reacting to anything the bicyclists are actually doing, they're just trying to make biking intimidating so they don't have to deal with it. I'm not humoring a "blame the cyclists" approach to this issue, which I deal with regularly.
I trust you can tell the difference between being disagreed with and being harassed, btw.
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#86
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I follow the rules of the road as well. I ride in the lane position that is safest and best under the circumstances, as the rules of the road allow. I don't obstruct traffic, I am traffic.
Last edited by jon c.; 08-06-19 at 08:50 PM.
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#87
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1) Thanks buegelfrei for the text of the Berkley law, I sent that to each of my city councilors!
<SNIP>
Stay safe my friends, we're no match to a car.
<SNIP>
Stay safe my friends, we're no match to a car.
FWIW. Rolling coal is purposefully exposing another person to a known carcinogen. IMHO it is more hazardous than a person spitting in your face and should be treated as assault.
#88
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So far, my camera seems to help: no harassment from drivers at all, today. Several decided to use their signals, slow down, pass with enough space and one decided to wait for me to pass before turning (when plenty of drivers usually make a turn right in front of me)--all things that they usually only do when the police are around.
A side benefit to using a camera is to be able to review incidents after they happen. Doing this made me realize that probably 50-75% of the times when I felt threatened by drivers, it was nowhere near as serious as it felt at the time. Whether the perceived threat felt more serious or less serious, depended mainly on my mood, not the objective threat as preserved by the video footage.
I realized how incredibly subjective my sense of being "wronged" is, how easily it can be set off (often mistakenly) and how often my sense of being "wronged", is simply "wrong". I also saw how many dumb things I do, and how forgiving I am of my own mistakes, when it happens to suit me. And how quick to blame and vengeful I can be. When I imagine everyone on the road with this mindset, it's amazing there aren't far more crashes, and far more lawsuits.
So I wound up becoming a lot more tolerant of drivers (gets squished by a big rig later today ) and learning a little bit about myself.
#89
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It doesn't concern me, it's "the sound (and cost) of freedom", as far as I'm concerned , but I must admit, when I'm way out in the boonies cruising along, all alone, and I hear a nearby single rifle shot, my ears do perk up for that tell-tale 'whizzing' sound you referenced.
#90
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I disavow your post about guns pointed at "foreigners". I want nothing to do with it, serious or joking.
#91
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I'd wear bells, but I really don't want to deal with hunters mad at me for scaring off the critters.
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#93
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#94
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While riding this past Sunday a young kid and his gf buzzed by me blaring their horn and shouting at me to get off the road. About a 1/4 mile up they had to wait at a stop sign so I caught up to them. I switched lanes and as I slowly rolled past his open driver side window I told him his gf is a skank.
The gutless punk didn’t even pull over.
The youth of today is in pretty bad shape
The gutless punk didn’t even pull over.
The youth of today is in pretty bad shape
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All l am saying is, taking up more of the road then necessary to stay safe, causes road rage. lt is no different then driving in the left lane at the speed limit. Or people walking side by side, from one side of the bike path to the other, believing it is their right.
More has been accomplished in the world with cooperation than with conflict.
More has been accomplished in the world with cooperation than with conflict.
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Hey, we're all in this commute together (to wherever we're going) so why not be "team players" and stay the &$#@ out of each other's way? We do it at work, why not on the road on the way to work?
Being delayed by someone else's selfishness and stupidity frustrates some of us beyond belief (myself definitely included). The last thing I wanna do is anger someone in a 4000 pound metal cage who could crush me with the stomp of a foot. I sense lots of impatience out there, especially when people make such a production out of passing me (slowing down to a ridiculous crawl for hundreds of feet, then flooring the accelerator needlessly, when there's not another car for miles around) as if to demonstrate what a burden I am to them just being there out on the road.
I think my own extreme impatience with other drivers, shows me exactly what the angry pickup truck guys are feeling when they see me on the road doing something that might potentially delay them a millisecond or two. The inability (and outright refusal) of some cyclists to put themselves in the position of a frustrated driver, I feel, puts them at greater risk for road rage incidents. YMMV.
Being delayed by someone else's selfishness and stupidity frustrates some of us beyond belief (myself definitely included). The last thing I wanna do is anger someone in a 4000 pound metal cage who could crush me with the stomp of a foot. I sense lots of impatience out there, especially when people make such a production out of passing me (slowing down to a ridiculous crawl for hundreds of feet, then flooring the accelerator needlessly, when there's not another car for miles around) as if to demonstrate what a burden I am to them just being there out on the road.
I think my own extreme impatience with other drivers, shows me exactly what the angry pickup truck guys are feeling when they see me on the road doing something that might potentially delay them a millisecond or two. The inability (and outright refusal) of some cyclists to put themselves in the position of a frustrated driver, I feel, puts them at greater risk for road rage incidents. YMMV.
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All l am saying is, taking up more of the road then necessary to stay safe, causes road rage. lt is no different then driving in the left lane at the speed limit. Or people walking side by side, from one side of the bike path to the other, believing it is their right.
More has been accomplished in the world with cooperation than with conflict.
More has been accomplished in the world with cooperation than with conflict.