matimeo

I'm not going to name any names, but you know who you are (Guy on a road bike with red tires, cable lock around your seatpost, wearing a yellow shirt with long black sleeves riding on Greenburg Rd. in Tigard, OR today at 5:01pm). When you passed me while I waited my turn in the left turn lane at Greenburg and Tiedeman/North Dakota, you riding in the lane that was supposed to go straight through the light (you weren't in the bike lane, but plugging up the car lane) and you passed everyone in the left turn lane and then turned left anyway. Pulling this kind of crap is what gives cyclists a bad name. Wait your turn like everybody else. But I guess since you're super slow (I passed you on the trail about a mile later, even though I had to wait two lights and you had a big head start) you have to take every advantage you can get.

Sorry to everyone else who had to listen to me rant. And if Mr. red tires is reading this, you can apologize for screwing it up for the rest of us.

CliftonGK1

I filter to the front of the LTO lane by using the left side of the straight-only lane, too. Then I park my butt next to the front car in the LTO and get off to the side and out of everyone's way after making my turn when the light goes green.

blakcloud

I hear this kind of crap all the time and really it is mind boggling. Do you know that car that cut me off yesterday, well did he give all cars a bad name? Do you know that the police have all whole traffic sections dedicated to bad car and truck drivers, at least they do in my city. They even have red light cameras and photo radar for vehicles that break the law. But nowhere do I see vehicles getting a bad name because of these infractions. Go to traffic court, you will see thousands of people trying to fight their "mistakes" in court. Somehow vehicles don't have "bad names".

I will admit there are bad cyclists but guess what that number is tenfold when it comes to motorized vehicles on the road. I see bad drivers every few minutes. And I really don't think they are ruining for the rest of them.

And I love these holier than thou cyclists because we all break the law. Some infractions smaller than others but none the less infractions. I have yet to meet a cyclist that follow all the rules of the road. Then again maybe you are one perfect cyclist.

And for the cyclist that will no doubt blow past the stop sign this morning without even looking, someday Darwin's Theory will catch up and we won't even need to have a discussion.

Mr IGH

Yesterday on my commute I saw a car run a four way, two made red-light rights without stopping, when I rode over the highway I knew everyone was going 10~15mph over the limit. Why don't cagers feel compelled to accept responsibility for every driver's bad behavior as you feel the need to accept responsibility for all bad bike riders?

I don't do this, too dangerous. Instead, I hold the lane and force cars behind me to wait while I clear the intersection. If the speed limt is over 35mph, I abandon the road and use the crosswalk.

chipcom 

Does my riding in a black evening gown without shaving give cyclists a bad name too?

ryanwood

The reason the OP is making a big deal is because people are stupid and they make ridiculous prejudices based on things like running red lights and passing cars who are waiting their turn.

the "holier than thou" OP waits his turn because he is an adult and that's what grown-ups do. If you went to the bank and just cut in front of 20 people in line and claimed that you did it because you can, do you think everyone would just keep their mouth shut? how the hell do you think that makes everyone else in line feel? Cyclists are not better than automobile drivers, so why do they think they can just cut in front of a line of 25 cars and that no one will have their feelings hurt.

My advice for all of those cyclist out there who just breeze across town riding wherever and however they want regardless of the law............GROW UP

alan s 

If I didn't ride past cars stopped at lights, I would be in a very small minority, at least in DC. Riding a bike gives you a free pass to the front of the line, including any bikes waiting in line.

Mr IGH

My city friends all do this, I try to get them to hold the lane as a group riding double file but city hipsters can't be edjumacated. So many bike rider deaths due to right hooks....

idc

And the same goes for motorcycles and scooters, it seems, never mind just bikes.

jr59

No idea!

Why don't you try it and let us know!
BTW; pics are the proof!

vtjim

+1 :d

chipcom 

remind me to go out to Portland for the Pretty Dress ride next year!

CptjohnC

Only if you wear white socks, or sparkly open toed shoes after September 21, with said evening gown.

CptjohnC

I acknowledge that the situation OP posited was not quite the norm as I experience it, as he seemed to indicate that in this instance the filtering cyclist was, in fact, impeding the car traffic. The far more common situation, in my experience is that cyclists filter in ways that do not impede motorists, or any other road users. I will freely acknowledge that I regularly filter, as do most cyclists, in many situations. Why? Because I can do so ~without~ negatively impacting other road users. When traffic is stopped at a light, and I can safely (in my opinion) move to the front of said traffic, I do so. This does ~not~ impact the car drivers sitting in their cages, as they remain as they were: Stopped. Likewise, when the light turns green, I am not generally slowing them down (in fact, it is rare that I am not the first/quickest vehicle across most urban intersections, despite my horsepower deficit) as I am most often heading for a space that they cannot or will not occupy.

Likewise, I do not demand that cars remain behind me for long stretches on two lane roads. First of all, I try to give cars passing space where it is safe for me to do so. I take the lane only where I deem it absolutely necessary to protect my safety. I get annoyed at those who buzz me, but they are few, and sometimes I know I have invited it by NOT taking the lane. Further, I may grumble about the cars who cross the center line to pass me, but I do not paint all car drivers as being of their stripe. Would I prefer that they did not? sure. Would I prefer that the lanes were wide enough to allow a bicycle to travel without impeding car traffic in any way? Sure.

So yes, in the situation OP posited, I would agree that it ~sounds~ as though our fellow cyclist acted rudely, but I do not agree that all filtering, in all situations, is immature or improper.

Mithrandir

I used to do this, but it was just too dangerous, in my opinion. Cars would do weird things when you're side-by-side with them, none of them safe.

Now I just take the lane whenever I'm turning left. It makes me more visible and my intentions are clear, and cars don't try to jockey around me by doing dangerous crap in the oncoming traffic. My acceleration is finally good enough so that I don't slow down the traffic behind me through the turn, too. I rarely have an issue doing this.

Mithrandir

I agree that it's ridiculous to assume that one cyclist can give all cyclists a bad name. Unfortunately that's reality. When I started bicycle commuting I received a lot of crap from my coworkers who said things like "I can't stand you ******** and how you guys just run reds and weave in traffic". It didn't matter to them that I followed every law. Cyclists are rare enough that one doing things the wrong way is going to stick out in their minds, regardless if they're a rarity or not. If a car does things the wrong way, there's more than enough cars on the road doing things the right way to prevent all car drivers from being painted with that brush. It's just reality, and we have to deal with it.

rhm

I hate it when I get stuck behind the same turkey until a break in traffic lets me pass him and then he cuts back in front of me two, three, or more traffic lights in a row. It is bad form to put yourself in front of another bicycle who's stopped for a traffic light.

chipcom 

I think your example here may prove the opposite of what you intended....that driver's perceptions are based more on the majority of cyclists they encounter rather than on the exceptions...like you in this case.

Stealthammer

+1

The primary reason obnoxious drivers don't necessarily give all other drivers a bad name is because everybody drives. Few people will vilify a group that they themselves are a part of, and another 3000lb. vehicle is instantly perceived as a potential threat by most other drivers.

Cyclists however, being a significant minority, are prime targets for blanket vilification because we are a minority, because a driver in a 3000lb. car looks at a cyclist on a 25lb. bicycles and their first impression is " no threat there", and because unless we are in a group we will not have witnesses to any aggression against a lone cyclist.

If you don't see the anomosity and apathy displayed by many drivers to all bicycles that they encounter, I would suggest that you don't commute by bicycle or that you mainly ride in groups. Over 40 years of riding on the road has proven to me that how I dress, what I ride, how I ride, and how courteous I am to other road users has a significant effect on how drivers treat me. Every arrogant cyclist that ignores stop signs and red lights, or blocks the driver's right-of-way by riding two abreast on narrow roads, puts all of us at higher risk.

Seattle Forrest

Stop trying to bring logic into an emotional rant about "other cyclists are ruining cycling."

modernjess

The problem is people. They find a way to screw up everything.

chipcom 

No worries, in December 2012 the Mayan remedies kick in.

alan s 

Agreed, unless the other bike rider is waiting in line behind cars, or the other bike rider looks slower than me (which is usually the case ).

Mithrandir

Not necessarily. They merely are under the impression that most cyclists break traffic rules. In my experience, most cyclists I've met on the roads seem to be obeying them. Of course, the plural of anecdote is not data, so I can't say with certainty that's the case, but I personally have not witnessed cyclists at large wantonly breaking laws.

Kojak

Good god yes!