mrund3rd09

First of all, I'd like to apologize for this rant.

I live in a college town, and the college is a public school. I've lived here since I was in elementary school, and I now attend the local college. Throughout high school, I biked a lot; and on numerous occasions, I've been honked at or be called names by drivers (college d-bags no doubt). And these are almost always white people driving nice cars. This really and I mean REALLY pisses me off. I mean here we are in this nice midwest community, in which I've spent over half of my life, and these m-f-ers are effing it up.

I'm a nice guy, and I can't think of any reason why other people would want to insult me for no reason whatsoever. Maybe it's because of my ethnicity. But I guess that's just how these people live. I wish someone can deport these idiots to some third world countries for a while and make them realize how freaking lucky and f-ed up they all are. MAN I'm pissed off right now.

Wake

I just completed a two-day tour with a total of 104 miles through some red-neck country. The only place I have been treated badly (honking, buzzing, etc.) is in the most affluent community in town. They're just an arrogant bunch of a..holes with superiority complexes.

itsthewoo

Screw the haters. Ride safe and true.

Cyclomania

A+
I couldn't have stated it any better!

ChrisM2097

I just got yelled at a few days ago, called an 'Idiot' - apparently because I was biking in the bike lane, and didn't like the fact that a minivan made a no-signal right turn directly in front of me causing me to hit my brakes, which apparently caused him a 0.5 second delay on his right turn. Makes perfect sense...especially since at this particular intersection, the bike lane is taken over by cars, and used as a right-turn lane by most (but not the minivan in this case - which is why there was such a close call)

I just shrug it off. They're ignorant

commonlaw

I am a biker and I actually dislike many bikers here in my neck of the woods. When people see these entitled folks who want to be treated like a car but don't follow the same rules, they impute that on all bikers (not saying you are one of these people). I ride with respect for others, follow the rules and I hope cars to do the same, although I don't expect it nor rely on it. And hell, I have no idea but I bet being a biker alone has more to do with the honks than being a "minority" biker.

sknhgy 

I have to agree with this post.

dahut

Some people are just dillweeds. You cant stop it and you cant kill 'em.

Read post #3 and move on.

PS Whats a "public" college?

Phil_gretz

Public colleges and universities are characterized by funding received in part from state government annual appropriation, charter and governance provided by state boards or educational bodies, and university employees are state (public) employees.

In other facets, public higher education is just like private education, except for the prestige and perks that higher tuitions can buy. Among the top public universities are:

US- Berkeley, UCLA, Univ of VA, U of Mich, UNC-Chapel Hill, College of William and Mary.

Does this help?
PG

Jimi77

You get upset over drivers hurling insults at you??? Get a thicker hide. Seriously when you start driving, you're going find out alot drivers are out kill you.

Orca

Next time, just smile and wave back

Tundra_Man 

If this did have something to do with your race, then try and look on the bright side: the driver had to see you to know your ethnicity.

We seem to be completely invisible to many other drivers.

dahut

Yep. Mixed funding then, w/ state employees. Thanks.

tagaproject6

Stupid people are clueless, and being in that state, have absolutely no idea they are stupid...hence, you can't fix stupid. D-bags are ass holes with a purpose...those, you have to watch out. You can fix them, but it involves assault and you really don't want to go through the trouble.

caloso

BlazingPedals

Yes, I'd have to say that often OTHER BIKERS are my worst enemy. And I'm not even preaching to the choir. There are plenty here who rationalize ignoring traffic lights. Some of the other sore points are irrational, IMHO; but nothing gets drivers angry quicker than having to re-pass a cyclist five times only to have him run the next red light and get in front (at 15 mph) again.

Mobile 155

Things can seem more confusing simply by observing our fellow man. The other day a friend and I were sitting at a light getting ready to make a left turn. The light doesn't seem to be set to pick up bicycles. After a cycle or two we wait for a clearing and make the left. Within 100 yards a CHP pulls us over and asks us about the turn. Nice guy and all but after the explanation he says it would be better if we used the cross walk and "boxed" the intersection. No ticket he was just expressing his concern for our safety. But the strange thing was before we got to that same intersection there was a guy going the wrong way in the bike lane on a MTB with two huge bags of something and we had to leave the bike lane to avoid him. It seems as if the CHP had to pass that guy before he could watch us make our left turn.

How many of us have seen this every day? Wrong way riders, sidewalk riders, red light runners and night time ninja riders seem the norm in my area. When I am driving and I come to a stop light I can at least expect cross traffic to be on the correct side of the street. I can’t say the same thing for my fellow cyclist. I think some, maybe not much, but some of the expressed anger from drivers is simple transference from seeing the same bad cycling I see and not being able to yell at the offender. I keep thinking of the Movie Breaking away and wish I had an expendable frame pump.

frazeer

I've experienced the same. I ride through the South Park and Myers Park areas of Charlotte NC, and the only cars that buzz me are Land Rovers or BMW suvs with soccer moms driving and talking on the cell phone. My favorite experience was when I was going down a 4 lane road, and having a woman pull out in front of me from the right as she was running a stop sign. I managed to stop and so did she, and she rolled her window down and started yelling and cursing at me. She followed me on the left for a couple of blocks, yelling out her window at me, and I just had to ignore her. She was really fat, which made it ironic to me. Fat person in the car yelling at someone who likes to exercise. Go figure.

CaptCarrot

Some police forces in the UK, instead of just fining riders for no lights, fine them and give them a set of lights when the fine is paid - no excuse.

I have to say that the Ninja Cyclist, whilst still around, does seem to be a diminishing breed in my part of the UK at least.

The biggest problem we have round here are cyclists cycling against the flow of traffic, in a cycle lane. Part of this is because we have a HUGE language student population and the rest of the world drives on the wrong side of the road.

However, what is making this even more lethal is that some of them seem to have taken to putting there lights on back to front (red front/white rear). This is kind of OK (I don't really condone it, but it sure as hell makes you think twice if you think a cyclist is heading towards you rather than away from you). The problem arises when the are cycling in the wrong direction in a cycle lane with their lights on the wrong way round - as you see the red light and you think you are approaching a cyclist going away from you, only to have on top of you in seconds going the wrong way.