Being harassed while riding the roads
#27
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The definition of assault varies by jurisdiction, but is generally defined as intentionally putting another person in reasonable apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact. Physical injury is not required.
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The mirror has a 50/50 at meeting the criteria. The other events are more of being accosted.
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We can be assured the media will cover it as an “accident” if they do decide to run you off the road or worse.
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#31
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Not much.
Legally for it to be assault you only have to believe you were being threatened with bodily harm. The perpetrator doesn't even have to touch you or even take a swing at you.
But thick skin helps with any situation. Particularly with verbal rage and times you skid on the asphalt after a wreck.
Legally for it to be assault you only have to believe you were being threatened with bodily harm. The perpetrator doesn't even have to touch you or even take a swing at you.
But thick skin helps with any situation. Particularly with verbal rage and times you skid on the asphalt after a wreck.
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"Sticks and Stones. . ." At one time I was a yeller and let loose hoping for a confrontation. I went as far as switching to SPD on one bike so I could square off.
Intentional close passes and the j-hook turns that force evasive actions are of course harassment.
I came to the conclusion that going to jail for murdering a driver was not a good idea. It only takes one good strike to kill someone. I do not want that on my conscience.
So I mellowed and now accept that 1% of drivers are truly evil and to focus on the 99% that are polite and considerate of cyclists.
Intentional close passes and the j-hook turns that force evasive actions are of course harassment.
I came to the conclusion that going to jail for murdering a driver was not a good idea. It only takes one good strike to kill someone. I do not want that on my conscience.
So I mellowed and now accept that 1% of drivers are truly evil and to focus on the 99% that are polite and considerate of cyclists.
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#33
Activation Required
In 2007, I was cycling on a 25 mph road in a somewhat industrial area. Never busy which is why I took that route instead of another road 2 blocks up.
I felt push of air from the mirror of a work van. I was coming up to a red light... already stopping.
His mirror just missed me by 2 inches. I had to contort myself around the mirror to look at him through the passenger side widow. He was on his phone.
I pounded on the window. I think I may have scared him a little, but he still glared at me.
Light turned green and he took off.
Van had a "how's my driving" sticker on the back
😁😁😁😁!
Needless to say, I spoke to a very nice gentleman on the phone.
I passed the business he pulled into, looked like where he worked.
I hope he got a massive lecture!
I felt push of air from the mirror of a work van. I was coming up to a red light... already stopping.
His mirror just missed me by 2 inches. I had to contort myself around the mirror to look at him through the passenger side widow. He was on his phone.
I pounded on the window. I think I may have scared him a little, but he still glared at me.
Light turned green and he took off.
Van had a "how's my driving" sticker on the back
😁😁😁😁!
Needless to say, I spoke to a very nice gentleman on the phone.
I passed the business he pulled into, looked like where he worked.
I hope he got a massive lecture!
#34
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i have had bottles thrown at me, half empty gig gulps, i think the best one was the fire extinguisher hose down, some of those things can really blast you. don't care, suffering too much already.
also had girls flash me, that's a funny one when you cruise up next to them at the red light and they sink into the seat and turn purple,
one night on my way to the liquor store somebody in a black SUV screamed at me to get a light,
nobody gets away with that when i'm juiced, so i u turned and sprinted til i saw him pull in his complex and park, then i banged on his quarter panel real loud and sprinted away, he gets in and starts a high speed chase screaming 'im an off duty police officer, pull over!' after a couple of quick u turns i hid behind the dumpster at my complex. i sat on the balcony and watched that cop cruise up and down sierra vista ave real slow, for two hours. a cop always gets his man. but not in this case. he knew that i knew where he lived, but he did not know where i lived, thus putting me in the drivers seat.
Greg LeMond moved from California to Minnesota after some yay-hoo took a pot shot at him and a bunch of other pros out on a training ride near jackson ca. guess the guy thought they were taking up too much room. you think Greg might have had a little ptsd toward shotguns at that juncture in his life?
also had girls flash me, that's a funny one when you cruise up next to them at the red light and they sink into the seat and turn purple,
one night on my way to the liquor store somebody in a black SUV screamed at me to get a light,
nobody gets away with that when i'm juiced, so i u turned and sprinted til i saw him pull in his complex and park, then i banged on his quarter panel real loud and sprinted away, he gets in and starts a high speed chase screaming 'im an off duty police officer, pull over!' after a couple of quick u turns i hid behind the dumpster at my complex. i sat on the balcony and watched that cop cruise up and down sierra vista ave real slow, for two hours. a cop always gets his man. but not in this case. he knew that i knew where he lived, but he did not know where i lived, thus putting me in the drivers seat.
Greg LeMond moved from California to Minnesota after some yay-hoo took a pot shot at him and a bunch of other pros out on a training ride near jackson ca. guess the guy thought they were taking up too much room. you think Greg might have had a little ptsd toward shotguns at that juncture in his life?
Last edited by cjenrick; 03-28-21 at 09:43 PM.
#35
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In 2007, I was cycling on a 25 mph road in a somewhat industrial area. Never busy which is why I took that route instead of another road 2 blocks up.
I felt push of air from the mirror of a work van. I was coming up to a red light... already stopping.
His mirror just missed me by 2 inches. I had to contort myself around the mirror to look at him through the passenger side widow. He was on his phone.
I pounded on the window. I think I may have scared him a little, but he still glared at me.
Light turned green and he took off.
Van had a "how's my driving" sticker on the back
😁😁😁😁!
Needless to say, I spoke to a very nice gentleman on the phone.
I passed the business he pulled into, looked like where he worked.
I hope he got a massive lecture!
I felt push of air from the mirror of a work van. I was coming up to a red light... already stopping.
His mirror just missed me by 2 inches. I had to contort myself around the mirror to look at him through the passenger side widow. He was on his phone.
I pounded on the window. I think I may have scared him a little, but he still glared at me.
Light turned green and he took off.
Van had a "how's my driving" sticker on the back
😁😁😁😁!
Needless to say, I spoke to a very nice gentleman on the phone.
I passed the business he pulled into, looked like where he worked.
I hope he got a massive lecture!
#36
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In 2007, I was cycling on a 25 mph road in a somewhat industrial area. Never busy which is why I took that route instead of another road 2 blocks up.
I felt push of air from the mirror of a work van. I was coming up to a red light... already stopping.
His mirror just missed me by 2 inches. I had to contort myself around the mirror to look at him through the passenger side widow. He was on his phone.
I pounded on the window. I think I may have scared him a little, but he still glared at me.
Light turned green and he took off.
Van had a "how's my driving" sticker on the back
😁😁😁😁!
Needless to say, I spoke to a very nice gentleman on the phone.
I passed the business he pulled into, looked like where he worked.
I hope he got a massive lecture!
I felt push of air from the mirror of a work van. I was coming up to a red light... already stopping.
His mirror just missed me by 2 inches. I had to contort myself around the mirror to look at him through the passenger side widow. He was on his phone.
I pounded on the window. I think I may have scared him a little, but he still glared at me.
Light turned green and he took off.
Van had a "how's my driving" sticker on the back
😁😁😁😁!
Needless to say, I spoke to a very nice gentleman on the phone.
I passed the business he pulled into, looked like where he worked.
I hope he got a massive lecture!
Heh. I called the employer of a truck driver who almost hit me while I was riding to work. He also told me to go eff my mother. The guy I spoke with was appreciative and also said “I’m not surprised.” Clearly, there had been trouble with the employee before. I had described him very well, right down to the cap he was wearing.
My fave story: my friend Ed, who got me into cycling long ago, is a longtime rider and bike commuter. Back in the '70s, he would ride to work with a large, heavy lock and chain over his shoulder and across his chest, like a bandolier. One morning, a driver did something egregiously dangerous and yelled at my friend. At the next red light, Ed caught up to the motorist, and as he rode up to the light, he pulled off the chain and swung it around his head like a lasso, then smacked it right into the car's right rear fender (doing some damage) before speeding away on a side street.
#37
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Having travelled abroad to work in small few weeks longs chunks to Europe totaling about 4 months in a few years.........I sometimes question my choice of country of residence if this will continue to be a hobby.
While the attitude of "forget you, I've got mine" is typical in the US for most anything, the roads thing is that the US expanded rapidly after the advent of the motor vehicle. So a vast amount of communities developed around the car, not the bike or horse or walker.
Our company's headquarters is in Denmark with a facility in France......maybe I need to rethink things.
While the attitude of "forget you, I've got mine" is typical in the US for most anything, the roads thing is that the US expanded rapidly after the advent of the motor vehicle. So a vast amount of communities developed around the car, not the bike or horse or walker.
Our company's headquarters is in Denmark with a facility in France......maybe I need to rethink things.
#38
Senior Member
I hope this doesn't get me in trouble with the moderators but I think the redneck situation in this country is getting out of control. Looking forward to the day science can eliminate this gene from the human race!
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#39
Senior Member
You're not alone, many people are questioning life in the US these days. My wife and I are tentatively planning on moving to Spain once I retire, at least for a while. Between the political climate and the redneck problem, what's to love anymore?
Last edited by m2244; 03-29-21 at 06:48 AM.
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#40
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That remark directed at me....or the guy with the AR-15 decal? Or both?
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Just a pairing of priorities I guess.
Also I love Euro food. On our France work trip the engineers and technicians took us for lunch at a lady's house down the street. She lived there but converted the front patio to hold a few tables. I had kidneys with onions and mushrooms au vin. I was the last American to order. The French guy's faces lit up and they were like "we'll have that too if there is any left!!!".
Also, my only interaction with a motor vehicle while in France was climbing something in Alsace where the car slowed and they egged me on to give it some more effort. Not satisfied until I was out of the saddle headed up as they pulled away slapping the sides of the car yelling allez. About the most stereotypical positive cycling experience you could have.
If I stay in the US forever, I'd likely retire to a small home off some gravel climbing in the NC mountains near some good riding.
#43
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My wife and I debated what constitutes a close pass just this weekend. We both ride on roads regularly and exclusively.
The scenario was a straight, undulating, single lane road with no shoulder. Double yellow center stripe with a speed limit 45 mph and I'm driving. There are no other cars. As we approach a solo rider (who is keeping a nice smooth line just within the fog line), I coast to slow to 30 mph and give him about 3 feet and pass and then begin to accelerate again. Smooth.
My wife comments that I passed too closely, and that I should have moved into the oncoming lane (partially) to give him more room, as an unforeseen piece of debris or stone might've caused him to lurch sideways at the wrong moment. We continued to debate this for the next 5 minutes down the road, alternatively taking the viewpoint of both the rider and the driver. Neither of us yielded in the end.
I wonder what the solo rider thought about it. Likely nothing...
EDIT: To the OP, in 45+ years of riding, I've never been harassed as you just described. Maybe some changes for you are in order?
The scenario was a straight, undulating, single lane road with no shoulder. Double yellow center stripe with a speed limit 45 mph and I'm driving. There are no other cars. As we approach a solo rider (who is keeping a nice smooth line just within the fog line), I coast to slow to 30 mph and give him about 3 feet and pass and then begin to accelerate again. Smooth.
My wife comments that I passed too closely, and that I should have moved into the oncoming lane (partially) to give him more room, as an unforeseen piece of debris or stone might've caused him to lurch sideways at the wrong moment. We continued to debate this for the next 5 minutes down the road, alternatively taking the viewpoint of both the rider and the driver. Neither of us yielded in the end.
I wonder what the solo rider thought about it. Likely nothing...
EDIT: To the OP, in 45+ years of riding, I've never been harassed as you just described. Maybe some changes for you are in order?
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#44
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Some kids in a convertible threw candy at me while I was riding on a very wide shoulder while minding my own business and not obstructing traffic in any way. Had nothing to do with anything I was doing. Had a bottle thrown at me under the same conditions. Decades ago a guy reached out a car window and slapped my then GF on the ass.
#45
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Also, my only interaction with a motor vehicle while in France was climbing something in Alsace where the car slowed and they egged me on to give it some more effort. Not satisfied until I was out of the saddle headed up as they pulled away slapping the sides of the car yelling allez. About the most stereotypical positive cycling experience you could have.
I've also had motorists cheer me on while climbing, had plenty of people stop to offer help while I am fixing punctured tires, and made some friends out in farm country when I've stopped to ask some question about farming, or maple sap collection, or whatever.
On a couple occasions, people have given me (and my bike) rides home after major mechanicals or (once I can recall) a nasty crash. Most people are actually pretty nice.
Last edited by cb400bill; 03-30-21 at 02:21 AM.
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#48
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Oh and this goes double if the high priced foreign car is driven by a young woman.
Last edited by rydabent; 03-31-21 at 08:47 AM.
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I’ve been riding my neighborhood roads(30mph speed limit and not much traffic at all) for the last month. My street even has the bicycle symbol painted along the street....so I know riding the roads is perfectly legal. I ride just inside the white line....so I’m def not hogging the lane. I’m VERY visible and use hand signals etc and ride safely.
I’ve been harassed on multiple occasions already. One old man pulled up next to me screaming that I should be riding on the shoulder(which is paved, but lots of glass etc) of the road.....so I I yelled back to him to eff off and that it was perfectly legal to ride the road.
Yesterday a big truck PURPOSELY just missed me with his mirror!!!! Missed my head by 6 inches! I couldn’t get his plate....but it had a HUGE AR-15 decal across the back window.....so when I find him, it’s not going to be pretty.
I’ve been harassed on multiple occasions already. One old man pulled up next to me screaming that I should be riding on the shoulder(which is paved, but lots of glass etc) of the road.....so I I yelled back to him to eff off and that it was perfectly legal to ride the road.
Yesterday a big truck PURPOSELY just missed me with his mirror!!!! Missed my head by 6 inches! I couldn’t get his plate....but it had a HUGE AR-15 decal across the back window.....so when I find him, it’s not going to be pretty.