5teve

No one that wants to yell/tell a cyclist from inside a car that they are riding wrong is worth listening to, IMO

livedarklions

Wants to is one thing, I don't think anyone is immune from feelings of frustration. But if they're actually yelling at people on the road then they're driving wrong, so why should I assume there's anything valid about their opinions?

Truth is that most times I've had people yell stuff out windows at me, it's so hard to hear what they're yelling from a moving vehicle that it pretty much sounds about as meaningful as Charlie Brown's teacher. And when I can understand it, it's something stupid like "ride on the sidewalk" or just name calling.

A350driver

It’s weird that when I’m driving my car, all the idiots are on bikes, and when I’m riding my bike, all the idiots are in cars!

Are they following me?

Hey, just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get me!

Yune_Garage 

I must admit that although I found this thread amusing there are some really cringe takes here.
I guess nothing can escape the polarization in today’s cultural climate, even cycling.
Empathy and understanding is increasingly being displaced by anger and judgement.
I love bikes, being made of multiple mechanical parts, they’re in essence machines, like cars, motorcycles and planes, which I also love.
So I’m a cyclist, a driver, a rider, and a flyer.
We need to share our space with each other regardless of what machine we’re on is my assessment.

A350driver

Now if I could just get a good light set of wings for my bike I could really fly on those downhills!

Yune_Garage 

Now that would be a sight to see! Cheers

rsbob 

Very well said.

pdlamb

Yeah, well, I ain't sharing my back country roads with your airplane.

Though I once saw a near collision with an ultralight taking off just as a crop duster flew down over the trees. Kind of scary, and I was the guy on the bike at the other end of the field!

indyfabz

Just ride a bike with rim brakes. According to some Forum members you will fly right off the side of a mountain unless you have disks.

urbanknight

I think one of the difficult parts, at least for me, is remembering that we're all human even when I am perceiving that my life is in danger. Adrenaline kicks in and fight-or-flight makes me think and say things that are rather harsh. Add to it when the driver tries to defend their dangerous actions, and it's hard to have a peaceful understanding with each other.

livedarklions

If I want to fly going downhill, I just put the front wheel into a pothole.

bargo68 

Yup-just so long as they stay TF out of MY WAY!!

livedarklions

I like the sentiment, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that.
A lot of places have taken down their signs that said "Share The Road" and had a picture of a bicycle because people were interpreting that to mean that bicyclists need to keep out of the way. I don't think that's what you mean, but I'm interested in how someone who operates so many different kinds of machines thinks about "sharing" the road.

TL/DR: Cool post, please say more!

livedarklions

Uh-uh, not an ultralight, it was an oil truck:

tomato coupe

That's a corollary of "Everyone that drives faster than me is crazy. Everyone that drives slower is an a--hole."

spelger

this was me just last week. the next day i regretted what i said, kind of hope he did too.

urbanknight

I got my last episode on video and will probably publish it when I get over the shame, and bleep out all the choice vocabulary.

Daniel4

I thought I was going to be yelled at or honked at yesterday.

I took a side street to return home, Manor Road East. It runs parallel to the main road, Eglinton Avenue East, that I took the day before. Manor Road is marked as a bike route, so I thought it would be nice and quiet. But it was busy with cars and four-way stops. The road is only three car widths wide and is lined with parked cars outside their houses. So any cyclist will have to take over his entire side of the road because oncoming traffic would be on the other half. That gives no chance of any car behind a cyclist any opportunity to pass.

So while I was pedalling as fast as I could, the cars behind patiently followed for two kilometres. I must have been doing about 20km/hr in a 40km/hr zone.

My guess is that all the vehicles that drive this road must have already been aware of cyclists like me. If anybody would try to get into an argument with me, I was prepared to tell him if he wanted to go faster, take Eglinton Avenue.

The day before, I did take Eglinton Avenue and it was empty. Everytime I stopped at a traffic light, there were no cars behind me. Interesting.

Yune_Garage 

Hey thanks.
I’m not quite sure how “sharing the road” would be applied technically (i.e infrastructure), but what I mean to say is something along the lines of “be kind to one another”. The “sharing the road” part will be a byproduct of that kindness or consideration for others people wether they’re driving car, riding a bike, or a motorcycle. Easier said than done.

Roadhawg

Things aren't any different in this country. You have to be wary of the idiots on two wheels (and four) that feel inclined to do whatever they please and often don't even realize how narrowly they escaped catastrophe. BTW, my wife and I lived in Vicenza back in '89. Beautiful country!

MarcusT

And the one who is most like that, liked your comment!

livedarklions

If you really want to play that game, follow his likes and you'll see he wasn't referring to me.

I find it hilarious that you start a thread about how you picked an argument while driving and you're the one accusing people of trolling.

dr_max

sometimes on the roads here it is more dangerous to get doored from cycling on the bike path on the side of the road. But if it is a safe bike lane then the cyclist has no reason to do so. Should have stopped and asked him to know his reason.

MarcusT

What makes you believe I was referring to you?

mihlbach

Usually if I get stuck behind a cyclist while driving, I will gladly slow and follow them for as long as needed. This gives me an opportunity to carefully assess their fredliness and fantasize about how much better of a cyclist I am, in both looks and speed.