8 replies to this topic

[djold1]

Bike topic on Facebook

[Doohickie]

I commented on the Facebook photos. Bottom line- in some respects the cyclists are asserting reasonable rights to the road, but they are doing it wrong (in some respects illegally) and needlessly pissing off drivers. The one thing that cyclists often do in groups (including groups I ride with) that is illegal even when they are doing everything else right, is to ride more than two riders abreast. The result for passing drivers is that the "pack" of cyclists varies in width and becomes unpredictable to drivers. If they rode two abreast, there would be more order and perceived predictability in the group which would make passing easier.

As a cyclist myself, the mindset to me is what will make for the safest situation. If it is not wide enough for a car and bicycle to be in the lane together, it is permissible under law for a cyclist to take the lane. One group behavior that drives me crazy (especially when I'm part of the group) is when cyclists take the lane as a gaggle instead of an orderly group, and by "taking the lane", they interpret it to mean they can ride right up to the lane marking. Cars don't do that; when they do come up to the lane marking it can be presumed they are making a lane change, and any traffic in the next lane over is rightly nervous. Cyclists in a group seem to think that as long as their wheels are within the lane marking, they are of no concern to traffic in the next lane. There are a few problems with this: First, just because their wheels are in the lane doesn't mean their bike/handlebars/etc. aren't hanging over into the next lane. Second, with the unpredictability of a group, if someone is riding just inside the lane and someone drifts over to them, they either have to collide with the drifting cyclist or drift over the lane into the adjoining lane. This is the problem with a lot of groups who ride together.

Which gets me to thinking.... I need to communicate this with some of the groups I ride with.

[mmiller2002]

... and by "taking the lane", they interpret it to mean they can ride right up to the lane marking.

See, those are the militant cyclists I referred to a while ago. ;-)

[John T Roberts]

As I have stated before, if cyclists are breaking the law, the police should give them tickets. With that said, the police should equally enforce the laws on everyone. There is a four-way stop just a few yards from my house and over 50% of the motorists going through the intersection run the stop sign. Tonight, I was over at a family members house and I decided to count the traffic violations in the 2.5 mile drive home. I counted 8 definite traffic violations by various drivers in that short distance.

[Doohickie]

... and by "taking the lane", they interpret it to mean they can ride right up to the lane marking.

See, those are the militant cyclists I referred to a while ago. ;-)

I would characterize it as inattentive more than militant. That's one concern I have about some groups is that some riders seem to have the impression that if they are in a group like that, they are safe. The truth is that crowding the adjacent lane isn't safe, nor is having so many bikes abreast in a lane that there is no "safety factor" if someone has to swerve around some debris.

[Russ Graham]

I would characterize it as inattentive more than militant. That's one concern I have about some groups is that some riders seem to have the impression that if they are in a group like that, they are safe. The truth is that crowding the adjacent lane isn't safe, nor is having so many bikes abreast in a lane that there is no "safety factor" if someone has to swerve around some debris.

Well you have to admit it's harder to pull hit & run on a group of cyclists than one guy at a time. The guy that was hit on Camp Bowie would at least have had witnesses if he'd been in a pack. I think driver's psychology changes when approaching a group vs approaching a single cyclist, too. All of which contributes to safety in numbers.

[Doohickie]

I still try to be vigilant, even within a group. I think some people in groups get involved in conversations and lose track of their surroundings and do "lizard brain" maneuvers (reacting to conditions without deliberately thinking about it). Take a two or three people in a group who aren't paying attention and you can get into trouble pretty quick.

[Volare]

This is a good video on this topic that I thought would be worthy to share with everyone.

[Volare]

Another nifty video. The guy got a ticket- I think he should have had his license revoked.

http://video.foxnews...ssing-cyclists/