Cyclists - do you get bike rage?

Question

I get MAJOR bike rage.
Idiot motorists breaking lights, nearly knocking you off the bike, driving through bike lanes without looking, parking in bike lanes etc. then they have the cheek to shout/ beep/ gesture at you when they're in the wrong!
I could go on.
Any good bike rage stories?

I knew I'd get motorists having a go, but really if a motorist does something dangerous like swerving out in front of us, opening the door whilst we cycle past and possibly into the door (a colleague of mine tore ligaments in her shoulder from this) or other nonsense, who do you reckon comes off worse? We're in a much more vulnerable position on the road.

I just find it so irritating because I'm a really careful cyclist, I'm not hugely confident because I've only started again in the past few months so I take no chances.

That beer can story is awful, what a bunch of d*ckheads.

McG - Bikers' revenge, I love it! Insane story though, can't believe the driver took off!

Answer 1

This was a while ago, before the term road rage was the rage.

Four of us were riding through traffic -- obeying laws no less. A VW Beetle turned at in intersection into me as I was going straight. The bumper snagged my front wheel and tossed me sliding on my side into the intersection. Two of my friends jumped on their cranks after the Vee Dub. One stayed to help me. I had a bit of a time getting out of my toe straps with the cleats on. Traffic that was waiting -- when the light turned green for them -- began beeping and swearing for me to get out of their way. My blood didn't seem to phase them.

The bike rage part of the story is my 2 pals that caught the Beetle and beat his roof, fenders, and hood with their tire pumps.

Answer 2

I read a story a few years ago about a pack of riders that had a bout with a motorist. The motorist swerved toward the riders because he was angry that he couldn't pass them because the lane was narrow. Surprisingly, the riders were riding single file because of the narrow lane. When the motorist did this, it caused one of the riders to crash. It was a large pack and about half of them went after the motorist. About five miles down the road, he stopped for gas. The cyclists caught up to him and beat him up. Now I don't condone this, but I understand the frustrations of a cyclist who is obeying the law and is still being treated with disrespect because he's not in a car.

However, we aren't the only ones who go through this. Motorcyclists also experience this stupid crap from many people in cars. Maybe if we weren't a society of people who generally only cared about ourselves, we would see more respect given everywhere. A dream? Maybe, but you shouldn't have tolerate any crap from motorists. Keep your cool around a-holes in cars. Someone has to use common sense in these situations. Just keep going. You'll be the better person for it.

Answer 3

The question is, how much room did you give the cyclist when overtaking? Did you pass too closely (closer than 3ft)? Did you cut too closely in front of him (less than 15ft)? It's not a race, and the cyclist (like the operator of any other vehicle) has priority when he's ahead of you. You are required to pass safely, and if a cyclist started yelling at you, you probably passed dangerously close. Did you not know that the 50ft before a stop/yield sign or a traffic light is a no passing zone? 50ft is not enough distance to pass a cyclist safely, because it takes the average cyclist only about 3 seconds to travel that distance. Taking his slowing to stop into account, you passed him when he was about 5 seconds from the stop sign. That is nowhere near enough time to safely pass. In a no-passing zone you are required by law to wait behind the cyclist until he was through the stop sign. You passed unsafely and (you admit) illegally in a no-passing zone, you probably didn't completely pass him and then you stopped right in front of him or beside him. How you can think that's not careless is beyond me. From your description, it sounds like you got frustrated because the cyclist was forcing you to go at 10mph through two turns. That is entirely your problem, and if you keep treating the road as a race track on which you need to arrive first to the Stop sign, you will eventually hurt someone. If you're lucky, he's not one of those cyclists who records his trips on video. If he was, you'd be looking at a failure to yield citation, a citation for passing in a no-passing zone and a citation for unsafe passing. I suggest you re-read your driver's manual.

Answer 4

I have a few stories but wanted to make a few observations:
I found it interesting that the professional driver ran into cyclist issues. I do't drive for a living so I can't say different. But I do see truckers being cut off by cars daily myself.

And there's a couple references to kids on bikes here. In my experience, roadies always ride the road well. I'll mention I'm in the far outlying suburbs and don't experience city traffic with bikes (commuters) often. I have, however, had 2 recent experiences (and many others before these) with kids on BMX bikes riding in the street with 50 mph limit and curving roads. These were on moonless nights, no street lights, they were riding without lights, reflectors or anything else that might let them be seen. I almost hit one and was so POed, just how stupid is that? I often encounter kids night or day criss-crossing high speed curving roads by me. Yesh, why I don't here of anyone getting run down is beyond me...

Answer 5

I hate it at Intersections when you are Riding along and a Motorist who is coming up a side Road and is stopped at the Junction suddenly starts turning the Road straight into your Path ,and sometimes does not even bother giving a Signal. Then when they narrowly miss you they start ranting at you as if it is your Fault.Or if you starting ranting at them they dont even know they done something wrong. I was going into Town one Morning in a Traffic Jam,and a Motorist Nudged me off my Bike I thought I was a Gonner, I did not Know which way i was going to Fall, if to the left the path or to the Right into the Path of a Bus. The Idiot looked back to see if I was alright, I was more concerned for the Bike. I waved him on, as there was no damage done.

Answer 6

Well one day I was riding & heard the horn blasted at me and it was couple of prick kids. They screamed "Get on F*cking Sidewalk" so I ignored them and they keep on honking. They started to get a little close for comfort started playing with a $400 Velocity Rear Rim(Playing chicken) so I tried to defend myself I sprayed H2O on the car and wouldn't you know it he calls called the cops on me for getting a car wet. The hick cop tells me "I should ride on the sidewalk it's much safer" I reminded of the new state law "Better Bicycling In Ohio" which he says "Oh that worthless law" and he tells me that " Only cars are allowed on US Route 20" he gives me a warning and lets me go. I come home send a E-mail to the Ohio Bicycle Federation and I find out one of the board members in the OBF is a Mentor city consulman. He told the chief about what happen that officer was fired on the spot because he was told a bicycle is now a car in all 88 counities in Ohio and honking is road rage at a cyclist punishable by loss of license or $1000 fine(The City Hates Losing Money) !

Answer 7

Maddening isn't it? I was riding my bike home along the country lane near home at night, lights on, reflective jacket on and reflectors on my shoes and the back of my helmet. I must have looked like Blackpool illuminations. Along came a car towards me, swerved to my side of the road and the passengers (front & back seats) lobbed beer cans at me. Great laugh eh? One to tell the lads down the pub. Morons!

Answer 8

When I was a teenager, I was riding very close to the curb single file with a friend. All of a sudden a pickup truck came up behind and started moving toward me. My friend and I both jumped the curb as the truck touched my rear wheel and I fell off onto (luckily) the grass. As the truck went past a car right behind him started making siren sounds and lit up like a xmas tree, it was an undercover police officer who pulled the truck over and we watched him handcuffed and placed in the back of his car.

Answer 9

Ohhhh Yesss !!

And your quite right, they have the nerve to shout at us when they are clearly in the wrong?

On a number of occasions I have manged to catch up with them at a Traffic Light or Junction - Their Bravado certain changes when I am banging on their window asking "What the F@#K do they think they are playing at"?

A lot of car drivers think that they are invincible in their cars and even after you have had a go at them, once moving again they try pathetically to overtake and drive you into the kerb!

I caught up with one of these once, they could see me approaching from the rear with their mirror, he hastily changed lanes into the path of on-coming traffic and guess what? He still had the nerve to stick the 'Vees' at me !!

Nothing to be proud of but Yes ! - I do!

P.S. The 'Vees' is a British thing and goes back to Agincourt - Look it up!

EDIT: That comment from Kevin G just reminded me! - Yes there are irresponsible cyclists out there! I have had near misses with a number of them.

Particularly the Half-wits on BMX's who insist on riding blind or riding out from junctions without looking ! - These kids should be confined to pulling wheelies in the school playground!

.

Answer 10

I don't suppose this is what you had in mind, but you opened the door.
I was a professional driver for over thirty years, and in that time - I promise I am not exaggerating - I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of cyclists who had even the vaguest idea of road safety, common courtesy or could recognise that when a traffic light was red it meant stop for everyone on the road. It was such a rarity that on those delightful occasions that I saw a cyclist with all of the above attributes it really cheered me up.
Incidentally, it seemed that the more appropriately dressed the cyclist - helmet, hi-vis clothing, cycling shoes, etc - the more arrogant the behaviour.
Sorry, but you did ask.