[NinjaMouse]

Spend any period of time in NYC and you'll grow to hate bicyclists. I've never seen a more dangerous and disrespectful group of people in my life. They blow thru red lights at full speed and are the ones that actually antagonize drivers. I've seen a guy on a bike run right into a car that was parallel parking and actually stopped to allow the rider to go by. She slammed into the front corner of the car and started screaming at the driver. Unreal.

[Maxim726X]

And go where?

Wherever cars aren't.

Go to a park. Ride around in circles on your goddamn driveway for all I care.

Cyclists fucking infuriate me.

[Beerman462]

Sorry, cyclists are annoying - especially the "I have just as much right to this lane as you do" types who are riding along 1/3 of the way into a lane on a 50 MPH road and make no attempt to move over when a 3000 pound vehicle is approaching.

Some cyclists can be pretty moronic. I see some on the way to work riding their mountain bike down the road. If it was me I would ride on the rocky shoulder. I don't trust that drivers are going to see me especially in AZ where everyone drives the biggest truck/SUV they can afford.

[duderon]

Cyclists are a nuisance to drivers, whereas drivers are a serious threat to cyclists. Get over your petty annoyances.

[xxracerxx]

No... Fuck cyclists. Get off my road.

I pay for the road as well, so.....

Wherever cars aren't. Go to a park. Ride around in circles on your goddamn driveway for all I care. Cyclists fucking infuriate me.

Sounds like you just have rage issues in general.

[WoodenLung]

Wherever cars aren't. Go to a park. Ride around in circles on your goddamn driveway for all I care. Cyclists fucking infuriate me.

Cycling is a pretty good way of transportation, ya know. "Get off my road."

[zethren]

How is any of that the cyclist's fault though?

Is it the fault of the drivers in the cars? I mean, the cyclists are the ones choosing to put themselves in that position. Again, I'm not an asshole to cyclists on the road, but I can't help but feel annoyed when one biker starts holding up traffic.

[Hartt951]

I feel bad for you OP. I didn't realize people did that to bikers. That's fucked up... but with that said..

I fucking hate bicycles on the road. Nothing more annoying.

[Kosmo]

How is any of that the cyclist's fault though?

There are often plenty of roads for cyclists that don't get a lot of traffic, yet they would rather ride down a heavily trafficked 50MPH road because they want to be seen in their Lance Armstrong costumes.

[Maxim726X]

Cycling is a pretty good way of transportation, ya know. "Get off my road."

Yes... Roads are for cars.

Parks are for bikes.

This should be law.

There are often plenty of roads for cyclists that don't get a lot of traffic, yet they would rather ride down a heavily trafficked 50MPH road because they want to be seen in their Lance Armstrong costumes.

Shit... I'm agreeing with Kosmo. The world really is ending.

[The Technomancer]

Wherever cars aren't. Go to a park. Ride around in circles on your goddamn driveway for all I care. Cyclists fucking infuriate me.

I ride my bicycle to get places

[WoodenLung]

Yes... Roads are for cars. Parks are for bikes. This should be law.

Nope.

[xxracerxx]

Yes... Roads are for cars. Parks are for bikes. This should be law.

What backwards thinking.

I ride my bicycle to get places

Same.

[H.Protagonist]

And go where?

They don't want us on the road, they don't want us on the sidewalks. :P Considering all the pollution, weight and gas problems we have in the states, you'd think cycling would be given a bit more priority and less derision from people.

[Xeke]

And go where?

In a car. 'murica

[Evolved1]

I never even knew this was a widespread issue. Do people just really hate cyclists where you live?

The only cyclist I've ever known was my ecology professor... and he actually quit riding because of all the griefers.

edit: the class was on our way to do some labwork and we passed a cyclist. prof mentioned used to ride. when asked why he "used to" he told us about the time someone hit him with a beer bottle and how he barely avoided going off over the ravine... it was the last straw I guess.

[The Technomancer]

Is it the fault of the drivers in the cars? I mean, the cyclists are the ones choosing to put themselves in that position. Again, I'm not an asshole to cyclists on the road, but I can't help but feel annoyed when one biker starts holding up traffic.

Its the fault of planners who don't account for cyclists.

[Maxim726X]

I ride my bicycle to get places

Does not compute.

[xxracerxx]

Does not compute.

But it does help one to commute!

[The Technomancer]

Does not compute.

Its free. I don't spend any money on gas. I don't spend any money on insurance. I don't spend any money on car payments. Its a significant savings.

[littleworm]

No... Fuck cyclists. Get off my road.

I love when people like you pull up behind me, honking and giving rude gestures. When it happens that means it's snack time! Time to slow down in the middle of the lane and eat a energy bar or drink some water and just relax for a bit.

Yes, I can be a huge asshole on a bike and it will eventually be the death of me. Though maybe one day ill piss of enough people that my city will get some more bike lanes, so I wont get any more phone calls telling me my friend got hit by a car and is in the hospital.

[Maxim726X]

They don't want us on the road, they don't want us on the sidewalks. :P Considering all the pollution, weight and gas problems we have in the states, you'd think cycling would be given a bit more priority and less derision from people.

Nothing worse than cyclists clogging up traffic on a one lane road...

The derision is well deserved.

I love when people like you pull up behind me, honking and giving rude gestures. When it happens that means it's snack time! Time to slow down in the middle of the lane and eat a energy bar or drink some water and just relax for a bit.

I don't actually do anything to the poor bastards. But lordy do I want to.

[WoodenLung]

Does not compute.

Not surprised that's hard for you to comprehend, to be honest. It's much easier to get on your bike than to drive to work in the inner city here.

[Rodney McKay]

The amount of hate cyclists gets, especially in the US always seemed crazy to me. Wonder how much rage coming to here would cause, this is how the roads looks in the morning.

Has a lot to do with how well designed roads are with bicyclists in mind.

Near my place its all hilly, twisty roads with no shoulders so there is almost no safe way to pass them.

I would never honk or throw shit though, even the ones who like to break the law. Two wrongs do not make a right.
Red light? I'll just cut across the sidewalk!
No walking sign? I'll just cut into traffic!

[JaseC]

Bike riders only bother me when they don't use the bike lanes or, in cases of roads where there are no such lanes, footpaths; but even so, I've never felt compelled to "honk or throw things" and instead just mutter to myself and maneuver past.

4WD drivers who believe they own the roads are the worst. Driving a larger vehicle doesn't afford you the right to drive like an idiot.

[Copernicus]

No... Fuck cyclists. Get off my road.

You get off their roads.

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Spend any period of time in NYC and you'll grow to hate bicyclists. I've never seen a more dangerous and disrespectful group of people in my life. They blow thru red lights at full speed and are the ones that actually antagonize drivers. I've seen a guy on a bike run right into a car that was parallel parking and actually stopped to allow the rider to go by. She slammed into the front corner of the car and started screaming at the driver. Unreal.

People don't stop being assholes once they get out of their car and onto a bike.

[Maxim726X]

Not surprised that's hard for you to comprehend, to be honest. It's much easier to get on your bike than to drive to work in the inner city here.

I'm speaking only from the position of a suburbanite, where everyone has to own a car to survive.

It's necessary in the city for some- That I understand.

[zethren]

Its the fault of planners who don't account for cyclists.

A valid point. But I still think that roads are primarily for cars, and when cyclists get too close it creates a dangerous situation for everyone involved. I don't have a general dislike for cyclists, I actually love riding bikes (though haven't owned one in years :p), but at the same time I don't like the situation that comes up when I meet one on the road. If it's just me and there aren't many cars around, and I happen upon a cyclist then I don't really care so much as I just move over to the left a bit. Its the situations where they begin stalling traffic because cars can't really safely move around them which are problematic, and I think that's also a valid complaint.

[Madrugador]

I move a lot on my bike (I use it daily for traveling to my university).

I have never had a problem like this, but where I live people don't really respect cyclists. Some guy actually hit me with his car once (nothing serious, and the guy was super responsible about the accident).

The thing is, my city is having serious traffic issue and bikes look like a great option for solving this (to some extend). At least some part of the community has acknowledge this.

Here is a pic of a cyclist group I saw the other day:

[The Technomancer]

People don't stop being assholes once they get out of their car and onto a bike.

This is essentially the truth of it. There are massive assholes among drivers and cyclists, and the only reason we take sides on this issue is because its an easy position to take an "us" vs "them" stance on

[Bombadil]

Flipping off gaffers is unnecessary, Davos Seaworth.

Also, if one guy honked at you, I'd sympathize, but six?

Maybe you were driving too far into their lane.

[The Technomancer]

A valid point. But I still think that roads are primarily for cars, and when cyclists get too close it creates a dangerous situation for everyone involved. I don't have a general dislike for cyclists, I actually love riding bikes (though haven't owned on in years :p), but at the same time I don't like the situation that comes up when I meet one on the road. If it's just me and there aren't many cars around, and I happen upon a cyclist then I don't really care so much as I just move over to the left a bit. Its the situations where they begin stalling traffic because cars can't really safely move around them which are problematic, and I think that's also a valid complaint.

Sure, but a complaint against whom? The cyclists don't really have any options if they have to be on that road. I'm just saying think about where your annoyance is directed.

[WoodenLung]

Bike riders only bother me when they don't use the bike lanes or, in cases of roads where there are no such lanes, footpaths; but even so, I've never felt compelled to "honk or throw things" and instead just mutter to myself and maneuver past.

I get why you would get bothered if there was a bike lane, but footpaths? That should be a place where kids and what not could walk around fairly safely and not have to look out for bikes.

[Bellamin]

I'm not an asshole to cyclists, but do I ever hate coming upon them when I'm driving. It's pretty much my "on button" for road rage. Almost every single time traffic has to slow down considerably and accommodate for the cyclists mere inches away from their cars. Then cars move over to the left to give the cyclist space, sometimes causing the cars in the other lane to freak out if there are any/etc. Just annoying.

This bothers me too. If your transportation manages to slow down everyone behind you, don't be surprised if you find yourself the least popular person on the road.

[Atenhaus]

Get the fuck out of SW Indiana and move to a place with actual bike lanes. It'll make your life a helluva lot easier.

[The Technomancer]

I'm speaking only from the position of a suburbanite, where everyone has to own a car to survive.

...where in suburbia is there ever enough traffic that a cyclist would be an annoyance? I've never seen a suburb or a rural area with what I would describe as "traffic"

[Cryptozoologist]

A couple of weeks ago in Beijing a car came driving down the road and I heard an unnatural scraping sound; there was a bike stuck under the front bumper. I didn't stick around to see what happened (some people flagged him down and made him stop) but later I was walking home and there was an ambulance attending to some guy, probably the one who got hit.

Although people on bicycles have yelled at me before in China, I guess it works oppositely here.

The ones who really piss me off aren't the Chinese but the foreigners who think it's the Tour de France and don't stop for anyone, while occasionally yelling at me in Chinese (not sure why, I'm white and tall).

[JaseC]

I get why you would get bothered if there was a bike lane, but footpaths? That should be a place where kids and what not could walk around fairly safely and not have to look out for bikes.

Well, obviously if somebody is riding around at top speed, even I wouldn't recommend using the footpath, but if it's just a leisurely stroll, I don't see why not.

[Maxim726X]

...where in suburbia is there ever enough traffic that a cyclist would be an annoyance? I've never seen a suburb or a rural area with what I would describe as "traffic"

Long Island.

Come visit sometime.

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

It's clear how many people have never tried riding a bike once on the road considering how many "why aren't you on the very edge of the road / why don't you use the sidewalk" questions are being asked.

Give it a shot and see how long you keep hugging the side. If people don't have to change lanes or move over a bit to pass you, they'll just drive straight through, missing you by inches.

Regarding sidewalk laws, the most dangerous place for a person on a bike to be is in an intersection or driveway. http://www.bicyclesafe.com. Laws make it illegal because putting you in the middle of the road where you're predictable traffic is the safest place.

[birdcity]

99% of bicyclists I've seen are fucking idiots who ride in the car lane, NOT on the side of the road like the shoulder or along the line, but in the fucking lane with the cars and they cause all kinds of problems with people having to swerve into the oncoming lane to get around them. Not to mention the traffic backups caused by that. It just starts creating a dangerous situation for everyone in cars and on bikes alike.

That doesn't justify throwing stuff at bicyclists, but I can sometimes understand why people would want to throw stuff. Of course there are asshole idiots in cars as well.

The real problem is cities need to do a better job of making bicycle lanes.

[xxracerxx]

Well, obviously if somebody is riding around at top speed, even I wouldn't recommend using the footpath, but if it's just a leisurely stroll, I don't see why not.

But riders who are going places on their bikes don't always ride at a casual pace, hence why riding on a road even without bike paths is the way to go.

99% of bicyclists I've seen are fucking idiots who ride in the car lane. NOT on the side of the road like the shoulder or along the line, but in the fucking lane with the cars and they cause all kinds of problems with people having to swerve into the oncoming lane to get around them.

Shoulders can fucking suck if there is gravel and debris littered everywhere.

[bengraven]

Not a cyclist, but in high school a former friend threw a half full 20 oz bottle out the car window as hard as he could at a frail 70 year old woman walking on a sidewalk.

He giggled and laughed as he described how it hit her on the calf and how fast she went down.

I didn't hang out with him after that. I'm still really disturbed by it and wish I had kicked the shit out of him.

[WoodenLung]

Well, obviously if somebody is riding around at top speed, even I wouldn't recommend using the footpath, but if it's just a leisurely stroll, I don't see why not.

Sure, but that's really not most cyclists. But well it's illegal to ride on the footpath here anyway, so very rarely do it.

[Hartt951]

...where in suburbia is there ever enough traffic that a cyclist would be an annoyance? I've never seen a suburb or a rural area with what I would describe as "traffic"

Have you ever been to a suburb? Haha. There's always traffic and bikes just make things worst when you have to swerve to avoid hitting some idiot drifting into the middle of the road.

[JaseC]

But riders who are going places on their bikes don't always ride at a casual pace, hence why riding on a road even without bike paths is the way to go.

It only takes a moment to move on or off the path.

Sure, but that's really not most cyclists. But well it's illegal to ride on the footpath here anyway, so very rarely do it.

It's not illegal here, though!

[The Technomancer]

Have you ever been to a suburb? Haha. There's always traffic and bikes just make things worst when you have to swerve to avoid hitting some idiot drifting into the middle of the road.

Different suburbs then you I guess, every suburb I've ever been in is basically dead in terms of traffic.

[Maxim726X]

Have you ever been to a suburb? Haha. There's always traffic and bikes just make things worst when you have to swerve to avoid hitting some idiot drifting into the middle of the road.

This basically happens every weekend.

I especially love the groups that almost take up an entire one lane road, so I have to wait for oncoming traffic to clear out before I can go around them.

I stand by my original sentiment- Fuck bikers.

Different suburbs then you I guess, every suburb I've ever been in is basically dead in terms of traffic.

Really. So you've never been to a suburb on the coast that has a lot of traffic?

[xxracerxx]

It only takes a moment to move on or off the path.

So you want a biker to be swerving on and off sidewalks into the road at speed? That sounds dangerous as all hell.

I especially love the groups that almost take up an entire one lane road, so I have to wait for oncoming traffic to clear out before I can go around them..

Oh you mean, like a slow moving car or truck?