Bicycle question

[Sigarms]

I don't care what the pamphlet says or what people are taught...it's just plain stupid and irresponsible and discourteous to ride in the middle of a rural road.

My whole point, thank you.

 

[RayH]

I could go for a nice hike in the forest wearing my antler hat next fall and be perfectly within my rights to do so. Common sense tells me not to do that.
I could ride my bike in the middle of the road. Common sense tells me not to do that.
See how that works? You see something that doesnt seem safe and you steer away from it even though the boneheads at your state capital say its Ok.
Well, it seems simple to me.

 

[YanmarFever]

Most bikers are on a power trip with their rights agenda

My truck has a very LOUD horn, I just lay on it until they move.

Do the speed limit or get off the road

 

[Sigarms]

Do the speed limit or get off the road

That's something that they were not able to answer up at town hall.

I asked since bikes have the same "rights of the road" as cars, what if they aren't maintaining a minimum speed limit? Can't a car be ticketed for driving at an unsafe slow speed? Town hall told me yes to that question. I then asked well if a bike is going 20 mph under the speed limit (35 to 45 mph speed limit) on a rural road, isn't that driving at an unsafe speed?

I hate to admit this, but it's nice to know that it's not only happening in my area.

 

[Blagadan]

Whack a SMV plate on the back of every cyclist in rural areas, you'll see the yuppies go find a dedicated cycle track someplace.. SMV plate wouldnt match their spandex outfits and €5000 bicycles... lol

We have the same problems over here. The local cycling club. About 20 or more of them head off on their 20 mile cycle twice a week. I think they feel safe in numbers. A bunch of them all inches from each other and 4-5 abreast. Like you'd see in the 'tour de france' or something. I have come across them a few times on my twisty road. Scares the crap outta me to see a clump of cyclists as I round a corner... In fairness to them, the rear cyclists always wear dayglo bibs but still, when I'm doing the legal speed limit and I round a corner to find these guys doing 15-20mph.... scary...
Law here is 2 abreast only, no more...

I dont blame them, they have a right to be on the road, but they are taking the piss cycling 5 abreast... I'd be liable if I ploughed into them...

 

[davitk]

rights or no rights, think about a teenage driver text messaging on their cell phone and coming around a curve at 60 mph, suddenly stumbling upon a group of spandex-clad yuppies "maintaining their rights"..........

Gets ugly fast, doesn't it????

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Sometimes those d@mn bikers scare the crap out of my horse when I'm riding down the middle of the road.

 

[Egon]

With the rising price of fuel there may just be a whole bunch more cyclists on the road!

 

[Blagadan]

With the rising price of fuel there may just be a whole bunch more cyclists on the road!

Aint that the truth... Not too sure I'd like to cycle 20 miles each way to work every day, especially with a hill to climb in both directions... I'd have to leave for work at 5am...

Horses sound good, I can see it now, like the wild west, a bunch of horses tied to a post outside my front door here at work... Grass is cheap and I have lots of it...

 

[turbo36]

Most bikers are on a power trip with their rights agenda

My truck has a very LOUD horn, I just lay on it until they move.

Do the speed limit or get off the road

Most guys in trucks are also on a power trip. You should the read and know the law before spouting off jibberesh like this.

 

[turbo36]

Not doubting you, just curious how that works? As was stated, you dont need a license to ride a bike on the streets so would a citation on a bike go against your drivers license? I guess as far as that goes, you could get a DUI for riding a bike while intoxicated.

In Michigan it is the same penalties as if you were driving a car.

I to ride but I dont do it on two lane roads with no shoulder. Sure, legally Im aloud to but for the sake of common sense, better judgement and self preservation, I choose not to. Just because its my right to do it doesnt make it smart.

Is it completely safe? No, nothing is (this has been debated many times in the safety forum) but with some education and cooperation it could be much safer then it is.

 

[turbo36]

I have just as many tractors in my area as bike riders. Difference is the tractor driver will usually pull over and wave you by. The bikers just keep riding and don't seem to care. As mentioned before, I was once an avid biker. However, when I rode, I usually only rode with a couple of my buddies (wasn't as popular back then), but we always rode defensivly and ALWAYS in single file when a car was coming up behind us.

A few minutes? Try almost every day going home behind a group of ten of them.

Other thoughts have crossed my mind, but all legal, and just wanting to be friendly, thats all

Talked to a farmer down the road and he gave me some good advice. Get beind a bunch of slow moving bikes that don't want to go out of their way to let you pass? Get in front of them and when you do, go 5 MPH slower than the bikes and let them know what it feels like. I actually thought it was pretty good advice.

One reason why I got into mountain biking was because I thought there were too many idiots driving cars. Now I think there are too many idiots riding road bikes.

You know, thinking about it, I guess it's all the "attitude" that some of these people show. Honestly, I'd hate to see someone get hurt, but sooner or later somone is going to get nailed on one of my local roads. I'm one of the few who actually drive the speed limit. One day, one car will be going to fast coming around a curve and you'll have four of five guides riding abreast of each other coming around the same curve in the opposite direction.

From a legal standpoint, are you better off making sure the guy can't sue you? (yes, bad taste I know)

I would rather mountain bike then road bike however I ride my bike to work and therefore I have no choice in where I ride.

As far as hitting someone while rounding a curve all vehicles must be able to stop in the "assured clear distance" so legally you are requires to slow down while cresting hills or curves if you can't the road in front of you for a distance equal to the stopping distance of the vehicle and speed you are driving. I know this one first hand, I crested a hill and hit a car that just pulled out of a driveway because he was already in the lane when I crested the hill I was at fault. Same thing applies to bikes, pedestrians, tractors, farm wagons whatever.

 

[turbo36]

rights or no rights, think about a teenage driver text messaging on their cell phone and coming around a curve at 60 mph, suddenly stumbling upon a group of spandex-clad yuppies "maintaining their rights"..........

Gets ugly fast, doesn't it????

Why do you think it's only "spandex-clad yuppies" out there? You should meet some of the "rednecks" I ride with.

 

[Bird]

I'm curious do you also get the urge to run over a farm tractor when they are in your way?

No, for a couple of reasons. Most tractor drivers are pretty courteous and will even try to help other drivers get by. And there's usually only one or two tractors at a time; not hundreds. Most bicyclists are anything but courteous.

Is your life so hectic that on the rare occurrence you encounter a bike rider or group you can't be delayed a few minutes in the interest of safety?

A few minutes? How about it being 20 miles to town and enough bicycles in that 20 miles that you are never out of sight of a bicycle. Or when I was taking my Dad to the hospital each morning (65 miles) for radiation cancer treatment and the first 20 miles were farm-to-market road. I was not exaggerating one iota when I used the word "hundreds". I don't know what kind of "parties" they had, but someone laid out the route with arrows painted on the pavement at turns, they set up port-a-pots and tables with drinking water at some locations. I've even seen them stop and get off their bikes (checking tires or gears or something), not only in the traffic lane, but right next to the center stripe. Even if you were going the opposite direction; i.e., meeting them, you would see them the entire 20 miles or more.

Three or four bikes might be a slight annoyance, but hundreds blocking traffic is another matter.

 

[tallyho8]

I live on the River Road which runs next to the levee of the curvy Mississippi River and many of you may have read my post on the safety forum about how many wrecks occur in these curves.

We spent a lot of taxpayer's money paving the top of the levee to make a safe and scenic bike route that cars are not allowed to use. You wouldn't believe how many bikes still ride in the road instead of using the bike route.

What doesn't make sense it that cars are banned from the bike route but bikes can still ride on the road which is right next to the bike route. I believe that the bikers who use the road are either suicidal or just plain idiots who are trying to show off.

I do enjoy occasionally riding my bike on the bike path on the levee as it is so scenic and peaceful. You couldn't pay me enough to make me ride on the River Road.

 

[turbo36]

No, for a couple of reasons. Most tractor drivers are pretty courteous and will even try to help other drivers get by. And there's usually only one or two tractors at a time; not hundreds. Most bicyclists are anything but courteous.



A few minutes? How about it being 20 miles to town and enough bicycles in that 20 miles that you are never out of sight of a bicycle. Or when I was taking my Dad to the hospital each morning (65 miles) for radiation cancer treatment and the first 20 miles were farm-to-market road. I was not exaggerating one iota when I used the word "hundreds". I don't know what kind of "parties" they had, but someone laid out the route with arrows painted on the pavement at turns, they set up port-a-pots and tables with drinking water at some locations. I've even seen them stop and get off their bikes (checking tires or gears or something), not only in the traffic lane, but right next to the center stripe. Even if you were going the opposite direction; i.e., meeting them, you would see them the entire 20 miles or more.

Three or four bikes might be a slight annoyance, but hundreds blocking traffic is another matter.

It sounds like it was an organized event and perhaps they had permits, if not the cops should have been there stopping it. We have many rides in our area like this and the organizers warn the riders to follow the law if not the local cops start handing out tickets.

Would you have a different opinion if it was part of the Memorial Day parade or the local Harvest festival parade? I hate to wait for them so I find a different route on those days.

 

[turbo36]

I live on the River Road which runs next to the levee of the curvy Mississippi River and many of you may have read my post on the safety forum about how many wrecks occur in these curves.

We spent a lot of taxpayer's money paving the top of the levee to make a safe and scenic bike route that cars are not allowed to use. You wouldn't believe how many bikes still ride in the road instead of using the bike route.

What doesn't make sense it that cars are banned from the bike route but bikes can still ride on the road which is right next to the bike route. I believe that the bikers who use the road are either suicidal or just plain idiots who are trying to show off.

I do enjoy occasionally riding my bike on the bike path on the levee as it is so scenic and peaceful. You couldn't pay me enough to make me ride on the River Road.

The problem is that most of the separate bike paths are shared use meaning pedestrians , roller bladers and whatever also use them so the same kind of conflicts arise on the bike paths as on the roads. The pedestrians walk 4 or 6 abreast and expect a bike to go off in the grass to avoid them it doesn't matter whether you are overtaking them or approaching, the attitude is the bike needs to move not them even if they are on the wrong side of the trail.
The other problem is speed differential, (same as cars and bikes on the road) if I overtake someone walking at 2-3 MPH while I'm riding at 20-25 MPH it is my fault if I hit them even if they are in my lane. Many trails have speed limits of 8-12 mph, this is painfully slow for serious riders so they stay off the bike paths and ride in the road.
I ride tandem with my wife a lot and believe me it takes a while to stop one of those while doing 25-30 MPH.

I have had people yell at me all the time to "get on the sidewalk where I belong" but that is illegal in most area's.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

My question is. How can they have the same rights of the road when, they don't pay road taxes for using the roads ? Vehicle operators pay road taxes every time they pump gasoline

Paying gas tax doesn't give you the right to use the road. Where I live, there are lots of vehicles that are exempt from the tax, and even if I put taxed fuel in my tractor I can't take it on a public road.

Almost all cyclists also drive, and they pay fuel taxes when they drive.

Fuel taxes and registration fees pay only a fraction of the costs of roads anyway -- less than half in almost all states. Fuel taxes go almost exclusively for the construction and upkeep of interstates and major highways -- the kinds of roads that cyclists tend not to use, and are often legally prohibited from using. The roads that cyclists tend to use -- local and county roads -- generally are paid for using general funds: state and local income, sales and property taxes.