What a stupid thread this is. Almost like someone is trying to stoke things up on the forum whilst the Chad thread is temporarily closed.
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You don’t know the rules of the road (double yellow line) and where you do you disregard them for some internet trolling (phone).
You should not drive or ride a bike. Take some of that energy you’re investing in this thread and lobby for better public transportation so you can take a bus.
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Most drivers are generally good people who don’t want to hurt anyone, but the few that do give everyone a bad name. Same with cyclists, most cyclists don’t want to die to prove the point that they are allowed to ride in the road.
The real long term solution here is better cycling infrastructure. It will benefit everyone - less conflict between cars and bikes and hopefully more people will switch to bikes for some trips which would improve traffic. A win-win! Contact your legislators today, ha!
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Hey all,
This is a reminder to please follow the Community Guidelines. In case you’ve forgotten or didn’t know, those are:
- Be excellent to each other
- Challenge the idea, don’t attack the person
- Contribute Constructively
- Don’t break the law
- Keep it tidy
We’d like to have our conversations and arguments fall into the middle of this triangle or higher. There have been a lot of comments that fall into the bottom of this triangle recently:
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Is posting explicitly illegal content here allowed?
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This is terrible. I wonder if geographic location matters here. Sounds like you’re in the UK? Maybe my perception is off, but I assume that drivers tend to be a bit more friendly in the UK where cycling is a more common or accepted use of transportation than it is in some US-based cities where the car is king. Could be wrong though and cyclists are universally unliked.
That said, I have definitely been in a situation where I have had to swerve or hop an obstruction that I otherwise wouldn’t have had I been in the lane. But again, I go back to thinking of it like this:
Option A) ride the shoulder and react according to whatever I’m presented with (rocks, parked cars, cracks, etc)
Option B) ride in the lane of traffic and hope that I’m seen
I generally go with option A)where I have all or most of the control, option B puts too much faith in the driver to see me and react accordingly (hopefully in a safe manner)
I get your point, but if we ride bikes with a good faith understanding that every driver will grant us space and treat us courteously we end up dead.
IMO, there are times where riding in the lane is safe and during morning or evening rusher that is not the case. I just won’t do it. I’ll take my chances with a shoddy shoulder 100% of the time. If it’s so bad I’ll just slow down to walking pace and make my way very slowly.
The white line- I’ve had a car buzz me and immediately right turn when their mirror was behind me. I had the incident on video and with their license plate clearly visible as they hooked me.
The police stated I shouldn’t have been in a lane with a car. Take the lane. I want the report to read that the driver was so clearly in the wrong when they murder me.
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Instead of doubling down, maybe realize it isn’t the job of us in cars to question why people are taking the lane. Maybe it was safe but maybe they had their reasons to be in the lane, again not our job to know why. The reality is cyclists delay motorists for mere seconds and folks just need to be patient and safe
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Time to lock this one down too. This post has nothing to do with TR or training in general and it’s now filled with angry hot takes.
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Do you know ever possible statute and law? I’m guessing you don’t, but it’s easy for you to call me out on the internet when you’re one google search away from finding out.
Maybe take a moment to reflect on yourself as a cyclist in this world and how you’re perceived. I think it can actually make you a safer cyclist.
Not knowing is never a valid reason to avoid being cited, though
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Could not agree more… a bad road user is a bad road user, if it wasnt on a cycling forum these kinds of posts (the original) would make everything much worse, image it on facebook.
I have to think the post was started with good intentions and the subject is important and needs to be discussed. I can’t condone using a phone while driving whatever the reason but that is another discussion I dont want to get into now.
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They also die because of this. It’s truly amazing to me at how many of you would gladly fall on your “take the lane” sword than ride in a way that makes you less annoying to the driving population and ultimately probably a lot more safe. Is it an ego, “F THE DRIVER” thing or what?
Sarcasm is hard.
But like, you have to see the humor in this one right? Coming from the guy who just started a pissing contest on the internet out of road rage and cannot let it go even now?
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Taking the lane is objectively safer. Your assumption that it pisses off drivers and makes cyclists less safe is incorrect.
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I should not have posted the photo, however, I do think that it was done to bring awareness to why us cyclists are disrespected on the road. So thank you for seeing that side of it. It’s sad that many of the folks here have gotten emotional and have steered the conversation into something else.
I think that having an awareness to how you’re perceived as a cyclist will only keep you safer while on the road.
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But you began the whole thread with incorrect premise that you couldn’t pass the cyclist because of double yellow, so you’re all worked up by this guy when you could have done something but you didn’t because you don’t know the rules of the road, which as a cyclist you most certainly know for defensive cycling
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That’s what you want to believe. I ultimately did pass him crossing the double yellow, but after the fact I questioned if that was a legal move. What’s your point here?
I actually think it’s not dumb at all, why do you think it’s dumb to be aware of how you are perceived? Or you just don’t care, which is fine.
I think most of us feel it’s safer to take the lane in this situation. That’s what you’re missing. You might not agree, but we’re telling you we think it’s safer to take the lane than to ride into that gutter.
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