Okay so let me start by saying that I support those who wish to ride their bikes to work or just around town. I am just sick and tired of being a motorist and having cyclists not using their hand signals and suddenly cutting out right in front of my car causing me to slam the breaks and horn – which is when they get pissed!
My suggestion? Use the hand signals with your LEFT hand not your right, your LEFT.
Also – today while I was walking home from work I had a cyclist come from behind me and ram into me on the sidewalk then get pissed off at me! Cyclists are not permitted on the sidewalk! —Pissed off at cyclists!
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2010.
I agree that cyclists shouldn’t ride on the sidewalk (unless they are kids), and that they should always use hand signals, but why would I use my left hand for a right turn?
That wouldn’t indicate where I was going and the motorist likely wouldn’t see it.
I was in a lane specifically for vehicles turning right when a bicycle flew by me on my right and went straight through the intersection. Not only were they in the wrong lane, they failed to yield. Had I turned, it would have been his fault.
ummm…. because legally, you’re supposed to.
barringtonian, are you being serious?
if so… please stay off a bike… but keep the helmet on.
you’re supposed to use your left hand for all indications
Yes you are absolutely supposed to use your left hand for signaling, because it’s easier for drivers to see. It’s actually something that used to be taught in driver’s ed (not sure about it anymore). Riding a bike in this city just sucks. I try to get out on my bike for exercise, but the edges of the roads are a mess in a lot of places. Here’s a thought: if you have to have a license to drive, shouldn’t you have to have something basic to take a bike on the road? Is this something that could be taught in elementary school so kids know from the start what the rules are?
LOL @ “why should i use my left hand to signal a right hand turn”…What A Moron ! L O L
I love it, they want bike lanes & respect from vehicle operators & you don’t even know the proper hand signals…
Thank you for the laugh, Feels good to laugh that hard once in awhile.
I’m with the majority on this one. The hand-signals aren’t just bike signals but driver signals as well; they’re taught in drivers ed and also featured in the study manuals you purchase before taking your beginners. Vehicle drivers must learn and understand them before obtaining a license to drive as well; if your blinkers or brake lights become disfunctional that’s the only option you have.
Some cyclists think that the rest of society should operate around them and it’s no wonder that avoidable accidents happen to dumb people. Sometimes I think the ‘green’ folks are a bit edgy in this city also.
We just had friggin BIKE WEEK…. obviously a resounding success…..
:-|
money well spent.
NGF, how exactly would one know if their external blinkers or brake lights stop working….
presumably, you’re still driving IN the car.
I know it’s what you do… just never come across that situation or know of anyone who has really….
yeah, i hear you, it only takes one asshole, to get the whole bunch painted the same way. i used to bike years back, but went to drive after too many near hits. and i was always in the right place, obeying the laws of the time. it’s a real two way street o.p., and as such, we really have to try and get along with each other.
Yeah, this grinds my gears (pun may or may not be intended). I find that most of the serious cyclists in the city actually use hand signals, but there’s a majority out there (and as much as I like to cite the ever present Hipster Fixie, it’s not all them) don’t use them, or they use them incorrectly. I saw a girl use the stop signal for a right hand turn a couple of days ago. She damn near got hit for her troubles too.
As an aside, given all these wacky advancements like LED lights and such, I’m gonna assume that there are lights that you can attach to the back of your bike akin to a car’s signals. If not, that would be a good business idea…
look at you… expanding your empire from goats to led shirts for cyclists….
next you’ll be looking to start up indoor, glow-in-the-dark, floor hockey.
Hey, at least it wasn’t a critical mass day! Those idiots seem to think making people hate cyclists makes the road safer? Running red lights and blocking traffic is not good for anyone, motorists OR cyclists.
I’ve got nothing against people who ride their bikes for pleasure or necessity. They face enough grief in the course of a day without me shitting on them so live and let live, sez I.
As for the ones who make it a political act, all I can say is, I hope you’ve filled out your organ donor cards because that’s all you’re good for and it’s all you deserve.
(Homer Voice) Mmmmm – organ donair, Lllaaaaaahhhh.
…and as for Critical Mass. That’s what you produce after gorging on endive salad and fair trade free range hummus. Hey Chernobyl pants – alert Scandinavia!
Maybe the driver would be using the caution/hazard lights, zZz. Maybe when the car brakes/stops there’s nothing. Maybe it’s night time and nothing is on (like what happened to me once).
I could have been refering to the driver of said car in this instance but forget already.
zZz— yeah, that’s two in a row huh? It’s a side effect of dealing with small business clients all day.
Ivanski— the problem is that the hardcore riders that give cyclists a good name are also involved with stunts like Critical Mass. They become their own worst enemy.
I saw a CM bike-fest a few months back where the group ignored the traffic lights on Spring Garden and forced cars to jam on brakes and wait an entire circuit before they could move again. What was worse is that the CM folks had small children (some with training wheels on bikes) with them – sending a terrible message about respecting the rules of the road and being mindful of surroundings.
The shock came when half the CM people stopped (the group was divided into two with the red light) and THEN proceded through their fresh red light. Like they couldn’t wait one whole minute to catch up to the rest of the pack who would have waited.
I may be wrong but I think CM gets special consideration, sort of like a parade. For bike week, they were allowed to ride across the main surface of old bridge )where they are usually prohibited).
In any case, I believe that cyclists should obey the rules of the road (including signaling with your left hand… though I was taught in elementary school that you could signal a right turn either with your left or right) but I also believe that motorists should obey the rules of the road… I would wager there are about 100 dumbass maneuvers made by motorists for every one made by a cyclist in any given day. And the motorists’ dumbass maneuvers are probably more likely to kill someone. (See previous bitch for examples).
Full disclosure: I’m both a cyclist and a motorist.
i am the same jen. but i think with cm there are no leaders or structured routes, not sure why
CM shouldn’t get any special treatment at all. They should obey the rules of the road just as anybody else. Even law enforcement and ERTs are required to obey unless there’s emergency.
If there’s no police escort – like there usually is with a parade or some protests – there’s no excuse for running reds and pretending to own the road. And if one of the CM people gets hit by a car while disobeying the rules the fault is theirs alone.
I withdraw my comment with regard to “special consideration” for CM – upon quick review of their literature, it seems that the whole point is not to get a permit. That kinda bugs me (especially since they actually had to get something special for the Bike Week CM thingy).
No permit makes the whole excercise appear “spontaneous”. Right. As spontaneous and unscripted as a Michael Moore mockumentary. No leaders means no responsibilty, no liability. Anything stupid happens, round up the usual suspects. The police – either not doing their jobs or doing them overzealously – and of course, car drivers. Make enough noise, your own side will back you up and you may even get a few converts. Guerilla theatre – kiss my simian ass!
For people who scorn American style consumerism and especially the marketing that drives it, these people are a very quick study.
no responsibility, no liability is exactly why it is sofa king dumb…you nailed it colonel
Like the good Doctor Fever said, “Their own worst enemies” making it even harder for the responsible bike riders, like your fine self. And that is one of many areas where the right and left are no longer distinguishable – their reliance on cheap-shit manipulation tactics. They can all go piss up a rope.
Defiant, curmudgeonly Rawk!
(P.S. – got buzzed by one of my boys this morning – they may have nestlings.)
i sat in the backyard last night listening to sue talk to the newbie…sweeet. good mommy. i am a very responsible driver of 2 and 4 wheeled machines, merci
Sofa King! Great phrase. Definitely gonna plagiarize, but always with a nod to PG in this hood >; )
I think SNL deserves a bit of the props…
Sorry to you met some retarded cyclists today.
I am not one of those cyclists.
I gotta say though, I just POINT where i will be turning, because I don’t trust many drivers, especially younger ones, to KNOW what I am communicating to them.
And as a driver as well, I do frequent shoulder checks on my bike, even MORE so… usually once every 20-30 seconds, to monitor traffic behind me.
Aww all the Bitches are boring today! I want some more exciting Bitches… like Mom’s having sex with their puppies.
I’ve been watching, waiting, hoping even but…still have not seen a car driver break the law or act like an asshole. Damn! you guys are good! It’s gonna happen one day and when it does, I’m going to shout “HEY YOU MEAT-EATING SON-A-BITCH CAR DRIVER!” That’s going to be a rocking day.
OH so you are one of thoooooose angry drivers haha
I really think a lot of drivers are curtious to bikers, hand signals or not and I try to return the favor.
I have been honked WHILE in a left turn lane and yelled at by a “bitch” to signal. Figure it out lady.
I think drivers need an attitude adjustment. Maybe more people should get their overweight Halifax ass on a bike.
Bikes should be off the road period, make way for real traffic.