Firstly, I would just like to express my utter outrage by how disrespectful motorists are of cyclists. Yeah, yeah, another cyclist bitching, you’ve heard it all. Today I was biking along, and a green Jeep, kept honking at me because apparently he found my presence on the road to be abhorrant. Unfortunately, unreasonably disgruntled motorist, there is not enough room for me to bike in a manner that would let you get by, any closer to the curb and I’d be on the sidewalk, or in the ditch, as I have a road bicycle, which doesn’t like potholes one bit.
Furthermore, I was actually ran over by a minivan not long ago. I had the right of way, I had the green light… motorist didn’t look left, pulled out right smack into the side of me, I am now permanently scarred as a result. This is not by far the only problems I’ve had… EVERYDAY I commute to university and to work and am nearly run off the road by 2-3 motorists… There is such a thing as the 1 meter rule now… that’s a few feet. Not a single driver abides by it. So next time you see me biking smack dab in the middle of the lane, suck it up, because you’ve ran me over for the last time. If you don’t want to waste your valuable time driving, get a bike, it’s quicker anyways, in the day that is. Don’t be surprised if I flip you off for honking your horn, especially when I’ve got no way to move out of your way. Be considerate, I’m just trying to get to university and work, I’m no different than you, other than I’m a little more considerate about the environment, and likely not as lazy. Additionally, I now carry both a voice recorder, and a pen/paper. From now on, all those who come near running me off the road will be reported to the authorities, the make/model and license plate will be noted, and you will be fined. Is it really worth the extra 10 seconds I hold you up? Why the hurry? Enjoy life, relax in your car, listen to some music or something, but don’t expect me to put up with being nearly clipped every day, because I’m through! —The Fellow Cyclist
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2011.
Kudos to you!!!
I have a question about the one meter rule. When cars have a red light and are lining up, why do cyclists squeeze in beside them? I take the bus usually and I always see them squeezing in beside buses as well! Isn’t that really dangerous for yourself? Why not just wait behind a car/bus and take up the lane? If cars are supposed to give a meter, how can you just sit inches away from them and then get mad if they’re turning right and almost hit you because you’re sitting in their blind spot? Yes, I guess they should look behind them now when making a right turn, but I myself would not take that risk.
I bike to work every day and I have only had one close call so far, after which the driver followed me and apologized for the scare, actually the person who seemed the most upset about the whole thing was some pedestrian who started freaking out on the sidewalk (people are hilarious).
I don’t know how so many bikers have these near death experiences “EVERY DAY….. I am nearly run off the road by 2-3 motorists” ? What freaking routes are you taking? I go down Robie and Windsor without this kind of problem.
Do your thing and record and report, but please don’t bike around trying to prove your point by biking down the middle of the lane flipping people off and adding fuel to the fire. Chances are they will have no idea what point you’re trying to prove and they’ll just think you’re another asshole biker.
So are you one of these fucking idiots that weave in and out of trafiic.On my way home Im sure to see anyone riding a bike ,do something idiotic .If YOU dont have the room to get by ,than why dont YOU stop and wait for traffice to start moving like the rest of us.You shouldnt going at warp speed up the left side of a vehicle anyway.You come up on us while passing everything and you suddenly appear.That second a driver checks the right mirror, you are there on the left in that same instant and you wonder why you hit a car(not the other way around).Us motorists have to react by moving out of the way quickly.Its not always safe to do so for us ,but we have to because you cant wait .You are the fucking impatient one.Maybe Ill get you on video next time you are weaving in and out of traffic causing unsafe driving conditions for motorists ya fucking idiot.I think you fuckheads should be fined for illegal passing and causing dangerous driving conditions .
You can report all you want but good luck getting anywhere with it, unless it’s a slow day at the cop shop likely it’s going to the bottem of the list.
“suck it up”, pretty much my attitude, I have accepted that Halifax can’t help but be petty and small when it comes to cyclists, so I’m just gonna smile and wave at you fuckers.
Squeezing in beside buses is kinda lame though. I prefer to just wait if there isn’t a safe zone.
NO COMMENT
passing on the right, can be a dangerous game, especially buses and trucks. arrive alive citizens
You are contradicting yourself Donkey.
… … please.
Kudos on having the courrage to ride your bike around over using the car. However, choosing to do so you choose the risks of being hit just like a motorist does as they get into their car every morning. Yes motorists can hog the road and act as though cyclists are an inconvenience but you cyclists aren’t so great either. When all us motorists are at a stop light or sign waiting for the green a cyclist will take it upon themself to snake up along the side of the vehicles to get to the front of the line. I’ve even seen a cyclist go right through the light. Why should you be able to get to the front, possibly damaging my nice new car along the way?
In most cases a motorcycle could probably fit along side the regular traffic as well but they would be penalized for doing so, why not yourselves.
I think you should have to insure a bicycle if it is being driven regularly on the street. If you scratch the side of my car while trying to get to the front of that line.. I’ll still have to pay for it. : ( not cool.
Finally turning lanes, Under no circumstances should a cyclist be allowed to follow along side a vehicle in a turning lane. This is really just asking to be hit. Yes- we as motorists should be checking blind spots, and for the most part we do but when you come speeding up beside my car I’m already in the turning zone. Wait in line like the rest of us.
Thumbs up for cycling, thumbs down for thinking you own the roads. Sharing is fun!
Obviously you haven’t learned a damn thing OB. Ditch the fucking bike and buy a car. That will solve all the problems you’re bitching about.
The funny thing the same by-law that grants cyclists the 1 meter space also states they have to ride to the right side of their lane unless they’re making left hand turns or avoiding obstacles and they can be fined. So OB go ahead and ride in the middle of the road if you wish but I won’t be giving you any courtesy and I would not be giving you 1 meter space when I pass you.
I ride my bike around the city most days and I agree that to be safer you shouldn’t ride up along side of cars when they are stopped at a red light/stop sign. You should take the lane and wait in line. This way you can ensure that the driver behind you can see you! After going through the intersection or making a turn, I usually move over to the side again to let the cars pass.
Also, if there are cars parked along the side of the road make sure you are far enough away from the doors so that you don’t get hit and fall into traffic, even if that means taking up a lane. At least if there is another lane beside you traffic can take that lane and then move back after they’ve passed you, rather than trying to squeeze by.
Be as safe as possible! 🙂
Another little side note…..when I see motorists driving in a safe, respectful way, such as waiting for me to go by instead of pulling out and cutting me off, I usually give a little wave and a smile! I usually get a smile back…..just makes everyone’s day a little bit better, for me at least.
Bullshit:
“EVERYDAY I commute to university and to work and am nearly run off the road by 2-3 motorists”
I cycle to the university everyday and I’ve been “run off the road” maybe twice the entire summer. But that’s because I’m cognizant of my surroundings and I follow the rules of the road. So you should either stop exaggerating and/or follow the rules/take out the ear buds.
As for comments about squeezing by cars stopped at lights, I’m not certain what the rules are about it. I tend to do it if there’s reasonable room and the light is RED. If the light is green, then I stay put because I really don’t want to blindside a driver into killing me. Also I stay behind cars who have their blinkers on while stopped at the red light (first in line).
pie guy gets the prize for most passive aggresive reply this week…so far
halifax needs bike lanes since you people can’t learn to play nice. I don’t know if it’s an ego thing or an intelligence thing or a spacial thing or what.. but for chrissake halifax, put in some bike lanes already..
First I EVER heard of a bike/motorist conflict on here!!!!!
i’m gobsmacked baz^^most of the roads aren’t wide enough for bike lanes on both sides
When I get to lights in anticipation of turning right I make sure no cyclist can squeeze between me and the curb and keep my turn light on until the road is clear. By being patient and waiting behind me the cyclist eliminates the risk of an accident.
I wouldn’t mind seeing some trees chopped down to make room for some bike lanes from the round-a-thing up quinpool as far as connaught.
i avoid certain streets, but i have choices
OP, as an entreprenuer, I’d like to produce and sell a horizontal flag: 1m long, with optional carbide tip.
Are you interested?
good golly miss molly… kranky, you’ve got a new photo
I bike up between cars waiting at intersections and the curb, however, I stop if it’s too narrow, and I always stop in between cars so that I can monitor the ahead car’s turn signals and also be visible to the behind car. And I never go up beside buses unless there is a LOT of space.
As far as getting run off the road, I’ve been biking here for the past 8 years and have only been nearly run off the road once, when I was clipped by a car’s mirror when going through the narrow Chebucto/Windsor intersection. Maybe you drive in the middle of the lane too much?
i’ve had two bad crashes, one was my fault. if there is no vehicle in front of me, when i arrive at a light, i tend to leave some room. that way if a car needs to turn right, they can go. oblivitron on wheels…bad combo
disrespectful, give your fucking head a real hard shake o.p. what i witnessed today, going down north st. to the bridge, well there were 3 assholes, riding on the sidewalk. yeah, i said 3, different ages, from about 30 up to about 60. and no, they weren’t together. they just drove right down thru people, and just as bus started to pull out from a stop, one idiot, decides to take that time, to cross in front of it.
when you fucking assholes start showing some respect, then maybe, just fucking maybe, you will get some in return. and oh yes, the middle one, about 40 or so, did not have a fucking helmet on.go fucking figure.
Yeah, LS, because three bad cyclists mean all of us are disrespectful. You’re a misinformed/uneducated twat.
I had a flatbed transport tear my tshirt off my shoulder on the highway when I was 18. That was too close for my liking. I prefer off road trails, now.
“when I see motorists driving in a safe, respectful way, such as waiting for me to go by instead of pulling out and cutting me off, I usually give a little wave and a smile! I usually get a smile back”
I would give you the finger. Bikes are for kids, not kid wannabes. Grow up.
is that so, canned. well i guess the next time you go biking, you wear your suit of invisible armor, cause someone will take you out. and yes, 3 of you in one spot, does show the complete arogance at the rules of the road.
as i stated, there were 3 different age groups, and 3 seperate areas,so this does constitute, the majority of you idiots out there.
yeah, i get that you believe all the bullshit that you own the road, then how about getting your bike licensed, safety checked, and also insured. don’t wanna do that, then get set for some heavy lawsuits, if you damage someoes car, by either banging into it, or being hit by iit. good luck in court fool, you will need it.
– Nope, don’t believe I own the road. I share it when I ride and when I drive.
– Cyclists are liable if they damage someone else’s property. Having insurance doesn’t change that.
– Three people do not constitute the majority of cyclists no matter how old or young they are. Learn some basic math skills you knob.
– Last, my bike may not be insured or licensed, as the laws do not require it, but it surely is safety checked every three months or so when I repair it.
for me, it boils down to this, someone on a bike…one less auto. everyone wins
OMIGOD! 3 people breaking the law! Shut down the city!
paingirl:”for me, it boils down to this, someone on a bike…one less auto. everyone wins”
Amen!
thank you brother…i like to boil things
Oh for fuck sakes, grow up you agro meat head.
Hay, as long as a bike can keep up with the flow of traffic, they have as much right to be there than any motorist out there.
HOWEVER, the sad reality is this: there are asshole motorists out there who are behind the wheel of tons of steel –i.e.: they can do major frickin’ damage. Just ask wheeliep. I know this bitch is saying motorists should be more careful with others on the road, and I agree 110%… but the sad reality is, you’ll always have sebastards on the road who don’t give a shit (until they kill someone… maybe), so even though you are 100% right… the consequences of proving that point can suck way too much to take that chance.
It’s like cars who try to cut off the bus. Do these people not realize that their little shit mobiles are probably no match FOR A BUS? No, no they don’t. Until they end up dead from getting a bus rammed up their arses.
“Hay, as long as a bike can keep up with the flow of traffic, they have as much right to be there than any motorist out there.”
Hey, as long as a garbage truck, street sweeper, farm vehicle, snow plow, ice cream vendor, granny in her old car, motorhome, or Zambonee can keep up with the flow of traffic, they have as much right to be there than any other motorist out there?………oh wait a minute, they have a right to be there, even when they are slower. Hmmmm…..so, why do we get so pissed off at slow moving bicycles?
Bicycles are smaller and can be closer to the right, under normal circumstances. Do you drive a Zamboni to work? What a maroon.
” Do you drive a Zamboni to work? “
It’s good on ice! 🙂
if you are riding and become a safety hazard, you can always dismount and walk. pretend it’s your pony
When ever a tractor or any other slow moving vehicle can not safely stay to the right, it is totally acceptable by sane, civilized drivers when the vehicle temporarily takes the lane. But…..good lord love a duck….if a cyclist takes the lane to maintain safety, lets tar and feather them, eh?
And again ,driving to work this morning ,some fucking moron on a bike ,goes through a 3 red lights between alderney landing and portland to hollis and sackville st,crosses the street several times where he wasnt supposed to while riding the wrong way on a one way street.When are you fuckers gonna realize the streets aren’t mountain bike trails in the woods and are streets with rules to be followed.So yeah ,I have no fucking sympathy for you.
New photo is only for halloween, painy.
Hey you, you want an exercise in time wasting? Go stand at ANY intersection for an hour and count the # of cell phone talkers/BB typers. Please. After that we’ll talk about banning the automobile, ok?
At work, there is a guy that rides his bike almost everyday, even on the bad days during the winter.
On a particularly bad day last winter, I asked why he does it and he said something like ” Once I’m warmed up from the exercise, I enjoy every minute of my commute. That is more that we can say about most commuters that travel by car.”
The law sucks you have to go into the oncoming lane just to pass a bike
How do you go around garbage trucks on pickup day?