Bicycles/sharing the road

The entire key here is just ONE thing. ME! It is all about MY right to ride a bike. It is all about MY right to not be inconvenienced by someone riding a bike. If we could all get over our selfishness, not only would the streets and highways be safer, it would be a better world in general.

I have no problem with folks riding a bike on the street or highway, as long as they use a bit of common sense. The fact is, that no matter how "LEGAL" you are, if you tangle with a car or truck, YOU LOSE! Probably your life.

And if you hit someone on a bike, it is going to cost you dearly. Both financially and mentally, probably for the rest of YOUR LIFE.

Just a little bit of mutual consideration from everybody, could go a long way to preventing tragedy.

 

I am a trucker with 35 years experience and a cyclist with 45 years experience.

Well Sodbuster, if bikes are for kids, why are you on one nearly every weekend? And your logic takes another turn for the worse: By suggesting I restrict my riding to roadways with lower speed limits would be totally ineffective. I average 15-18 mph on my bike, any hit from any motor vehicle would likely result in serious injury to me, I am not worried about your paint.

I would bet your flawed logic and attitude spills over into all the driving decisions you make, in an automobile or class 8 truck. I just hope I am not on the same highway on either my bicycle or my Freightliner

 

Does anyone know the proper way to signal a left or right turn while on a bike?

 

Of course!

 

Okay, then inform me, Old Fart...

 

Well first off, learn to ask the RIGHT questions? The ones you really want an answer for!

OK, for the left turn, stick your left arm straight out, perpendicular to your shoulder. For the right turn, stick your left arm out perpendicular to your shoulder to your elbow. From elbow to wrist have arm raised.

It is exactly the same signals that were used in cars before the electric turn signals were invented.

Oh, one other thing while I'm thinking about. USE OF FINGERS: Strictly optional as to which fingers you wish to have showing and in what order. Sort of depends on who it is you are signalling to.
we aim to please here a ttf!

 

As a cyclist, I was once stopped and told by a 4 wheeler that I should signal when going straight on.
I asked him exactly how I should do that, but he had no idea.
Then it dawned on me what I could do. Arm stretched out forwards, clenched in a fist, and in my best Buzz Lightyear impression - "To infinity and beyond!!!"

And that is what I did. Left the 4 wheeler standing there looking very puzzled : )

 

I think the key words is common sense. Just like with a truck, we select a route that we can safely navigate. With that said, I don't understand why some cyclist select a heavily traveled state highway with no shoulder. You are just asking for trouble. If you are in a hurry, you need to drive.

When I ran local, there was about ten days I seen three groups of two cyclist about one mile apart each, at the same time every day. I called them the "Spandex Six", lol. They selected a busy 55mph curvy state highway with no shoulder to ride on. All I could think of is they were playing with fire. Why not take the safer scenic route with hardly any traffic?

Sure enough, the tenth day I come up on a wreck. There was a 4 wheeler and a crushed bicycle on the embankment. An EMT rescue was loading a cyclist up in the ambulance. That was the last day I seen them.

Now, why is it I could foresee this and they couldn't? By all right bicyclist can use any state highway. But why isn't safety a concern? I'd be ###### if I would let cars and trucks buzz me by inches.

 

I have not been on a bike for over 20 years. some bike riders are good and have the sense to move over as much as they can and i appreciate that and think to myself, yep he wants to live for another day, and then you get the dumb-arse bike riders that are two or three abreast and dont even try to move over or go into single file, these bike riders are F88KING idiots and really p1ss me off, not only do they have a death wish but i have to slow down change gears move over into oncoming traffic just to avoid hitting them or have them sucked under the truck, all because they think they are have the right to use as much of the road as they wish, well ok they can ride on the road but they should pull that big stick out of their arse and move over or get the hell off the road. Quote from my state transport department, 10% of road users prevent the other 90% from having a accident. my opinion is that the majority of bikecile riders are in that 90%.

 

I cant stand them because of the spandex. The inventer of that #### needs to be slapped. I mean dont get me wrong I ride bikes and recumbents but keep the spandex at home or wear regular shorts over the bike shorts I dont wanna look at that.