Don't honk at me.
Seriously, stop honking at me. Every time I ride my bike through town, I get all upset at how I’m treated. As a new kid in the neighborhood of cycling, I’m learning a lot about the sport. What I can’t understand is why drivers honk at cyclists for following the rules. Look, I know we seem annoying out there, but most of us do our best to stay in our lane, follow the rules and not get killed by angry drivers out there. The only thing I can think of is that you all don’t know we’re (mostly) following the rules. So, here are some things you should know before you take your road rage out on those cyclists on the road: 1. We (cyclists) have every right to be on the road... in that lane YOU are driving in. It seems annoying, sure, but if there is no bike lane, we still get to ride on the road. Under Florida state law, a bicycle is classified as a vehicle. What does that mean to you, the giant SUV about to run us down? You have to treat us as if we’re another car on the road. If we’re going too slow and are in your lane, you can pass us, but you legally have to give at least 3 feet of clearance. It doesn’t seem like much, but 3 feet will keep your mirror from ripping my left arm off. 2. If the road is too narrow for you to pass us and still give that required 3 feet of clearance, then you’ve gotta wait. Seriously – it’s the law. And if we’re going the speed limit (you know those 20mph neighborhood roads? We can go that fast!), then we get to take the whole lane. Just one bicycle going the speed limit can take the whole lane and it’s perfectly legal. So don’t honk — we’re right and you’re wrong. 3. Consider this: your traffic lane doesn’t have dead animals, trash cans, parked cars, entire dead trees, and various sharp metal objects just begging to give you a flat tire. Please don’t honk when I move into your lane briefly to avoid said obstacles. You get to swerve to avoid road kill… please let me avoid it, too. 4. I promise that, as a cyclist, I will avoid making left turns whenever possible. You think I actually enjoy nearly dying as I cross several lanes of traffic with nothing but obnoxiously colored spandex to protect me from your 2-ton vehicle? (I don’t, in case you weren’t sure.) But those rare times when I do have to cross traffic to turn left, here is the rule — if I get in that left turn lane, I have full use of that lane. So don’t pull up next to me and try to edge me out. That’s not very nice. 5. Those old hand signals that you think we should be using actually AREN’T what we should be using. The days of bending the arm up for a right turn are over. If I’m going right, all I gotta do is point right with my right arm. And if I’m going left, I point left with my left arm. Yeah, it’s that simple. (Trivia: the old signals are intended to be used by cars without turn signals. Since you can’t easily get your right arm out of the window to point right in a car, the traditional method is used in a car. Cyclists, since both arms can easily be seen, get to point… which is so much cooler.) 6. A personal plea to the driver of that pick-up truck that decided to honk and jerk their steering wheel toward me that very first day I got on my bike — dude. I wasn’t even in your lane. That was not very nice. 7. Please notice us. We wear bright colors and do everything we can to be predictable so we don’t get hit. But there are a few things you might not be considering as you honk away — we don’t have motors, so we can’t speed up as fast as you can. We’re literally locked into our pedals (yeah, our shoes clip into the pedals so our feet don’t go flying off when we’re pedaling fast) — so we can’t just hop off the bike lickety-split. And sometimes we fall over… don’t laugh, it hurts. (Ok, you can laugh — just make sure we’re alright first… but it still hurts.) So here is the quick and dirty version: don’t honk at me. I’m trying really hard to get into shape. I’m wearing neon colored spandex in public — that should be enough right there for you to feel sorry for me and not harass me. And you punk teenagers out there — stop throwing pennies at me. And don’t open a door to knock us off our bikes. It hurts. And it’s not very nice. And for a parting note: cyclists have to follow the law, too. Don’t wear headphones while riding… don’t cut traffic off… and stop when you’re supposed to stop. When you break rules, you tick off the drivers, and they take it out on the next cyclist they see. If you love the sport, respect the rules so the new kids out there (like me) don’t get run off the road before they can even clip into their pedals. (And, if after all of this, you want to start cycling, let me know… despite the terrifying moments in traffic, in my opinion it is the most rewarding and fun sport out there!) Related: StefanieZimmerman's blog | login or register to post comments | printer friendly version | Tags: bicycle | honk | Roads | traffic
Submitted by Claude91098 on Thu, 02/07/2008 - 4:54pm.
Stefanie,
One thing you failed to mention about "the law" concerning vehicles and traffic, (bicycles being a vehicle ya know), is that if a slow vehicle is IMPEDING TRAFFIC then that vehicle is REQUIRED BY LAW to pull over and allow traffic to pass.
Your scenario about the roadway not being wide enough for cars to afford you that "3 feet" clearance, if you see that traffic is backing up behind you, then YOU are the one that MUST pull over and wait. Check the DMV code.
All that said, I like bicycles. However, anyone that rides a bicycle on a two laned roadway where the speed limit is above 35 MPH, IMHO, is CRAZY! Not only crazy, but they are placing me and every other driver at risk of having their DEATH on our consciences for the rest of our lives...just because the bike rider "had a right". Well, decide what is more important to you, LIVING...OR...dieing and being "right"?
Riding in a residentual street environment where the speed is 25 MPH or LOWER...take all the road you want if you can make the speed limit. ME? I do NOT honk at bikers, unless it's to warn them of an imminent collision. I'll stop first.
I'm courteous to bikers, pedal powered or a Harley, there's no difference to me. I rode motorcycles all my life..owned 7. Now I'm a defensive driver to all vehicles. Since I started taking my meds I no longer wish to install the twin mounted sub-machine guns behind my grill. (
Just BE CAREFUL out there! Remember, the vehicular code has provisions that you may not be aware of, study them some more, ok? What you learn may well save your life someday.
And besides, how do you know ALL of those "honkers" are doing so because you annoy them? SOME may be making a compliment to you! Submitted by LINYGAL on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 3:06pm.
I still can't help but wish you'd get your tight, black spandex tush out earlier in the day before everyone gets up and out on the road or later on after the rush/dinner hour (not to mention when the temp is cooler), or else take it to a park or roads where you know there's ample room to enjoy your sport safely.
Submitted by Gasbag on Wed, 02/13/2008 - 11:20am.
Thank you Stephanie for your comments. I agree with all of them. If you and your friends want to ride around slowing down traffic, you go right ahead. We drivers need to slow down and give way to others who use our collective roads. I live in JCP and speeding is RAMPANT. I really wish that the sherrif's department could devote more patrols to address this problem. The more of those massive peletons of cyclists pedalling around JCP, the more cars will be forced to slow down. Also, in response to LINYGAL. I really don't think that cyclists should feel that they have to get up before dawn, or avoid rush hour, just to make it easier for all the speeding jerks to terrorize our roads on their way to and from work. Submitted by Claude91098 on Wed, 02/13/2008 - 5:54pm.
Gasbag, Utilizing bicyclists as "speed bumps" doesn't seem like a very safe idea, for the cyclists! I agree, in a community like JCP folks SHOULD drive no faster than the posted limit and be very defensive driving due to kids, pets and bikers. I'm assuming that most of the streets in JCP are 25 MPH or lower, except for the "main" feeders where it may be 35 MPH or so....correct? But if they REALLY want to slow the traffic down, or even stop it, all the young lady bikers could always ride topless!!! (Just kidding of course!)
Submitted by lily on Wed, 02/13/2008 - 10:14pm.
Hi Stefanie: As a driver, I am constantly annoyed by cyclists, as a runner, I am constantly annoyed by cyclists and as a cyclist/runner, I am constantly annoyed by drivers...(it seems from the above statement that I spend most of my time being annoyed and that runners are the most courteous...hmmm) anyway, it is extremely important that consideration be shown by all of us to all of us... Because my time is limited, I usually run during my lunch hour and love to go over the Bridge of Lions...there are signs posted on either side of the walkway saying “Walk Bike”...to date, and after over a year of almost daily running, I have counted 3 cyclists who actually walked their bikes over the bridge. Riding over the bridge is dangerous and interferes with the rights of others to use the bridge safely and to enjoy one of the most beautiful sights our city/county has to offer. It is also disheartening to see that most of those ignoring the rules are definitely old enough to read, understand and adhere to a simple set of ‘rules’. It is difficult to understand how anyone could just completely ignore signs that are posted for their own individual safety and the safety of others. However, in my more than 10 years of cycling, I have seen this kind of behavior over and over again. This lack of common courtesy and disregard for others is dangerous and affects all of us who enjoy the sport of cycling or other recreational pursuits. I also believe it is exactly this type of arrogance exhibited by a small percentage of riders that contributes to the unfavorable reputation the sport of cycling as a whole, now ‘enjoys’. So thank you, Stefanie, for making all of us aware of how we behave towards others, regardless of the particular ‘sporting circumstances.’ A little courtesy goes a long way in any situation and sometimes, it just may save a life.
Submitted by Gasbag on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 9:09am.
Claude, You are correct, speed limits in JCP are 35 on the roads between subdivisions and 25 or less within the subdivisions. I have two kids who enjoy riding their bikes to school. And let me tell you all, it can be frightening. Lots of kids riding and walking on the bike paths along Flora Branch with streams of speeders flying past them at 45-50 mph (in some parts of the bike path, just a few feet away). Even the school bus speeds! Often the drivers have a coffee cup in one hand and a cell phone in the other. One slight miscalculation, one minor distraction and they are up on the grass and into the bike path. I saw this happen just the other day! Luckily nobody was there at the moment the car came over. Just slow the heck down! Submitted by StJohnsGirl on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 10:54am.
Every Saturday & Sunday morning I head out using Durbin Creek to get to Publix, Starbucks, etc. and every weekend morning I am met by a group of bicyclist. 15 or 20 of them all riding together 3 or 4 people wide across the lane, the wrong lane! They are coming towards me in MY LANE, I am going the speed limit and there is a car coming the opposite direction (in the lane the bikers should be in) what do I do now? I would not mind so much if they would form a single file line to let cars past, but nope they stand their ground and I am forced to some to a complete stop until traffic in the other lane clears so that I can go around them. They are impeding traffic!! It ticks me off every weekend. Same thing happens if I come up behind the cyclist, they refuse to form a single file line to let cars past. My suggestion to the bicyclist is to have some respect for the car traffic and maybe you will earn the respect you want from them. It just seems as most of them do not even understand their own plea “share the road”!!! Submitted by Claude91098 on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 11:04am.
"It just seems as most of them do not even understand their own plea “share the road”!!!" StJohnsGirl, Therein lies "part" of the problem. The bikers are SO FOCUSED on "their rights" that they forget that other vehicles have rights too! BTW: If a SJCO deputy sees them riding in a group like that on the wrong side of the road, they can ALL be given a TICKET for doing that! You frequent Starbucks so I KNOW you have a cell phone....call the cops the next time this happens. Snap a picture or two of them riding towards you so when the cops arrive you'll have more than just "she said, they said" evidence! Submitted by StJohnsGirl on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 12:41pm.
Claude, I only wish I had a cell phone with photo capabilities, I would bust so many idiots. Your suggestion of calling the cops is much better than the one my husband came up with….Cyclist Bowling! He is so frustrated by it he will not even drive through the neighborhood on the weekends. Although I wonder how long it would take to get the cops to respond to such a call, I do not have all day and I am sure the cyclist would be long gone before they even thought of responding. It seems as if most of the cyclist have an “I am better then you because I am exercising” mentality and the dirty looks I get from them when I pass them shows it which only adds to the frustration.
Submitted by Claude91098 on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 9:19pm.
StJohnsGirl, Start making notes: date/time/street of when these maniacs ride on the wrong side in groups etc. Afterwards, remember the "squeeky wheel" gets the grease! Start calling SJCSO DAILY with the info and request that a patrol car make "rounds" during those days and times. After a few bikers get tickets and an education in the law working both ways...things may get better. Fatc is, if folks like you & your husband do NOTHING but complain on here you'll get the same results: Nothing! Submitted by StJohnsGirl on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 5:19pm.
You are so very right. I did stray from my normal routine this weekend so I missed the group of Cyclist, but do intend on doing exactly as you suggest and start taking notes so that I can at least inform the police of when they may want to pay attention to the problem. Submitted by Claude91098 on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 8:52pm.
StJohnsGirl, Thanks! Now do it! THAT'S THE "TICKET"!!! (All puns intended!) |
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Just be careful. You know as well as I do that a lot of people don't obey the normal traffic laws ie speeding, running red lights, so when you throw yourself on a bicycle that really justs pisses em off. Even when I am walking people are rude and run stop signs and hollar at "that fat b****" so try not to take it too personal just watch out for yourself...