Almost killed yesterday

[signmeup]

Yes, and that is a reasonable, rational, and assumtion to make. It appears that you don't understand that it was not an "intersection" where I had a stop sign.

Reading for comprehension isn't your strong suit apparently. Here is my post again with some added notations to help you through it:

"According to your statements and diagram you assumed that a slowing vehicle was yielding you the right of way. It was not. You hit it. Sounds like a mistake to me. (full stop)....... (New thought) Do you pull into intersections when on comming traffic is signaling they are going to turn up the street you are on? What if they had simply forgotten to turn off their signal lights and were really going straight through the intersection? Another two mistake scenerio."

See? The second part (after new thought) was a different scenerio that illustrates what can happen when we make assumptions.

 

[Colin]

signmeup: You are more dimwitted than I thought. I was not entering an intersection which obligated any adjustments of speed or direction on my part!!! Please re-read my last post to you and maybe it'll sink in.

 

[Bly]

Maybe we should require a drivers license for those who wish to operate a bicycle on the roadway.

I agree. The number of cyclists who only obey road rules when it suits them then insist on forcing their right of way is out of hand. At least in our city with it's congested roads.

 

[Just Me]

I agree. The number of cyclists who only obey road rules when it suits them then insist on forcing their right of way is out of hand. At least in our city with it's congested roads.

i agree also! seems like most cyclists act like they own the road, there are miles and miles of trails arond here at parks. why not use them? i understand if your using it for a means of transportation to and from work but just pleasure riding and out in traffic is asking for trouble.

 

[weaselboogie]

Please re-read my last post to you and maybe it'll sink in.

Maybe you could try and get your point across if you barrage them with youtube videos.

 

[signmeup]

signmeup: You are more dimwitted than I thought. I was not entering an intersection which obligated any adjustments of speed or direction on my part!!! Please re-read my last post to you and maybe it'll sink in.

OK....one last try Sherlock.

"According to your statements and diagram you assumed that a slowing vehicle was yielding you the right of way. It was not. You hit it. Sounds like a mistake to me."

Notice there is no mention of any other road structures of any kind. I'll post the other thought later in a separate post if you're able to grasp the content of this post.

 

[Colin]

"According to your statements and diagram you assumed that a slowing vehicle was yielding you the right of way. It was not. You hit it. Sounds like a mistake to me."

Yes, I assumed that it was going to stop and allow me to proceed in my direction of travel as required by law. You or anyone else would have done the exact same thing. At the last second they turned into me. I had no opportunity to avoid the collision.

Actually, it just occured to me, I find your comments and level of disregard for me and my experience callous, unempathethic, and mule-headed. It also has occured to me that I don't have to prove anything to you, so kindly go fu*k yourself.

 

[John L]

Is it possible to just edit Colin's profanity without moving this thread to NHB please? I actually enjoyed learning something here and would like to continue following.

 

[astro8]

If you're going to ride the road you're going to come unstuck at some point in time...over here we call cyclists 'Temporary Australians'...look it up if you like.

Move on, man... you know the score, doesn't matter if you think you're 'in the right'...I listened to one guy at the track on a friday night talking about 'road rights'...by sunday on his training ride he was under a bus, I've known 3 cyclists that got killed in one year.

But I do know that if you're a competitive cyclist of whatever discipline, road, track, triathlon, at any level...local, national, international you have to get your road miles in...not much you can do about it...just the way it is.

 

[Colin]

astro8: Thanks for that. I've been cycling for 20 years and the first 13 of that was hard-core mountain biking mixed with 25% road riding, but now I just do the road thing. My bike handling skills are at an elite level, and my awareness of surroundings & vehicles and anticipating what they might do is amped (in spite of what a few individuals here might suggest).

It's the only sport that appeals to me, and can't imagine not riding. The 100 km (60 mile) group rides we do on the weekends are so intense, they're an absolute blast, and it keeps me very fit.

Cheers.

 

[SqueeGee]

I'm glad you're ok.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

Yes, there are some dunderheads who ruin it for many, but if you look at what you just said, you are suggesting or implying that drivers of vehicles can claim the right to abuse cyclists just because they've seen some cyclists do stupid things? That makes no sense. How is one related to another? May I abuse an Asian female driver just because I saw a few other Asian female drivers do staggeringly stupid things? No, I must obey the rules of the road no matter how many of their ilk I've seen driving like idiots.

what in the world are you talking about? i said NO such thing nor implied no such thing...my own personal opinion however is that if you are going to run with the big dogs under the power of your own legs if you can not keep up if you can not do the speed limit get the hell out of the way ... if you ride like a dumb butt and break the rules of the road then tough titties you get what you get...but in my initial post i said nor implied NO such thing...but hopefully now i have been clear about it...i absolutely love riding but in my experience the majority are dipsticks and do ruin it for everyone.

you truly are a trip

 

[Colin]

What in the world are you talking about? I said NO such thing nor implied such a thing.

Perhaps I misunderstood you Dan, but I was referring to this satement:

I see so many cyclists running red lights, making illegal turns, etc etc...but then they bitch and moan about how people in cages treat them on the road.

I guess my point with that is the line of thinking that might be running in the background. It doesn't matter if you see cyclists doing stupid, illegal things, that does not absolve you or any other driver from regarding other cyclists that you come across as legal & legitimate parts of traffic. I can see the hypocrisy in those cyclists you've sketched, but I do think they are the vast minority.

..my own personal opinion however is that if you are going to run with the big dogs under the power of your own legs if you can not keep up if you can not do the speed limit get the hell out of the way.

Unfortunately the laws do not reflect that view. Check it out.

...if you ride like a dumb butt and break the rules of the road then tough titties you get what you get.

I agree, but any foolish or illegal actions performed by a cyclist does not give the driver of a vehicle the right to do anything other than what is expected and permitted by the local driving regulations. Just like you are not permitted to do anything illegal towards another motor vehicle just because you saw them speeding.

A cyclist can and will be ticketed by police when caught in any illegal moves.

I absolutely love riding but in my experience the majority are dipsticks and do ruin it for everyone.

Agreed.

 

[signmeup]

Yes, I assumed that it was going to stop and allow me to proceed in my direction of travel as required by law. You or anyone else would have done the exact same thing. At the last second they turned into me. I had no opportunity to avoid the collision.

Actually, it just occured to me, I find your comments and level of disregard for me and my experience callous, unempathethic, and mule-headed. It also has occured to me that I don't have to prove anything to you, so kindly go fu*k yourself.

Please be careful to make sure that your right of way has been granted the next time you're in the same situation. I wouldn't want you to get injured if someone breaks the law. (the roads are full of old asian women you know....can't be too careful) And thank you for your kind suggestion on how I might spend a pleasant evening.

 

[V-ENGRAVE]

astro8: My bike handling skills are at an elite level, and my awareness of surroundings & vehicles and anticipating what they might do is amped (in spite of what a few individuals here might suggest).

Cheers.

Are your skills comparable to this guys? Take a look and enjoy the ride.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883380?bctid=21337502001

 

[SKADSIGNS]

Regardless, Colin did have the right of way in this scenario. I have seen the result of many, many crashes that result from this same scenario (left turn crossing oncoming traffic). In almost every scenario there are two excuses. 1. I saw them but thought I had time or 2. I did not see them at all, they came from no where. I would say in my experience the most common driver in this scenario is late 20's to 50's. I can think of only one teenager and one truely elderly person that probably should not have been driving. Usually they were running late, talking on the phone, or talking to the person next to them and not focusing on driving. My guess is because Colin was on a bicycle (known for not going fast) she missjudged how fast he was going and thought she could make it. Colin being the elite rider he is was probably clipping along pretty fast (what was the speed limit on that road) and she missjudged it.

I had a close friend who was riding a motorcycle and killed in this same exact scenario. Sunny Sunday afternoon on well kept four lane road. Car crossed his lane making a left turn in front of him and he died at the scene of neck injury. Her excuse was number one above but she was not elderly. Just misjudged the speed/distance. For all I know my buddy could have been hauling butt.

Thank GOD that Colin came out essentially unhurt.

Maybe Satan was having fun at your expense and GOD intervened. You'll never know till its your time.

 

[bob]

On the day that people on bicycles are required to carry the very same liability indemnification that I am, pay the same taxes I pay**, are capable of the same speeds as me, and capable of stopping from those speeds in the same distance as me, I will grudgingly accept them on public roadways.

Until then, they remain hazards to legitimate motorists. Coming around a corner only to find some bearded twit pedaling his child's toy at a speed close to being a stationary object relative to my speed tends to increase one's pucker factor. Especially when I'm pulling a horse trailer. Here's a news flash for all bicycle riders, those animals back there in the trailer mean a whole hell of a lot more to me than you do. Figure it out from there.

I don't want to harm bicycle riders, I want them to share my anxiety. I want them to think that they're going to die.

What the law in some village might be can be amusing but not one of these quaint laws nor all of them together alter the laws of physics.

**I've heard all of the self-serving tax rationalizations extant. The fact remains that a motor vehicle pays a tax on every gallon of fuel it uses as well as weight fees, bicycle riders do neither of these things.

 

[signmeup]

some bearded twit pedaling his child's toy at a speed close to being a stationary object relative to my speed...

bob, you sure have a way with words. :ROFLMAO:

 

[Colin]

On the day that people on bicycles are required to carry the very same liability indemnification that I am, pay the same taxes I pay**.....

I have not researched and am not intimate with all of the reasoning that is behind why cyclists are not required to have insurance, but I imagine that there are very good reasons, otherwise it wouldn't be so, and wouldn't have been so a long time ago. One reason I can think of off the top of my head why a cyclist is not required to carry the very same liability insurance is because a cyclist is simply not capable of causing the kind of damage that a 3000-6000 lb vehicle is. The speed and physics (momentum, mass, etc) are just not comparable. That would be like requiring the owner of a canoe to pay the same insurance as a 60' cigarette boat.

On the issue of taxes, cyclists do pay the same taxes a motorist does. The tired old yarn that "we motorists pay for the roads" is simply not true. Roads are paid for from general revenue, and most of that comes from property taxes. Besides, mosts cyclists also own & drive vehicles.

....are capable of the same speeds as me, and capable of stopping from those speeds in the same distance as me, I will grudgingly accept them on public roadways.

It is a given, and fully understood under the law and Motor Vehicle Acts that cyclists are not capable of, nor expected to travel at the post speed limits. Offer your feelings on that to any police officer, Lawyer or Judge and see what they have to say.

(BTW, I think that I can stop as fast or faster on my bike than a car. The mass that must be reduced in speed is obviously a mere fraction of that of an automobile).

The rider of a bicycle must follow all the rules of the road, and they have just as much right to be on the road as anyone else. Many drivers fail to remember this from their drivers' education course. Serious bicyclists are well aware that they must follow all the rules. The non-serious riders do most of the stupid stuff. A bike rider can be ticketed for all the same offenses as a driver of a motor vehicle, such as failure to stop, unsafe lane change, failure to signal, failure to maintain a safe vehicle, DUI, etc. You can be ticketed for these things as a bicyclist even if you do not possess a driver's license.

Until then, they remain hazards to legitimate motorists.

Completely false. They remain a legal & legitimate part of traffic. Claiming that all motorists as "legitimate" and cyclists not, is an error.

Coming around a corner only to find some bearded twit pedaling his child's toy at a speed close to being a stationary object relative to my speed tends to increase one's pucker factor.

You're a smart guy bob, so I'm surprised to see you resort to this poor level of arguement, painting a picture that falsely represents the typical cyclist. Why do mention a beard? Why do you refer to a bike as a child's toy? Why do refer to the average speed of a cyclist (10-30 mph) as almost stationary? Is it possible that you are seeing things from one rigid, and possibly myopic viewpoint of a non-cyclist?

...Especially when I'm pulling a horse trailer.

If you are pulling a horse trailer, you are responsible for the proper care and attention of said vehicle for all road users, including cars, trucks, motorcyclists, mopeds, semi-trailers, pedestrians, and yes, cyclists.

Here's a news flash for all bicycle riders, those animals back there in the trailer mean a whole hell of a lot more to me than you do.

You are free to hold that position, but I'd like you to visualize yourself saying that in front of a Judge.

What the law in some village might be can be amusing but not one of these quaint laws nor all of them together alter the laws of physics.

Yes, I've touched on the physics thing, but the calamitous results of those physics only occur when errors are made out of poor driving skills, undue care & attention, or worse, an ignorance of, or disregard for the laws of the road. (Whether it be from the motorist or cyclist)

Believe me, it pisses me off more than it does you when I see a cyclist doing something stupid/illegal, because it is giving the majority of good cyclists a bad reputation.

 

[weaselboogie]

I wish this thread was killed yesterday.