Pedal vs. Metal

What it boils down to is that people who don't ride just don't get it and they probably never will, so it really is a case of us against them. In order to stay alive on the streets and avoid the ire of someone in control of a vehicle that could kill you, you have got to use common sense, which means blending both an aggressive and passive attitude on the bike. Regarding lights and stop signs, know when to go for it and when it is a better idea to slow or stop and wait for a car to pass or turn. Do not ride erratically. Pick your spot on the road and ride a straight line. Don't put yourself in a bad position by riding on a dangerous street when a safer alternative exists a few blocks away. It comes down to avoiding bad situations and you do that by using your head and keeping your eyes open, anticipating problems and knowing what your capabilities are on your bike. I cringe when i see cyclists wearing headphones because I pick up an enormous amount of information regarding traffic through my ears. When you make a mistake, acknowledge that you've done so by pointing to yourself or mouthing I'm sorry. I also believe that a simple look and then continuing on as if nothing happened is more effective and thought provoking for the driver than freaking out after a near miss. We just have to keep in mind that we can only win battles, but never the war.

I've been using my bike as the major form of getting around for the past 25 years or so and have only been in a few situations that I would say warrant "rage" by a driver. Most drivers in cars can't see, hear, or stop as well as a bicyclist. The car, limits the drivers ability to really interact with their environment, it is after all a "coffin on wheels". Takes your money, health, and life. The main problem is that cars and bikes don't really belong on the same roadway. Untill people wise up and change their lifestyle - we are going to see way more of this problem. We need a better infrastructure for bikes and public transportation. Something we all benefit from in society. Cars are so 20th century - a very selfish and status driven way of getting around. There are just too many people on this planet - if they all wanted to live as we do - 5 earths of resources would have to be the price. The bike is a way of life that is healthy, enjoyable, cheap, and most of all friendly - both earth wise and people wise. It has been big news to the positive about how many less people are dying on the road in cars due to the economy - but bad news about the cyclists dying or causing problems because of an increased amount of people riding bikes. Let's look at reality - almost 60,000 people die in cars per year in this country (even with a big decrease) and less than 1000 per year on bikes (usually caused by cars and not wearing helmets) - so do the math, what is better for society. Bikes by far. We need to start saving ourselves one bike at a time - ride safe and ride for a better life.

Your homeowners insurance would cover you and your personals NOT the others involved if it does not happen on your property. The issue here is when the cyclist causes the accident there is no recourse for the victims....

wishfukthinker.....I ride bike but I am not a whimp....in Denver At least most of use use the same routes if we ride to work or 99% of the paths are connected....so if I chased the rider down and let them know it is not acceptable to continue that practice a fair warning based on my size and intimidation factor they would at least keep an eye out for me.......and I have seen police in CO give cyclist tickets as they should....but you are right it might not be pretty if I have to chase them down a second time......as someone said earlier.....we all just need to grow up and take responsibility......when in my vehicle I have chased down people to get vehicle and tag information and report it......also can be effective on bike if enough of us do.....wichful my guess my discussion with the rider could very well result in a change of attitude as I would be sure to mention the consequences should I chase them a second time!

Eddie8 has picked up on a factor related to Oregon; that it is a very unfriendly state. When my family moved there in 1968 there were bumper stickers that read Don't Californicate Oregon. While I have lived in Oregon for 20 years of my life, the amount of rain and overcast, even during the summers, makes for very sour personalitites in Oregon. If Missouri is the Show Me state, Oregon is the I Don't Care If You Show Me state. At one time there was even an organization called SNOB, Society of Native Oregonians Born. This kind of inbred mentality has lessened over the years, but still exists in Oregon. This may be an extra factor why this story has surfaced in relation to Oregon, while the amount of consistent comments from around the country regarding arrogant bike commuters shows this is a nationwide problem. Once again, youngwarrior's input of how 80% of riders at one intersection ran the red light as captured by a tv crew shows that most riders disobey traffic laws.

Hey BigDenver ,
You know what would happen if you "chase" them down and let them know what they did wrong? It wouldn't be pretty. Reporting it to the authorities? That serves little purpose. THey don't have enough man power to handle the heavy stuff. Besides they can't do too much to them....take away their bicycle license? Oh wait, THEY DON"T HAVE ONE! You'de probably end up with an emotional assault charge or stalking....

Posted By: Hyprdrv @ 07/29/2008 12:21:21 PM
Comment: http://www.vholdr.com/video/lane-sharing-california-traffic

O this is priceless. Mind you it's on a motorcycle, traffic was never really stopped, and I was getting road rage from watching this idiot. I'm not saying bike riders are the same but I sure got a flash back from the other day when my mirror was bounced by a bicycle.

This is nice. Yeah it is legal in California, but I would bet that any liability claims would fall on the motorcycle who was passing. WIth a bicycle, guess what, the driver would be at fault since the bicylce is not a motorized vehicle and DOES NOT HAVE INSURANCE......

There will always be idiots and angry people but we have laws that address every one of these incidents.
The drunk cyclist repeatedly smacking the driver of a car with his bike should be arrested for battery, public intoxication and running a red light. The drunken motorist who was yelled at by the cyclist who thought the car was driving too fast should be arrested for attempted murder, drunk driving and possibly speeding. The cyclist that blew a red light and slammed into a pickup truck should be charged with running a red light and held accountable for the damages. And so on and so on. One issue is whether the laws are enforced. Cyclists and motorists have rights and responsibilities and anti-social behavior is NOT one of them. Whether you bike or drive... if you screw up, you should pay.

those of you who want to put tags on bike, well get out your wallet, because im not, i already have to put tags on my car and i don't agree with that either its just another way for the government to keep their boats and 80,000 dollar cars

Do you really believe that the roads are paid for by registration fees and gas tax revenues? Other general tax revenues are involved... the intermingling of government revenues is rampant. So cyclists who pay sales tax, or income tax, or for the interest on "special government bond issues" (highway bonds), and other sorts of taxes, ARE in fact contributing to the cost of roads. And that's even leaving out all of the funding that their taxes contribute to the government subsidization of the oil industry.

This article is hype. There are rarely altercations compared to the many courteous and safe interactions between these groups. Most folks are not "raging" on each other up here. There are *some cyclists who roll through stops signs or red lights, just as there are *some drivers who roll through stops signs and run red lights (no, it wasn't "orange"). There are *some cyclists who ride without helmets just as there are *some drivers who won't wear a seat belt. This is the media trying to find a sensational story where there isn't one and drawing on a handful of one sided negative anecdotes to fire up a conversation. I live in Portland and ride every day. *Some people are idiots, whether they are drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists or pedestrians. That is just how it goes.....

As some one that has bike commuted in Portland, Oregon for 5 years now, I think the incidents of the past month are the result of the perfect storm so to speak. I will also admit a bit of bias because of my love of cycling, but I am in no way out of touch with reality as many cyclists and motorist, alike are.

First, there are many new cyclists and fair-weather on the roads that are uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and not as strong on a bike as the seasoned and all-season bike riders. I personally started noticing this phenomenon in April and have see things this year that I have never seen in years prior and watched it get progressively worse. Frankly, I attribute a lot of the bad behavior of cyclists to newer cyclist bringing their bad driving habits and lack of riding experience to the bike. I recommend brushing up on state and city laws, most laws (at least in Oregon) that apply to cars apply to bikes. This is probably just a learning curve and I would expect things to start to gel as next spring approaches. The reality is that there is plenty of room on the road for both cars and bikes. Bikes have just as much a right to the road as cars do, but it is unnecessary for bike to make themselves anymore of an obstacle to cars than is absolutely necessary to maintain their personal safety.

On the other hand, you have the frustrated motorist upset about high gas prices and more obstacles. I promise you those cyclists are not slowing your overall commute, especially in areas where you typically have bumper to bumper traffic anyway. Slowing down and safely passing a cyclist is not going to cost you any time in the long run and I???m sure you will be back to tail-gating the motorist in front of you, critiquing their poor driving, before you know it. Personally I feel that most of the frustration boils down to people upset that they are too fat, stubborn, narrow minded, or lazy to give up the ghost and leave the car in the drive way. Furthermore, at no time should a motorist feel that it is their duty to enforce the law and impose judgment on anybody, motorist or cyclist.
Nobody???s frustration is worth jeopardizing someone else???s life.

Finally I would like to address the bike lights and helmet issue. I wear a helmet every time I ride, it just makes sense. I???d rather look a bit un-cool rather than have a brain injury, but that just me. Its doesn???t take a rocket scientist to tell you that if you smack you head on a curb doing 20 miles an hour that your probably going to spend the rest of your days eating from a feeding tube. If it happens to you and you???re not wearing a helmet, I???d just right it off as Darwin???s law and leave it at that. I don???t see any point in forcing people to use common sense to protect themselves. It is however, the law to have lights on the front and back of the bike after dusk, period! Most people don???t want to run cyclists over with their cars, but if they can???t see you then you???re not doing anyone any favors.

As some one that has bike commuted in Portland, Oregon for 5 years now, I think the incidents of the past month are the result of the perfect storm so to speak. I will also admit a bit of bias because of my love of cycling, but I am in no way out of touch with reality as many cyclists and motorist, alike are.

First, there are many new cyclists and fair-weather on the roads that are uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and not as strong on a bike as the seasoned and all-season bike riders. I personally started noticing this phenomenon in April and have see things this year that I have never seen in years prior and watched it get progressively worse. Frankly, I attribute a lot of the bad behavior of cyclists to newer cyclist bringing their bad driving habits and lack of riding experience to the bike. I recommend brushing up on state and city laws, most laws (at least in Oregon) that apply to cars apply to bikes. This is probably just a learning curve and I would expect things to start to gel as next spring approaches. The reality is that there is plenty of room on the road for both cars and bikes. Bikes have just as much a right to the road as cars do, but it is unnecessary for bike to make themselves anymore of an obstacle to cars than is absolutely necessary to maintain their personal safety.

On the other hand, you have the frustrated motorist upset about high gas prices and more obstacles. I promise you those cyclists are not slowing your overall commute, especially in areas where you typically have bumper to bumper traffic anyway. Slowing down and safely passing a cyclist is not going to cost you any time in the long run and I???m sure you will be back to tail-gating the motorist in front of you, critiquing their poor driving, before you know it. Personally I feel that most of the frustration boils down to people upset that they are too fat, stubborn, narrow minded, or lazy to give up the ghost and leave the car in the drive way. Furthermore, at no time should a motorist feel that it is their duty to enforce the law and impose judgment on anybody, motorist or cyclist.
Nobody???s frustration is worth jeopardizing someone else???s life.

Finally I would like to address the bike lights and helmet issue. I wear a helmet every time I ride, it just makes sense. I???d rather look a bit un-cool rather than have a brain injury, but that just me. Its doesn???t take a rocket scientist to tell you that if you smack you head on a curb doing 20 miles an hour that your probably going to spend the rest of your days eating from a feeding tube. If it happens to you and you???re not wearing a helmet, I???d just right it off as Darwin???s law and leave it at that. I don???t see any point in forcing people to use common sense to protect themselves. It is however, the law to have lights on the front and back of the bike after dusk, period! Most people don???t want to run cyclists over with their cars, but if they can???t see you then you???re not doing anyone any favors.

It always amazes me that anyone living in that once wonderful country...now an angry, self-absorbed citizenry founded on the I-ME-MINE culture of the baby-boomers...can be the least bit surprised at any display of post-adolescent temper tantrum on its streets. The concept of community responsibility in the USA died at least forty years ago and was replaced by ME-FIRST self-absorption.

I live in Portland and support bicycling but I feel that cyclists should be required to wear reflective gear AND have BIG front and rear flashing white lights. It rains ALOT here and cyclists just aren't as visible so extra measures need to be taken. I see alot of cyclists in neighborhoods riding around in dark clothes and no lights - thinking that if they stay on the defensive they will be all right. But if I hit one of these people that I can't see - I'll be the one going to jail.

I live in Portland, Oregon, have been a bicycle rider since a kid (some 60 years now) - and though cyclists, pedestrians and motored vehicles share the roads - the bottom line seems lack of respect for one another and for the laws of the road. ... every single day I see dozens of bicyclists disregard stop lights, stop signs, pedestrians crossing rights as if they have some superior right to the road because they are on a bicycle.

If motored vehicles did this - there would be more fatalities and rage. Gee - What if everyone followed the same road rules?

Stop at the stop signs/lights, allow pedestrians to cross the streets before breezing through the intersection, if you are the slower vehicle on the road - then pull over and let others pass. Courtesy - far too underrated and even less used.

I also wonder - my own curiosity - why people on bicycles choose to ride on the busiest streets (like NE MLK Avenue) rather than on one of the streets available (say NE 6th, or 7th Ave.) that has much less business/commuter traffic and usually more residential traffic - an occasional car, not two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic.... and then they wonder why motored vehicle drivers get frustrated when they get behind some person who will peddle along at some 5 or 10 miles an hour - holding up Trimet busses, delivery vans, and everyday commuters on streets meant for 30 miles an hour. Huh.... hard to figure that one out... yeah, sure, you betcha!!