Alexandria Bike Lobby wins again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

Serious question for you PP:

Do you EVER criticize the actions of cyclists? Or are you exclusively an apologist/advocate?

Because you're almost out of credibility around here. You're practically a meme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

Serious question for you PP:

Do you EVER criticize the actions of cyclists? Or are you exclusively an apologist/advocate?

Because you're almost out of credibility around here. You're practically a meme.

DP. Apologist and advocate are not synonyms. Also, I'm not the same PP, but that PP's experience is my my experience too when I ride a bike.

Actually it's also my experience when I drive a car. There is a lot of dangerous driving in this area - a combination of distracted driving, aggressive driving, and roads designed for lots of cars to go fast on.

But the big difference is that when you're driving a car, you can kill someone. If I ride my bike dangerously, I am endangering myself. (Yes, I know, every year, a total of one or two pedestrians in the whole country are killed by bicyclists.) Whereas if I drive my car dangerously, I am endangering everybody else on the road, starting with people who are walking and people who are biking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the velo fascists found the thread.

What was that the PP was saying - the one who is supposedly out of credibility - about people ranting about bicyclists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

Serious question for you PP:

Do you EVER criticize the actions of cyclists? Or are you exclusively an apologist/advocate?

Because you're almost out of credibility around here. You're practically a meme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

Serious question for you PP:

Do you EVER criticize the actions of cyclists? Or are you exclusively an apologist/advocate?

Because you're almost out of credibility around here. You're practically a meme.

Among my fellow bike riders I often discuss how to be a safer and more polite rider.

In a community like this where people who ride bikes are under attack, by people who appear to not understand the realities of riding, it is most important that I explain those for them.

[Anonymous]

"most important". Thanks for mansplaning/ biksplaning it for everyone, since you're so smart and we are all so dumb. You're a real thrill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"most important". Thanks for mansplaning/ biksplaning it for everyone, since you're so smart and we are all so dumb. You're a real thrill.

I don't know your gender, and you don't know mine.

It is a fact that people who bike know more about biking, especially what is involved in biking in the streets around here. That has nothing in paticular to do with IQ.

That is why I think its so important to get more people biking - drivers who also bike are generally safer around bikes (in fact at least one study shows that they are safer drivers in general)

[Anonymous]

Its also odd when someone asks "a serious question" and then resents it when the question is answered. Perhaps the question was not serious, but rhetorical?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

I'm the PP and I was right behind the car and the biker and witnessed the entire event. It was not safe for him to stop in bike lane during rush hour traffic to try to confront the driver. My question is where is this confrontational behavior coming from? This is not the first time I have seen this type of exchange and it it always initiated by the biker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

Serious question for you PP:

Do you EVER criticize the actions of cyclists? Or are you exclusively an apologist/advocate?

Because you're almost out of credibility around here. You're practically a meme.

Among my fellow bike riders I often discuss how to be a safer and more polite rider.

In a community like this where people who ride bikes are under attack, by people who appear to not understand the realities of riding, it is most important that I explain those for them.

Here's the "reality" as you've tried to sell it here:

"Bikes have every bit the same right to the road as cars do, need to be respected as they were other vehicles, and deserve not just their own exclusive lanes - but also access to all car lanes as well, BUT they don't have to follow ANY traffic laws whatsoever, because they're a defenseless little bicycle... and they don't have to respect pedestrians, either.... because bikes."



Did that about cover it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Here's the "reality" as you've tried to sell it here:

"Bikes have every bit the same right to the road as cars do, need to be respected as they were other vehicles, and deserve not just their own exclusive lanes - but also access to all car lanes as well, BUT they don't have to follow ANY traffic laws whatsoever, because they're a defenseless little bicycle... and they don't have to respect pedestrians, either.... because bikes."

Did that about cover it?

DP. No, it doesn't.

People on bikes have a legal right to use the road. People in cars need to respect that legal right. People on bikes also benefit from protected bike lanes, as do people in cars. Of the laws that cover people on bikes, some are the same as the laws that cover people in cars, some are the same as the laws that cover people on foot, and some are unique to people on bikes. Finally, people in cars have the greatest burden for safe road behavior, because they are the least vulnerable road users AND the most likely to kill others who are using the road.

That about covers it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

I'm the PP and I was right behind the car and the biker and witnessed the entire event. It was not safe for him to stop in bike lane during rush hour traffic to try to confront the driver. My question is where is this confrontational behavior coming from? This is not the first time I have seen this type of exchange and it it always initiated by the biker.

From sharing the road with people who endanger you while they're driving - sometimes deliberately, sometimes by just not paying attention. That can make people touchy.

You know how, when you're walking, and someone turns right in front of you and you have to jump back, or goes through the red light just when you were about to start on the walk signal, or doesn't stop for you even though you were in the marked crosswalk, or blows past you faster than the speed limit and splashes puddle water on you? It's like that, only all the time because you're riding in the road (unless you ride on the sidewalk, which has its own hazards).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

I'm the PP and I was right behind the car and the biker and witnessed the entire event. It was not safe for him to stop in bike lane during rush hour traffic to try to confront the driver. My question is where is this confrontational behavior coming from? This is not the first time I have seen this type of exchange and it it always initiated by the biker.

From sharing the road with people who endanger you while they're driving - sometimes deliberately, sometimes by just not paying attention. That can make people touchy.

You know how, when you're walking, and someone turns right in front of you and you have to jump back, or goes through the red light just when you were about to start on the walk signal, or doesn't stop for you even though you were in the marked crosswalk, or blows past you faster than the speed limit and splashes puddle water on you? It's like that, only all the time because you're riding in the road (unless you ride on the sidewalk, which has its own hazards).

But the confrontation escalates an already bad situation and can endanger even more human beings. I do not understand why that behavior is justified ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd have more compassion for cyclists if they treated pedestrians respectfully - stop for them in crosswalks, don't bike like maniacs on trails and "thread the needle." Slow down and share the trails.

I clotheslined assaulted a guy who hit me biked somewhat close to me while I was crossing without a walk signal in a crosswalk while blasting through a redlight. He came off the bike and landed on his back, but his bike kept going, all the way through the intersection and halfway down the block almost to 18th St. it was fascinating to see how far the bike went, and it would’ve gone farther but it hit the curb. I was all set to fight him, but when he got up, he looked like he was already halfway knocked out. He must’ve hit his head on the ground when I knocked him off the bike after he bumped me. I was fine, except for he tore my pants with his pedal and got a small scrape on my leg. I laughed at him because I am an asshole and a waste of oxygen that is lucky that there were no cameras and the cyclist didn't call the cops and press charges

FTFY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is how confrontational bikers are to drivers. I witnessed a man pull over in bike lane to confront a woman driver who was parking in front of the Dunkin Donuts on Lee Highway at 8:30AM bc she almost cut him off. She did signal and he was far enough behind her that she could safely move over to park but he flipped out. He almost caused an accident by stopping in bike lane and pulling up next to her window--literally blocked her from opening her car door. Insane.

Since you were not riding, you may not have been able to judge whether he was safe or not - plus on Lee Highway, swerving around is not a safe option I guess.

Also I don't think you realize how many times in the course of a single commute we see drivers doing something illegal and/or dangerous, and even how many times we are actually endangered. You can reach a breaking point.

You also probably don't notice the times drivers honk at people on bikes (or at other drivers stopping for them) or do a "punishment pass". Or you know, rail against cyclists on line, at public meetings, etc.

I'm the PP and I was right behind the car and the biker and witnessed the entire event. It was not safe for him to stop in bike lane during rush hour traffic to try to confront the driver. My question is where is this confrontational behavior coming from? This is not the first time I have seen this type of exchange and it it always initiated by the biker.

From sharing the road with people who endanger you while they're driving - sometimes deliberately, sometimes by just not paying attention. That can make people touchy.

You know how, when you're walking, and someone turns right in front of you and you have to jump back, or goes through the red light just when you were about to start on the walk signal, or doesn't stop for you even though you were in the marked crosswalk, or blows past you faster than the speed limit and splashes puddle water on you? It's like that, only all the time because you're riding in the road (unless you ride on the sidewalk, which has its own hazards).

But the confrontation escalates an already bad situation and can endanger even more human beings. I do not understand why that behavior is justified ever.

You asked "Where is this confrontational behavior coming from?" not "Is this confrontational behavior justified or effective?"