If we hypothetically agree that YOU are not the problem, and that YOU are never the problem, will you admit that a considerable number of other bicyclists ARE a problem?
Can you possibly see that we are not all just making up these stories to torment you?
Just yesterday I saw an adult male run a red-light and almost get hit.It was due to inattention on his part apparently and it was a very close call. The alert driver slammed on his brakes and stopped inches from the startled biker.
The alert drivers in the two following vehicles also had to slam on their brakes and barely avoided rear-ending each other.
Even I got a jolt of adrenaline just seeing the incident up close, as I was first in line waiting at the cross-street for my light to turn green.
Fortunately the only result was a few black tire marks left in the intersection.
Paul, are you going to suggest that I didn't see what I saw? Or even suggest that this is the first time I have ever seen such a thing happen?
Bicycles on bike paths or good bike lanes, or well off on wide shoulders, as in your picture, are not a problem, usually.
Bikes carelessly or arrogantly mixing with automobile and truck traffic definitely are a problem. Why can't you understand that?
You absolutely have to see some of the same stuff we see. Do you wave down those bikers and counsel them?
That would be much more productive than trying to tell us that we don't know what we are talking about.
I have never seen problems of the scale described here. I don't doubt that there are problems. I know for a fact (from my participation on a bike forum) that there are inconsiderate bicyclists. I wasn't kidding when I said earlier that I have never been held up by a bicyclists for more than a minute. I drive a LOT. I get held up by idiot inconsiderate motorists more than that every day. To be fair though, I live in a flat area with straight roads, so that explains some of it. I have vacationed in NM and CO 7 of the past 10 years. I encounter a lot of bicyclists out there. Never have had a problem. I guess my own experiences unfairly shape my perception of the problem.
I always ask folks to tell me about the time they were most inconvenienced by a bicyclist. Most folks have never really been held up by a bicyclist. Every driver I have ever talked to has been held up by one idiot motorist in a single incident more than they have been held up by all bicyclists over the whole of their lives. I got stuck on a bridge for 3.5 hours as crews cleaned up the mess from a texting driver crash. I mention that just to put bicyclist inconvenience in perspective.
That rider you saw that was inattentive and rolled through the red was just that. Inattentive. As vulnerable as bicyclists are, you don't stay healthy long riding around with your head up your butt. Multiple times every day I encounter inattentive motorists. People by their nature will be inattentive sometimes.
Part of my skepticism relative to the claims people make stems from this. I have seen a lot of videos of bicyclists taken by indignant motorists. Much of the time I see those videos, I wouldn't have an issue negotiating the riders. It's instances like the video posted in this thread where the douchnozzle was rolling coal on bicyclists who were on or to the right of the fog line. I have seen people complain about that kind of bike traffic. On another forum someone posted a video of bicyclists rolling through a stop sign. Only one of 20 or so came to a full stop. During the time the video was rolling not a single car came to a full stop. That's perspective.
Yes there are problem riders. Yes there a problem riders who cause traffic problems. No I have never encountered a single one. Yes I have seen people exaggerate what they perceive as bicycle problems.
