Courtesy to Cyclists

For the second time in a week I have been honked/yelled at by drivers while cycling down Claiborne. Both times it was after 7pm and both drivers yelled at me to get up on the sidewalk/path. Please be considerate when seeing cyclists on the road. Cyclists have just as much right to be there as the car and it would be inappropriate for them to move to the sidewalk/paths.

 

I think the frustration comes, for drivers, when a cyclist is in the middle of the lane. I cycle quite a bit and I ride within 1 foot on the edge of the road and have never been honked at. There is absolutely no reason for a cyclist to be in the middle of any lane.

 

We were behind a cyclist on Belmont Ridge last night. THAT is dangerous. No shoulder, no sidewalk, limited visibility of oncoming cars... I'm all for sharing the road, but some roads don't have enough space to be shared.

 

QFE!

All two wheelers need to stick together - but we also need to be safe ourselves!

 

I totally agree with riding as close to the edge as is safe.

 

I think it goes both ways. There are a LOT of cyclist out there who dont obey traffic rules at all. Blowing through stops signs, not signalling etc...etc...etc. Im all for people riding their bikes, but courtesy needs to be extended both ways.

 

I think the frustration (honking and probably a few digits waving around) comes from cyclists who are supposed to be following the "rules of the road" but run red lights, ride in the middle of the lane, etc.

Have no problem with cyclists and will give you plenty of room on the road.

 

sometimes there is a need to be farther from the edge of the road .... a lot of times the shoulder is full of gravel, sand, and other hazards that lead to easy wipe outs. Although this typically does not exist on an entire route, it will cause a cyclist to move closer to the middle of the lane when it becomes visible.

An easy solution would be to have bicycle lanes or large shoulders incorporated into all road designs but the brilliant planners of VDOT have never been known to recognize this as a need. There are plenty of states that do this...

 

Or, why not slow down and cautiously go around the cyclist. It takes only a split second.

 

Unless it is not legal or safe to pass. Some roads are not suitable for cyclist.

 

Would it be considered dangerous to ride on Claiborne Parkway (near the shoulder of course) while holding the leash of your dog running next to you, on your left side closest to passing traffic?

I witnessed that with my own eyes this morning on my way to work.

 

Really dumb...suppose it kept the dog running at a good pace Poor dog is on a leash and has no choice but to keep running. I think that's abuse. I wonder how many miles the dog had to run?

 

I too have been honked at on Claiborne in Broadlands and Ashburn Farm on my way to/from W&OD. It is very unnerving especially since cyclist typically to not have rear view mirrors and are focused on the road ahead. I too stay as close to the curb as possible, riding in gutter when cars are approaching from rear. Sometimes motorist pass me with less than a foot or two to spare. I am a very experienced road bike rider and motorist. I ride fast, usually no less than 15MPH on Claiborne, typically closer to 20mph. Yet still some motorist feel that they need to get close then honk and gesture towards adjacent path/sidewalk. Despite the fact that traffic was not heavy and that there was plenty of room to pass in the fast lane.

The truth simply is that some motorist feel they own the road. They don't want to share it with smaller cars, trucks, motorcyclist, or cyclist. They feel especially feel that bikes should be on sidewalks/paths were available. Problem is for performance cyclist like myself, it is unsafe to ride on trails @ 15+MPH due to pedestrians, cars that stop in intersecting crosswalks, and sharp turns. It for these same reasons that some perfomance runners prefer to run in the road. Its safer to ride fast on the road. While I'm not even close to being a Tour de France class athlete, they average over 30MPH in the peloton (main pack).

So please be courteous to cyclist (especially those who are following the rules of the road). I bike to work sometimes to save gas, reduce pollution, etc. It is really not an inconvenience to motorist to slow down a bit and/or pass in another lane. Share the road, it belongs to responsible cyclist as much as motorist.

Yield: Motorist->Cyclist->Pedestrians

 

And, more than likely these are the same drivers (obnoxious) that tailgate, switch lanes erratically, speed, turn into the farthest lane from their turn, don't use their directionals, drive in the dark and rain without their lights on, roll through stop signs...all while talking on the phone, putting on make-up, reading the paper, watching a dvd, etc. , etc.

 

I agree that motorists need to watch out for cycists, but I just dont know how to get it through some people on bikes(i'm not gonna enrage anyone by calling them cyclists) that they have to watch for traffic as well. I witnessed what appeared to be a father and son out for a ride yesterday, which I thought was very nice until both of them blew right through the stop sign on claiborne and wynridge. I guess you learn from your elders after all.

When we lived closer to the city it seemed to always be the people driving BMW's or VW's that were irresponsible or incosdierate drivers(while talking on the phone, putting on make-up, reading the paper, watching a dvd,). But it seems like since moving here it is people in Mini-vans who are the bad ones. And not always is the mini-van full of children but never-the-less the driver is on the phone, driving 60 on Clairborne in the left lane to pass me, slamming on the brakes and cutting me off while changing from the left lane to the right turn lane to get into the elementary school...all the while tires smoking(happened more than once before school let out). If people like that dont see me in a pretty large SUV, then they never will see or care to see someone on a bike.