Driving behind cyclists...

[HiImSeth]

Question for you cyclists...I am driving down a busy four lane city street, approaching two cyclists in the middle of the right most lane. I and many other drivers are backed up behind them waiting to merge into the next lane in order to pass them. Once successfully passed I merge back into the right most lane and proceed down the street to the traffic light. I am now sitting about 10 deep at the light with aprx 10 drivers behind me. I have shared the road with the two cyclists, but now while waiting for the light to change in our favor, the two cyclists pass everyone on the shoulder. What gives them the right to bypass us? We now have to repeat the entire process of getting around the punks. I have now made it a habit once I have passed a cyclist and am approaching a stop to hug the curb when present to prevent this practice. I have been yelled at several times by cyclists for doing this. Am I really in the wrong? I can't be the only one that finds this annoying

That right there is pure *********gery on the cyclists part, in my opinion. I'm a cyclist and ride w/ traffic all the time. Generally if I'm riding two abreast w/ a group or just w/ one other rider I'll merge over and hug the white line to allow as much room as possible to alleviate the jam behind me if one is to form. I never roll past cars at a stop sign or stop light. I figure if I am riding on the road w/ them I've no right to pass them at a stop sign/light. I'll simply ride up behind the folks waiting at the light and wait myself. Most of the time if it's only me I'll plop right in the center of the lane at a stop light/sign to avoid having a driver pull up next to me. However, I never practice the *********gery you've mentioned. If I see someone do that or have someone in our group attempt to do that I usually tell them to not suck.

Sorry that you've got some like that in your area, but rest assured we are not all like that. Your idea of getting as close to the curb as possible (when they are quite a ways away, obviously) is a good call. There is no reason for them to be passing on the right.

Tell me where Im wrong:

I give all the rights of the road to all cyclists, whether motorized or not. I just get slightly annoyed that the older/middle-aged Edmond cyclists use Eastern OK County as their personal biking fiefdom.

"let me put on my orange and yellow sassypants and let me ride out into the "country" and look at the cows and other scenery because a treadmill in the gym with an ipod just isnt good enough"

ah; thats funny!

90% of what I wrote was really just satire. Maybe Im just jealous of the dedication they have..

Haha! Hitting the treadmill and stationary bikes in the gyms is absolute torture for sure. I mean, sure, there is some pleasant scenery to be seen at the gym (and some not so much). However, it's hard to beat the wide open country roads. I appreciate your satire and I'm sure you are jealous of our awesome dedication to this ridiculously fun and challenging hobby. I also like your use of the word fiefdom. Well played.

 

[BadgeBunny]

Pepper, I hear what youre saying, and Im guessing your under 30; because you just get to a place in life where you have to turn off the adrenaline when youre in the car and find a happy place with fluffy clouds.
-otherwise every little thing on the road will annoy you; youll go nuts and have a heart attack before youre 40.

Driving is driving; what you find is what you get.

This ... in spades ...

Point A to Point B ... nothing in between is that big a deal unless someone is bleeding out in my car ...

Now, Mike, would you talk to my husband??

 

[HiImSeth]

The fact that you think of them as punks is a large part of the prob in this backword part of the country. I guess your time is so important that the extra miniute it takes to get around them is such a problem.

Lighten up, Francis.

He referred to them as punks only after they went by him on the right at a light. That is ridiculous of them to do if they want to be respected by the anti's.. er the auto drivers. I think he's entitled to call them punks, I'd call them *********s or something like that myself. Maybe a combination of punk ********* or something could even be applied.

 

[Perplexed]

It is not an issue of time...it is an issue of them wanting the rights to the road, but not following the rules of the road when it applies to traffic signals and rights of way. Do you think that if you passed me in your car and then I proceeded to jump the curb in my jeep and move to the front of the line in front of you to only repeat the same scenario 1/2 mile later you would not be upset?

Pepper has a point. I've seen this happen myself on several occasions; IMO, cyclists should stop at the end of the line at a light if they're going straight through. I think that while cyclists should be allowed to use the roadways, they should keep in mind they present a slow-moving obstacle to motorized traffic. Doing what they can to alleviate the results of such an interaction - be it moving over as far as they safely can, or choosing times of the day when there will be less traffic, favoring roads with wide shoulders, or best yet, as much as possible sticking to the bike paths on which municipalities spend taxpayer dollars for the benefit of cyclists - can only be beneficial for both sides. Common sense and common courtesy works both ways.

 

[SGTLT]

I will refrain from comenting about this anymore,I must be in the wrong. this whole thing is a one sided arugment. all you drivers have a good day and remember some of us punk cyclists are armed.

 

[BrandonM]

I will refrain from comenting about this anymore,I must be in the wrong. this whole thing is a one sided arugment. all you drivers have a good day and remember some of us punk cyclists are armed.

Are you packin heat in your spandex? If so you may be printing and not realize it.

 

[HMFIC]

Sand Springs woman sentenced to 24 years in bicyclist fatalities

[Broken External Image]
Borland

Published: 10/28/2010 2:17 PM

A Sand Springs woman was sentenced Thursday to 24 years in prison in a manslaughter case linked to the deaths of two bicyclists.

Tausha Borland, 39, pleaded guilty Sept. 13 to two counts of first-degree manslaughter. She waived her right to a trial, andshe had no plea agreement with prosecutors regarding her punishment.

Prosecutors asserted that Borland, while under the influence of alcohol, drove a sport utility vehicle into three people who were riding bicycles on Oklahoma 51 near 161st West Avenue west of Sand Springs on June 9, 2009.

Christa Voss, 33, of Owasso and Matthew Edmonds, 34, of Tulsa were killed.

Borland also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI count linked to the injuring of bicyclist John Moore, who said he sustained a concussion, cuts to his back and elbow, and bruises.

The bicyclists were hit from behind while riding on the road’s shoulder, according to prior testimony in trhe case.

A lab analysis of blood drawn from Borland after the crash indicated that she had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.09, which is more than the 0.08 level that constitutes driving under the influence.

Borland also pleaded no contest to a felony offense of leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

On Thursday, Tulsa County District Judge William Kellough sentenced Borland to two consecutive 12-year prison terms on the manslaughter counts. Borland received a five-year suspended sentence on the leaving-the-scene offense, and a one-year suspended on the
DUI misdemeanor, a total of six years probation.

Borland has been in jail since Sept. 13. She had been free on bond prior to entering her guilty pleas to the manslaughter counts.

The range of punishment for first-degree manslaughter is four years to life in prison. That crime requires a defendant to serve 85 percent of any prison time imposed before being eligible for parole or release.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20101028_14_0_ASandS826374

edited.. nevermind... i misunderstood consecutive... I still think it's too light. she killed two people with her drunken stupid choices.

 

[teumessian_fox]

I will refrain from comenting about this anymore,I must be in the wrong. this whole thing is a one sided arugment. all you drivers have a good day and remember some of us punk cyclists are armed.

This driver is always armed, too, as are the rest of these posters. What's your point?

 

[HiImSeth]

I will refrain from comenting about this anymore,I must be in the wrong. this whole thing is a one sided arugment. all you drivers have a good day and remember some of us punk cyclists are armed.

Brohams, I appreciate your passion on the subject, I really do. However, I do think that at times (at least via the internets) you come across as the same a-hole cyclist these drivers think of when they think of cyclists on the road. I'm sure you are not, but it comes off that way. Almost like you think we own the road as cyclists, but instead we share it w/ cars and everyone else. Stick around the thread and if nothing else maybe we can help some of these folks realize that not all cyclists on the road are inconsiderate jerks.

Otherwise, be safe out there!

 

[grwd]

I liked my use of "sassypants" way more than "fiefdom".

lol!