In Bike vs Car, The Bike Sometimes Wins
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.16.08
Usually in the bike vs car wars, the guy on the bike loses; here are two cases where the result was different.
A woman was driving her Buick (illegally) through Nankai University in China, and bumped into a cyclist, which scratched her car. She got out and demanded an apology and payment for damages, while students gathered. They asked what she was doing on campus without a permit and she responded "If I produce my identification document you should be scared to death."
"The police came. The driver's mother and brother came. Campus security came. Teachers came. And more -- a lot more -- students came. After the driver's brother assaulted a student who tried to further scratch the Buick, that's when things got, as they say, "blown out of proportion." The amassed students had their way with the car, and a 10-inch scratch turned into something more like a writeoff." More in ::Autoblog and much more in ::China Car Times via ::Biking Toronto
In Toronto, a slightly less violent event happened and was caught on video. We quote City TV:
"It happened around 3:45pm, when a motorist tried to make an illegal turn that almost knocked a rider off his bike. The angry cyclist refused to let the driver get away with it, constantly preventing him from making the prohibited turn, and taunting him with remarks about 'playing the game.'
Every time the driver attempted to escape, the biker would simply get in front of him, daring him to hit him. He didn't, and the cat-and-mouse traffic incident went on for a few minutes until passersby intervened and calmed the two-wheeler down. When they did, the driver finally made his turn and tried to get away from the area.
But even then he didn't get far. He was immediately stopped by police and handed a ticket for the illegal turn. And just to add insult to injury, the cops weren't in a cruiser - they were also riding bikes." Great video at City TV via ::Biking Toronto
I used to punch cars that would cut me off. It scared them. People in their big tin machines think they are gods or something.
Bike Lane Hogs -
If someone is ambling through the bike lane trying to cutt of the rest of civil traffic, I get to the front of the red light que in the bike path and wait patiently for the light to change... then take my time in the lane. The guy has to get into regular traffic to get going.
vsk
Ah, the Full Metal Burkha.
It insulates the driver from humanity, allowing him to think he is above and apart from humanity. Carfree cities would be friendlier and safer for everyone.
Good thing the cyclist wasn't riding a fixie, or it would have been his fault.
Seriously though, while I like seeing cyclists not taking crap from motorists, this certainly doesn't help our image...
I'm not saying it's right, but I understand.
I've been known to punch a car.
This contains more venting than actual intelligent facts.
Why are cyclists the enemy? So much road rage seems to be directed at cyclists. The fact that you may or may not have had the right of way is of no importance if you are dead. I wish people would take a deep breath and realize that the 4.2 seconds that they should spend giving the cyclist some space will not slow down their angry commute to wherever they are going. So often, an angry driver in an passenger-less car passes me dangerously only to see me catch up at the following traffic light. Anger and violence (punching cars) are not the solution but sometimes, drivers must realize that cyclists are HUMAN BEINGS, and that steel frames can kill cyclists quite easily. Knocking on their hood sometimes wakes them up.
I wish I had a bike "path" under (or over) the Hudson river so I could ride my bike to work. That would of course cause problems though..
My father, who commutes to work by bike every day, was hit by a cab making a turn and not looking. He was basically unhurt, just a little scratched up, but he got up and kicked the car and dented it pretty badly. He was told by the police that the cab company could technically press charges, which they never did (hitting a biker is generally bad press, I guess).
c'mon, bike vs SUV and the bike wins. What could be more green than that.
Bikers need to obey the traffic laws just like everyone else ,
That means stopping at stop lights, and stop signs.
In the interest of being balanced, I truly dislike agressive, obnoxious bicyclists, and I hope you get your front tire stuck in a sewer grate and go over the bars. Cyclists' holier-than-thou attitude is just another form of spoiled middle class rich kid posing. In Spandex. On your $3000+ expensive toy.
Bothering those of us who may or may not wish to drive, but have to do it for a living, delivering your organic energy bars to your little health food market. Critical Mass THIS!
Last fall, I was riding my bike home from work through a small town. I was on a two lane road which had a short right turn lane into an apartment complex. To avoid being too close to traffic, I would often ride off into the right turn lane. This time, a guy in a big SUV decided to turn in front of me, causing me to break heavily and almost hit him. I yelled, "Get back here fucker! You almost hit me!" I chased him down the side street and confronted him. He rolled down his window and said "I'm sorry, I thought you were turning" in a pretty surprised and apologetic tone. I said that no, I was not turning, because if I was, I would have used a hand signal. He said that he assumed I was as I was in the right turn lane, to which I replied that yes, maybe I shouldn't ride in the right turn lane, but that he should be extra cautious around bikes, as him turning in front of me only saved him a few seconds, and that although a collision would only scratch dent his car, it had the possibility of killing me.
So in the end, I don't think he'll be turning in front of bikers anymore, and I no longer ride in the right turn lanes, but instead on the side of the normal lane. I've realized it's more important to be visible and assertive of your space on the road than to try to ride as far away from traffic as possible.
Craig I've been riding my bike on roads wearing a helmet like a nerd since the 80s. Try to learn a bit faster. If you can't understand or follow the rules of the road get off your bike and walk. Stay to the right of the rightmost lane going the direction you want to go.
If you intentionally make yourself less visible you are a danger to yourself and others. Do not ride your bike on the road if your one and only instinct is to hide from cars.
Daniel,
Please reread my second paragraph
I've found that a very small percentage of cyclists use hand signals when turning, so it's unfortunately not something that anyone can depend on when watching someone. A higher percentage of drivers use turn signals, but even then, it's not guaranteed. Location in a lane is most reliable and therefore used by most people when figuring out what people are doing, so it really is safest to stay in the main lane where people will expect you to continue straight.
As a walker, I used to kick cars that tried to kill me in intersections. Until one day I kicked the door of a top-down Miata as it shirked a red light and literally grazed me. A slight tap of the plastic door caused the Miata to screech to a halt and two very testosteroned Marines hopped straight up out of the top of the car. The driver grabbed my neck right over the shoulder of my wife as a crowd congregated. A lot of shouting ensued. The Marines were eventually shamed into getting back into their car -- I was saved by the goodness of passing pedestrians.
I just give dirty looks now.
As a walker, I used to kick cars that tried to kill me in intersections. Until one day I kicked the door of a top-down Miata as it shirked a red light and literally grazed me. A slight tap of the plastic door caused the Miata to screech to a halt and two very testosteroned Marines hopped straight up out of the top of the car. The driver grabbed my neck right over the shoulder of my wife as a crowd congregated. A lot of shouting ensued. The Marines were eventually shamed into getting back into their car -- I was saved by the goodness of passing pedestrians.
I just give dirty looks now.
Lesson learned for the driver, don't mess with Cyclists!
When you're wrong (in the cars case) suck it up n say sorry... works everytime!
I remember one bright summery day, I was inline skating home throught Midtown Manhattan Some idiot in a convertilbe Mercedes nearly cut me off into the sidewalk. This happens more often than you'd believe, except this time, the jackass' gas tank cover made contact with me, and it came off.
I was ok, but he must have realized he screwed up, because he stopped. I picked up the cover, and tossed it into his back seat before I skated off. Too bad for him, eh?