Warning: iPod Zombie Cyclists On the Rise

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Hey…why wasn’t the name iPod Zombie Cyclists on that list “Top Word” list we just posted? As annoying as these idiots are, you gotta admit the name has a bit of a ring to it. :D

“If cyclists had to take a test, like all other road users do, and pay insurance, then perhaps there would be a lot less idiots riding their bikes, wearing their iPod or mobile phone earphones and expecting everyone else to not only give way to them but to also read their minds as to their next action.”
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Ok, let me clarify this before it gets out of hand:

These are idiots riding bikes. Not cyclists. Cyclists-true cyclists-usually don't have audio devices/distractions because they don't want to get hit.
 
Thank you sir. I'm a cyclist and I dislike being stereotyped because of idiots.

In case nobody noticed, there are idiot drivers as well.
 
Azhar said:
Thank you sir. I'm a cyclist and I dislike being stereotyped because of idiots.

In case nobody noticed, there are idiot drivers as well.
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Well then the idiot drivers can kill the idiot cyclists and the rest of us will get a 2-for-1 special.
 
Whats next.. Chicks with ipods on bikes and TXTING WHILE BIKING

GOD HELP US ALL THE ROADS ARE NOT SAFE
 
Daemas said:
Well then the idiot drivers can kill the idiot cyclists and the rest of us will get a 2-for-1 special.
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And they say you can't fix stupid. Put them on the same road and they'll fix themselves ;-)
 
ClariorHincHonos said:
These are idiots riding bikes. Not cyclists. Cyclists-true cyclists-usually don't have audio devices/distractions because they don't want to get hit.
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Cyclists are just as bad. The amount of cyclists who flat out ignore the rules of the road are mind boggling and they are the first to open their mouths and complain about drivers who need to follow the rules of the road. God forbid you say anything bad about them because as you can see here they get their panties in a wad.
 
Blown 89 said:
Cyclists are just as bad. The amount of cyclists who flat out ignore the rules of the road are mind boggling and they are the first to open their mouths and complain about drivers who need to follow the rules of the road. God forbid you say anything bad about them because as you can see here they get their panties in a wad.
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Alrighty then. Enjoy your world of irrational hate :rolleyes:
 
Blown 89 said:
God forbid you say anything bad about them because as you can see here they get their panties in a wad.
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It's because their panties are on too tight.....ever see some of those outfits? :D My nads are screaming to hang loose just thinking of it.

Of course, everyone's missing the real fix for the problem. You fix it just like you would for ANY zombie problem............a loaded 12 guage with a melee on the side.:D

 
That bicycle you curse is likely not breaking any laws, bicycles do not fall under the "motorized vehicle" laws and rules in most states, they fall under pedestrian traffic thus get to ignore things like stop signs, turn signals, one way streets etc. this does vary from state to state.

The rules and law of traffic are as follows for rights of way.
Pedestrian Foot Traffic > Bicycle > Personal Vehicles > Commercial Vehicles

If you run over a pedestrian or cyclist with a car are always at fault, in some states you might get charged with reckless driving in others it might be manslaughter, even if you hit a j-walker.
 
Listen to your iPod on your bike all you want. Turn in front of me all you want. Just make sure you leave behind some money for me to pay someone to scrape you off my grill and fix the paint.
 
Azhar said:
Alrighty then. Enjoy your world of irrational hate :rolleyes:
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Point proven. I'll remember how irrational I'm being when a cyclist blows through a red light then flips off everyone who had the right of way....I see it a few times a day. The only irrational behavior I see is from cyclists....I know many of them personally and talking to them about the laws of the road is about as productive as arguing with a brick wall.
 
Blown 89 said:
Cyclists are just as bad. The amount of cyclists who flat out ignore the rules of the road are mind boggling and they are the first to open their mouths and complain about drivers who need to follow the rules of the road. God forbid you say anything bad about them because as you can see here they get their panties in a wad.
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I find this pretty accurate. I generally don't need to worry about getting run over by a car while crossing the street legally with the light. 9 out of 10 cyclists completely ignore the light and just blow on through. I've been nearly hit so many times while walking in DC I've lost count. A few times They've almost hit my son in his stroller as well.

I would love to see them get ticketed, DC could rake in some serious dough. Considering how much they rely on traffic cameras for income now, they should start making money on these idiots on bikes as well.
 
As a civil engineer, here's my take as pertaining to traffic and road design. Unless the road has a designated bike lane - GTFO the road. The road was designed with safety in mind for PEDs on the sidewalk and cars in the main right-of-way. Arrogant bikers who violate these designs by riding in the road are creating a hazard for both PEDs on the sidewalk and cars in the roadway. If there's no bike lane, don't fucking ride in the road. It's as simple as that.
 
Blown 89 said:
Point proven. I'll remember how irrational I'm being when a cyclist blows through a red light then flips off everyone who had the right of way....I see it a few times a day. The only irrational behavior I see is from cyclists....I know many of them personally and talking to them about the laws of the road is about as productive as arguing with a brick wall.
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I proved a point by saying your hatred is irrational? Gosh, what logic.

I follow the law of the roads, so apparently you must be wrong.
 
Mav451 said:
As a civil engineer, here's my take as pertaining to traffic and road design. Unless the road has a designated bike lane - GTFO the road. The road was designed with safety in mind for PEDs on the sidewalk and cars in the main right-of-way. Arrogant bikers who violate these designs by riding in the road are creating a hazard for both PEDs on the sidewalk and cars in the roadway. If there's no bike lane, don't fucking ride in the road. It's as simple as that.
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They are supposed to be on the road, most states it is illegal for them to ride on the sidewalk
 
Azhar said:
I follow the law of the roads, so apparently you must be wrong.
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Almost seems to be a density issue. I had no issue with cyclists in suburban Phoenix when I lived there, but the streets were wide and traffic wasn't nearly as much of an issue. In DC, you get out of their way or you get run over, regardless if you have the right of way or not.
 
Mav451 said:
As a civil engineer, here's my take as pertaining to traffic and road design. Unless the road has a designated bike lane - GTFO the road. The road was designed with safety in mind for PEDs on the sidewalk and cars in the main right-of-way. Arrogant bikers who violate these designs by riding in the road are creating a hazard for both PEDs on the sidewalk and cars in the roadway. If there's no bike lane, don't fucking ride in the road. It's as simple as that.
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Thankfully personal opinion and law are different, by law any roads not specifically designated as off limits to non-motorized traffic are open to bicycle traffic. To that extent it is the shortsightedness of the Civ eng to have not designed a dual/multi purpose road that can safely convey traffic of various forms.
 
Lemme tell you about bicyclists in my town..

*parks car legally*, *five bicyclists run right into it, file assault charges*

*huge city bus rides around town at a slow pace even a baby could crawl out of the way of*,

*bicyclist smack right into the side of it at a high speed, gets month in the hospital*
*builds house*, *the facade gets bicyclist face imprints*

*bicyclist listens to ipod riding around the countryside*, *becomes ground beef at a train crossing*

I'm happy I gave up that shit and started walking.

*walks down a narrow sidewalk when the road is empty of cars, gets run down from behind by bycyclist who calls me an asshole after he gets up and rides off*

I'm happier we have strict weapon laws. Fuck my town.
 
Nanan said:
Thankfully personal opinion and law are different, by law any roads not specifically designated as off limits to non-motorized traffic are open to bicycle traffic. To that extent it is the shortsightedness of the Civ eng to have not designed a dual/multi purpose road that can safely convey traffic of various forms.
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You do realize that Civ E's design per the spec of the client? A civil engineer can tell the client (City or other) that a design is not safe, but politics or architectural "aesthetics" will usually over rule safe engineering design.

Please do NOT blame engineers when they have their hands bound by politics or by a dumb clients.
 
The higher the density of the population the greater the chance that the average person is a douche bag, it is a supplementary addition to the mob mentality theory.

I ride a bicycle about 100 miles a week for exerciser and short trips, I ride a motorcycle to work etc. 340ish days a year, I try to obey the rules of the road for personal safety more then compliance with ordinance.

IMO anyone driving a vehicle over 4000lbs should have to get a CDL or specific heavy/large vehicle training. It is the 100lb woman on the cellphone driving the Cady Escalade that I fear more then anyone else on the road, seeing as they are responsible for the majority of bicycle/motorcycle related injury/death accidents.
 
Nanan said:
That bicycle you curse is likely not breaking any laws, bicycles do not fall under the "motorized vehicle" laws and rules in most states, they fall under pedestrian traffic thus get to ignore things like stop signs, turn signals, one way streets etc. this does vary from state to state.

The rules and law of traffic are as follows for rights of way.
Pedestrian Foot Traffic > Bicycle > Personal Vehicles > Commercial Vehicles

If you run over a pedestrian or cyclist with a car are always at fault, in some states you might get charged with reckless driving in others it might be manslaughter, even if you hit a j-walker.
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I always yield to Pedestrians/Cyclists regardless of who has the right of way. Even though I'm not concerned with the local laws, I simply don't want to be the reason for someone's death. If I hit someone with my car, chances are they'll either be seriously injured or killed.
 
I follow the rules of the road, but there are still cyclists who cut me off.

I might have had the right of way, but that does not ease the mental suffering of having taken a life. Cyclists (AND RUNNERS TOO!) need to smarten up, wear proper gear, and pay attention.
 
Mav451 said:
You do realize that Civ E's design per the spec of the client? A civil engineer can tell the client (City or other) that a design is not safe, but politics or architectural "aesthetics" will usually over rule safe engineering design.

Please do NOT blame engineers when they have their hands bound by politics or by a dumb clients.
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Oh I know, I worked as a Civ for the first two years out of college, dealing with the Fed and state DOT drove me nuts. The area I mostly worked in has an ordinance that requires bicycle travel lane width additions which almost always never actually got the paint but resulted in the outer lanes being 3 foot wider.
 
Nanan said:
Oh I know, I worked as a Civ for the first two years out of college, dealing with the Fed and state DOT drove me nuts. The area I mostly worked in has an ordinance that requires bicycle travel lane width additions which almost always never actually got the paint but resulted in the outer lanes being 3 foot wider.
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In the area I live at in Scottsdale we have very wide bike lanes that most cyclists completely ignore and use regular lanes or at the very least hug the left side of the lane and pinch off traffic, both of which are illegal. The cyclists have the same mentality around here that the Harley riders do in that they're very vocal about safety but when it comes to practicing it all of their own advice goes out the window.
 
Most drivers are just as bad as cyclists, and since they are controlling extremely heavy and dangerous machines, are exponentially more dangerous.
 
To all of you drivers in here complaining about the idiots on bicycles (notice I did not call them cyclists):

Real cyclists hate those idiots far more than you do. The majority of us ride safely and pay attention to the flow of traffic and the rules of the road. You just don't notice us because we stay out of your way and do nothing to piss you off. In fact, you often don't notice us when you very nearly hit us. You do notice every idiot you pass though, and since they're the only ones you notice, they're the only ones you remember. You then come to assume anyone on a bicycle is an idiot, as seen in this thread so far.

So, you hate the iPod Zombie Idiots on Bicycles because they're annoying and inconvenience you on your commute. Cyclists hate them because they make drivers resent anyone on a bicycle. They don't just endanger themselves, they make the roads more dangerous for all of us.

And, if you don't like sharing the road with bicycles, ask your city to install more bike lanes.
 
Things to note: Unless the road specifically prohibits non-motorized traffic, then cyclists have a right to the road. Given that you need a license to drive, cars only have the privilege to the road. Not saying it's right or wrong, just saying.

Now, I've seen my fair number of people on bikes that don't follow the rules, and frankly it ticks me off. Not as a driver, but as a cyclist. Almost any major road in the Bay Area has nice, wide bike lanes. Yet so many of these idiots on their $50 Huffy's ride on the sidewalk, and often times the WRONG WAY. They'll ride at night in dark clothing and no lights or reflectors (Protip for new riders: Reflectors are effectively useless. Get lights.). They'll ride with no helmet. And then they get indignant when you call them out or nearly hit them. This bothers me as a cyclist.

I'll admit, I play a little fast and loose with the rules at times. Usually only when it comes to stop signs. If I've got good momentum going, and the intersection is clear, I'll blow through a stop sign. If a car is there, I stop to let them go by. 9 times out of 10, they wave me on anyway. *shrug* I always stop at red lights, though. I treat 'em just as if I were in a car. More importantly, I ride in the bike line, on the correct side of the road. I wear my helmet. I have lighting on the front and back of my bike. I keep aware of my surroundings.

I'm with Nanan on the fear of large vehicles and inexperienced drivers. I used to ride my bike to high school every day. Having to deal with idiot teens and self-absorbed soccer moms in SUVs and the like who had a great habit of not noticing me and trying to run me off the road taught me well.

In my experience, there are idiots in cars as well as as idiots on bikes. I'm equally frustrated by both, but just as I don't hate ALL drivers, I certainly don't hate all those on bikes. All I can do is do my best to keep myself safe, lawful, and expedient in all situations.
 
Don't get me started on fat, out-of-shape nerds who will die of heart attacks driving to Star Trek conventions.

How's that for a generalization?

Azhar said:
don't get me started on generalizations and stereotypes...
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Actually, in California, bycycles have the same rights and responsibilities as cars. Which means when they "take" the lane, drivers need to back the F____ off. Otherwise,

Prepare for silver bracelets.

Nanan said:
That bicycle you curse is likely not breaking any laws, bicycles do not fall under the "motorized vehicle" laws and rules in most states, they fall under pedestrian traffic thus get to ignore things like stop signs, turn signals, one way streets etc. this does vary from state to state.

The rules and law of traffic are as follows for rights of way.
Pedestrian Foot Traffic > Bicycle > Personal Vehicles > Commercial Vehicles

If you run over a pedestrian or cyclist with a car are always at fault, in some states you might get charged with reckless driving in others it might be manslaughter, even if you hit a j-walker.
Click to expand...
 
Nanan said:
That bicycle you curse is likely not breaking any laws, bicycles do not fall under the "motorized vehicle" laws and rules in most states, they fall under pedestrian traffic thus get to ignore things like stop signs, turn signals, one way streets etc. this does vary from state to state.

The rules and law of traffic are as follows for rights of way.
Pedestrian Foot Traffic > Bicycle > Personal Vehicles > Commercial Vehicles

If you run over a pedestrian or cyclist with a car are always at fault, in some states you might get charged with reckless driving in others it might be manslaughter, even if you hit a j-walker.
Click to expand...

Dude, seriously? Bicycles in 99% of the cities in this country have to obey every traffic signal any car does. So no, on a bike you can't just blow through a stop sign, or not signal your intent to turn or anything else. And yes, you can still get speeding tickets on a bicycle, so doing 45 as fast as you can through that 20 MPH neighborhood can actually net you a pretty nasty ticket. And while yes, pedestrians and bicyclists do have the right of way, that doesn't give them an excuse to meander through traffic like a-holes.

I'm still a bit taken aback about the 'bicyclists don't obey traffic laws' thing though...
 
Nanan said:
That bicycle you curse is likely not breaking any laws, bicycles do not fall under the "motorized vehicle" laws and rules in most states, they fall under pedestrian traffic thus get to ignore things like stop signs, turn signals, one way streets etc. this does vary from state to state.

The rules and law of traffic are as follows for rights of way.
Pedestrian Foot Traffic > Bicycle > Personal Vehicles > Commercial Vehicles

If you run over a pedestrian or cyclist with a car are always at fault, in some states you might get charged with reckless driving in others it might be manslaughter, even if you hit a j-walker.
Click to expand...

This is a myth. Bicyclists have the same responsibilities as automobile drivers. They must stop at signs and lights. They must ride in the same direction as traffic. They must keep right out of the way of faster traffic.

Nanan said:
IMO anyone driving a vehicle over 4000lbs should have to get a CDL or specific heavy/large vehicle training. It is the 100lb woman on the cellphone driving the Cady Escalade that I fear more then anyone else on the road, seeing as they are responsible for the majority of bicycle/motorcycle related injury/death accidents.
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Nah, 9 times out of 10 the person at fault is the motorcyclist or bicyclist.

As someone who rides both bicycles and motorcycles (Daytona 955i and a Giant Hardtail with a set of knobbies and a set of slicks) I have to say that both cultures have a certain element with their heads stuck firmly up their ass. Case in point "Critical Mass" where bicyclists shut down cities by gumming up traffic.

I almost never ride my bike in the city anymore. I throw it in the back of the truck and drive to the hills. It isn't worth it - when I ride I'd rather ride somewhere where I'm not sucking down exhaust and dodging between potholes and broken glass.
 
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