The Institute (協会)

At the risk of causing much ire against me... I must say that bikers are some of the most discourteous, law un-abiding, oblivious, unaware-of-their-own-mortality, individuals sharing the road.

I'm NEVER surprised when I hear a story like this... I'm surprised there aren't more.

I never saw a biker who didn't see a red-lite or stop-sign he didn't ignore.

Paul, yeah, you're definitely going to draw a lot of ire, but I'm not too surprised. I ride. I stop at red lights. I follow the rules of the road. And still I get people who share similar attitudes leaning out of their car windows and yelling, "F**k you" or "Get off the f**king road!" So much for "sharing the road."

So this drunk guy in Mexico falls asleep behind the wheel and runs over a bunch of bike riders. So what? Bicyclists are rude anyway. I suppose you'd be sympathetic if those riders hadn't been in the way and the car ran off the road and hit a bunch of bystanders? Were they any more unaware of their own mortality?

Might I also suggest you spend some time riding a bicycle or walking along the road as a pedestrian and see if you don't start to think a little differently about driver behavior? And yes, there are discourteous bicyclists, too...but please let's stop with the blanket statements.

Paul were you beat up by a guy who rode his bike to High School while you drove?

This story made me cringe; as both a runner and bicyclist, exactly what happened that course officials didn't keep cars off the course? This didn't have to happen.

And Paul? Well, Paul, please stop with the blanket assertions; you've got at least two or three people who ride a lot pointing out that you're wrong. I stop at stop signs and lights because I've got a severe, nasty sheet metal allergy. One touch of it and I've got a broken leg or worse. :^)

But that said, it is true that too many cyclists have zero common sense. One of the things that amazes me the most is when I see a group of cyclists along the highway--with a beautifully maintained 8' shoulder--hugging the white line at the edge of the lane.

Now legally speaking, they've got the right to be there, and they could even be in the lane without violating the law. But why bother being there when you've got 8' of beautiful (no potholes!) pavement all to yourself?

All too often, we insist on the laws of the land when the laws of physics, common courtesy, and praticality ought to guide us to a far better conclusion.

I think that picture is going to give me nightmares. I ride regularly (well, until I broke my leg skiing--oops), and my experience is definitely more like Scott's than Paul's. I often worry that some maniac *won't* swerve away at the last second and actually hit me like this. The road is supposed to be shared--it doesn't belong to either motorists or cyclists exclusively.

Bike Bubba, I don't know how the highways are where you live, but in NM, we usually only get 6 inches of usable shoulder past the white line. Perhaps the cyclists you see are just sticking to habits they learned riding out west? :)

We've got a lot of roads like that, too; I would hope, though, that cyclists would, say, "adapt" to road conditions. One other possibility is that sometimes you find branches along the side....

I still get over as far as I can so I don't get to spend all my free time swapping out spokes! :^)

I'm amazed that only one person was killed looking at the picture.

...I wish i hadn't seen that picture.

I'm sorry guys. When I used the word "Bikers" I wasn't meaning all bikers everywhere.

I meant all bikers in Sarasota, FL. Particularly those in Lakewood Ranch.

I was not exaggerating when I said I've never seen a biker who didn't run a stop sign, or stop light... in Lakewood Ranch.

In fact, the ONLY time, I've ever seen one stop for a stop light is when there was a cop in view, or there was a stream of traffic crossing.

I'm sorry, but that has been my experience, and unfortunately, my only experience with bikers has been Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, FL.

Paul - the driver of the car was drunk and obviously driving the wrong way on the road. The bikers in this case are innocent victims. How is this incident in any way relate dto any experience you have had in Florida? Walk me through that again, if you would.

Hey Zephyrhill, your water tastes great by the way. I will walk you through Pauls comment for you. The exp that Paul has had and this current scenario is that they both involve bikes and a car. Now beyond that there is nothing analogous. SO, I am guessing here, but I bet paul didnt read the whole story b4 commenting and if he did then he obviously was having a bad day in logic class. The driver was drunk and asleep, and the bikers were all obeying the laws. So there is no way Paul could actually think that the bikers had anything to do with causing this accident.

What Pauls exp has been, as well as mine, though not as definitive, is that bikers have an attitude and expect that drivers should always yield and be aware of them in virtue of the fact that they are on a bike. This is obviously absurd and causes a lot of accidents where I live (Palm Beach) b/c bikers assume that the drivers will see them and A) Slow down B) avoid the pack C) yield D) get in another lane. However this is not always the case and if bikers ride with this mentality, then some, not all, accidents come about b/c of arrogance or ignorance on the bikers part, yet blame is almost always, by the biker community, placed on the driver of the car. Having said that I have seen a guy get clipped on US1 for no reason other than an old, bad, idiot driver just swerved into the bike lane and took him out. The guy was unconcious, mangeled and bleeding from his nose. It was horrible. I have also come up to a horrendous accident where a road biker got literally run over b/c of driver tunnel vision. SO, I personally put the onus on me, as a driver, b/c right or wrong, I could kill somebody and I will put up with what Paul gets angry about b/c I aint going to waste my time getting upset with idiot bike riders. I will try and do my best but if I have green and look both ways and some guy blazes through the intersection and I kill him, that would suck, but it would be his fault. The only bad thing about being in the right, in a situation like that, is that I still killed or maimed someone, and now I have to live w/that because someone else effed up. Maybe thats what paul was getting at. "You idiot! I could have killed you!" I dont know, its still a dis-analogous example to the blog post.

So, why Paul chose to let out his anger on a blog post that has nothing to do with his situation besides there being a car and bicycles involved I dont know. But at least he got it out. And at least he clarified himself, about his exp and location. I would say this to Paul. In HB CA, you can have no alcohol on the beach. Its strictly enforced and you will be cited or arrested no questions asked. In Miami, alcohol is not allowed on the beach, but as long as you dont get super rowdy and keep your booze in cups or cans, the cops dont care. Maybe where you are at in Sarasota, breaking certain bike laws isnt a big deal. However many places in Cali, bike laws are strictly enforced. Esp the headlight and the back blinker light! its ridiculous!

who takes a photo like that?

i suspect a still from a movie. and...what...is there something wrong with someone taking the picture? If i had a camera in my hand, I probably would have taken the shot, too...it's not sadistic to do so.

Stork, you're wrong, there are two other analogous points:

1)I was drunk when I read this post originally.

2)A dingo in a bike race, stole my baby.

PFH

Ha ha, Dude where u working at? FSwho? What u doing in Sarasota?
I was drunk when you prob told me.