ProHi Bikers: Please Learn how to Ride (BK ain't the 'Burbs)
Subject: ProHi Bikers: Please Learn how to Ride (BK ain't the 'Burbs)
Okay, so what's the deal with you people? As a driver, day after day it amazes me how inept so many of you are at riding bikes in the streets of the city, particularly in this, and surrounding neighborhoods. Here's what I see: you don't ride at the speed of traffic, preferring to leisurely pedal at 5 mph, without a care in the world. You often ride two, or even three abreast, in order to better facilitate conversation with your biking buddies as you make your way down streets. You even ride against traffic on narrow streets and get mad when honked at. You have been seen riding so far from the curb and parked cars that you end up in the path of moving cars. You don't use headlights at night (illegal), hand signals, bells, and you almost never look over your shoulders. To top it all off, most of you don't even wear helmets, which baffles me.As a former bike messenger, daily driver, and native New Yorker, the only thing that makes me curse out loud in my car is how so many of you bike like your on a sun-dappled, suburban sidewalk. It makes me furious, really.
I don't know when this happened in New York. Used to be, bikers and drivers had an understanding, and a certain rhythm in the streets of this city. Sure, there have been accidents, and middle fingers flipped, and filthy words hurled, but jeez, at least traffic used to move. Last thing I have to say to you "bikers" is: learn how to ride those super cool, retro metro, "I bought this $25 bike so I can sport a $100 Kryptonite chain," bikes. It would make a lot of pedestrians, and drivers a lot happier.
Comments
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I agree with some of what you say, but the idea of riding at the speed of traffic is a joke -- no one's driving under 25mph around here. Share the road, watch those doors and double parked cars, and that's about it.
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you people
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you people
Yep. Got Ross Perot in trouble, but not me! -
no one's driving under 25mph around here
The speed of traffic on side streets is probably closer to 15 mph. That's not much to ask of a biker. A major avenue like Flatbush is another story, but riding a bike on an avenue like that F'Bush at 25 mph is not that crazy either for someone who has experience on a bike in NY. Bikers should stay off of those avenues if they are scared to go fast. I hit 35-40 mph on my skateboard regularly, but I will admit that the dollar vans are terrifying. -
i personally dont have a problem with bikers, unless they are the fix gear idiots.
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liftandcut wrote:
the speed of traffic on my side street is often well over 15 mph.no one's driving under 25mph around here
The speed of traffic on side streets is probably closer to 15 mph. That's not much to ask of a biker. A major avenue like Flatbush is another story, but riding a bike on an avenue like that F'Bush at 25 mph is not that crazy either for someone who has experience on a bike in NY. Bikers should stay off of those avenues if they are scared to go fast. I hit 35-40 mph on my skateboard regularly, but I will admit that the dollar vans are terrifying.
anyway, without an internal combustion engine, bikers may have more trouble going fast -- i'm not talk bike messengers, but average folk, the people whose decision to bike does the most good environmentally (since they'd otherwise be in a fuel-burning vehicle of some kind, while messengers have other incentives to bike). the real issue here is inadequate bike lanes and separation from cars. -
liftandcut wrote:
Except when it's 40. I agree that it's obnoxious to ride down the middle of the street going 5mph, though. Honk away.no one's driving under 25mph around here
The speed of traffic on side streets is probably closer to 15 mph. -
i personally dont have a problem with bikers, unless they are the fix gear idiots.
Hah! You said it, man. Totally forgot about that bunch of yahoos. They're even more of a menace! Back in the mid-'80s, when the first fix/track bike craze hit the city, at least people took the time to learn how to ride them. Now most of the people who own them don't even know why they're riding one, how to bike at a good speed, how to stop, or how to do a track stand. It's laughable, and annoying. -
You sound upset
I am an awesome biker
I do at least 20mph when possible
I never ride against traffic
I look very good on my ten speed Raleigh
I am with you, people need to learn how to ride, or dodge debris from open car windows (I drive as well) -
I agree fully. When I'm riding people acting like they don't know how their bikes work make me nervous.
Also add: riding against traffic in a narrow street--making me risk getting doored or getting run over. Fuck that. -
armchair_warrior wrote: i personally dont have a problem with bikers, unless they are the fix gear idiots.
yeah, we probably dont' like you too much either. -
I agree w/you LiftandCut. I nearly nailed this guy a few weeks ago, he was riding up Underhill. He biked right through the red light...not even looking for traffic on Sterling, going like 3 miles per hour. He yelled at me to slow down (doing about 20ish)!!!! GRRR!
The other thing I wish people would stop going is riding their bikes on St.J's double wide sidewalks. There are a lot of toddlers playing on St.J's btwn Underhill and Plaza. Little kids dart and move more quickly than a moving bike can adjust to. This activity will probably end up really hurting not only the biker but some poor kid minding their own business on the sidewalk! -
i dont want this to seem like a bicyclist hate fest.
i give a shout of love to those who ride bikes. you have more balls than i do. i would love to ride a bike to get around, but nyc drivers are even a worse bunch. -
nyc drivers are even a worse bunch.
True, because there are more of us...so the idiots are more likely to be noticed! I don't have a problem w/bikers who don't put themselves and other at risk. Same goes for drivers! -
Hurrah to all bikers and walkers and public transportation users.
Phooey to all drivers of non-commercial private fossil fuel burning vehicles. Can't you find another way to transport your body other than by being encased in several tons of steel? kthx.
Drivers go back to the 'burbs where YOU belong!! We don't need no stinkin' cars here. Grrr. -
On Washington Ave. last night in front of Cafe Shane I was in my girlfriend's car and she was pulling out from a spot from behind a truck and some moron was biking down Washington against traffic, beside the parked cars, and almost hit us dead on. There was no way to see him and luckily she slammed on the breaks. Dude was three feet from oblivion. He looked at us with glare and then proceeded to cross the street and ride on the sidewalk! (RIDING ON SIDEWALKS IS ILLEGAL IN NEW YORK CITY.)
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liftandcut wrote: The speed of traffic on side streets is probably closer to 15 mph. That's not much to ask of a biker. A major avenue like Flatbush is another story, but riding a bike on an avenue like that F'Bush at 25 mph is not that crazy either for someone who has experience on a bike in NY. Bikers should stay off of those avenues if they are scared to go fast. I hit 35-40 mph on my skateboard regularly, but I will admit that the dollar vans are terrifying.
Either traffic flow is hugely different in the few blocks that separate our homes, or you have a severely skewed sense of speed. I also have a really hard time believing that you're regularly reaching speeds that aren't easily maintained by greyhounds... unless you're talking about coming down the backside of bridge or a realllllly long hill.
In any event, yeah, there are a lot of stupid bikers out there, but there are far more stupid drivers. Those stupid drivers are a far bigger risk to others whereas the stupid bikers are mostly putting themselves in harm's way. -
hahaha this is entertaining.
i'm one of those "fixed gear idiots" and if anyone wants to ride with me to see how well i can ride my bike, you're welcome to. i don't ride the wrong way, never ride on sidewalks, and i'm generally moving faster than most cars. i also don't have any brakes (gasp!)!
i generally find when people come on the internet to flame cyclists they are completely unrealistic about traffic situations ("cars never run red lights or turn without signals!" "traffic on side streets is slower than 15mph!"). that's a joke. if riding in the middle of a lane is the safest thing for me to do to avoid someone turning into me or getting doored, that's what i'm gonna do. feel free to sit behind me and lay on your horn, but that generally just makes me ride slower, and 90% of the time i'm gonna get where we're going faster than you will, so just relax. -
I also have a really hard time believing that you're regularly reaching speeds that aren't easily maintained by greyhounds... unless you're talking about coming down the backside of bridge or a realllllly long hill.
You probabaly don't skate, but that's cool. 35-40 on a board is not that crazy to skaters who have hit those speeds on flat ground. When I'm in the mood, I can probably beat any car or any bike to a given destination.
Also, for EVAN, and other bikers who are getting worked up over this thread, if you know that you are not one of the bikers I am complaining about then take a minute to cool off. Why get so upset? How about you fill a tub with ice, kick back in it for a few, and take a little of the heat off? Better yet, get your milk levers, change an inner tube or two, and relax. Just take a deep breath, take it all in, and chill. It's okay. It's gonna be okay. Smile! -
liftandcut wrote:
If you say so, but world-class sprinters top out in the mid-20s. On a 'board, on a flat surface, you CAN'T move any faster than a swipe of the foot. You'd have the advantage of reduced friction, but I have a hard time believing that you can move your leg almost twice fast as Carl Lewis can when he was flat-out, winning the gold at the Olympics.I also have a really hard time believing that you're regularly reaching speeds that aren't easily maintained by greyhounds... unless you're talking about coming down the backside of bridge or a realllllly long hill.
You probabaly don't skate, but that's cool. 35-40 on a board is not that crazy to skaters who have hit those speeds on flat ground. When I'm in the mood, I can probably beat any car or any bike to a given destination. -
Just last week my 2 year old almost got run over on a sidewalk by some moron kid on a bike. Seriously, stay off the sidewalk.
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Innocent X wrote: Just last week my 2 year old almost got run over on a sidewalk by some moron kid on a bike. Seriously, stay off the sidewalk.
that cyclist belongs to a group known as "critical ass"
sharp as a club they are -
Subject: beware the fat stroller dads of b heights
nothing makes me barf more than people like "Karl the Druid" or "liftandcut", and as an avid biker i will try in the future to piss you off more in your cars. why do you think you deserve special permission, because you bought a $500 stroller that takes up most of the sidewalk? and do you really think if something happened to your kids, anyone would miss them? welcome to new york, where the most deaths and accidents are caused by CARS hitting PEDESTRIANS (or giving them ashtma) so to think that i would give a flying something about what you in your car believe in your clogged heart is quite hilarious. but keep ranting, as long as you sit in traffic, i dont care! you'll have plenty of time to reply to comments on the brooklonian on your blackberryz! -
Subject: Re: beware the fat stroller dads of b heights
integrityman wrote: nothing makes me barf more than people like "Karl the Druid" or "liftandcut", and as an avid biker i will try in the future to piss you off more in your cars. why do you think you deserve special permission, because you bought a $500 stroller that takes up most of the sidewalk? and do you really think if something happened to your kids, anyone would miss them? welcome to new york, where the most deaths and accidents are caused by CARS hitting PEDESTRIANS (or giving them ashtma) so to think that i would give a flying something about what you in your car believe in your clogged heart is quite hilarious. but keep ranting, as long as you sit in traffic, i dont care! you'll have plenty of time to reply to comments on the brooklonian on your blackberryz!
karl owns no stroller nor does karl own a blackberry
karl take public transportation often
karl would like to thank you for your post
integrity, man... you've given "critical ass" a new face -
I'm imagining liftandcut with a stroller and failing.
ah well, kinda hilarious exercise. -
integrity, man... you've given "critical ass" a new face
um, karl the druid, i would look at your profile pic before you called someone else a critical ass? -
liftandcut wrote: You probabaly don't skate, but that's cool. 35-40 on a board is not that crazy to skaters who have hit those speeds on flat ground. When I'm in the mood, I can probably beat any car or any bike to a given destination.
Amateur longboarders bombing hills _rarely_ make it above 40MPH, I really doubt you are seeing even 30MPH on a skateboard on flat ground. I dunno, maybe I am missing something.integrityman wrote: nothing makes me barf more than people like "Karl the Druid" or "liftandcut", and as an avid biker i will try in the future to piss you off more in your cars. why do you think you deserve special permission, because you bought a $500 stroller that takes up most of the sidewalk? and do you really think if something happened to your kids, anyone would miss them? welcome to new york, where the most deaths and accidents are caused by CARS hitting PEDESTRIANS (or giving them ashtma) so to think that i would give a flying something about what you in your car believe in your clogged heart is quite hilarious. but keep ranting, as long as you sit in traffic, i dont care! you'll have plenty of time to reply to comments on the brooklonian on your blackberryz!
I support bikers, and plan to return to mine in the near future, but this attack was way out of line. Whether strollers take up sidewalk space or whether cars hit pedestrians or whether someone is sitting in traffic or whatever has no bearing on the topic. A cyclist has no business weaving through people walking on the sidewalk. Period. It is not safe, legal, or reasonable. -
don't get me wrong daver
i have nothing against bikes as a form of transport
but idiots keep stealing my oxygen
<param></param><param></param> -
Carl doesn't need no damn blackberry!
This is how he rolls:
The Star Trek Comm Badge baby. -
Yes, all bikers should wear helmets
Yes, bikers should follow the rules of traffic
No, bikers should not be expected to keep up with car traffic. Stay to the side so cars can pass. I'm a freaking cautious biker, and I have no desire to ride fast enough to keep up with cars so that I may not be able to see what's coming before I can stop/avoid/swerve to avoid death. I'm embarrassed when I see an idiot biking, no helmet, taking up the road, cause they make us all look bad, but as a civilian biker, sorry former messenger, you should applaud folks like me for giving up the gas guzzler instead of chastising me for not being a bad-ass like you were. Until there are enough of us to warrant more bike lanes, and drivers aware enough to not be a death threat, I'm erring on the side of preserving my life.
Yesterday's Chicago Tribune: Priest Killed while Biking
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070905priest-killed,0,755505.story
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