What Kind of Driver are you?

[Bigb23]

I bike all around the urban area and have had my share of ass holes in cars who seem to think they are gods gift to driving.

They will stare at you until you use the crosswalk then floor it through a right turn.


KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI -- The Kalamazoo cycling community is mourning after a "senseless" crash that killed five bicyclists and seriously injured four.
The nine adult recreational riders were struck from behind by a Chevrolet pickup truck just after 6:30 p.m. in the 5500 block of North Westnedge Avenue, near Markin Glen County Park, authorities said. The scene is in Cooper Township, north of Kalamazoo.

Ass wipes, you know who you are.

[401don]

Alcohol, Autos and A-holes are a bad combination.

[Honky Tonk]

I bike all around the urban area and have had my share of ass holes in cars who seem to think they they are gods gift to driving.

They will stare at you until you use the crosswalk then floor it through a right turn.


KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI -- The Kalamazoo cycling community is mourning after a "senseless" crash that killed five bicyclists and seriously injured four.
The nine adult recreational riders were struck from behind by a Chevrolet pickup truck just after 6:30 p.m. in the 5500 block of North Westnedge Avenue, near Markin Glen County Park, authorities said. The scene is in Cooper Township, north of Kalamazoo.

Ass wipes, you know who you are.

Bigb23, I totally agree with your assessment. I too own and fun-cycle around the City. However, I've also had my share of "privileged" cyclists that don't ride in the bike lanes, ride 3 and 4 abreast, wander out into traffic, and project a "I'm doing good for humanity" attitude. While on my bike, I try to stick to my lane, and leave the rest of the road open for motor traffic. Share the road, not take it over.

[Bigb23]

"Bigb23, I totally agree with your assessment. I too own and fun-cycle around the City. However, I've also had my share of "privileged" cyclists that don't ride in the bike lanes, ride 3 and 4 abreast, wander out into traffic, and project a "I'm doing good for humanity" attitude. While on my bike, I try to stick to my lane, and leave the rest of the road open for motor traffic. Share the road, not take it over."

What bike lanes are you talking about? Here in Oakland County there are no bike lanes. You have to share the road with a 4000 pound SUV, and they are on the phone with an important call. [[Not).

When you have a bike friendly post, have at it.

[Johnnny5]

A real tragedy to see so many killed and seriously injured.

I've done quite a bit of road cycling in the past and my own close calls and events like this are reminders that there are huge risks involved when sharing the roads with motor vehicles. From the other articles I've seen this man was likely intoxicated as there had been multiple reports of his erratic driving, but there's always the chance that it could have been a medical issue as well.

[Honky Tonk]

]Bigb23, I totally agree with your assessment. I too own and fun-cycle around the City. However, I've also had my share of "privileged" cyclists that don't ride in the bike lanes, ride 3 and 4 abreast, wander out into traffic, and project a "I'm doing good for humanity" attitude. While on my bike, I try to stick to my lane, and leave the rest of the road open for motor traffic. Share the road, not take it over.




What bike lanes are you talking about? Here in Oakland County there are no bike lanes. You have to share the road with a 4000 pound car, and they are on phone.

When you have a bike friendly post, have at it.

Ok, My fault. I just assume all the people posting here actually live in Detroit, and don't just add something-Detroit to their handles. In that case, that explains it. I find the worst, rudest, most self-centered people in the world when I cycle or skate in the 'Burbs. They run over pedestrians stepping off of buses, what do you expect? Best of luck cycling down M-59.

[Bigb23]

Thanks. Lowell, I guess I over stepped. My original post still stands true though.

[ferndalien]

What bike lanes are you talking about? Here in Oakland County there are no bike lanes. You have to share the road with a 4000 pound SUV, and they are on the phone with an important call. [[Not).

When you have a bike friendly post, have at it.

Lots of bike lanes in Ferndale. I use them all the time, and where there aren't any, try to ride visibly and conscientiously. I don't think a cyclist complaining about cyclists that do dumb shit on their bikes is a bike unfriendly post - just like I want drivers to not drive like jerks, I want cyclists to not bike like jerks. Do I roll stop signs when I'm biking? Absolutely, but only if there are no cars around.

[p69rrh51]

Both automobile drivers and bicyclists need to wake up follow the rules of the road. I am a bicyclist, sold them for many years and have heard the complaints about motorists for decades. On the other hand, here in Grosse Pointe cyclists hog the road, are on their phones at times, and run stop signs/red lights constantly especially those on high end road bikes. Wednesday nights during the summer are a nightmare for automobiles, people walking and individuals riding their bicycles when several groups "take over" the road and disobey numerous traffic laws. What i find disappointing is they intentionally go out of their way to impede those who are just trying to share the road with them.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Everybody and their mama's are on their cellphones, not paying attention to what they're doing, until it's too late...

[JBMcB]

What bike lanes are you talking about? Here in Oakland County there are no bike lanes.

http://romi.gov/bicycling-royal-oak

[Pam]

What bike lanes are you talking about? Here in Oakland County there are no bike lanes. You have to share the road with a 4000 pound SUV, and they are on the phone with an important call. [[Not).

When you have a bike friendly post, have at it.

There are bike trails:

http://www.destinationoakland.com/pa...s/default.aspx

No cars on those.

[thomprod]

What bike lanes are you talking about? Here in Oakland County there are no bike lanes...

There are elaborately-marked bike lanes along Northwestern Highway between 12 Mile Rd. in Southfield and Orchard Lake Rd. in West Bloomfield. Unfortunately, I've never seen one cyclist using them. Because of this, drivers become complacent and don't look or expect any cyclist to be in those lanes when they need to cross them to make a right turn.

[Hardhat]

I like my bike. I ride it on occasion in my subdivision. Sometimes in the street, sometimes I move up onto the sidewalks when a car is coming. I would never ride my bike on a main thoroughfare, with or without bike lanes, in and through automobile traffic. People who do so are taking their life in their own hands. You ride atop two thin wheels with zero protection around you from "the other guy," who is encased in a 2,000 lb. vehicle that can squash you like a bug. Bikers are at the mercy of the asswipes alluded to by Bigb: people with road rage, or who have an attitude against bikers, who are driving too fast or who simply can't see them. And yes, of course bikers are inherently more difficult to see than other traffic. I respect the law and that bikers have the right to be among traffic, but that doesn't mean that it's smart to be there. If that's an anti-bike attitude, so be it.
How does the old ditty go? "Here lies the body of William Jay, Who died maintaining his right of way. He was right, dead right, as he sped along, But he's just as dead as if he were wrong."

[lpg]

Auto drivers treat motorcyclists [[me) the same as bicyclists. Driving is what you do while you are doing something more important like talking or texting or eating or whatever.

[ndavies]

Using your blinkers does not make you immune from the law of Physics.

If I have time to react I will let you in. But I expect you to accelerate to the same or a faster speed than I'm going.

Too many people move and then signal. Signal first with enough time for other people to react.

[thomprod]

Using your blinkers does not make you immune from the law of Physics.

If I have time to react I will let you in. But I expect you to accelerate to the same or a faster speed than I'm going.

Too many people move and then signal. Signal first with enough time for other people to react.

I agree! I teach my teenager with her learner's permit: When preparing to turn left, signal first, move into your turn lane before you have to, then slow down." Braking without warning before you merge into a left turn lane slows down drivers behind you.

[Jimaz]

... Signal first with enough time for other people to react.

Nowadays I signal even earlier because so many people are distracted by their phones while driving.

Small price to pay to avoid being rear-ended.

[3WC]

A few months ago an acquaintance was killed while riding a bike at a resort in Mexico. According to reports he was riding on a paved rural road with light traffic and was riding safely. He was killed by a police car.

In a perfect world car drivers and bikers would all obey the rules of the road and use common sense. However, wherever I'm driving, in MI, FL, and most other places it's common to see drivers and bikers driving erratically. I am an aggressive driver but it scares me to approach bikers because I don't know what to expect.

So, whether one is careful or foolhardy, it's insanity to bike on a road with motor vehicles. A biker who does that has no common sense, apparently relying on the mistaken belief that vehicular driver are not impaired in so many ways, texting, phoning, or daydreaming.

Bikers have every right to be on the road. Sky divers have every right to jump out of planes even thought they didn't pack their own chutes. Have at it.

Don't get me started on drivers of Smart Cars, those coffins with wheels, and similar toys who drive in the left lane more slowly than the flow of traffic. Nutcases.

[archfan]

There are elaborately-marked bike lanes along Northwestern Highway between 12 Mile Rd. in Southfield and Orchard Lake Rd. in West Bloomfield. Unfortunately, I've never seen one cyclist using them. Because of this, drivers become complacent and don't look or expect any cyclist to be in those lanes when they need to cross them to make a right turn.

There aren't any bikers on Northwestern because there are so many better ways to commit suicide. That road seems to have a continuous stream of SUVs barely steered by distracted drivers.

[G-DDT]

I believe I got into quite a debate with a poster from GP about signaling, and he referred to it as if it were some mere and optional courtesy. Communication with other drivers [[barring jarring horns-believe it or not, New York used to fine for unnecessary horn usage-http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/ny...igns.html?_r=0) is essential; so signalling is not an option. Pardon this racist cliphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnzRej_lwXg.

I'm seeing more and more incidents of tailgating, failing to signal, front end protruding into an intersection, roaring up [[instead of reasonably hanging back) and cutting across three busy lanes to get onto a ramp, and more and more cars without lights on at dusk and evening [[I flash and flash, and no one gets it, especially if they are in an SUV, or moreso, on their phone). Also, more suburban kids are dumping their fast food bags right at the corners.

Detroiters may drive junkier cars, but man, you can see the difference in better courtesy than the suburbs.

I do my best to be courteous and cautious [[not "Wisconsin milquetoast cautious"-they will stray five to eight feet unnecessarily over from the shoulder if one is walking or biking on it.). I have no problem letting people pass or go first [[some folks don't understand the further right than clockwise rule at a four-way stop.); yet, more and more folks need to yield to oncoming traffic when merging, pulling out, or turning onto a major thoroughfare [[had an incident recently pulling into the Walgreens on Van Born and Telegraph and a junky car is barreling down the center driving area towards me on the right, so I had to brake, and the car behind me must've been texting and/or following waaay too close behind me, cuz' she bumped me. Nothing bad happened at all to my car, but she got a ding and didn't want to trade insurance info. Oh, well.) I'm mindful of pedestrians and cyclists [[though cyclists have better maneuverability than a motorist, and likewise, pedestrians have more maneuverability than the cyclist, though not as fast).

The only major accident I've ever been in involved the brakes going out on the Dodge Aspen going 45 mph down Ford Rd. and heading towards cars stopped at a light. Yes, hit a Ford pick-up in Dearborn [[blasphemy!) and totaled it, whereas the Dodge only got a small crunch on the passenger side.

Driving my mom to her appointments is a task, since she has every lane memorized as to which will end eventually, so she is perpetually delegating to me the course.

I'm a little more gutsier than my brother when it comes to doing a Michigan turnaround or getting on the freeway. Suburban highway traffic has a higher speed post, so I do make the most of that until I reach Detroit city limits.

I'm just glad I'm not driving in Boston.https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/...ally-the-worst

[G-DDT]

Also, it saddens me that other cities have longer crossing times for pedestrians than here in Michigan. Even car heavy places like Louisville [[they love Mustangs and Cadillacs there) give folks a fair chance to cross.

It cuts either way with crossing. Having a car cut you off when you are on foot or cycling is really dang evil, but slightly so is having the car jerk to a stop and glare at you and make you hustle across when you may be tired and feel like either stopping or not having to change your even pace.

[Bigb23]

It cuts either way with crossing. Having a car cut you off when you are on foot or cycling is really dang evil, but slightly so is having the car jerk to a stop and glare at you and make you hustle across when you may be tired and feel like either stopping or not having to change your even pace.

Amen on that.

I can't even walk or ride the bike trails without fear, because I do have to cross busy intersections with a Mexican [[sorry) standoff at every single one.

This is not bumper cars, because you'll always win.

[Zacha341]

Seems that way. I see bad drivers and cyclist taking risks everywhere. What is this thing where some cyclists DON'T stop at a red but swing out into the middle of the street 'in case' a car is coming? With so many people running lights, I pause before going on a green. But I see many cyclist willing to blow thru solid red??? Insane!!

There aren't any bikers on Northwestern because there are so many better ways to commit suicide. That road seems to have a continuous stream of SUVs barely steered by distracted drivers.

[Zacha341]

'Coffin with wheels'! Hah! I had one cut out in front of my older small sedan which would have completely crushed that car summarily had I reacted fast.

Don't get me started on drivers of Smart Cars, those coffins with wheels, and similar toys who drive in the left lane more slowly than the flow of traffic. Nutcases.