Bikes on sidewalks
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Bikes on sidewalks
Alright. This is a rant. But, the subject still pisses me off.
I ride my bike too so I'm not saying this to offend anyone out there. But, I hate bicyclists who think they own the road. So, here it goes.
I am sick and tired of people riding their bikes on sidewalks, going against traffic and then yelling at me when I don't see them doing 40mph "ON A FREAKING PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK!" Today I was leaving work. I pull out to the main exit and proced to pull forward waiting for an oportunity to make a left turn onto the street in front of my building. When then older gentleman, and I use the term loosely, comes up to my car and yells out "f'n brilliant" to me. Now, I've had a long day at work, and the last thing I want to do is get into an arguement with anyone but, this guy pissed me off. So, I yell back at the guy. Nothing much, just "f'n idiot." so he comes up to my drivers window and proceeds to tell me that I should watch where I'm going and that I almost hit him. I then proceeded to tell him that riding your bike on the sidewalk is against the law as is riding against traffic. He then tells me that he is a pedestrian. Again, I tell this guy, "You're and f'n idiot." A bicycle is a vehicle and that you are full of "$hyt." Now, I work around the corner from the novato public service building and I have a few friends on the Novato PD. I tell this guy, "why don't we ride over the to the cop station so they can tell you the same thing I'm telling you." Now, this is where he pisses me off any more. He had the nerve to tell me, "I would have owned your a$$ if you had hit me." WHAT?!! I Yell back something about 'I would rather not get my work clothes dirty with you blood.' This is where he tells me to step outside so I can prove that I am a real man. Now, I'm tired, I've been working all day and I know I'm right so, I just drive off with him yelling. If I hadn't been at work I don't know what would have happened.
Anyway, I hate freaking bicyclists who don't even know what the law is and then yell at you when they do something wrong. How the heck am I supposed to see someone coming around a corner doing 40 on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road?
rant over.
Bill
I ride my bike too so I'm not saying this to offend anyone out there. But, I hate bicyclists who think they own the road. So, here it goes.
I am sick and tired of people riding their bikes on sidewalks, going against traffic and then yelling at me when I don't see them doing 40mph "ON A FREAKING PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK!" Today I was leaving work. I pull out to the main exit and proced to pull forward waiting for an oportunity to make a left turn onto the street in front of my building. When then older gentleman, and I use the term loosely, comes up to my car and yells out "f'n brilliant" to me. Now, I've had a long day at work, and the last thing I want to do is get into an arguement with anyone but, this guy pissed me off. So, I yell back at the guy. Nothing much, just "f'n idiot." so he comes up to my drivers window and proceeds to tell me that I should watch where I'm going and that I almost hit him. I then proceeded to tell him that riding your bike on the sidewalk is against the law as is riding against traffic. He then tells me that he is a pedestrian. Again, I tell this guy, "You're and f'n idiot." A bicycle is a vehicle and that you are full of "$hyt." Now, I work around the corner from the novato public service building and I have a few friends on the Novato PD. I tell this guy, "why don't we ride over the to the cop station so they can tell you the same thing I'm telling you." Now, this is where he pisses me off any more. He had the nerve to tell me, "I would have owned your a$$ if you had hit me." WHAT?!! I Yell back something about 'I would rather not get my work clothes dirty with you blood.' This is where he tells me to step outside so I can prove that I am a real man. Now, I'm tired, I've been working all day and I know I'm right so, I just drive off with him yelling. If I hadn't been at work I don't know what would have happened.
Anyway, I hate freaking bicyclists who don't even know what the law is and then yell at you when they do something wrong. How the heck am I supposed to see someone coming around a corner doing 40 on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road?
rant over.
Bill
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Originally Posted by BillJC
"I would have owned your a$$ if you had hit me."
Anyways, I agree that he should not have gotten mad at you since he was the one not following the law. I do occasionally ride on sidewalks though because cars just don't care about you (seem to not see you) if you are in the road like you are supposed to be. (although, not going the wrong way too) I also don't EVER expect cars to see me when I'm on my bike.
Too bad he didn't go to the PD with you. He would have been pwned.
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i've ridden bicycles in san francisco for about close to 10 years now. i can understand what you are talking about but sometimes it's too dangerous to ride on the street. if you've ridden enough you know what i'm talking about. i'm not saying that this guy was in the right, but thats not always the case.
also, i highly doubt that he was traveling at 40 mph.
also, i highly doubt that he was traveling at 40 mph.
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The public safety building is litterally the next building over on the other side of the stree from where I work. It would have taken 15 seconds to get there. Oh well.
Whenever I ride my bike on the streets, I ride as though everyone wants to get me. That's what they teach you when you take motorcycle safety courses. Same applies to bikes. I wouldn't have cared so much about the whole situation if he wasn't rideing on the wrong side of road. And the fact that he called himself a pedestrian! I don't know. I just need to take a few deep breaths and calm down.
Whenever I ride my bike on the streets, I ride as though everyone wants to get me. That's what they teach you when you take motorcycle safety courses. Same applies to bikes. I wouldn't have cared so much about the whole situation if he wasn't rideing on the wrong side of road. And the fact that he called himself a pedestrian! I don't know. I just need to take a few deep breaths and calm down.
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+1 on idiot bikers.
I hate bikers (bicyclists) too. I had something similar happen to me in SF a year ago. Only it was a jackass bike messenger. He almost runs into my car while I had the right of way, I give him the finger, he comes riding up and hits the side of my car with his handlebars. But he got PWNED in the end.
https://www.i-club.com/forums/bay-area-15/jackass-cyclist-sf-hits-my-car-purpose-i-kick-crap-outta-him-77889/
I hate bikers (bicyclists) too. I had something similar happen to me in SF a year ago. Only it was a jackass bike messenger. He almost runs into my car while I had the right of way, I give him the finger, he comes riding up and hits the side of my car with his handlebars. But he got PWNED in the end.
https://www.i-club.com/forums/bay-area-15/jackass-cyclist-sf-hits-my-car-purpose-i-kick-crap-outta-him-77889/
Last edited by Lurk; Sep 27, 2005 at 06:23 PM.
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Even if he wasn't going 40mph, he was still riding on the wrong side of the road and on the sidewalk which is illegal. He was going fast enough to where he wasn't there when I looked ahead to where he came right up to me when I stopped. You also have to understand that my building is on a dead end road so it's not like there is too much traffic on the street to begin with. There are 2 lanes in either direction with a shoulder. There was no need for him to ride on the sidewalk. I ride too but, you have to follow the law as well. I don't know how many bicyclists I've seen blow through redlights and stops signs. Now that is plain stupid. And then they yell at you when they almost hit you because they ran the light.
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Oh shoot, was that you? Sorry about that.
Originally Posted by BillJC
Alright. This is a rant. But, the subject still pisses me off.
I ride my bike too so I'm not saying this to offend anyone out there. But, I hate bicyclists who think they own the road. So, here it goes.
I am sick and tired of people riding their bikes on sidewalks, going against traffic and then yelling at me when I don't see them doing 40mph "ON A FREAKING PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK!" Today I was leaving work. I pull out to the main exit and proced to pull forward waiting for an oportunity to make a left turn onto the street in front of my building. When then older gentleman, and I use the term loosely, comes up to my car and yells out "f'n brilliant" to me. Now, I've had a long day at work, and the last thing I want to do is get into an arguement with anyone but, this guy pissed me off. So, I yell back at the guy. Nothing much, just "f'n idiot." so he comes up to my drivers window and proceeds to tell me that I should watch where I'm going and that I almost hit him. I then proceeded to tell him that riding your bike on the sidewalk is against the law as is riding against traffic. He then tells me that he is a pedestrian. Again, I tell this guy, "You're and f'n idiot." A bicycle is a vehicle and that you are full of "$hyt." Now, I work around the corner from the novato public service building and I have a few friends on the Novato PD. I tell this guy, "why don't we ride over the to the cop station so they can tell you the same thing I'm telling you." Now, this is where he pisses me off any more. He had the nerve to tell me, "I would have owned your a$$ if you had hit me." WHAT?!! I Yell back something about 'I would rather not get my work clothes dirty with you blood.' This is where he tells me to step outside so I can prove that I am a real man. Now, I'm tired, I've been working all day and I know I'm right so, I just drive off with him yelling. If I hadn't been at work I don't know what would have happened.
Anyway, I hate freaking bicyclists who don't even know what the law is and then yell at you when they do something wrong. How the heck am I supposed to see someone coming around a corner doing 40 on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road?
rant over.
Bill
I ride my bike too so I'm not saying this to offend anyone out there. But, I hate bicyclists who think they own the road. So, here it goes.
I am sick and tired of people riding their bikes on sidewalks, going against traffic and then yelling at me when I don't see them doing 40mph "ON A FREAKING PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK!" Today I was leaving work. I pull out to the main exit and proced to pull forward waiting for an oportunity to make a left turn onto the street in front of my building. When then older gentleman, and I use the term loosely, comes up to my car and yells out "f'n brilliant" to me. Now, I've had a long day at work, and the last thing I want to do is get into an arguement with anyone but, this guy pissed me off. So, I yell back at the guy. Nothing much, just "f'n idiot." so he comes up to my drivers window and proceeds to tell me that I should watch where I'm going and that I almost hit him. I then proceeded to tell him that riding your bike on the sidewalk is against the law as is riding against traffic. He then tells me that he is a pedestrian. Again, I tell this guy, "You're and f'n idiot." A bicycle is a vehicle and that you are full of "$hyt." Now, I work around the corner from the novato public service building and I have a few friends on the Novato PD. I tell this guy, "why don't we ride over the to the cop station so they can tell you the same thing I'm telling you." Now, this is where he pisses me off any more. He had the nerve to tell me, "I would have owned your a$$ if you had hit me." WHAT?!! I Yell back something about 'I would rather not get my work clothes dirty with you blood.' This is where he tells me to step outside so I can prove that I am a real man. Now, I'm tired, I've been working all day and I know I'm right so, I just drive off with him yelling. If I hadn't been at work I don't know what would have happened.
Anyway, I hate freaking bicyclists who don't even know what the law is and then yell at you when they do something wrong. How the heck am I supposed to see someone coming around a corner doing 40 on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road?
rant over.
Bill
I've started to wear my full face motorcycle helmet when I go bicycling. Cars don't give a dam about bikes, motorcycles, pedestrians. That biker was in the wrong and he deserved to get yelled at, they are ambassadors of bikedom to the rest of teh world and they make it harder for everyone.
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I dont a story kinda like that. i was in a camero with my two buddys going to lunch back in highschool. Im sitting in the back seat and the passenger yells at a biker riding down the side of the road "nice pants f@ggot" and we kind laugh yea haha lol w/e. so we get to a stop light and he caught up to us. He grabs the passenger by his t shirt he all like "you got something to say!!!! ill break your leg off and stick it up your ***" Then light turns green and the guy driving floors it and that bikes arm is still in the window and his arms slams into the car and i look back and see him in the middle of the intersection screaming holding his wrist.
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Dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you live and work in the land of stuck up rich *** hole cyclist. It's probably the worst place in the country I've ever been to in regards to the people that ride. Worst that SF. Worst that Santa Cruz.
Now as a cyclist former very very active cyclist I have to say it's also an aweful place to ride. It's full of stuck up rich *** hole drivers.
in this situation you are correct. I was doing something similar back in 97. Riding opposite of traffic on the side walk...so doing the exact thing basically.....a car pulled out and plastered me. We went our seperate ways. I knew it was just as much my bad as hers. I'm still paying for it....chronic shoulder problems.
the guy needs to wake up before the same thing or worse happens to him.
Oh..and you did the right thing in just driving away as well. I would have wooped the old man's ***. I can stand when people pull that. I had someone in SF do something similar...
there are a lot of dicks behind the wheel....a lot of dicks behind the bars. Just cause you're on a bike doesn't make you smart or any less selfish... a ****** a *****.
Congrats on the way you handled this....
pick up some dmv rule books...the free ones. Tear out the pages in regards to bicycles obeying VEHICLE laws..including riding in the correct direction..... next time it happens hand teh person a copy and drive away.
you live and work in the land of stuck up rich *** hole cyclist. It's probably the worst place in the country I've ever been to in regards to the people that ride. Worst that SF. Worst that Santa Cruz.
Now as a cyclist former very very active cyclist I have to say it's also an aweful place to ride. It's full of stuck up rich *** hole drivers.
in this situation you are correct. I was doing something similar back in 97. Riding opposite of traffic on the side walk...so doing the exact thing basically.....a car pulled out and plastered me. We went our seperate ways. I knew it was just as much my bad as hers. I'm still paying for it....chronic shoulder problems.
the guy needs to wake up before the same thing or worse happens to him.
Oh..and you did the right thing in just driving away as well. I would have wooped the old man's ***. I can stand when people pull that. I had someone in SF do something similar...
there are a lot of dicks behind the wheel....a lot of dicks behind the bars. Just cause you're on a bike doesn't make you smart or any less selfish... a ****** a *****.
Congrats on the way you handled this....
pick up some dmv rule books...the free ones. Tear out the pages in regards to bicycles obeying VEHICLE laws..including riding in the correct direction..... next time it happens hand teh person a copy and drive away.
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Originally Posted by OneManArmy
pick up some dmv rule books...the free ones. Tear out the pages in regards to bicycles obeying VEHICLE laws..including riding in the correct direction..... next time it happens hand teh person a copy and drive away.


