When Cyclists Are In the Wrong

Several weeks ago, I was traveling down a road and came to an intersection with a 4-way stop. All of the vehicles present were taking turns as usual when a cyclist traveling eastbound blew through the stop sign. When I say this I mean it quite literally. Wearing headphones covering both ears, without a look in either direction of the opposing traffic, he literally picked up speed and rolled through the stop sign.

As he was proceeding through, a truck heading southbound was taking his turn to cross the intersection and nearly collided with the cyclist. When the truck honked at the cyclist, the man on the bicycle turned around and flipped the driver the bird.

I was in shock at the cyclist's absolute disregard for his own personal safety as well as his gumption to actually be angry at the motorist who had followed the rules of the road. I truly couldn't fault the man in the truck as I'm sure he was startled by the sudden appearance of the individual on a bicycle, who he most likely couldn't see was approaching the intersection at full speed.

For the record, this cyclist in question was not dressed like a hipster.
*Image found here

A couple of weeks after this incident, I was traveling behind another cyclist who made the decision not to stop at a 2-way stop sign, narrowly missing being hit by a person driving a car. A few blocks later at a busy intersection with a signal (that happens to be notorious for close-calls and accidents with cyclists and pedestrians) this woman once again ran the stop light.

Pedaling behind her, I reached the signal shortly after she rolled through and pressed the crosswalk button. The signal turned green about 30 seconds later, after which I proceeded through, catching up to her shortly thereafter.

At the signal, this rider had turned her head and noticed me approaching behind her, so I wanted to make a silent point by passing her. If she had simply followed the rules, she would not have delayed her travel much at all, and also not put her life in jeopardy.

*Image found here

These types of incidents seem to be happening with more regularity. Sometimes, they are minor infractions and other times they are potentially life-altering types of incidents. Regardless, I find myself (at least during these types of moments) siding with motorists who recount stories of ill-mannered and poor-behaving cyclists on the road. I am not making light of the situation with the memes posted here either, but simply pointing out that what is an easily found opinion of motorists can seem to be true in these instances.

I have an understanding that "scofflaw" cyclists are not the majority and that many people who ride regularly don't intentionally put their lives in danger, but within a three week span, I personally witnessed or encountered more than half a dozen people on bicycles blatantly and thoroughly breaking the law. Living in a community of under 100,000 people, that may not seem like a huge number, but it is an amount that seems to have grown tremendously from past experiences.

Why the sudden increase?

It would be easy to say that it was summertime and more individuals are out riding a bike. Perhaps that is part of the equation, but it doesn't account for the sudden increase in this behavior over past summers. I have even considered that maybe more people are riding in general and with that comes a certain level of comfort on the roads as cyclists begin to think it is safe to ignore basic travel/road etiquette and laws.

I am not the safety police nor the law, and I have shared more than once that I have been known to, at times, not follow the letter of the law when it puts me in more danger on a bicycle, but when people on bicycles are making leaps to running red lights at very busy intersections without looking, or picking up speed to roll through 4-way stop intersections, we are not helping our cause in the least.

It can easily be witnessed that many vehicles, motorized or other, break the law. Cars and trucks are seen with regularity rolling right turns at red lights, not stopping completely at stop signs, not signaling lane changes or turns, driving distracted, speeding, running intersections with red lights, and any number of other infractions. There's a comfort level that happens when we get used to driving or riding and if we get away with something once, it becomes easier to try it again, and before we're even aware, these momentary lapses in judgement become habits.

*Image found here

While I will always believe that vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists) need to be given space on roads and shown respect, I also believe it is our responsibility as a cyclist or pedestrian to raise the bar and behave better than those traveling in motorized vehicles. It's unfortunate, but it is the only way in our current societal norm to find a way to potentially peacefully co-exist because the above meme is precisely what many motorists already believe. If or when we run signals or stop signs, we are illustrating to those who believe cyclists shouldn't be on "their roads" that they are correct in their thought process. When we as people on bikes are seen breaking the law with regularity it sends a message to motorists that they are right about cyclists being individuals who constantly break the law.

Believe me when I say that I didn't have to look long or hard for any of the photos in this post. I can also open any news article online about a cyclist being wounded or killed and find too many comments that blame the cyclist's bad road behavior even when the readers don't know the situation or the person involved. They all have a story though about the cyclists they see doing something wrong and that's all they remember when these types of incidents occur.

If we ride our bicycles in a manner that is predictable and safe, it becomes more difficult for motorists to blame cyclists when road incidents occur. Even though I believe the majority of people on bicycles do behave well on the roads, the few times these incidents occur just add fuel to an already raging fire.

What do you think about cyclists who break the law? Is it possible to change the opinions of some motorists by modeling better behavior than they do? It seems a near impossibility to create a world in which no cyclist ever breaks the law (just as it's impossible to make every motorist obey all the laws), so how do we change many motorists views that all cyclists are rogue, scofflaw individuals? I welcome your thoughts on the matter.

Walk, Don't Ride: Dismounting Ordinances for Bicycles

In the state of Colorado, it is legal to ride a bicycle on sidewalks unless it's posted otherwise (or local law indicates something to the contrary). While I think many would agree that riding on sidewalks can be dangerous - both for pedestrians and cyclists - there are times when I find myself riding a sidewalk because it is the lesser of two evils. Sometimes, it truly is safer to ride slowly on a sidewalk than to attempt to fit on the road with speeding traffic and no space. While I cannot speak for others on a bike, when on a sidewalk, I try to be hyper-aware of those on foot so that I don't scare or potentially injure someone.

Our local downtown (Old Town) areas' main thoroughfare is also part of a highway that runs through many cities. Although the maximum speed slows significantly through this area to 25 mph, many motorists drive faster and there isn't a lot of room to ride on the road between a line of parallel parked cars and the two lanes traveling each direction.

Because I frequent this area, I find myself riding side streets until I have to cross over to Main Street and then I ride the sidewalk very, very slowly (ridiculously so, truth be told - as in, I could probably get off and walk faster, but I'm lazy and don't want to do that).

There are a few of these signs that appeared magically over the last few months.

A few months ago, I noticed suddenly that there were large circles that had been painted on the sidewalk just outside of a local restaurant like the one pictured above. It appears quite large and obvious in the photo, but when walking (or riding) down the sidewalk, it seems that it could very easily go unseen, as it did for me. The first time I realized the sign was there was actually on my return trip via the same path.

Find the dismount sign painted on the sidewalk.

The photo above shows how easily this sign could be overlooked (and often is, in my experience over the last few months), by those on bicycles. In case you were unable to locate the sign on the sidewalk, which does pretty well blend in with the surroundings when walking or sitting atop a bicycle, I'll point it out in the photo below.

The red arrow marks the spot on the pavement with the large, painted circle and its instructions.

It's not impossible to see, but if a rider isn't aware that this ordinance exists, is s/he even looking for it? The first time I spotted the circle I mentioned to Sam that I'd never noticed it before and that it must be new. I also added that it would be nice if there were signs placed up on the poles, more at eye level, to help reinforce this and so that all traveling through the area could see the signs. Little did I realize that these signs were already in place.

Lo and behold, signs WERE placed at eye level announcing the ordinance.

You see the sign in the photo above, right? Yes, neither did I until about two weeks after my initial spotting of the painted circle. As I was walking back through this area, I just so happened to spot one of the small blue signs (of which there are a few, but they're all just as [in]visible). The one in the photo above is on the first light pole, just to the right side of the photo.

This is what the signs look like up close, but they're not as easy to spot when a person is just rolling through, even at slow speeds. I'll point out this particular sign with a red arrow below.

I couldn't help but think this all seemed a bit crazy. Not that there was a pedestrian zone in this area of town (I understand why it would be a great thing), but I couldn't recall ever seeing any news about such a law being enacted, and certainly there hadn't been any chatter about it to my knowledge. So, I went on a hunt to see what I could find out.

It turns out that there was a news article released locally about a dismount zone in the summer of 2013! How could I have gone so long and never noticed these signs?! As it turned out, an ordinance was enacted to help prevent collisions or near-misses through several blocks of the downtown area of Main Street. Apparently, there are no fines for not following the ordinance, but there is hope that it will cause more people to dismount their bicycles (or skateboards) when traveling through these few blocks.

Because I travel through this area very frequently, I can say with certainty that I almost never see anyone walking their bicycles on the sidewalk (In fact, just while taking these few photos in the middle of the week, in the middle of the day, I spotted a handful of cyclists who just rolled right through). If I had the time, I'd actually stop all of the riders and ask if they are even aware of the ordinance because I suspect that the majority (like myself) are (or in my case, were) unaware that this exists. True, it just makes sense to walk a bike in this type of area, but because it's been used by cyclists, I think there needs to be a better way of getting the news out to those on two wheels because I am not convinced the signs are doing the trick.

On another city webpage, I noted that the ordinance is a "voluntary" action, which would explain why there are no fines currently in place for violating the rule. I am really interested to see what comes from all of this and if fines will eventually be imposed to those who choose to disregard the signs.

Are you permitted to ride on sidewalks in your community? If there are signs that ask cyclists to dismount, are they more visible/obvious than these signs are? Are there fines for disobeying the signs/ordinances/etc? I am very curious as to what others across the nation and abroad have in place for highly pedestrian areas.

In the meantime, I've done my best to walk my bike through these few blocks. It's not the end of the world to jump to my feet for a bit, but I do wish that the spread of information was a little more accessible. Learning about this ordinance almost a year and a half after the fact seems a little much.

Car vs Bicycle: Reporting Aggressive and Dangerous Behaviors

Riding on the roads, I have grown used to a certain level of harassment by motorists. While I don't think it is acceptable behavior (and often illegal), it's easy to become complacent when minor incidents occur because these incidents become increasingly common the more time I spend on two-wheels. Incidents that typically take place are drivers intentionally blowing smoke on me (like diesel trucks), people yelling obscenities through windows/honking at me, and other seemingly small attempts to intimidate. For the record, intimidation doesn't work on me. In fact, it really just gets my blood boiling and generally causes me to be even more determined to stand my ground. I know very well I'm not doing anything illegal or for that matter that is even impeding the flow of traffic, so some motorists attempts to scare me do nothing but set me out on a mission.

The most recent incident that took place was while heading home from a training ride. Sam and I were riding on local city streets, working our way back to the house. On one of the roads we travel, there is no bike lane, however there are two lanes in each direction with a turning lane running down the center of the street. The lane a bicycle would use to travel is quite wide and could definitely have a bike lane, though it doesn't currently exist. We always ride far to the right, giving more than enough space for motorists to easily pass us while still leaving several feet between us and them.

*Image from Google maps

As I led the way down the street, Sam and I weren't really chatting as we were both tired and ready to be home. All of a sudden I heard Sam yelling, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" from behind me as I turned my head to see a car slowing and veering into my left side. At first, I was smiling because I thought perhaps it was someone we knew who was simply overly excited to see us and not really aware of how close they were getting to my bike, but then quickly changed my mind as I realized this person was attempting to run me off the road. I hit the brakes as the driver came far too close to striking my left side, and heard the passenger yelling, "Look out!" and laughing as they drove away.

I was shaken, but angry. I quickly made note of their license plate and started repeating it out loud. I repeated it to Sam so I'd have back up as well. I told him we were going by the police station before we went home to file a report. Thank goodness for 6-character license plates here in Colorado. At least I wouldn't have to remember many digits.

It was Sunday, and as we pulled up to the police station, things looked very quiet. I immediately recorded the license plate in a note on my phone so as not to confuse myself, and we walked in to the lobby. The only means of contacting a human appeared to be a phone with minimal instructions on how to contact a dispatcher. The woman who answered was extremely short-tempered and I felt the volume in my voice rising as I tried to explain that all I wanted was an officer to take a report of an incident that had just taken place in town between a car and a bicycle (for the record, I was apparently getting so elevated that Sam could hear me from inside the men's restroom that was several dozen yards away). Eventually, the dispatcher told me that no officers were in the building and to sit in the lobby and wait for one to arrive.

And wait we did. We waited, and waited some more. Mind you, we don't live in Los Angeles, or New York, or even Denver for that matter. To get completely across town in a car should take no more than about 10-15 minutes. The longer we sat waiting the more I went over everything in my mind. I realized that the likelihood of an officer doing anything about what had happened was slim to none. What proof did I have of intention of the motorist? No one was actually physically harmed from anything that had taken place. All I had was a license plate number and a brief verbal encounter. Still, he had broken the law by not giving 3-feet of space while passing. If nothing else, he should receive a warning for that alone.

Eventually, we gave up waiting for an officer to show up. We were both hungry and tired. Worst of all, I really felt as though the motorist had won... and man, it really pissed me off. I went home and kept thinking and talking. I asked local cyclists if they had any connections at the police department. I researched other means of reporting dangerous drivers. I vented to relatives -- who really didn't understand what I was so upset about. After all (as they argued), what had the driver really done to me?

Since I'd posted my inquiry about a contact with the PD on a Facebook cycling group, it was interesting to see one response from an individual who stated, "I've had luck e-mailing them [the PD] (didn't like the answer I got, but I did get an answer)." That wasn't really giving me hope, but eventually I did get an e-mail contact from a cyclist who stated his contact was in charge of the City's Traffic Division, and he is also a cyclist. Trying to remain undeterred by the initial comment, I sent off an e-mail with the details of what took place to the individual.

It's still early on in my communications, and I don't have resolution by any means, but I doubt I will get it. More than likely, at most, a report will be written and filed away somewhere, and that is about all I can expect.

This local story went viral after two cyclists were being harassed for miles by a motorist.
*Image found here

One of the things that seems to be so challenging to express to law enforcement is the fact that while I was unharmed, this is extremely dangerous behavior on the part of the motorist. Had this been a child or someone with less experience on the roads - or, had I just made one very slight move in the wrong direction - there could have been far more devastating results. No one wants to feel as though s/he is putting his/her life in jeopardy simply by riding a bicycle. Whether motorists like it or not, a bicycle being pedaled is part of traffic. We were riding well out of the way of faster vehicles, and even if we'd been in the lane completely, there was another lane that could easily be used if the motorist was wanting to travel at faster speeds.

I could theorize for hours about what the intention was of the motorist, if he was high or drunk, or if he was simply trying to use intimidation to scare us off the road. I will likely never have an answer. What I do hope will come of this is (at minimum) more awareness. I hope that other cyclists will find ways to report drivers engaging in similar behavior, and I definitely don't want to see or hear about someone being injured or dying on the roadways because a motorist finds it amusing to use his/her vehicle as a weapon.

What I have learned since the incident is that there is a way to report dangerous drivers on the road right away for those here in Colorado. Simply pull over, dial *277 from your cell, and have the vehicle plates and all the information from the incident that took place. If you follow the link, there is a list of what is considered dangerous behavior, but it includes road rage, tailgating, not giving you your space on the road, throwing objects, and so forth. I have no idea what will come of reporting a matter here, but I am programming the number into my phone so that if there is anything that happens on the road I have a means of reporting the incident right away.

If you don't know your local contact, I would highly suggest finding it before an incident takes place. Take a few minutes now to do the research and have it handy should the need ever arise on the road. Have you experienced or witnessed incidents of aggression, harassment or intimidation on the road? Were you (or the cyclist) able to find any sort of resolution? If you reported the incident, who did you talk to? Were they responsive?

Share the Road, Share the Rules

Over the last year (or so), a few documents, blogs, tweets, and related published materials were brought to my attention. The authors were discussing the idea that the "Share the Road" platform isn't really doing anything to help with awareness when it comes to bicycles and motorists sharing the roadways. As someone who has been on a bicycle and had a motorist actually shout at me to "share the road," I can see how this rings very true.

*Image from Bike Delaware

In fact, last year, Bike Delaware decided to discontinue the use of "Share the Road" altogether and instead opted to use the signs indicated above instead. I think these choices convey a message that is clear, whereas, Share the Road does not necessarily work in quite the same manner. In my personal experience, some motorists take "Share the Road" to mean, "Get off MY road," or "Stay over there in the gutter."

A couple of months ago, I was out traversing local roads and found myself out wandering some I hadn't traveled in quite some time. I noticed something immediately as I turned one of the corners - this sign:

I certainly understand that those on a bicycle and those traveling in a motorized vehicle share the same responsibilities/rules of the road. This sign however, caused a bit of agitation for me. In my opinion, the sign seems to be aimed more at cyclists than cars and reinforces the idea that many motorists hold on to... that bicycles are merely an inconvenience and if cyclists are in their way, it is completely in their right to harass those on a bike.

As can be seen in the photo above, this particular road doesn't really have a gutter or a bike lane, so obviously those on two wheels are more than likely going to travel in the lane. To be fair, this road is traveled quite regularly by cyclists which means that they probably, at least at times, ride two abreast in the lane. Regardless, the road (other than summer weekends) is not heavily traveled by motorized traffic, making this sign seem like something put up to tell cyclists that they need to stay out of the way of automobiles. In my opinion, I think the actual picture above the wording conveys a message that both motorists and cyclists use the road, but by adding the extra signage in the form of the statement below the picture, it comes across to me as more of a message to those riding a bike.

What do you think? Is this sign one that reads as one intended for both motorists and cyclists (as the picture above the wording indicates), or does this seem like more of a rant toward those on a bike? What about the Share the Road message? Do you think it works in regard to getting the message out to motorists that bicycles can use the full lane at his/her discretion?

Cycling on roadways: How to spread the "Rules of the Road?"

The other day, I was in a vehicle with a couple of friends and somehow bicycles came up as a topic of conversation (shocking, with me in the car, I know). Anyway, neither of these two lovely ladies ride - or at least not very often, and it's always interesting to hear the perspective of those who don't ride a bike versus those who do. The conversation turned at one point and one of these friends said, "Some cyclists just think they own the road. They're just rude." Of course, being the snarky gal I am, I had to say, "Yes, and some drivers are rude." I said it as a joke to lighten what seemed to be on the verge of turning into an argument, but I wasn't really kidding. There are rude drivers AND there are rude cyclists. In fact, there are lots of inconsiderate people in every day life, and it may have absolutely nothing to do with their mode of transportation.

We continued to talk and they both stated that they dislike it when cyclists ride on the sidewalk, particularly when traveling on the "wrong side" of the street. I agreed that it is not the safest place for a cyclist to be, but here in Colorado, unless stated otherwise, it is legal to ride on the sidewalks.  They had a couple of other complaints about cyclists and the things they do on the road, and I had to point out some laws that they weren't completely aware of when it comes to riding and driving on the road.  I have found that sometimes I am expected to be the representative for all people traveling via bike, and honestly, I'm not exactly comfortable with that role; however, I also don't like to hear drivers say things that don't actually coincide with the law. I'm always amazed at how many people don't know the rules of the road.

A sharrow indicates that cars and bikes share the lane of travel (on the left) vs the bike lane indicated to the right of the photo above
*Image found here

As we continued to chat, I wondered (as many others have over the years) how to get this information out in mass to drivers without coming across as just another a$$hole cyclist, or as a holier-than-thou sort of rant because that is never my goal. As both a driver and a cyclist, I do my best to be aware of everyone out on the roads. Sure, I have bad days, and perhaps I do a random stupid thing once in awhile, but I always try to be safe and have patience with everyone on the roadways.

Some days are better than others. For example, when riding home from a kickboxing class recently, I pulled up to the middle front of the lane at a signal so that those who were turning right could do so when safe. Apparently, the car behind me (who was going straight across, as I was, and had to sit and wait for the light to turn green, just as I was) didn't like this and decided to honk and rev his engine behind me. Mind you, I'm in a residential neighborhood with children playing in yards, people out walking, and so on. When the light turned green, I mashed my pedals to get going (it was on a slight uphill) and started moving to the right where the bike lane began on the other side of the signal, but before I could get there, he squealed his tires and raced around me. When I'm on my bike, it's not my goal to piss off all the drivers on the road; just as when I'm driving, I have no desire to run pedestrians or cyclists off the road. As corny as it sounds, can't we all just get along?

The reality is, however, I had the right (and really, the responsibility) to be where I was so as to not impede traffic. Too many times I have stayed to the right and had someone in a car come around me on the left to try to make a right hand turn, only to have the light turn green. Then, I'm being cut off by the car trying to go right when I'm attempting to go straight. It's just not worth the potential danger, and it's a lot easier to just ride like a car. The quick video shown above is hardly all-inclusive, but it's a nice reminder to everyone that cyclists are vehicles and should ride as such. What I dislike about the video is that it's aimed specifically at cyclists rather than both cyclists and drivers. While there are often cyclists who don't know the rules of the road, I find that drivers are often confused when a bike rider takes his/her spot in a lane.

In Colorado, these are some of the most common things I have heard or read drivers complaining about when it comes to cyclists, so I thought it might be nice to share them here. Colorado statutes for bicycles can be found by clicking here, or here, and there are some quick cycling tips here, but I thought it was worthwhile to pick a few to put here specifically.

Bike signals * Image found here

1. A bicyclists may use a lane other than the right-hand lane when:
a. Preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private roadway or driveway (heads up drivers - that means a cyclist has every right to be in the left hand turn lane to make a left turn);
b. Overtaking a slower vehicle; or
c. Taking reasonably necessary precautions to avoid hazards or road conditions.

2. A bicyclist shall not be expected or required to:
a. Ride over or through hazards at the edge of a roadway (this means, as a cyclist, I may have to come out into the lane), including but not limited to fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or narrow lanes; or
b. Ride without a reasonable safety margin on the right-hand side of the roadway.

3. Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding bicycles two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane.

One thing to also point out is that it is the cyclist, not the driver who decides what is an unsafe condition.  Above all, I think drivers tend to forget that a cyclist is at a disadvantage when it comes to size/weight. When a driver behaves unsafely, s/he is driving a several ton piece of machinery designed to go at much higher speeds than a bicycle. Hitting a cyclist, even at slow speeds can do some very serious damage (perhaps even kill him/her). The blog author of Cyclecious, sadly, has frequent reports of drivers hitting cyclists - and it rarely turns out well for those on a bike.

So, dear readers... how do we get the word out to those who aren't likely to seek out this information? How do we get safety across as a message of cooperation rather than using it as a tool for argument? A lot of us choose to use the method of riding responsibly ourselves - a model of "do as I do," but that really doesn't educate drivers who insist that a bicycle shouldn't be on the road at all. A quick search of the web turns up a slew of anti-cyclist rants/blogs (of which I will not link to because some of them are just flat out scary and I don't want to encourage bad behavior), and Tom Stafford wrote an interesting article for the BBC recently on why motorists have such disdain for bike riders, but none of these things seem to really help the situation. I don't want to ask how to "educate motorists" because it comes off as prissy and elitist (I think), but there must be a way to get information to everyone who uses the road without it turning into a ridiculous argument that doesn't help anyone. Suggestions? Thoughts? I'd love to hear.

In the meantime, I continue on, attempting to be a "representative" (at least among the people I know) of all cyclists - hoping that I don't anger the drivers even more.