Drivers! Stop being so nice.
I’m now regularly cycling to work again and these friendly drivers are going to be the death of me.
One of my biggest pet peeves as a cyclist is the friendly driver. Not the ones that look out for cyclists and don’t hit them. I’m talking about the ones that break traffic laws to do me a “favour”.
Like the guy that was making a left into the Creo driveway as I was coming out and waiting to make my own left across 2 lanes of traffic. He stops and waves me through. So, shaking my head, I start across the street, thinking he’s holding up the traffic behind him (which usually happens when a car turns into the driveway). However, he was a little further back than usual and the cars could pass him on the right. The cars didn’t start passing until I was half-way across the street and committed to the turn — I was in a bad spot. Luckily the passing car stopped for me but it could have gone the other way.
June 10th, 2005 at 4:54 am
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Bike paths are a barometer of civilization, and on that score I live in one of the most civilized places on earth. So happy that Rovaniemi will be making a new bike path through the city centre as part of their urban renewal project to ease my downtown touring. And I can enjoy them all in my new city bike (except in black, not day-glo yellow).
But you keep on doing your thing on the mean streets of Vancouver.
June 10th, 2005 at 6:46 am
Is that a 1-speed? I guess Rovaniemi is pretty flat…
Vancouver’s network of bike routes (shared road space, not dedicated paths) is growing and it’s quite good and low-risk. The problem, of course, is in the interfaces between these routes and the busier streets. If they would only build a bike route directly from my home to every possible destination…
June 10th, 2005 at 7:13 am
Yes, the friendly driver was also my biggest pet peeve when I was cycling in Vancouver. When everyone follows the rules, there’s no room (ok, less room) for confusion/death.
Nice bike Scott. At least your dress won’t get caught up in the chain….
June 10th, 2005 at 7:48 am
Yeah, one day when I was assuming the worst of drivers, I was going way too fast (my fault) behind a driver who wanted to turn right. Assuming he didn’t notice me, I moved behind him and waited for him to get out of the way. Well, he wasn’t overly nice. He did what he should have, which was to stop and wait until I had passed before turning. He didn’t know that I assumed he wouldn’t and I slammed full-force into the back of his truck. I dented it too. But my bike itself took no damage. The way the helmet straps cut into my neck (I had to get stitches) proved that I dented his car with my head.
June 10th, 2005 at 2:52 pm
heheh, good thing you have a hard head
Ah, Jay, you’ve hit upon my pet driving peeve in this city. The Friendly Driver. The Friendly Drivers are not just a hazard to bikers, they are a hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles. There are rules for a reason, people! Stopping at a side street to let somebody in when they would just have to wait a few more seconds, is just plain stupid. The people/bikes/cars around the friendly driver have no idea what the FC is thinking when the FD does things like that. There are driving rules so that the people/bikes/other drivers don’t have to mind-read.
Rules and people who followed them. Just another reason I loved growing up military
June 11th, 2005 at 7:19 am
Yep, it’s a 1-speed, and yep it’s a ladies. But it’s damn comfy and convenient, and I’m comfortable enough in my metrosexual masculinity to pull it off. Rovaniemi is basically flat, and I still have my mountain bike for going into the hills around the city.
I don’t suppose it’s really fair to compare the traffic in Vancouver with Rovaniemi, being a metropolis of only 35,000 people on the Arctic Circle. Even on the main streets cars and bikes can coexist quite peacefully since there’s rarely too much traffic.
Mind you, my biggest scare on my bike was when I almost hit a moose coming around a turn on one trail. Nearly peed myself when I saw him standing in the middle of the trail. I did the sensible thing and drove into the bushes.