PT6A posted:

Had a very lovely commute home today. There were some slow people, there were some fast people, there were some cyclists, there were some pedestrians, but everyone behaved predictably, safely and in a considerate fashion, giving way or stopping when required, driving as if they know where they're going, and it makes me think there is actually some degree of hope for humanity.

Would it kill everyone to just... do this all the loving time? Why is that so difficult? Traffic, even mixed between pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, can work in a very safe and pleasant fashion if we all just pay attention and make good choices.

Olympic Mathlete posted:

Cycled to work yesterday, the route is mostly quiet country lanes then masses of wide roads and a whole bunch of cycle path. 26 mile round trip.

On the way in I decided to cycle along a half mile section of dual carriageway which is a 40mph limit because it's mostly downhill and I can cruise most of it at speed and I pull off it early. It's way past rush hour, traffic is quiet and I know the light pattern means I'm 80% of the way along it before the main lot of cars gets let through anyway. So I set off, I'm going 30mph (29.8 if you want to be precise) and there's been maybe 6 cars pass, all in the other lane because the lane's free and the drivers are obviously looking ahead. But this one prick clearly not paying attention, clearly an angry loving bellend decides that I am obstructing him on a pretty clear piece of road and decides to lay on his horn as he passes me with barely any room despite the other lane being clear. As he passes I can see him pointing to the pavement as if to say that's where I should be.

And this is why a cyclist simply cannot win. If you cycle on the pavement you anger pedestrians because you shouldn't be there and are going too fast. So if you do need to use it you end up going slower than using the road. If you use the road you inconvenience and inspire rage in drivers who only focus on the road directly in front of their car because looking in their mirrors, putting their right foot down and turning the steering wheel is clearly too much effort.

I long to live in a world where cycling is taken seriously and there's actual infrastructure put in place for it so I can avoid pedestrians and drivers alike. Pedestrians whine but drivers are actively dangerous twats who seem incapable of actually driving. Eg; the guy who tried to overtake me on a 90° corner and clattered me with his car. I'm there lying on the road bleeding and he climbs out and the first thing he says is "look what you've done to my car". All because he couldn't wait 5 seconds at best! Just total disregard for human life. "I suppose you want to go to the police station..." yeah no poo poo. If you are in such a hurry to get somewhere the least I can do is ensure you're as late as possible now. So we walk to the police station that's handily 100m away and I stand at the counter visibly shaken, my clothes torn from hitting the ground and bleeding. The police were not interested that he had ran me over. They took our details and about a week later a nice motorbike cop came over, took my statement, called the guy a dangerous twat and said nothing will come of it. 5 years later my left knee which took the brunt of the impact still hurts.

So yes, I would dearly like proper cycle lanes everywhere so I don't get hit by dangerous, aggressive pricks, ones that actually link up and let me get to places without taking miles of detour just to get to the other side of a main road. And maybe traffic light patterns that don't cause me to stop and start constantly. And maybe a functioning justice system that punishes dangerous driving and removes licenses from those who do it.

So this post was about my commute to work. On the way back I had entered a roundabout, saw an i8 on my left coming towards it and just watched as the guy didn't even look to his right to check if anything was coming and just carried on in causing me to jump on the brakes to avoid going through his window.

As bad as you think cyclists are, we are easily maimed bags of meat who in a fight with a car will always come off worse, particularly in an incident where a driver is not paying attention or they're actively trying to hurt us. I can say that my experiences with drivers has been fine overall but I've come up against far too many overly aggressive drivers who decide to pick on me simply because I exist on a bike on a road. Also maybe don't flip out and offer to fight me if you're not going to do it, it makes you look pathetic. I have honestly never felt more dehumanised than when I've been forced to interact with lovely drivers by twist of fate.

Olympic Mathlete posted:

As bad as you think cyclists are, we are easily maimed bags of meat who in a fight with a car will always come off worse, particularly in an incident where a driver is not paying attention or they're actively trying to hurt us.

BOOTY-ADE posted:

While I do agree that your other points are valid, the bolded is why some cyclist behavior is baffling to me. I've had multiple run-ins with cyclists who ignore stop signs/lights, don't pay attention to right of way or just barrel out in the drat street from blind corners without a second thought. You'd think that knowing they'll come off worse in a car vs. bike situation would lead them to be more aware but I've encountered far too many cyclists who think rules don't apply to them because they're not a motorized vehicle, therefore they can do what they want. Personally, I have zero issues with people on bikes who actually pay attention & stay safe, but it's those reckless outliers who assume cars will (or can) stop in time for a cyclist's gently caress up that infuriate me.

Lord Ludikrous posted:

poo poo like this is why when I visit my local bike park I load my bike onto my car and drive there rather than just cycling there. It’s only a couple of miles away, but given the way drivers around here are I’ll be lucky to make it intact.

Enos Cabell posted:

Some road raging rear end in a top hat tried to murder my brother on the interstate this morning. Tailgated him, tried to pass him on the shoulder then came around the other side and rammed him into the concrete dividers in the median. At least the guy took out his own vehicle in the process, and left in handcuffs.

My bros little Fiesta is toast though.

um excuse me posted:

Perp getting an attempted murder charge or what? Guy should be charged with one, then settle for never being able to drive again.

Enos Cabell posted:

Some road raging rear end in a top hat tried to murder my brother on the interstate this morning. Tailgated him, tried to pass him on the shoulder then came around the other side and rammed him into the concrete dividers in the median. At least the guy took out his own vehicle in the process, and left in handcuffs.

My bros little Fiesta is toast though.

um excuse me posted:

You're right this is America. Anything is possible with a litigious enough law firm.

Protocol7 posted:

I love when people feel entitled to do that. Like it really matters that you have this exact spot on the highway. Most of the time when people do that poo poo to prove a point I just pick another lane and move on, eventually leaving them in the rear view mirror.

Was it really worth it?

Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:

In what world is a civil suit related to the DA deciding to prosecute?

GnarlyCharlie4u posted:

DA = defense attorney. That would be the rear end in a top hat's attorney. They do not decide to prosecute, that would be the Prosecutor.
Civil suit wasn't mentioned.

I think the point made was that if you have a good enough defense lawyer you can get away with attempted murder.

um excuse me posted:

You're right this is America. Anything is possible with a litigious enough law firm.

um excuse me posted:

Perp getting an attempted murder charge or what? Guy should be charged with one, then settle for never being able to drive again.

StormDrain posted:

Subaru driver

yamdankee posted:

Flint Ironstag posted:

But brodozers seem to me to be the biggest enemy of everyone else on the road.

xzzy posted:

... it's a disease with no cure.

BOOTY-ADE posted:

You'd be right, everything about them screams "insecurity". Get the biggest truck possible, put dumbass stickers/decals/flags on it, jack it up 5 feet with huge tires on a shoddily built/customized frame with sketchy handling at best, then barrel around town like an rear end in a top hat. They literally have a vehicle that allows them to look down on others because they're whiny, pansy, weak little inbred sister-loving mental handicaps whose family trees are probably a wreath.

redgubbinz posted:

I remember the good ol days when the Hummer H2 was the poster child for small dick compensation, it seems tame in comparison now.

Enos Cabell posted:

Some road raging rear end in a top hat tried to murder my brother on the interstate this morning. Tailgated him, tried to pass him on the shoulder then came around the other side and rammed him into the concrete dividers in the median. At least the guy took out his own vehicle in the process, and left in handcuffs.

My bros little Fiesta is toast though.

PT6A posted:

How did the driver think this was an acceptable loading zone? Were there not many superior options they could have chosen? Could they at least have waited until the pedestrian in the crosswalk had fully crossed the street? Was that driver aware that they are not the only user of the road? So many questions left unanswered....

90s Solo Cup posted:

I hope your bro's doing better and I also hope the rear end in a top hat in question earns a few years in state custody behind that poo poo.

I'm wondering if said rear end in a top hat had insurance.

Enos Cabell posted:

Bro had some bruises and a couple scrapes but a clean bill of health otherwise. His little Fiesta was totalled, and they picked up a new 2020 Kia Forte in a nice shade of blue this past weekend.

Enos Cabell posted:

Bro had some bruises and a couple scrapes but a clean bill of health otherwise. His little Fiesta was totalled, and they picked up a new 2020 Kia Forte in a nice shade of blue this past weekend.

Frustratingly, the other driver isn't going to be charged with anything or be in any real trouble. There were no witnesses or dashcam footage of the incident, and apparently the damage to the two vehicles wasn't enough to prove who hit who. He still got carted off in handcuffs due to an outstanding warrant at least.