Ya, there are some crazys out there and
always will be. We even have been shot at. And with txting the
close calls happen even more.
I do understand why some drivers hate
cyclist so much…. For all the stop signs and lights we blow
through.
I ride on Tramway almost every weekend and
watch many cyclists, novice and team riders run many lights. I
have seen drivers throw their hands in the air as the cyclist
blow right through. Many times you can tell the rider is
trying to get in their AT workout and on record pace and don’t
want to stop. It looks so bad as 20 cars are waiting at the
light and the cyclist just keeps on rolling. The other
maneuver is the, “light turns red and you take a quick right,
cross the street, take a left then another right to keep on
going. Some hide it better than others (you have to go up the
street a little further)
The other spot is Constitution an Chelwood
as many riders scream through there as cars are approaching as
they know the car has to stop.
As we all know it only takes a few cyclist
riding poorly and we all get the bad wrap.
AND YES, I have run a few stop signs in my
past…. I always felt a little guilty…. Now I try to ride so
cars don’t have a reason to hate me.
I’m all for the Close Call Database as long
as we are rider better and obeying all the laws ourselves.
J
My experience is there
are way too many drivers who want to punish bicyclists for
being on “their” road by swerving in front of me or
driving dangerously close when passing. You have likely
experienced the same driver harassment and endangerment.
The close call database seems like one tool for
punishing drivers who harass and endanger bicyclists with
driving behavior. Read more about it by clicking on the
Close Call Database link below.
From VeloNews:
“I was riding one day, and police were out in the town of
Hygiene, Colorado ticketing cyclists that didn’t come to a complete stop at an intersection.
They ticketed some cyclists that came to a stop, but didn’t put their foot down. I didn’t
get a ticket and was enjoying my ride. About three miles
later, an RV swerved two feet inside the white line at 60
mph and nearly killed me. I could see the driver laughing in
the side mirror. That’s when I had the first epiphany that
led to the database. The police were doing a great job of
protecting cars from cyclists, but it was the cyclists, not
the cars, that needed protection.”
Boulder cyclist and software developer Ernest Ezis was
writing to tell me about the close call that led to the
creation of his “Close
Call Database.” The RV driver was making a blatant
“punishment pass.” The entire point is to shave it as close to
the cyclist as the driver can, to teach the cyclist a lesson
for riding on “their” road and being in “their way.” In this
case, the RV driver went out of his way to shave it as close
as he could.