Bike Haters

My rant for the day:
Sorry but I ride on the road. I'm due the same respect you'd give anything else on the road. I pay plenty in taxes and I'm Sick and Tired of Ignorant Morons who swerve, yell or do anything else that might inhibit my ride. We Cyclists have the same right to the road that you have!
I'm so over the Me First mentality in this Country. Get over yourself... we all end up as dust.
So Hey Mister I'm so PO"D on a Monday at 7:10am that your crappy little black car cost less than someone's bike please check the rules of the road, become Human and respect other people. And if that's too much ask then I'll see ya again I'm sure and next time we can chat about your personality disorder. PEACE OUT

I couldn't resist the urge to comment. You are absolutely right but to be fair I want to point out that no matter what vehicle you drive slower traffic is obligated to yeild to faster traffic (within legal limits, of course). Many bikers seem to think they have a special right to the road. This is not true. we all have to share. So, how about bikers and car drivers all take a chill pill and try to get along

I rarely have a problem w/ cars yelling at me or being deliberately rude etc. when I am riding my bike (though I do get honked at/yelled at by people I know 😀).

And while I do sometimes see drivers being rude to bikers, I FREQUENTLY see behavior from bikers (blowing stop signs, hogging the road etc.) that makes my sympathy level very low.

As I understand the law, and I can be wrong, but vehicles are to move to the left and bikes are to move to the right, unfortunately there are many cyclist who don't/ won't do that. Then there are those who do not think stop signs or traffic light apply to them. Thats my rant, stay in the bike lane and obey the same laws I have to and maybe we could all live in peace.

I am not a cyclist, but I do move over when I meet one on the road. However, can't they ride on the multi-use path? Isn't that what it is there for? Yeah, it might be inconvenient to the rider, but it sounds a lot safer, especially on roads where there is no bike lane.

I am not a cyclist, but I do move over when I meet one on the road. However, can't they ride on the multi-use path? Isn't that what it is there for? Yeah, it might be inconvenient to the rider, but it sounds a lot safer, especially on roads where there is no bike lane.

It's a personal preference. Many serious bikers prefer to ride on the road for a variety of reasons (and many not so serious path users also like them to do this).

It's normally not such a big deal, but the roads here don't have the necessary width to accommodate cars & bikes...................and IMO neither bikers nor drivers are willing to make the tiny adjustments that would allow both to coexist peacefully. Both groups are too focused on "rights" rather than "courtesy". :roll:

:lolabove::lolabove:

That's hitting the nail on the head.

The multi-use path is fine for fat tired cruisers and such, but the road bikes with lighter, more delicate frames and skinny tires, get destroyed on the path. It's too bumpy and loaded with tire-busting trash, and besides, even if the path were clean, folks on the path are moseying along way too slow while the road bikers are going for steady speed. The road is necessary for that kind of cycling, and I have not found it to be too great an inconvenience to show a little human kindness when I come upon cyclists on the road by moving over, slowing down, whatever.

I don't understand what could make anyone so busy or mean spirited that they would act violently or threaten violence to someone who's just riding a bike. (Share the road!) And so what if they don't stop at stop signs, even if it's the law? It's a lot easier to stop and start again in a car than on a bike. Is anyone here really THAT important or busy or special that they can'ti yield a few seconds here and there for safety and courtesy?

My husband and sons ride road bikes on 30A and 98 and the connectors, and I ask everyone here who acts out with vehicular threats and violence towards cyclists to PLEASE rethink this behavior. Those folks you're getting mad at might be the three people nearest and dearest to me in all the world. Please be sweet to my babies.

I've spoken up on this issue before but will re-iterate that riding a road bike at 10-25 mph on the multi use path is dangerous to all concerned. Do you want your toddler on a trike to collide with an adult going fast? Multi use crosses back and forth across 30A making it very difficult to maintain a constant speed if you are always having to stop, cross, start over.
The shoulder on 30A is not good. There is no place to go on the right of the fog line except into broken pavement and sand which is a recipe for a car on bike masacre. SHARE THE ROAD means both cyclists and motorists need to be considerate. As a cyclist nothing ticks me off more than a bad cyclist, they make it difficult for all of us when they hog the road, blow stops signs or fail to signal.
Being scraped by passing cars or shoved off into the sand and gravel by a motorist makes me more angry. I like my limbs attached the way they are.

Single File Please

Hey!...I understand "Tour-De-Funiak" class riders feel the need to use the roadway...However, "consideration" works BOTH WAYS. Sunday morning westbound between Watersound & Deer Lake Park eight riders of mixed gender in Lance Armstrong clothing but without Lance Armstrong speed were bunched up and loping along at a leisurely pace and lacked the consideration to fall into single file even though it was readily apparent there was traffic behind them....SO, stop whining constantly that you know the rules of the road,...and start practicing them. Lance Armstrong clothing isn't merely a license to leave the bike path. You want to talk,..park ! You want to ride,...single file !

The multi-use path is fine for fat tired cruisers and such

I know you meant the bicycles and not the riders, right? :floor:

I saw that same pack further west and they were two abreast. and today, I heard the same thing about the destin bike shop pack this weekend, using the entire roadway on 30A. The law indicates that a bicyclist gets three feet clearance, but anyone dressed in the regalia and traveling as a pack, should know biking etiquette. Just because you're slower doesn't mean you control the road.

Both groups are too focused on "rights" rather than "courtesy". :roll:

That debate couldn't be framed any better than by your obsevation. With a little common sense and courtesy, Scenic 30A can be shared reasonably among Cars/Trucks/SUVs/LSV's and Cyclists alike.

Is anyone here really THAT important or busy or special that they can'ti yield a few seconds here and there for safety and courtesy?

ummm... i could refer you to some earlier discussions, where people felt they were that busy. Many were irate at the suggestion that confomring Low Speed Vehicles on 30A (i.e. 25-35MPH) be allowed to use the remaining 15% or so of 30A they currently cannot (like the 1 mile stretch at Watersound) because the remaining couple sections are posted 45MPH and therefore LSV's aren't by law able to travel on the tiny stretches that currently acts as a LEGAL barricade between Rosemary/Alys/Seacrest/Watersound on the one hand, and Seagrove/Seaside/Watercolor/Grayton on the other.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that Barricade. or the Friends of 30 A... or someone.

Who's Mr. Gorbachev?

I have never EVER biked in a place more unfriendly to cyclists than SoWal. What amazes me is all the stuff I read about folks down here being more enlightened about the environment, health, peace, love and happiness. ALL of that is thrown under the tires of their SUV's when their 5 minute commute to the liquor store, beer store, restaurant, beach, or work is delayed 10 seconds because they had to "swerve" to miss a bike. Flame on!

ummm... i could refer you to some earlier discussions, where people felt they were that busy. Many were irate at the suggestion that confomring Low Speed Vehicles on 30A (i.e. 25-35MPH) be allowed to use the remaining 15% or so of 30A they currently cannot (like the 1 mile stretch at Watersound) because the remaining couple sections are posted 45MPH and therefore LSV's aren't by law able to travel on the tiny stretches that currently acts as a LEGAL barricade between Rosemary/Alys/Seacrest/Watersound on the one hand, and Seagrove/Seaside/Watercolor/Grayton on the other.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that Barricade. or the Friends of 30 A... or someone.

When it's already pretty well documented that bikers, automobile drivers, and pedestrians are having a bit of a problem being courteous and cooperative on this highway, doesn't it seem just a little bit insane to add another incompatible mode of transport?

IMHO the same problems occur along 30A as they do here in cold, rainy, winter gloomy Memphis. Bikes here as well as elsewhere are a growing mode of transportation and demand use of the streets and highways as never before. Here we are trying to bring bike lanes into a reality so the daily confrontation between bikes and cars will be lessened BUT only when bike riders begin to apply the same common sense to their riding habits as car drivers must to their vehicles and it doesn't matter whether that car is going to the grocery, the beach, or the candlestick maker. Single file bike riding, awareness of vehicular traffic waiting patiently or impatiently behind you, observing ALL traffic laws and rules, and everyone being a bit more courteous toward one another. Maybe restrict bike traffic on 30A for certain hours and/or days, after all that is one helluva congested two lane road most of the year. Just saying........

I have seen plenty of rude on both sides as well. Not so much from solo cyclists, but from the groups. Riding in single file would be the safest for everyone. I do not speed on 30-a and in my truck I am often hassled by drivers behind me wanting to blast thru seagrove at 55. There are many rude drivers on the road, and for your own safety you cyclists should ride very defensively. Remember spring break is just around the corner, and those people tend to be rotten drivers and rude as well.
I would not be opposed to some of the 50 or so cop cars I see on 30-a daily setting up a few speed traps here and there. They could also ticket cyclists who do not share the road and the seaside non-looking jay walkers.
Enjoy your time moving through paradise, but be considerate no matter how you are rolling down the road.

ummm... i could refer you to some earlier discussions, where people felt they were that busy. Many were irate at the suggestion that confomring Low Speed Vehicles on 30A (i.e. 25-35MPH) be allowed to use the remaining 15% or so of 30A they currently cannot (like the 1 mile stretch at Watersound) because the remaining couple sections are posted 45MPH and therefore LSV's aren't by law able to travel on the tiny stretches that currently acts as a LEGAL barricade between Rosemary/Alys/Seacrest/Watersound on the one hand, and Seagrove/Seaside/Watercolor/Grayton on the other.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that Barricade. or the Friends of 30 A... or someone.

holy crap! you couldn't resist could you? This has nothing to do with LSV's, yet here you are talking about them again. Oh well, at least it made me laugh a little.



I think that scooter is right. We live in a community. We should be more concerned about the safety of the individual than who is right or wrong.