Cyclists: Share the Road!
You’ve heard the saying, “Share the Road.” Well, it goes both ways: cyclists, listen up, you need to share the road with cars, too. Or someone is gonna get killed, and it won’t be the person shielded by thousands of pounds of metal. I swear, some of you are so rude, it’s almost as if you are asking to get hit. if you’re not careful, one day someone is going to oblige.
I drove into Edna Valley yesterday, going to pick up some wine at one of our great wineries. Those roads, particularly Orcutt Road, get a lot of cyclists. And I can see why, it’s absolutely gorgeous and the roads are not particularly crowded. However, they are very narrow, two-lane roads with no real bike lane to speak of. There is plenty of room, though, for a single rider or a group of riders if they ride single file, and one car. If two cars traveling in different directions met where a cyclist is, there is barely enough room and one of the cars almost always kindly waits until the other passes.
Most often there are at least two of them riding together. They are almost always riding two up, alongside each other, which I understand when no cars are near. As I approach, the smart ones adjust to single file so I can safely pass. But then there are the assholes, the cocky ones that think they are Lance Armstrong. I know they can hear cars and see them in their little rear view mirrors on their helmets (I know, because I, too, used to ride). They won’t budge. So I drive over into the oncoming traffic lane to give them some clearance. And, if another car comes from the other direction and I can’t do that, I wait behind them until I can pass. I roll down my window and and yell “single file!” as I pass, and of course, they yell back pompously telling me to “share the road.”
The speed on Orcutt Road is 55 mph. There are drivers on the road who have been wine tasting, sometimes a lot. And you’ve got tractors and farm trucks causing lots of passing and frustration. This is not a good mix for self-centered idiots on bikes feeling greenly superior. Someone is going to make a mistake, or someone is going to get mad and do something crazy one of these times.
Bikes need to share the road with cars.
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I AGREE
I travel Old Creek in cayucos several times a week…and usually try to leave 15 minutes early because it is almost a given I will encounter a pack of cyclists on this two lane NO shoulder windy HILLY road. These cyclists ride off to the right but not as far as they could.( I guess to avoid tire popping road debri)..BUT Just enough to prevent me from passing safely….SINCE I cannot usually see what is coming around the corner. SO i am always stuck behind these guys who refuse to move over and it takes me forever to travel this road….I stay far enough behind them so its not like I am Pissing them off….I am just being courteous and hoping they will move over…they will actually look over their shoulders at me…and start drinking out of their water bottles…..I JUST do not get it….I will share the road…its the law….BUT why do they make it so diffucult for us to want to?? Why be so obnoxious about it….
Big deal. We all have stories about inconsiderate cyclists as well as motorists. Yelling at a cyclist (or motorist) really helps solve the problem, doesn’t it? In LA people resolve their driving conflicts with handguns. Is this the way you want to see these conflicts go?
The majority of Orcutt is too narrow to cycle with much confidence. I ride it occasionally, I commute on a small section of it regularly. Even some of the sections that are marked as “bike lanes” are well below a safe width, and a rider must on occasion ride in the vehicle lanes to avoid debris, parked cars, opening doors, slower cyclists, etc. If you want to get an appreciation for what safe cycling involves, I highly recommend taking one of the safety courses offered sponsored by the local SLO County Bike Coalition. I did so recently, and learned how to ride more respectfully and more safely. A key part of this is to train the cyclist to think more like a car driver. Ride where it’s safe (about 5 ft away from parked cars. Do not weave in and out but ride in a predictable, straight line. Stay visible. Signal your intentions. Look before merging. Move to the side of the traffic lane you need to turn from prior to nearing the intersection.
While vehicle training is mandatory when you first get a license (and it’s not a very vigorous test), cycle safety training is not required at all. But it should be strongly encouraged. How about periodic behind-the-wheel testing, say at age 50, 60, 70?
Better yet, how about cultivating a little patience for your fellow road user, and wave to them when you pass, just to remind them that you’re there too. No need to get upset. Life is short. Enjoy the journey.
i used to live on hwy1 in cayucos. i would just sit in my front yard and throw beer bottles at bike riders. i hate them. And their ridiculous outfits. yes, i see you. you don’t need to be wearing neon yellow in the middle of the day.
I had a nasty bike lady follow me just so she could scream that I scared her 9 yr old child while the kid road down the middle of the street (yes, on the center line!). I waited for the kid to move over, one way or the other, and finally had to honk my horn due to traffic behind me. Did she correct the kid for riding the bike foolishly? No. The bike mom (who regards herself as somewhat of a local authority on childrens biking) blasted me for my bad driving and even went to far as to degrade my choice of vehicle type! She voiced over & over again how bicycles have the right of way. I wonder how she’ll ever explain that to her kid when they bury her child when he finally gets mowed down. Bikes may have the right of way but cars will win the argument every time. Now go and teach that to all the kids!!!