Does this bother any one else ?

Discussion in 'The Roadie Hangout' started by Kevin949, Mar 26, 2011.

  1. roach

    roach Full Singletrack Tuck

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    That sign is pretty funny, because nobody's been run-over yet. Pretty sure the humour will be lost once blood is spilled.

    That being said, I drove through Silverado this weekend and took these photos. A big group of riders climbing and taking the whole lane going 5mph. It was lame, I ended up following a local in a not-so-safe pass through the town center. If I lived there I'd be pissed too. Cyclists taking up the road on the way down is cool, but climbing with a big group road hogging at 5mph, is lame.
     

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  2. dacaboose

    dacaboose Nuclear Powered

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    That is the stupidest picture I have seen. This ain't the TDF. I can't imagine ever thinking, "Hey, riding four across would make this climb awesome." Way to give us roadies a great name.
     
  3. Jordansrealm

    Jordansrealm New Member

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    Cyclists are allowed to occupy the far right lane when there is no bike lane available. Share the road. Is it really that tough to go slow for a little while? I didn't think so. When I am mtn biking and I come across a hiker, I don't get all pissed and mad at them for "walking". I wait for an opportunity to pass them and proceed. If we are both on a narrow ST I will sit behind the hiker and wait unless they are kind enough to move over. People need to stop thinking only about themselves and exercise some patience and courtesy.
     
  4. denmother

    denmother Gone riding....

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    Good luck with that. If you figure out how to get people to comply, please share that info with us. ;)
     
  5. dwrads

    dwrads Member

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    That goes for cyclist as well. The cars do wait for a safe chance to pass. Often the roady packs won't do their part to allow safe passing. If you were trying to get home and some group was blocking your way, not even trying to allow you through, what would you think.

    The problems going to be when some caynon resident who's been blocked over and over again, comes across a lone rider and doesn't care how close they come to that person. I've been hit on the elbow a few times by these people when I was riding solo on my street, off the pavement, just because of what has happened to the drivers before.

    Courtesy works both ways.

    DW
     
  6. Rivet

    Rivet Active Member

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    A couple things. first, I know a few of those guys and they aren't going 5mph. In fact I've been on that ride and the front group avarages 18-20mph going up that canyon...guess what the speed limit is, 25mph. Second, there are NO bike lanes and it's really narrow road so taking up the whole road is actually safer since people try to pass when you are on the shoulder and darn near take you out. So a group of riders goes 5mph slower than the speed limit and people freak out, I encountered 4 people driving too slow just on my lunch break, I think I'll bring my Glock to work and kill them next time because they made me a couple minutes late back to work.
     
  7. Falconer

    Falconer Who are you? who who

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    Just what is keeping them from from riding single file? So because there is no bike lane it is better to sprawl out?
    How many minutes should a vehicle driver allow this mob to saunter up the hill? 5-10-15-20 minutes? There are some long climbs in So. Cal. I was into Road Bikes for a few years up in Northern California. The groups or friends i rode with would always
    do climbs in a pace line . It was more efficient and a lot safer then riding four abreast. Riding that close to the center line
    is not a great idea either. I wonder how those same cyclist would feel if on their way back down. A wide vehicle drove down the
    mountain at the same 5 mph just in front of them.
     
  8. Pickettt

    Pickettt New Member

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    Did you take time out of your weekend to photograph any drivers breaking laws or obstructing traffic? If no, then why not?
     
  9. dwrads

    dwrads Member

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    Maybe because no one was driving unsafely or breaking any traffic rules?

    One complaint that crops up out here is that in order to safely get by cyclist, it's necessary to cross the double yellow, which is illegal. Of course I think that's just an excuse, I always cross the double yellow when passing pedestrians and bicycles.

    DW
     
  10. robmtnbkr@yahoo.com

    [email protected] robmtnbkr

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    Ride the trails, no chance of becoming someones hood ornament..
     
  11. Manny43

    Manny43 New Member

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    Funny stuff!
     
  12. Jeff Hurricane

    Jeff Hurricane New Member

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    Its amazing how savage us Americans have gotten over the years with anything that may happen to some of us. To turn to attempted murder or murder, because someone cuts you off, takes a little bit more of the road then you'd like or looks at you funny or shouts something, what the hell is this world coming to? I see people do dumb things, either in their cars or on bikes daily...we all just need to let it go!
     
  13. Jordansrealm

    Jordansrealm New Member

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    I agree it must go both ways. I go out of my way to make sure cars and my bike don't mix in favor of them. Not to only be nice but to be safe. I have the utmost respect for vehicles on the road simply because I am much smaller and if we collide, I could die.
     
  14. Pain Freak

    Pain Freak Dead or Alive

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    Roach, why do you feel the need to exaggerate? I'm not a fast rider but there is nothing there that will slow me down to 5 mph and these guys are a lot faster then me. I see nothing wrong with what they are doing. They have a right to the lane and if they are passing which it clearly shows they are, it's perfectly legal. The car/s waiting might get upset but what about the car 100 feet down the road with the guy on the cell phone going 20 mph under the speed limit?
     
  15. CalEpic

    CalEpic member

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    Driving through Silverado Canyon yesterday I was amazed at the bad behavior of many of the cyclists on that road. I can't help but think how they cast all cyclists in a bad light and must take at least part responsibility if they get clipped. Just because we have the right to do something doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do.
     
  16. dwrads

    dwrads Member

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    The guy 100' down the couldn't be on the cell phone since there is no cell service in Silverado. And it would also be unlikely the he's going 20 mph under the speed limit since the speed limit is 25 mph and according to you even the slowest cyclist would be going fatser the 5mph.

    Typically there is a lot of exaggeration in this discussion. Some, I repeat some of the locals are overly upset about the numbers of cyclists who use the canyon for their rides. It's not right but it is helpful to understand their logic. Part of that logic is "not in my back yard" but part is also the liability should a driver hit a cyclist.

    Common sense all around would certainly help. Of course the roady packs don't read this forum and neither do the local drivers....

    DW
     
  17. kioti

    kioti Active Member

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    I don't understand the question.
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    I think the only way a driver would accidentally hit a cyclist would be if the rider came flying down the canyon and crossed the center line on a blind curve. Otherwise, its mostly a matter of sharing the road. The canyons are beautiful and people want to enjoy them. Thats why people live there, and why others recreate there. The good news for local residents is that we're only asking to share a public road, not take over their homes at night.

    When I'm riding on the road, I have to think of my own safety first. So I take the initiative to 'take the lane' when the road is narrow and two-way traffic is possible. That protects me AND the driver who's thinking about passing on a blind turn and ends up in a head-on with an unseen car or rider. Once there's a clear view up the road, I'll move to the right and wave the car around me, thanking them for their patience.

    The other reason to take the lane is to keep from getting squeezed on a narrow road with vehicles going in both directions and no room for the cyclist. There are many such places in Silverado. Its too bad people built so close to the road, because a bike lane would solve most of the problem. But again, people love the canyons and are willing to live within inches of a narrow strip of pavement to be there.. and those of us on bikes are willing to risk our lives to spend a few minutes there.
     
  18. ridetillitburns

    ridetillitburns Member

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    That sign would bother anyone that rides a bike!!
     
  19. dwrads

    dwrads Member

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    Most of the houses along the road were built in the 1920s or earlier. Back then it was a one lane dirt road. I wish there could be room for a bike lane but it's never going to happen. No one likes living inches from the pavement. Especially now that it's paved and has traffic lanes in both directions. Many visiters drive way to fast and so do a lot of locals. What you do taking and then giving the lane when it's safe makes sense to me and I wish the drivers understood.

    Everybody needs to undersatnd the limitations of the road and ride and drive accordingly, not just wish it was different. The only change that could happpen is to resitict bicycles. That's what the anti bike folks are trying to do.

    That movement started right after the fires when there was a residents only sign at the entrance to the canyon for almost 2 years. This sign was completely ignored by the packs of cyclist. That along with the sign installed by the Warriors Society announcing that the Vision Quest ride would happen even after the fires. This sign went up while the residents were still locked out of their homes for the fire closure. How did the WS get access to the canyon to put up that sign? There were a lot of residents that were pissed about that. Someone in the canyon defaced that sign, many thought it was local mountain bikers but that was not the case. That was the begining of the anti cyclist movement in the canyon. Though I'm sure those folks were just looking for any excuse. It only takes a few to stir up trouble, and unfortunatly some of the residents do just that.


    DW
     
  20. Pain Freak

    Pain Freak Dead or Alive

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    I've got to think that if it was really this bad, why haven't the authorities been involved? There are some rude people on bikes and they might need to get a ticket to get a wake up call but the vast majority are law abiding cyclists, not roadies, not mountain bikers we are cyclists.
     

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