yeah, that is seriously messed up. It is my opinion that in order to qualify for a drivers license everyone should have to take a personality profile with a registered psychiatrist. Those with over aggressive tendencies would be denied. IQ tests should also be mandatory.
Considering the last few times I have heard of bikes in the news and the drivers going out of their way to hit them, that statement isn’t too off the mark.
Because it’s true. Sometimes I think drivers just hate us on a subconscious level – I can’t explain the indignities I tolerate daily at the hands of inadequate, frustrated drivers.
Every time I get someone pass me too closely or driver aggressively, I remember this gem:
Highway code suggests that three feet is the minimum clearance that should be given to a cyclist when overtaking. The average erect penis is 6.16″. So the recommended clearance is about 6 penis lengths.
Assuming the male drivers use their own penis as a reference – it is safe to assume that the clearance given is 6 x the size of the driver’s penis!
I had a county sherriff cut me off yesterday … of all people. There is little hope for some of these folks, but the more of us who are out there should hopefully bring some attention to our plight … hopefully.
FredOak,
Around here (Redmond, WA) the worst ones are driving a Prius, or other small hybrid. I get hassled more (close passes, horn blowing, people yelling stuff) from hybrid drivers than I do from SUV or minivan drivers.
Yes, same here in Seattle. My theory is that the folks driving big trucks in my area are often driving them out in the county or up in the mountains, so have learned how to deal with slower traffic (farm equipment, slow vehicles in the mountain passes, horses along the road). Bikes are simply slow traffic to them. But the hybrid owners are filled with self-righteousness and see bikes as engaging in a game of green one-up-manship.
@Tomato: I find the same thing. No issues with people once I get out in the country on the gravel roads. Back routes to the ‘burbs and in town are where I have my biggest issues with cars. No wonder I find myself riding on gravel roads more. Besides, the scenery is better there too.
This will sound counter-intuitive, but I’ve found it to be true: motorists will give you about as much clearance when they pass as you give yourself room on the right. If you’re getting passed too closely, the best thing to do is ride farther to the left. (From the position of the vehicles in today’s strip, it looks as if something else was going on with Yehuda, but it’s relevant to several of the comments.)
When I was a little child I saw a Disney flick starred by Goofy, in which he was a shy, polite person UNTIL he sat in his car. Then he became a scary monster, chasing and screaming at everyone on the road. Good ol’ Walt had it down many decades ago.
For the longest time I’ve felt that the worst drivers are those that get behind the wheel of any white cargo van. Whether it was a conscience or artist choice to make the van white, it still feels like validation to what I’ve been saying for years.
I hereby second Howard’s comment in its entirety. Definitley, the more assertively you take the lane, the less problems you have with motorists, and I don’t think the van people are yelling at Yehuda. I get the impression that this is meant as a bit of a snippet of a view on what goes on in Yehuda’s head. Maybe?
I thought that the white van syndrome was only a London thing. Looks like it’s worldwide!!
I find it quite ironic that in American, the land of Lance Armstrong, and where very popular bikes are made (Specialized, Trek, Cannondale) there is so much intolerance towards cyclists. Worst thing, the UK is catching up..
@ Howard- Yep, I’ve fournd the same thing as well. I also find the more visible I make myself (lights, bright clothing….) the better I am treated by motorists.
@ Donna Frey- White vans are bad, but the worst I’ve found are school busses.
I’m sure the dinosaurs treated the mammals the same way when they too realized their days were numbered and were rather resentful of their impending inevitable extinction.
=v= I read Bloom County reruns online. Today’s rerun is about cheap gas, circa 1986. Note how the very non-Yehuda character makes reference to an “attendant” of some sort: http://www.uclick.com/client/atl/blmd/1986/06/15/
I started bike commuting this year, finally joining the ranks of the weather worn souls I’ve watched for years who brave the roads. I tip my helmet to all of you who have advocated for cycling and fought for bike lanes I can now use. Little by little, drivers will get the message as more of us get on bikes. Gas ain’t gettin’ cheaper any time soon. Keep on waving and smiling at the good drivers. Peace!
I just discovered this today and I love the Yehuda Moon comics. Like some other people have commented (Happier), I first thought that the van driver may be was talking to someone else. But since we cyclists are all experiencing some degree of urban driver aggressiveness and fear, we project our own anger and tend to take these words to be directed to Yehuda. It’s the same back here in France.
i live in wilmington, nc also. i didn’t know about the cyclist who was hit. i don’t do much recreational riding myself, partly because of the traffic here. i ride everywhere i go on pretty safe routes, but i don’t let myself go out for fun rides around here. it seems too dangerous.
I used to be a strident bike commuter. I’ve only done it once since I moved and changed jobs, well, ’cause it’s 40 miles now. But I can say this. The regulars in the cars, the ones that pass you every day, will respect you once the weather turns bad.
I made lots of friends the morning that I rode in, in the snow, with a thirty, erm, twenty-nine pack on the back.
Do ambulance’s count as white cargo vans? In the past week I have been pinched by one, grazed by another from passing too close and almost hit one running a red light… all this with them not having sirens or lights on!
My accident this last winter was a white van that right hooked me while I was traveling in a bike lane. I learned to take the lane when nearing intersections, and usually place myself about where the right tires (left tyres for you Brits) ride on the road. If a car looks like it’s going to crowd me, I move further towards the center. This technique forces them to cross the line into the next lane to pass… thus they pass safely rather than squeezing me. And surprisingly enough, the aggression levels drop also.
I actually tried moving a little more to the left this morning, and except for one idiot who had to turn 20 feet later to get his coffee but still had to buzz me, I was given a lot more room by cagers.
I agree with Howard and the rest completely, and it’s true. If you ride about 2′ to the left of the white line, you will get much more respect from motorists. You will be considered a vehicle, and for the most part, treated like one. True, some people still think they have to “teach us a lesson” and cut back in or pass closely, but most people will change lanes to make the pass. I find that I, too ride in the right hand tire track for best effect.
yeah, that is seriously messed up. It is my opinion that in order to qualify for a drivers license everyone should have to take a personality profile with a registered psychiatrist. Those with over aggressive tendencies would be denied. IQ tests should also be mandatory.
Considering the last few times I have heard of bikes in the news and the drivers going out of their way to hit them, that statement isn’t too off the mark.
becuse they’re just crazy….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4
Awareness! its what its all about!
Because it’s true. Sometimes I think drivers just hate us on a subconscious level – I can’t explain the indignities I tolerate daily at the hands of inadequate, frustrated drivers.
Great comic Rick.
Every time I get someone pass me too closely or driver aggressively, I remember this gem:
Highway code suggests that three feet is the minimum clearance that should be given to a cyclist when overtaking. The average erect penis is 6.16″. So the recommended clearance is about 6 penis lengths.
Assuming the male drivers use their own penis as a reference – it is safe to assume that the clearance given is 6 x the size of the driver’s penis!
It usually puts a smile on my face
@Jan
Any idea how that average was calculated? Just wondering…
I have actually heard statements similar to this from drivers. They are jealous that they need a car to feel superior.
There could be a misunderstanding here: maybe the van driver is not talking to Yehuda but to his wife on a cell phone…
I had a county sherriff cut me off yesterday … of all people. There is little hope for some of these folks, but the more of us who are out there should hopefully bring some attention to our plight … hopefully.
And the worst ones are those in the minivan or SUV
What if I were to put 3′, old fashioned curb feelers on the ends of my straight bars?
FredOak,
Around here (Redmond, WA) the worst ones are driving a Prius, or other small hybrid. I get hassled more (close passes, horn blowing, people yelling stuff) from hybrid drivers than I do from SUV or minivan drivers.
Yes, same here in Seattle. My theory is that the folks driving big trucks in my area are often driving them out in the county or up in the mountains, so have learned how to deal with slower traffic (farm equipment, slow vehicles in the mountain passes, horses along the road). Bikes are simply slow traffic to them. But the hybrid owners are filled with self-righteousness and see bikes as engaging in a game of green one-up-manship.
@Tomato: I find the same thing. No issues with people once I get out in the country on the gravel roads. Back routes to the ‘burbs and in town are where I have my biggest issues with cars. No wonder I find myself riding on gravel roads more. Besides, the scenery is better there too.
Yeah, there’s a lot of stupid sh__s.
Folks-
This will sound counter-intuitive, but I’ve found it to be true: motorists will give you about as much clearance when they pass as you give yourself room on the right. If you’re getting passed too closely, the best thing to do is ride farther to the left. (From the position of the vehicles in today’s strip, it looks as if something else was going on with Yehuda, but it’s relevant to several of the comments.)
When I was a little child I saw a Disney flick starred by Goofy, in which he was a shy, polite person UNTIL he sat in his car. Then he became a scary monster, chasing and screaming at everyone on the road. Good ol’ Walt had it down many decades ago.
For the longest time I’ve felt that the worst drivers are those that get behind the wheel of any white cargo van. Whether it was a conscience or artist choice to make the van white, it still feels like validation to what I’ve been saying for years.
I hereby second Howard’s comment in its entirety. Definitley, the more assertively you take the lane, the less problems you have with motorists, and I don’t think the van people are yelling at Yehuda. I get the impression that this is meant as a bit of a snippet of a view on what goes on in Yehuda’s head. Maybe?
You all are too negative. More likely the van driver has an episode of the Sopranos playing on the DVD player.
If you respond to the world with anger, you are only making yourself unhappy.
@Donny Frey
I thought that the white van syndrome was only a London thing. Looks like it’s worldwide!!
I find it quite ironic that in American, the land of Lance Armstrong, and where very popular bikes are made (Specialized, Trek, Cannondale) there is so much intolerance towards cyclists. Worst thing, the UK is catching up..
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080910/ARTICLES/809100274/1015/news0101&title=Bicyclist_killed_on_River_Road
@ Howard- Yep, I’ve fournd the same thing as well. I also find the more visible I make myself (lights, bright clothing….) the better I am treated by motorists.
@ Donna Frey- White vans are bad, but the worst I’ve found are school busses.
I’m sure the dinosaurs treated the mammals the same way when they too realized their days were numbered and were rather resentful of their impending inevitable extinction.
Not blue, but right front does have a crumple in it. Is this the guy who wacked Fred? Or is this the van that bumped Rick last week?
@ Alex L
@MarkT, I was just thinking the same thing. Different vehicle, but serial cyclist-runner-over-guy.
My comic on the attentiveness of drivers:
http://www.notquitewrong.com/rosscottinc/2008/09/01/the-system/
=v= I read Bloom County reruns online. Today’s rerun is about cheap gas, circa 1986. Note how the very non-Yehuda character makes reference to an “attendant” of some sort:
http://www.uclick.com/client/atl/blmd/1986/06/15/
I started bike commuting this year, finally joining the ranks of the weather worn souls I’ve watched for years who brave the roads. I tip my helmet to all of you who have advocated for cycling and fought for bike lanes I can now use. Little by little, drivers will get the message as more of us get on bikes. Gas ain’t gettin’ cheaper any time soon. Keep on waving and smiling at the good drivers. Peace!
I just discovered this today and I love the Yehuda Moon comics. Like some other people have commented (Happier), I first thought that the van driver may be was talking to someone else. But since we cyclists are all experiencing some degree of urban driver aggressiveness and fear, we project our own anger and tend to take these words to be directed to Yehuda. It’s the same back here in France.
I am the bike ninja.
i live in wilmington, nc also. i didn’t know about the cyclist who was hit. i don’t do much recreational riding myself, partly because of the traffic here. i ride everywhere i go on pretty safe routes, but i don’t let myself go out for fun rides around here. it seems too dangerous.
To be behind the wheel is to be irritated.
Having some sympathy for the addicted.
Okay Bike NinJa, we get it…
http://www.theage.com.au/national/cyclist-fatality-prompts-tourbus-ban-in-city-centre20080918-4jep.html
– So tragic it took a death for this to happen. Removal of the buses was planned, but after years of campaigning, it came too late.
In the meantime, the U.S. auto industry goes to Congress to beg for $25 billion so they can stay in business….
Just a little gem I overheard once:
Harrassed by rednecks?
Promenently display a US flag on your bike/person…
No self respecting redneck will ever run over the flag.
@K’Tesh,
Have you not seen “Easy Rider?”
I used to be a strident bike commuter. I’ve only done it once since I moved and changed jobs, well, ’cause it’s 40 miles now. But I can say this. The regulars in the cars, the ones that pass you every day, will respect you once the weather turns bad.
I made lots of friends the morning that I rode in, in the snow, with a thirty, erm, twenty-nine pack on the back.
He’s still on the Van Sweringen!
@ Donny Frey
Do ambulance’s count as white cargo vans? In the past week I have been pinched by one, grazed by another from passing too close and almost hit one running a red light… all this with them not having sirens or lights on!
My accident this last winter was a white van that right hooked me while I was traveling in a bike lane. I learned to take the lane when nearing intersections, and usually place myself about where the right tires (left tyres for you Brits) ride on the road. If a car looks like it’s going to crowd me, I move further towards the center. This technique forces them to cross the line into the next lane to pass… thus they pass safely rather than squeezing me. And surprisingly enough, the aggression levels drop also.
I actually tried moving a little more to the left this morning, and except for one idiot who had to turn 20 feet later to get his coffee but still had to buzz me, I was given a lot more room by cagers.
@ Urban Bomber
Based on your experiences, ambulance’s would fit into my definition of the white cargo van.
But… The ambulance has to be primarily white and have the body style of a cargo van like Rick has illustrated above.
I agree with Howard and the rest completely, and it’s true. If you ride about 2′ to the left of the white line, you will get much more respect from motorists. You will be considered a vehicle, and for the most part, treated like one. True, some people still think they have to “teach us a lesson” and cut back in or pass closely, but most people will change lanes to make the pass. I find that I, too ride in the right hand tire track for best effect.
Maybe it’s one of those “free candy” vans… just sayin’