Wouldn’t it be LEAPFROG? Or Hopscotch if he is filtering up at each stoplight instead of taking his spot in the lane. I play bus leapfrog on my commute all the time. A stopped bus is fair game to pass… Sometimes they sit for quite a while to get on schedule with their route time points. I usually win getting downtown first.
“…filtering up at each stoplight instead of taking his spot in the lane.”
That, in a nutshell, is why a lot of motorists get irked at cyclists…because we are able to flout the rules of the road in that manner by picking and threading our way through stalled traffic like that. We (the collective we, that is) claim our right to the road with the refrain that “we are traffic too”, but then in situations like that depicted above will operate under an entirely different set of rules that permits, if not even encourages, actions — such as riding between lanes of vehicles; switching from street to sidewalk; short-cutting through parking lots; etc. — that people in “real traffic” (i.e., a motor vehicle) will never be able to emulate.
I’m don’t mean to debate whether or not this is correct; I just intend to point out that this is the way it is.
When the situation is reversed, do the cars patiently wait in line an not pass the bicycle? I have cars pass me on blind corners with double yellow lines when I am doing 20 mph. They pass me 50 feet before a stop sign just so they can turn in front of me. I have even had them yell at me for being in the road when I do share the lane. If the traffic is totally stopped, I don’t feel any obligation to sit and smell thier exhaust fumes and I take the shoulder. That said, if it is stop and go and I will only pass one or two cars per stop light, I usually suck it up and blend in.
No way! I forgot to add to my other reply, another point I think about, I’m on that bike to make up for the damn fumes you lazy idling drivers are pumping into the air. For you, your children, and all of us, I’m doing it the hard way. Every damn inch comes out my inner furnace. I don’t just lightly press a pedal and move forward, I WORK for every mile. That gives me certain privileges to make up for the hard work and discomfort I endure to help save YOUR planet, mr. oblivious driver. Those privileges include executing a pedestrian left turn at my convenience, filtering up through traffic at every light, and suddenly taking off across lawns, boulevards, parks, parking lots, or anything else I think safely offers a shortcut.
Cheat the rules. Oh really. I know, it’s not your opinion, but the opinion frequently stated of non-cyclists. Way I see it, a: those rules were built because of and for motor vehicles. Until then, there were very few rules, most of which covered highway robbery and horse poop. b: I could have ridden my bike downtown just fine without your damn public roads if you’d not gone and built them everywhere in my way, so why should I follow your blasted rules of the road if they don’t suit me? c: I never signed a contract to use those roads or agree to their construction or agreeing to follow your rules, so like the neighborhood cat and the sparrow in the tree, you’ll just have to try and make me. When in a car, I consider the license my agreed contract to follow the rules, more or less. But not on my own two feet nor my bike.
On ‘Top Gear’ they staged a race between a power boat on the Thames, a driver (Stig) on public transport and one in a car.
Richard Hammond rode a fairly standard street bike and kept rigidly to the rules. He still came first in that race across London!
The messengers/couriers etc that keep only their own rules and move as fast as cunning techniques can manage can cut that time down, but not appreciably? Any thing that is moving will get there before something that isn’t. The queing traffic has their radios etc to ease the boredom of waiting.
As for rules – ‘Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men. Douglas Bader.’ From which we can surmise that careful flouting of the rules so that nobody gets hurt is probably okay, yet if anybody is seen to benefit, then jealousy comes into play and many posts/comments have been made detailing stuff that has happened in such cases. For myself, I try to keep the rules and will only bend/break them if I can get nodding consent (or at least, not opposition!) from others who fair not as well as I. Keep smilling y’all….
Not everywhere filtering like that etc is against the law (its actually the majority that allow it) and motorists still get irked at cyclists.
Thus its probably not because we are “flouting” the laws by filtering, its petty jealously.
I’ve seen cars cutting through parking lots and driving on the pavement too! Generally illegal, and usually done at a faster speed (rat runs etc) which are appreciably more dangerous than a bike, I still don’t agree with pavement riding etc, I stick with the traffic and filter.
I have been yelled t by police for taking a lane and the same officer telled at me a month later for filtering…I tracked him down over coffee and asked him what it was he expected me to do since riding on the sidewalk is illegal, he looked at me sheepishly and said ride as safely as you can
That irritates me because the cager does not realize I am the same person he already honked at the past 2 to 4 lights ago. I am like dude I see you already. Everyone knows you are there you don’t have to keep calling attention to yourself.
surely the open road streching out before you is the best motivation? Especially if is its all downhill! (Wishfull thinking most of the time plus theres a headwind but its nice to dream.)
interesting … I once saw a driver post “Don’t make me pass you mare than once” For me this is a good guideline. Where I live there is oftne about 1/2 mile to a mile between lights. When traffic is heavy I can pass a car at the light and then be passed by it a block or two later and then the process repeats itself. Since it’s a pain in the ass for them to get around me and dodge oncoming traffic I prefer to wait at the light unless I know I can put significant distance between us.
Here in metropolitan Winslow we never get to experience the thrill of the game. OTOH, made a Safeway-candy run at about 20:30 last night. Saw about a dozen cars on the road. I love this town. (FWIW, we lived most of our lives in Sandy Eggo and have experience with the traffic games, just prefer not having to play them.)
That “girl” is my age and neither of us turn many heads and we’re both going slowly enough already. However, with my bride by my side on most rides (at least daily) we’re not getting “that” kind of look.
We were visiting Los Angeles last weekend and debating to ride or drive the 13 miles to Santa Monica. We drove–my wife is not a regular biker–and right at the start we noticed a biker hopscotching with us. We lost track of him, and THEN, as we were stuck in traffic two blocks before our destination, he hurdles on by and beats us to the pier! Bravo!
I find messengers/carriers could improve their riding tremendously. I follow the road rules far more than they do and go about the same speed when I’m just cruising on my 30lbs Raleigh simply because they make unnecessary maneuvers that slow them down/ they lack the patience to time the lights. I find it far safer and more efficient to just continue in the shoulder the majority of the time (I do take the lane at times for my own safety.
If I’m late to a mandatory class my riding changes… I bust out my racing bike and switch to “carlike mode” and ride in the lanes like a car when the cars are at higher speeds (30mph+) to draft and switch to in between lanes when they begin to slow (<28mph). I love the look on a drivers face when I pass them going 30+, technically capable of getting a speeding ticket. (Drafting off cars and busses makes that speed oh so easy, and it is a personal goal of mine to get a speeding citation while riding a bicycle)
do you think its safer to go when the traffic light says so or when there’s no relevant oncoming traffic ?
also consider that despite the messengers bike may be lightweight but their luggage is not.
additionally they eat lots of miles every day and do not invest too much into speed and acceleration. otherwise they’d need way more money to provide their body with the needed food.
I find messengers/carriers could improve their riding tremendously. I follow the road rules far more than they do and go about the same speed when I’m just cruising on my 30lbs Raleigh simply because they make unnecessary maneuvers that slow them down/ they lack the patience to time the lights. I find it far safer and more efficient to just continue in the shoulder the majority of the time (I do take the lane at times for my own safety.
If I’m late to a mandatory class my riding changes… I bust out my racing bike and switch to “carlike mode” and ride in the lanes like a car when the cars are at higher speeds (30mph+) to draft and switch to in between lanes when they begin to slow (<28mph). I love the look on a drivers face when I pass them going 30+, technically capable of getting a speeding ticket. (Drafting off cars and busses makes that speed oh so easy, and it is a personal goal of mine to get a speeding citation while riding a bicycle)
How would the car keep up, Yehuda?
The extent some people will go to not face reality . . . . . . . .
Wouldn’t it be LEAPFROG? Or Hopscotch if he is filtering up at each stoplight instead of taking his spot in the lane. I play bus leapfrog on my commute all the time. A stopped bus is fair game to pass… Sometimes they sit for quite a while to get on schedule with their route time points. I usually win getting downtown first.
“…filtering up at each stoplight instead of taking his spot in the lane.”
That, in a nutshell, is why a lot of motorists get irked at cyclists…because we are able to flout the rules of the road in that manner by picking and threading our way through stalled traffic like that. We (the collective we, that is) claim our right to the road with the refrain that “we are traffic too”, but then in situations like that depicted above will operate under an entirely different set of rules that permits, if not even encourages, actions — such as riding between lanes of vehicles; switching from street to sidewalk; short-cutting through parking lots; etc. — that people in “real traffic” (i.e., a motor vehicle) will never be able to emulate.
I’m don’t mean to debate whether or not this is correct; I just intend to point out that this is the way it is.
If I’ve been sharing the lane I continue sharing when motor traffic stops. If I’ve been taking the lane I stop when other traffic stops.
When the situation is reversed, do the cars patiently wait in line an not pass the bicycle? I have cars pass me on blind corners with double yellow lines when I am doing 20 mph. They pass me 50 feet before a stop sign just so they can turn in front of me. I have even had them yell at me for being in the road when I do share the lane. If the traffic is totally stopped, I don’t feel any obligation to sit and smell thier exhaust fumes and I take the shoulder. That said, if it is stop and go and I will only pass one or two cars per stop light, I usually suck it up and blend in.
No way! I forgot to add to my other reply, another point I think about, I’m on that bike to make up for the damn fumes you lazy idling drivers are pumping into the air. For you, your children, and all of us, I’m doing it the hard way. Every damn inch comes out my inner furnace. I don’t just lightly press a pedal and move forward, I WORK for every mile. That gives me certain privileges to make up for the hard work and discomfort I endure to help save YOUR planet, mr. oblivious driver. Those privileges include executing a pedestrian left turn at my convenience, filtering up through traffic at every light, and suddenly taking off across lawns, boulevards, parks, parking lots, or anything else I think safely offers a shortcut.
Cheat the rules. Oh really. I know, it’s not your opinion, but the opinion frequently stated of non-cyclists. Way I see it, a: those rules were built because of and for motor vehicles. Until then, there were very few rules, most of which covered highway robbery and horse poop. b: I could have ridden my bike downtown just fine without your damn public roads if you’d not gone and built them everywhere in my way, so why should I follow your blasted rules of the road if they don’t suit me? c: I never signed a contract to use those roads or agree to their construction or agreeing to follow your rules, so like the neighborhood cat and the sparrow in the tree, you’ll just have to try and make me. When in a car, I consider the license my agreed contract to follow the rules, more or less. But not on my own two feet nor my bike.
On ‘Top Gear’ they staged a race between a power boat on the Thames, a driver (Stig) on public transport and one in a car.
Richard Hammond rode a fairly standard street bike and kept rigidly to the rules. He still came first in that race across London!
The messengers/couriers etc that keep only their own rules and move as fast as cunning techniques can manage can cut that time down, but not appreciably? Any thing that is moving will get there before something that isn’t. The queing traffic has their radios etc to ease the boredom of waiting.
As for rules – ‘Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men. Douglas Bader.’
From which we can surmise that careful flouting of the rules so that nobody gets hurt is probably okay, yet if anybody is seen to benefit, then jealousy comes into play and many posts/comments have been made detailing stuff that has happened in such cases.
For myself, I try to keep the rules and will only bend/break them if I can get nodding consent (or at least, not opposition!) from others who fair not as well as I. Keep smilling y’all….
I really like the show and that was one of the best!
Not everywhere filtering like that etc is against the law (its actually the majority that allow it) and motorists still get irked at cyclists.
Thus its probably not because we are “flouting” the laws by filtering, its petty jealously.
I’ve seen cars cutting through parking lots and driving on the pavement too! Generally illegal, and usually done at a faster speed (rat runs etc) which are appreciably more dangerous than a bike, I still don’t agree with pavement riding etc, I stick with the traffic and filter.
I have been yelled t by police for taking a lane and the same officer telled at me a month later for filtering…I tracked him down over coffee and asked him what it was he expected me to do since riding on the sidewalk is illegal, he looked at me sheepishly and said ride as safely as you can
If there is enough space to the right it’s perfectly legal in many places to skip ahead of all the cars but not to ride between the traffic lanes.
Anything but Frogger
Passing the same car over and over is my favorite part of the ride… It motivates me !!!
That irritates me because the cager does not realize I am the same person he already honked at the past 2 to 4 lights ago. I am like dude I see you already. Everyone knows you are there you don’t have to keep calling attention to yourself.
He is trying to call attention to YOU?
surely the open road streching out before you is the best motivation? Especially if is its all downhill! (Wishfull thinking most of the time plus theres a headwind but its nice to dream.)
interesting … I once saw a driver post “Don’t make me pass you mare than once” For me this is a good guideline. Where I live there is oftne about 1/2 mile to a mile between lights. When traffic is heavy I can pass a car at the light and then be passed by it a block or two later and then the process repeats itself. Since it’s a pain in the ass for them to get around me and dodge oncoming traffic I prefer to wait at the light unless I know I can put significant distance between us.
Here in metropolitan Winslow we never get to experience the thrill of the game. OTOH, made a Safeway-candy run at about 20:30 last night. Saw about a dozen cars on the road. I love this town. (FWIW, we lived most of our lives in Sandy Eggo and have experience with the traffic games, just prefer not having to play them.)
What about the girl in the flatbed Ford?
… slowing down to take a look at you.
… slowing down to take a look at you.
… slowing down to take a look at you.
Take it easy!
That “girl” is my age and neither of us turn many heads and we’re both going slowly enough already. However, with my bride by my side on most rides (at least daily) we’re not getting “that” kind of look.
We were visiting Los Angeles last weekend and debating to ride or drive the 13 miles to Santa Monica. We drove–my wife is not a regular biker–and right at the start we noticed a biker hopscotching with us. We lost track of him, and THEN, as we were stuck in traffic two blocks before our destination, he hurdles on by and beats us to the pier! Bravo!
I find messengers/carriers could improve their riding tremendously. I follow the road rules far more than they do and go about the same speed when I’m just cruising on my 30lbs Raleigh simply because they make unnecessary maneuvers that slow them down/ they lack the patience to time the lights. I find it far safer and more efficient to just continue in the shoulder the majority of the time (I do take the lane at times for my own safety.
If I’m late to a mandatory class my riding changes… I bust out my racing bike and switch to “carlike mode” and ride in the lanes like a car when the cars are at higher speeds (30mph+) to draft and switch to in between lanes when they begin to slow (<28mph). I love the look on a drivers face when I pass them going 30+, technically capable of getting a speeding ticket. (Drafting off cars and busses makes that speed oh so easy, and it is a personal goal of mine to get a speeding citation while riding a bicycle)
do you think its safer to go when the traffic light says so or when there’s no relevant oncoming traffic ?
also consider that despite the messengers bike may be lightweight but their luggage is not.
additionally they eat lots of miles every day and do not invest too much into speed and acceleration. otherwise they’d need way more money to provide their body with the needed food.
I find messengers/carriers could improve their riding tremendously. I follow the road rules far more than they do and go about the same speed when I’m just cruising on my 30lbs Raleigh simply because they make unnecessary maneuvers that slow them down/ they lack the patience to time the lights. I find it far safer and more efficient to just continue in the shoulder the majority of the time (I do take the lane at times for my own safety.
If I’m late to a mandatory class my riding changes… I bust out my racing bike and switch to “carlike mode” and ride in the lanes like a car when the cars are at higher speeds (30mph+) to draft and switch to in between lanes when they begin to slow (<28mph). I love the look on a drivers face when I pass them going 30+, technically capable of getting a speeding ticket. (Drafting off cars and busses makes that speed oh so easy, and it is a personal goal of mine to get a speeding citation while riding a bicycle)
Rick, I just dropped in to say that I’m quite impressed with the silhouette of that Crown Vic!