It's nearly bike season...

[Vagabond142]

yes, I ride a mountain touring bike, and yes, this is the motorized vehicle section.

What I'm posting this here for is just to remind people that biking season will be upon us this month, as the weather is warming up. So please, pay extra careful attention to make sure you see cyclists and motorcyclists, as there are many incidents each year in Calgary where a driver fails to properly scan for two wheeled vehicles (and a bicycle on a road surface is considered a vehicle by law) and then claim SMIDSY and race off. (SMIDSY = "sorry mate, I didn't see you")

For visual aid with the problem, and yes, these are UK vids, but still... look around for us, eh?

And language warning on both vids, lots of cussing, especially the "oh shit I'm going to die" screams in the first one (can you blame him?)

Classic SMIDSY
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Another classic SMIDSY:
pauiNalpt9M

Left hooking (aka cutting up, cutting off, etc)
H_fVUfje6Tk

[SJW]

It happens all the time. I expect it when i'm riding. They seriously don't see you. So if you ride, ride like you are invisible to everyone else. Always leave yourself enough room for an out.

[ddduke]

I always wonder why the cyclists go down to Springbank and take up entire lanes, not allowing cars to pass them?

Also, in your first post you should remind all the cyclists that they are sharing the road with cars and should respect the rules of it. Don't drive in packs, go single file. Don't run red lights/stop signs. Don't ride in the middle lane on major roads like Macloed.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by ddduke
I always wonder why the cyclists go down to Springbank and take up entire lanes, not allowing cars to pass them?

Also, in your first post you should remind all the cyclists that they are sharing the road with cars and should respect the rules of it. Don't drive in packs, go single file. Don't run red lights/stop signs. Don't ride in the middle lane on major roads like Macloed.


Fair points. There are assholes on both sides of the equation. I give a good "WANKER!" yell at cyclists that do dumb shit when I'm riding, for example running reds. They usually stop right in the middle of the road and look back at me, in the middle of traffic -_-

I also shout and make noise if I see someone dive up the inside of a heavy vehicle or bus in a turning lane when the bus/heavy vehicle is obviously turning. As the back of many garbage trucks says: "Left side = pass side. Right side = suicide."

Personally, whenever I'm on the road I ride EXTREMELY defensively. I always leave stopping room, I'm always in the right half of the lane (curb hugging if I'm going slow, or right dominant if I'm at or near traffic speed) and my hands never come off my bars. I can't speak for any other cyclist, however... and I still see far, FAR too many riding without helmets :(

[Nismo_R34]

Why cant people just ride their bikes on the sidewalks lol

[kvg]

doing up to 50kph+ on a road bike down the side walk is a sketchy proposition.:eek:

[J-hop]

Originally posted by ddduke

Also, in your first post you should remind all the cyclists that they are sharing the road with cars and should respect the rules of it. Don't drive in packs, go single file. Don't run red lights/stop signs. Don't ride in the middle lane on major roads like Macloed.

very good points, I hate that cyclists have obtained rights as vehicles to ride on the road, but they refuse to stay within these bounds. They blow through red lights and don't obey traffic rules causing problems for people driving, then think they can pretend they are pedestrians and rip past you in crosswalks, sidewalks etc.

I hate that on the walkway I take home (which goes parallel to a road) I have to turn around every time I want to change direction as I've nearly been clipped several times by ignorant riders who like to rip by you as close as they can.

Also as riders, when approaching pedestrians from behind DO NOT ring your bell when you are 5 ft away, it sometimes spooks people. And just because you are small doesn't mean you don't have to stop for pedestrians in the cross walk you are a vehicle you MUST stop for pedestrians.

PS: this is coming from a fellow rider who is severely pissed at the stupidity of the average riders in calgary

[corsvette]

I find that 90% of pedestrians can't hear my bell because they are all wearing earphones. I also notice alot of cyclists wearing them too...nobody really cares what the other is doing nowadays. I love riding the city's vast amount of pathways, having a near miss on the highway shoulder made me reconsider where i ride. But it's very frustrating dealing with joggers/pedestrians/rollerbladers and other cyclists on those paths. Makes me look forward to maybe more trail riding this year.

[Grogador]

That first vid is scary, but he's coming down the hill with the sun behind him... he was in the shade, the turning cars were both blinded in the sunshine... something that an experienced rider would have considered.

Drivers don't see anything smaller than them on the street.

[Vagabond142]

This is one of the closest SMIDSY's I've ever seen o_O

And for those not familiar with UK road law, on a roundabout you always give way to the left, and you must stop at the stop line before entering the roundabout unless the lane is verified clear (according to the Highway Code). Basically, mirror checks and head movement would have prevented this one... but the driver is tunnel visioned. This... is the scream of a man about to die


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Now on to a bit of a mini rant, because I see this when driving and, in my younger years, did it a couple of times meself.

Calgary is particularly bad for the "must get in front" mentality. What i mean by this is that when driver A in car A sees driver B in car B or rider B on cycle B, driver A immediately drops into a seething rage that there is someone in front of them that is in an inferior mode of transport to their godly vehicle.

My rant is stemming from the fact that I was driving about yesterday, in the middle lane of Crowchild (the cruising lane) at 80 kph (the speed limit). I should not that there was no traffic in front of me and sparse, light traffic behind, all going the limit. I notice a car edging up behind me, I check to see if I can merge right to get out of its way. Right lane has a delivery truck, I can't merge. Before I can even come off the gas to slow down enough to merge right, this ditz in her Corolla pins it, barely squeezes between left lane traffic and my rear bumper (we're talking a matter of a foot clearance to either vehicle, swerves violently around my car, yelling and screaming, pulls back INTO the middle land, and slows to 80 kph. Because there was a 1990 Honda Civic in her way that she just could NOT stand being there.

Onto how this ties to cycling: when I'm cycling, I ride responsibly and safely. When I get above ~40 kph, that means I signal and move away from the curb with all the torn up road edges there are in Calgary and take primary. I cannot tell you how many times a driver has come up to me in primary, honked at length, and then nearly run me over because I'm practicing safe cycling, either by close pass (I have had bruises from being hit by truck mirrors as they squeeze past at 70 kph on 50 kph limit streets), aggressive driving (a bike CAN be tailgated, and I have been a few times), or, as with what happened last year, actually rammed off the road with deliberate intent. Thankfully a cop was nearby and saw everything.

My point is... yes, we share the road, but understand that the curbside in Calgary is downright dangerous. If a cyclist needs to take primary, you can be damned well inconvenienced for the time you are behind them. If I take primary in front of you and you have a problem with it: TOUGH. I would rather you be 30 seconds late to work and I be alive than ever be rammed off the road by a truck again. The bitch in the Corolla yesterday touched off this spark.

DRIVE SAFE. DRIVE CALM. RIDE SAFE. RIDE CALM.

We share the road. If a cyclist needs to take primary, don't rev your engine and drive at them. Slow down, let them take primary, and take a couple of deep breaths. You'll both arrive at your destinations alive and calm.

Please be safe. Don't get caught in the "I need to be in front" mentality.

And to avoid calls of bias, I have seen cyclists abuse primary. It pisses me off to no end. I've also seen them abuse crosswalks by riding across instead of walking across. In Calgary, a bike between the legs under pedal power is a road vehicle, NOT a pedestrian. You can wait at the red light with the rest of us safe cyclists for the 60-90 seconds it takes out of your day. Red Light Jumpers always, ALWAYS get a shout from me, depending on their intent. A lil ol lady that rides through because she didn't see the light gets an "oi, watch it there" in a pleasant tone. A commuter on a hybrid that deliberately filters traffic then blows a light gets a full out "WANKER! IT'S A FUCKING RED!" from me. I usually get a one finger salute in response.

[95EagleAWD]

I dunno how it looks in Calgary these days, but bike season in Edmonton isn't coming any time soon. It still looks like the arctic up here.

[J-hop]

Vagabond also brings up a great point. We live in calgary, the roads are bad, there are potholes everywhere, road surface is uneven at best.

Those that ride road bikes (ie decedents of the old 10spd) get it through your head. Our city is not made for these bikes, that is nice you want to go fast but having you swerve every which way to avoid pot holes/manholes is not safe for anyone, especially yourself.

Now I realize cars are supposed to treat you as a vehicle, so they can't pull past you and share the lane with you, they must treat you as a vehicle. But guess what, most drivers don't know this and will assume if you are riding in the parking lane or the edge of their lane they can just drive right by you and won't expect you to swerve out when you see a pot hole, tree branch, sewer grate etc. Most bikers I see are ok at shoulder checking before doing so, but i've seen a few close calls due to last minute swerves when a biker obviously didn't think there was a car beside them in the lane.

These bikes are fine if you want to hit the paths or ride a large shouldered highway, but for around Calgary its not the most intelligent 2-wheeled form of transportation.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by J-hop
Vagabond also brings up a great point. We live in calgary, the roads are bad, there are potholes everywhere, road surface is uneven at best.

Those that ride road bikes (ie decedents of the old 10spd) get it through your head. Our city is not made for these bikes, that is nice you want to go fast but having you swerve every which way to avoid pot holes/manholes is not safe for anyone, especially yourself.

Now I realize cars are supposed to treat you as a vehicle, so they can't pull past you and share the lane with you, they must treat you as a vehicle. But guess what, most drivers don't know this and will assume if you are riding in the parking lane or the edge of their lane they can just drive right by you and won't expect you to swerve out when you see a pot hole, tree branch, sewer grate etc. Most bikers I see are ok at shoulder checking before doing so, but i've seen a few close calls due to last minute swerves when a biker obviously didn't think there was a car beside them in the lane.

These bikes are fine if you want to hit the paths or ride a large shouldered highway, but for around Calgary its not the most intelligent 2-wheeled form of transportation.


You bring up good points.

I will counter simply with this: bicycles are allowed on most roads in Calgary, scooters are allowed on a few more, and motorbikes are allowed pretty much everywhere. It's a fact of life.

My objective is not to argue the finer points of roadworks in Calgary.

My objective is to raise awareness that there WILL be bikes out there. Check your blind spots. Mirror and shoulder check. Don't crowd up on a motorbike or scooter because I can GUARANDAMNTEE that they have a far shorter stopping distance than any car out there.

Ride safe. Drive safe. BE PATIENT AND MATURE IN YOUR DRIVING/RIDING (that's aimed at EVERYONE, not any one specific person. EVERYONE.). I'm sick of reading about cyclist/motorcycle deaths in our city, no matter who's at fault. We're better than that. We're more responsible than that. Let's prove it.