Crazy driver harasses cyclists in Boulder

[CUatTheEnd]

This is why I mountain bike.

[Ronin13]

This story was on 9News last night, and they did a great job of making the guy out to be the ultimate badguy. However, they did talk to a bike racing veteran and she said that perhaps that isn't the best road for people to cycle on and that they should have chosen a different road.

[buckeye4rnr]

Wow, didn't expect this thread to get so much traffic. I recently sold my road bike but I absolutely hate it when cyclists think they own the road and if these guys had been acting like a-holes I would've been honking too.

That said, they're clearly as far over as possible so no matter what happened before the video started the dude in the Explorer should've let it go and passed them when he had the chance. Yeah he may cross a single yellow or whatever it is but if it's safe to do so there is no need to be an ass about it.

[Irving]

Thanks BushMasterBoy.
So the bicycles do have a right to use the road (I don't believe anyone said otherwise) but have to abide by rules.

YOU said otherwise, when you suggested that the road was specifically made for motorized vehicles.

If you get stuck behind a slow moving tractor, that can only pull over so far off the road, but not far enough to leave room to pass without leaving the lane, what do you do? Pass when it is safe, or honk until the shoulder gets wider?

[birddog]

Here is what I think might have happened:

The guy in the explorer is very familiar with the law. He realizes that the road has a solid double yellow (dis-allowing a vehicle to cross for the sake of passing) and also understood that a three foot buffer zone is required to pass a cyclist. Based upon the law and lane width there was no safe option for a pass. The bikers were unable to travel at or near the posted speed limit. He was trying to have the bikers pull over and offer up the option to pass and continue at the posted speed limit.

While the speed limit is a maximum and not a minimum speed it's very annoying (bike, motorcycle, or car) when you are behind someone traveling significantly slower. We see road rage all the time between two cars for the same reason and it sucks but this situation is no different. Aside from being obnoxious I dont see anything this guy did wrong. Just followed the law in a safe manner.

Also, if bikes ride on the road and don't follow the law they should be issued tickets just the same as if they were in their cars. Those laws are provided for safety of everyone using the roadway.

[waxthis]

Screw the bikers. If they can't go the speed limit on the road then they shouldn't be on it. If they are going to be on the road they need yo be plated and titled like every other vehicle and follow the traffic laws. I can't stand the elitist attitude of bicyclists. They can ride their bikes in parks or designated areas where they aren't up against 50k lb semis. What happens if a bicyclist causes an accident? Where is the insurance coverage? If they want to ride the roads they need to play by the same laws.

Maybe the road they were riding on was designated areas "no cyclists". Cause we know how well they pay attention to traffic laws.

Agreed...In addition... If the road has no bike lane, they should not be allowed on it. What, you like that stretch of road? Then pay to have a bike lane put on it.. I can’t tell you how many times I almost went into oncoming traffic heading down the poudre canyon trying to avoid hitting one of those guys..

[BushMasterBoy]

According to the bicyclist, when the driver finally overtook the bicyclists, the bicyclist actually had to put his hand on the motor vehicle to prevent a collision. Thats too close and a violation. I don't know if they have video of that part of the encounter, but there might be fingerprints. At least nobody was injured. How would you feel if your kid was riding the bike, in this motor vehicles next encounter with a bicyclist?

[Ronin13]

Also, if bikes ride on the road and don't follow the law they should be issued tickets just the same as if they were in their cars. Those laws are provided for safety of everyone using the roadway.

I agree, but most cyclists I know don't travel with their DL, so how would you issue the ticket? This could present a whole mess of problems- would it count against their driving record? Would it just simply be a fine? If a fine, then someone who could easily afford to pay it would just see it as a mild inconvenience and keep doing it? What other penalty options are available? What about youthful operators who are under 16 who violate the law on a bike?

Agreed...In addition... If the road has no bike lane, they should not be allowed on it. What, you like that stretch of road? Then pay to have a bike lane put on it.. I can’t tell you how many times I almost went into oncoming traffic heading down the poudre canyon trying to avoid hitting one of those guys..

This same problem occurs with me when going up and down Squaw Pass Rd... hundreds of cyclists every weekend go on that road, and with all the curves and what not it can get very dangerous, especially on the uphill where to your right is, at some places, 100's of feet of sheer vertical drop, I wouldn't want to be run off the road because someone is trying to safely pass a cyclist.

[Aloha_Shooter]

YOU said otherwise, when you suggested that the road was specifically made for motorized vehicles.

If you get stuck behind a slow moving tractor, that can only pull over so far off the road, but not far enough to leave room to pass without leaving the lane, what do you do? Pass when it is safe, or honk until the shoulder gets wider?

Mmmm ... no, I specifically didn't say they don't have a right to use the road but I raised the point that the road was made for motorized vehicles because they incur an obligation to not impede those vehicles. They had ample opportunities to pull off the road into driveways or wide patches and let him pass, they didn't do so.

When I'm stuck behind a tractor, I realize I'm stuck. There's no point in honking because the tractor is so wide he can't go anywhere. These guys acted like they had equal reason and right to use the road when in fact they don't (they have the right to use so long as it doesn't impede the primary purpose and users) and they thought their "Sunday ride" was more important than pulling off.

[Jer]

Guy driving should have his license suspended. I bet if he was charged, most juries would nail him.

Why stop there? Let's try to get the guy imprisoned for life or executed.

Seriously? License suspension for honking your horn? Get a grip people.

What happened before the video started rolling? We don't know that. If the bicyclists were that offended they could have simply pulled off, stopped and let the guy pass. I know if I was in a car doing 15mph in a 55mph zone and someone was blasting their horn for 2min I wouldn't think 'Wow, what an idiot' instead I would think 'Wow, I'm really holding traffic up' and feel guilty. That's not saying these guys are holding up traffic since the guy could obviously pass (even though technically illegal to pass on a double yellow) but at the same time when there isn't a designated bike path they are to be treated like any other motor vehicle. This means that you legally can NOT pass in a double yellow. In a car if you were only able to go 15mph in a 55mph zone and cars wanted to pass wouldn't you pull off the road and let them by at some point?

I especially like the like 'He made other motorists pass on a double yellow' uhm.... no. Nobody made them break the law but if anyone made them do anything it was the bicyclists who were holding up traffic, not the buy in the Explorer. After all, by law, it was them who was impeding traffic. The guy in the Explorer was obeying traffic laws. In situations like this where it appears as though everyone involved is being a douche I tend to side with the law which is pretty clear in this case.

'Sharing' the road is a two-way street and if bicyclists want motorists to share the road then they need to do the same thing. Bicyclists want motorists to be considerate yet many of them don't want to be considerate of motorists.