Denver bicyclists

[tim123]

here maybe this will cheer you up.. not sure if sfw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNgR2...eature=related

also I cycle from time to time and hate it when people are retarded about it.. we don't need to ride 2 abreast ever and especially on a road that the bike lane barely allows 1.. just avoid those roads

[sniper7]

here maybe this will cheer you up.. not sure if sfw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNgR2...eature=related

also I cycle from time to time and hate it when people are retarded about it.. we don't need to ride 2 abreast ever and especially on a road that the bike lane barely allows 1.. just avoid those roads

I bet that is a fantasy of a lot of drivers around boulder.

[tim123]

I bet that is a fantasy of a lot of drivers around boulder.

probably just the ones that commute from longmont.. or on that back road to lyons

[hollohas]

Every time I go to Denver, at one particular 4-way stop, I stop in my car and bike after bike blows right through from my left or right. Once, I stopped, looked left/right and preceded to continue through the intersection. A bike going way too fast came from my right, didn't stop at the sign and almost went over my hood. The guy yelled and cursed at me. I just said "you missed that stop sign" and went on my way. A similar incident happened at the very same stop sign with a female cyclist once.

You'll see the same thing happen at every side street in Denver, cyclists running stop signs. All day, everyday.

Or at red lights, with no bike lane, the cyclist you just passed goes up to the front of the line and then you have to pass them AGAIN as soon as the light turns green. I'm sorry, but I thought cyclists had to follow traffic laws. And if people can't lane split in motorcycles to the front of the line, you can't on your bicycle either. Get in line like everyone else.

You want to use the road, then follow the rules of the road. Why don't they have to get a bicycle endorsement on their DV? I get sick and tired of the cyclist holier-than-thou mentality. Well it's either that or they have a death wish since they seemingly TRY to get into accidents.

[Clint45]

Every time I go to Denver, at one particular 4-way stop, I stop in my car and bike after bike blows right through from my left or right. Once, I stopped, looked left/right and preceded to continue through the intersection. A bike going way too fast came from my right, didn't stop at the sign and almost went over my hood. The guy yelled and cursed at me. I just said "you missed that stop sign" and went on my way. A similar incident happened at the very same stop sign with a female cyclist once.

Several times, I've had that happen with bicyclists on the sidewalk, crossing traffic in the crosswalk, fast, against the light and in the opposite direction of traffic. I am nosing out, waiting for a break and just putting my foot on the gas to turn onto Colfax and some asshole on a bicycle nearly gets crushed because they don't know how to ride safely. They all seem to be listening to iPods too.

[Ronin13]

Several times, I've had that happen with bicyclists on the sidewalk, crossing traffic in the crosswalk, fast, against the light and in the opposite direction of traffic. I am nosing out, waiting for a break and just putting my foot on the gas to turn onto Colfax and some asshole on a bicycle nearly gets crushed because they don't know how to ride safely. They all seem to be listening to iPods too.

I've almost had several collisions with cyclists in Denver... The thing they need to remember is that 2-4 tons vs their little 20lb bike is a very one sided collision. How would that pan out? If it's just you in your car, you stopped at a 4 way stop, you started going, cyclist blasts through a stop sign and meets your quarter panel at full speed and gets severely effed up, no witnesses, your word against theirs...?

[merl]

cyclist blasts through a stop sign and meets your quarter panel at full speed and gets severely effed up, no witnesses, your word against theirs...?

so long as there is a dent where they hit you so that can be proved you'd come out of that one ok. Bikes don't accelerate that fast, pretty obvious they didn't stop.
It is where you hit them with the front of the car (or mirror) that you are in deep shit. Sadly even if they blew that stop sign in front of you.

[Ronin13]

so long as there is a dent where they hit you so that can be proved you'd come out of that one ok. Bikes don't accelerate that fast, pretty obvious they didn't stop.
It is where you hit them with the front of the car (or mirror) that you are in deep shit. Sadly even if they blew that stop sign in front of you.

Ok so to modify my scenario, if your bumper catches them head on you are screwed? That's stupid.

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

bicyclists with no lights or reflectors at night

Illegal. Front light and rear reflector are required at night.

not even slowing down for stop signs and redlights

Illegal. All vehicles are required to obey traffic signals and signage.

going the wrong way on one way streets

Illegal. All vehicles are required to obey traffic signals and signage.

riding on the sidewalks

Legal. In Colorado cyclists are allowed to use either the street or the sidewalk, unless otherwise posted. But riding on the sidewalk is almost always a terrible idea.

Correction: Denver specifically prohibits riding on sidewalks, superseding Colorado state law.

nearly missing pedestrians

Illegal. All vehicles are required to pass obstacles or other vehicles only under safe conditions and with enough room to spare.

So, hypothetically, as a private citizen, how much trouble would I probably have been in for knocking someone off their bicycle under such circumstances? NOT deliberately, but because I was startled and they got clotheslined by my arm or something.

As you relay the story, his fault. No different than if he'd been running on the sidewalk and collided with you. No different than if he ran a red light and hit you.

I know it is illegal for them to be on the damn sidewalk in the first place.

Not correct.

Correction: Denver specifically prohibits riding on sidewalks, superseding Colorado state law.

riding his bike in the middle of the lane through the S-curves. He made no effort to stay to the right...at all

I wasn't there, but tight curves like this tend to not have lanes wide enough to share. Taking the whole lane in these cases usually IS the safe thing to do. Legal, too. Blowing past him to prove a point is neither.

Colorado law requires cyclists -- any slow-moving vehicle -- to ride as far to the right as is *safe*. This does not automatically mean the shoulder, or riding the white line. And the law gives the operator of the slow-moving vehicle great latitude in making that decision.


How about my experience riding from Ft Collins to Loveland, on a clear night at 2am, with the brighest dynohub-powered tailight and headlight combo then available from Busch & Muller (really friggin' bright), and DOT approved red retroflective tape on every vertical member of my bike?. Riding well onto the shoulder on 287, on a straightaway, climbing the hill towards the big flag, and some yokel in an F-250 with a Calvin-pissing-on-something sticker crosses two lanes and comes INTO the shoulder, horn blaring, missing me by a foot or so? I'm *sure* he just didn't see me, because I was being so reckless.

The roadies guys in spandex, despite looking like clowns, tend to have a pretty clear idea what they are doing and what is safe. The all-wool contingent tends to be pretty tuned-in, too. Those cyclists spend a LOT of time on the pavement and somehow manage to not get run over. It's the black-clad-sunglasses-at-night-Converse-wearing-iPod-listening-PBR-in-the-bottle-cage-no-lights-too-cool-for-brakes-gauged-ears hipster douchebag that you can't trust. Broad brush.

There are assholes everywhere and on every kind of vehicle. There are also people who just don't know any better. I do everything I can not to get killed by the former (including lights and avoiding heavily trafficked mountain roads) and I try to talk reason to the latter.


Aggressive drivers scare cyclists onto the sidewalks (where they get hit far more often and far worse) or else make cyclists into U-lock wielding Critical Massholes. Critical Massholes, in turn, piss off drivers and make them more aggressive towards all cyclists. This is the awesomest feedback loop EVAR!!!1!!11!1

All vehicles, hemi or pedal-powered, have equal rights on the road. We all share that space, and we all need to realize that and act accordingly like responsible grown-up citizens. We ALL want to get home alive.

[Ronin13]

And yes, bicyclists in Denver can really be an arrogant bunch. They are rolling entitlements, and tend to have zero regard for anyone other than themselves. It is quite shocking that they get into so few serious/fatal accidents. And if you think they are rude to YOU, just picture how they act when they get pulled over and given a ticket or, even worse, LECTURED.

I was thinking about this the other day... I would not want to have your job in that city, you're a better man than I! I'm happy with the outdoorsy yuppies up here that are usually pretty good about sharing the road, considering many of our roads up here (SH-65, SH-73, SH-74) don't have much or any shoulder for them to ride on. Sometimes it can get frustrating when one is holding up traffic due to too much oncoming traffic, but I usually forget about it once I'm passed the cyclist.