Hate for Cyclists - Cyclist Intentionally Hit

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Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
I am amazed by the number of people that are seizing on the allegation that two bikers were riding abreast of each other as somehow being of equal offense as someone attempting to commit vehicular homicide out of road rage.

Do that many of you not understand what the actual crime is here?




Sure , it looked like an intentional hit, and leaving the scene of the accident. No concern whatsoever for who he hit or injury.

I would not have ridden side by side for that long. You may have the right to do so, but it's not smart.
 
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I see a lot of comments saying that the bicycle should have stayed "as far to the right as possible".

That's actually unsafe for the bicycle on this road, because, at 11', the lanes are substandard width (std. width is 12').

From experience, I know that when I hug the shoulder, some cars buzz me, much closer than the 3 feet that's mandated by law.

That is why bicycles are allowed the full width of the lane on this federal recreational road, and motor vehicles are obligated to use the other lane (obviously when safe to do so) to pass bicyclists.

In other news, the guy who hit the cyclist has given an interview to a news station here and has denied any responsibility whatsoever, saying he never saw the bicyclist. This is after lying to the police by telling them that a man and a woman "threw a bicycle at his car". Regardless of whether he initially saw the bicyclist (I believe he did, and that the hit was intentional), he definitely knew it when he hit the cyclist, and made the decision to keep going and leave the cyclist for dead. He should get the maximum punishment for the crimes he's charged with.

http://wkrn.com/2017/07/10/car-vs-bike-driver-claims-i-did-not-see-the-gentleman-that-i-hit/
 
Originally Posted By: john_pifer
I see a lot of comments saying that the bicycle should have stayed "as far to the right as possible".

That's actually unsafe for the bicycle on this road, because, at 11', the lanes are substandard width (std. width is 12').

From experience, I know that when I hug the shoulder, some cars buzz me, much closer than the 3 feet that's mandated by law.

That is why bicycles are allowed the full width of the lane on this federal recreational road, and motor vehicles are obligated to use the other lane (obviously when safe to do so) to pass bicyclists.

In other news, the guy who hit the cyclist has given an interview to a news station here and has denied any responsibility whatsoever, saying he never saw the bicyclist. This is after lying to the police by telling them that a man and a woman "threw a bicycle at his car". Regardless of whether he initially saw the bicyclist (I believe he did, and that the hit was intentional), he definitely knew it when he hit the cyclist, and made the decision to keep going and leave the cyclist for dead. He should get the maximum punishment for the crimes he's charged with.

http://wkrn.com/2017/07/10/car-vs-bike-driver-claims-i-did-not-see-the-gentleman-that-i-hit/


John,

Thanks for offering this follow-up.

I was disgusted by the driver's excuses.
No doubt many of his students and fellow staff ride bicycles and a college environment is typically filled with bicyclists for multiple reasons (economic, environmental, a healthy alternative, expedient, etc).

He may find some jury members sympathetic to his behavior if the anti-bicyclist sentiments expressed on here are still so common in the general populace; however, I am guessing he will soon be handing out resumes for new employment.
And HR always does a Google search on applicants.

I am just thankful the cyclist lived.

And for all of those here venting their anger at cyclists, it might be worthehile to think of how many of your loved ones ride bicycles. I hope we would all agree that someone attempting vehicular homicide (as this appears to be) is met with the full brunt of the Law.
 
Is the speed limit on the Trace 45 mph there? That's what it was on some Mississippi sections I drove long ago.

There are some really fine excuses in that interview. He was in the other lane, but didn't know bicyclists were in the lane he should have been traveling in? Maybe somebody threw a bike at him?

By the way, University School of Nashville seems to be a K-12 private school. Great example for the kids.
 
Originally Posted By: Rhymingmechanic
Is the speed limit on the Trace 45 mph there? That's what it was on some Mississippi sections I drove long ago.

There are some really fine excuses in that interview. He was in the other lane, but didn't know bicyclists were in the lane he should have been traveling in? Maybe somebody threw a bike at him?

By the way, University School of Nashville seems to be a K-12 private school. Great example for the kids.


Thanks for the correction.
I thought he was at a college.

Probably not many kids riding their bicycles to a private school. In fact, its probably defined as child neglect nowadays to not drive a child to school.
Or is it child abuse for making them get to school under their own power?
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Well, if they don't like bicycles, we could always ride a horse on the road. Perfectly legal around here.


crazy.gif
crazy.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Well, if they don't like bicycles, we could always ride a horse on the road. Perfectly legal around here.


Haha!! Or heck,we could all always just lace up our sneakers and walk down the middle of the roads and highways haha
laugh.gif
On a serious note,I wonder if the Amish ride their horse and buggies down the highways? I used to see them all the time in small towns,but haven't in years.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Well, if they don't like bicycles, we could always ride a horse on the road. Perfectly legal around here.


Haha!! Or heck,we could all always just lace up our sneakers and walk down the middle of the roads and highways haha
laugh.gif
On a serious note,I wonder if the Amish ride their horse and buggies down the highways? I used to see them all the time in small towns,but haven't in years.


Never seen them on NTP, but there's a community of Mennonites down around Lawrenceburg and Columbia, TN. I see them in the carriages along Highway 43 as I go in and out of Lawrenceburg. And that's not far from the NTP.
 
Originally Posted By: john_pifer
Yesterday, along a road I occasionally ride, a cyclist was intentionally hit by an SUV. Thanks to a helmet cam worn by one of the victim's friends, the perpetrator was ID'd and arrested. Thank God, the cyclist is OK and only suffered some cuts and bruises, but obviously it could have been much worse.

Very disturbingly, the perpetrator is (was) Dean of Students at University School of Nashville. It could have been one of his students that he hit!

But, other than the disgust and anger I've felt about the crime itself, I've been equally shocked, disgusted and angered at the hate for cyclists that's been expressed in the comments sections on the Facebook pages of local news media, which reported the story. Many people are blaming the cyclist, ...


Think you are taking it too personal.
There are wackos everywhere in a country with over 300 million people and crimes against people all day long, not just cyclists.
Without question it is dangerous to be in or on a vehicle (bicycle) going way under the speed limit on a one lane road. People take chances trying to go around you, even break the law going over a double yellow line to get past. I can imagine many people have been injured this way too.
 
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Originally Posted By: madRiver
The biker is also nuts for riding side by side instead of single file with traffic present. I am not sure that was intentional or really bad driving(dui?). Risky cycling the smarter ones stay on edge of road.

Glad no one hurt.


Blaming the cyclist for riding double file? When it's legal to ride double file?

No, this is part of the problem. There seems to be a certain moral relativism among drivers that cyclists exercising their rights, are still wrong.
 
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Some might argue that encouraging bicycle commuting by the creation of dedicated bike lanes IS addressing the traffic problem and gridlock.

The reality is our current laws and roadways fail to provide for the safe operation of a bicycle.

As previously stated, ALL the local politicians argue that line however the numbers just don't ad up. I'd be more convinced IF I noticed LARGE NUMBERS OF BICYCLE COMMUTERS. But I don't. Not only is this area NOT flat by any means, but SUNSTROKE is the number two cause of weather related deaths.

This isn't Portland or Seattle. Yet the local pols dream of it being so. They did "build it" and they "did come", but they made no provisions for the increased traffic.

Why? It's not politically correct. Doesn't fit with "The Vision of the Annointed".

The reality is Texas is a HUGE state and it's dam hot & humid throughout the middle N to S and all the way East. People want to be inside their SUVs in the A/C, not on a bike sweating up an incline when the solar heat index is North of 130°.

Very, very few people would ever consider commuting to work by bicycle. This isn't NY or NE or Portland.


I agree with you about the ludicrous central Austin rich liberals. Keep Mopac local, bunch of horse puckey.

However it doesn't cost that much to stripe in a bike lane, and that's most of what I see around town, just a little extra paint.

I suppose the Pfluger Bridge hike and bike downtown might be one counterpoint, but, they were going to have to expand the Lamar bridge to put a sidewalk in and decided it was cheaper to just build a pedestrian and cycling bridge.

And yes, I know a number of people who cycle to work in the summer. They just don't live out in the sticks, so it's not so bad. Speaking strictly for myself, I keep a big bag of wipes around my office to freshen up when I get there.
 
Well the problem around here is they ride in the middle of the lane as if they are a car. The problem with that is they're going 15-20mph on a 45-50mph road, so if you can't go around them immediately they end up being endanger of being run over by the impatient guy behind you that doesn't know what's going on and just thinks you're driving too slow and then that guy hits the cyclist when he passes you and cuts you off.
 
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lots of really stupid bicycle riders being dangerous . Their belief in right of way is dangerous.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Well the problem around here is they ride in the middle of the lane as if they are a car. The problem with that is they're going 15-20mph on a 45-50mph road, so if you can't go around them immediately they end up being endanger of being run over by the impatient guy behind you that doesn't know what's going on and just thinks you're driving too slow and then that guy hits the cyclist when he passes you and cuts you off.


In a lot of places cyclists have the right to "take the lane" if it's safe to do so (or necessary for safety).
Being passed by someone too lazy to slow down a bit and move over a few feet isn't pleasant. Taking the lane and making passing vehicles slow down is (in some situations) preferable to having a vehicle fly by you, at speed, a few inches from your handlebars. It might annoy some drivers that they are forced to behave like they should, instead of like they want to, but if that's the price to pay for safety...

Obviously on a road with generous shoulders, blind corners, or a really high speed limit (or doing this simply to be able to ride side-by-side) isn't smart.
 
Originally Posted By: Surestick
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Well the problem around here is they ride in the middle of the lane as if they are a car. The problem with that is they're going 15-20mph on a 45-50mph road, so if you can't go around them immediately they end up being endanger of being run over by the impatient guy behind you that doesn't know what's going on and just thinks you're driving too slow and then that guy hits the cyclist when he passes you and cuts you off.


In a lot of places cyclists have the right to "take the lane" if it's safe to do so (or necessary for safety).
Being passed by someone too lazy to slow down a bit and move over a few feet isn't pleasant. Taking the lane and making passing vehicles slow down is (in some situations) preferable to having a vehicle fly by you, at speed, a few inches from your handlebars. It might annoy some drivers that they are forced to behave like they should, instead of like they want to, but if that's the price to pay for safety...

Obviously on a road with generous shoulders, blind corners, or a really high speed limit (or doing this simply to be able to ride side-by-side) isn't smart.


^ Exactly
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Well the problem around here is they ride in the middle of the lane as if they are a car. The problem with that is they're going 15-20mph on a 45-50mph road, so if you can't go around them immediately they end up being endanger of being run over by the impatient guy behind you that doesn't know what's going on and just thinks you're driving too slow and then that guy hits the cyclist when he passes you and cuts you off.


Legal to take the traffic lane in Texas if said lane is less than 14 feet in width.

TXDOT knows this, which is why the right lane on many frontage roads is wider than the middle or left.
 
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