Tucson Citizen on “spindly entitlement bicyclists”
Here’s what a Tucson Citizen reporter has to say today about “pushy bicyclists.” It’s hard to decide which part to quote, but here’s a sample:
I had been inching south during morning rush hour on North Alvernon Way, a shade north of Broadway, where traffic is more clogged than fast food arteries.
A spindly bicyclist decided he had to immediately move from the bike lane on the right side of the road to the left turn lane across two packed lanes of southbound traffic.
He proceeded to do so with a little wave of his hand while cutting off and stopping traffic in the curb lane, then attempting to cut off and stop traffic in front of my car.
No, I did not speed up, hit him or otherwise injure the chap, although I did beep. I needed to show my displeasure at his veering dangerously in front of traffic and slowing down what little movement there is during rush hour.
I am not sure where to start. A bicyclist “decided” he had to make a left turn. He probably didn’t really need to make that left turn, he just “decided” to. Then he not only cut off but actually stopped traffic as he merged to the left — or as he “veered dangerously in front of traffic,” depending how you see it.
If a car needed to make this move, how would it have been different? Would a driver be accused of “attempting to cut off and stop traffic in front of my car” for making the same maneuver? Would it have cost our reporter more time or less if it had been a car?
So our reporter honked at him, to show this cyclist her ” displeasure at his veering dangerously in front of traffic and slowing down what little movement there is during rush hour.”
Entitled indeed.
Hat tip to MR.
– Erik Ryberg
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Ridiculous. Sounds like traffic was going nowhere anyways. I often have to move in front of congested traffic to get over to make a turn, but it rarely garners a response. Maybe it’s being in L.A., people are resigned to their fate of being stuck in traffic here.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:28 pm
So let me get this straight, traffic was already stopped. But somehow, a cyclist “randomly” makes a left turn across two lanes of traffic further halting the already stopped traffic to get in the left turn lane.
…
That’s what you’re supposed to do. You wait until traffic has stopped or is light enough to make a cut across to the left turn lane. Exactly the same as what a driver would do if he was in the right lane and had to make a left turn.
“and slowing down what little movement there is during rush hour.” What difference does an addition 5 second wait matter when you are stopped for 10 minutes at a time? It’s like the guy who slowly creeps 3 inches at a time towards the stop light and expects everyone else in traffic to inch forward as well, as if pulling forward that little bit will bring everyone to their destination sooner.
Of course if Tucson put in more bike boxes then this situation wouldn’t happen. Of course then the reporter would grumble that cyclists get cutsies to the front of the left turn lane and slow everyone down even more.
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I could only imagine what would happen if a cyclist ran a stop sign, then lied about running the stop sign, which resulted in killing the motorist. Somehow I don’t think it would represent what happened in the story below. Of course we would have to have a first, a cycling violation killing a motorist.
http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/42164857.html
I also like how one cyclist is amongst all the stopped cars, maybe that should be your first clue to get on a bicycle or at least encourage more cyclists.