# Cyclists at war



## dave_gt (Jul 25, 2008)

Just want to share an experience from this morning:

_Hi, guys...

I have been reading a lot lately and have been surprised that in this day and time, road rage against cyclists is still alive. I have not ridden a road bike in 20 years but recently started back for health reasons.

The past 30 days have been a revelation to my outlook on life and health since picking up my new road bike. But now, I am beginning to get a glimpse of the dark world painted by posters in the Bike Forums on the internet. Road rage is there! It really is!

Just this morning, I pumped up the tires on my Madone for a 15-mile ride through Summergrove just as I have been doing for 4 weeks now. After spending the last two days with the grandchildren, it was time for a little off-time for my own sanity and health. Except, there appear to be people who do not care about your health, or your rights, or your even your life...and they are your/our neighbors! Yes, they live... among us...

At 9:00am, I headed out of my little house onto the streets of Summergrove and made it all of a single block to the park when I noticed a red imported car (Toyota? Acura?) almost not stop at the stop sign but grudgingly did so since I was closing in on the intersection. I continued downhill to the next stop sign and "took the lane" because my left turn would put me down a short 8% grade to the next stop sign. I turned left and took the downhill lane again for safety reasons because the intersection visibility is blocked on the right at the bottom of the hill at the stop sign.

Halfway down the hill, a LOUD horn almost caused me to wreck! My knee-jerk reaction was to raise a fist and turn my head. The rude driver sped around me going down the 8% hill and started yelling out the window! He stopped quickly at the stop sign causing me to go to the left so I didn't rear end him and I yelled out something to the effect, "What the heck is your problem?!!!"

With my feet clipped going through the intersection I was trying to move on but he turned left with me (he didn't stop, the coward) and, driving side-by-side, was yelling at me again! Telling me to stay out of the road and give room for vehicles. By this time, I lost it! I yelled back that I WAS a vehicle by law and he should look it up! I repeated that several times!

He kept yelling and I yelled back. I held nothing back as it was a very dangerous situation and I was not happy!

He yelled again about my language with kids in his car and wanted to know what church I went to! I let him know what he could do with THAT bit of information. He never stopped but continued on to church.

After he disappeared, I decided to keep riding and contemplate what had just happened.

So, I rode half of my route and called 911 to meet with an officer. I gave the officer my ID, explained the situation and showed him where the driver lived and asked his recommendation. He said I was fine but he suggested that he should stop by and explain to the driver what the law really is and I should not contact him myself.

As if to underscore the issues at hand, while I was talking to the officer at the scene of the incident, a nice couple passed us and headed up the same 8% grade on a tandem in the middle of the road!

So, I will leave it at that until next time. But, this afternoon, I will do another circuit of Summergrove and everyday after that, I will be on the streets. It is a matter of time before we cross paths again.

911 is only four button-presses on my cell phone but it will be entertaining to see what transpires in the moments between the next altercation and the arrival of the police. That is, if I am not injured or killed.

It is unbelievable that I cannot even ride a block from my house on a Sunday morning without an altercation with a motorist. One going to church at that.

Is our cycling community doing anything to promote education about cycling? If not for the sake of the "old" folks like myself, how about the youngsters riding bicycles in our neighborhoods? I have already sent a request to the HOA to email a safety note to all residents but there has to be much more that we can do.

If you have any suggestions (outside of telling me to keep my mouth shut), please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,_

I suppose it is all the pressure we face that people do hateful things to others (gas, unemployment, etc.). Maybe this guy was a Georgia Bulldog fan and still can't get over the fact that Alabama kicked their collective asses last night. Who cares? It's just football.:ciappa: 

I am struggling with the fact that so many people do not understand that cyclists are considered to be vehicles on the roads in Georgia. What to do...I dunno, but I am going to fight by any means necessary to secure our rights and safety.

Grrrr....


dave


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## dr.mediocre (May 7, 2008)

I heare you brother. People just don't get it. We did a 60 mile round-trip group ride from Mcdonough, GA to Peachtree City, GA yesterday with SAG vehicles helping us along the way. On the return trip there were about 20 of us at a red light. When the light turned green we started rolling and a car driven by a rather obese man smoking a cigarette and his large wife doing the same tailgated us from the line and tried to bump one of the bikes. He wouldn't look at us he just pretended we weren't there then suddenly swerved like he was going to run us all over.

Later on the ride, one of our sag vehicles got pulled over in Fayetteville for "obstructing traffic". This was on a 4-lane road with very little traffic on it.


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## tconrady (May 1, 2007)

dr.mediocre said:


> People just don't get it.


Agreed. 

I think they just don't want to get it or don't think they need to get it or just don't give a [email protected] about getting it. Let's face it....have you ever met a driver who thought he/she wasn't a good driver? I believe that all drivers severely overestimate their driving skills. I've concluded that drivers are pretty much idiots. I realize that's not always the case but my survival is much better if I take that tack. 

Realistically, 90% do get it and are very courtous and respectful. The other 10% are either uneducated, idiots or are just plain menaces. 

I had a driver of about a 30' box truck go from a stand still at a red light in the right lane of a 4 lane divided highway all of a sudden cut across the turn lane and into a convenience store right in front of me. I was commuting home from work (from Carrollton to Villa Rica) and was cruising down hill with a clear turn lane before this moron blocked it without warning. I admit I lost my cool and went off on him. But before I did, I asked him why he cut me off. He gave me a deer in the headlights look and swore that he didn't he didn't. I swear the [email protected] was drunk. Damn drivers. No sense arguing with an idiot.....but I digress.

Good on you for calling the police.


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## CyreneSong (Aug 10, 2005)

dave_gt said:


> Just want to share an experience from this morning:
> 
> _Hi, guys...
> 
> ...


Newnan, huh? Me too. 

I think your concerns are legitimate. However, I'd rather take my chances on rural highways than ride through that behemoth of a subdivision.


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## DieselDan (Sep 14, 2002)

Set 911 as a speed dial, making it a one button call.


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## RSPDiver (Jun 3, 2006)

Get 911 on speed dial, and it's less than 4 buttons! :thumbsup: 

How convenient to call a cyclist out, who is extremely vulnerable in the car vs. cyclist collision, for language in front of kids, completely neglecting the lesson they themselves are teaching the kids.


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## Homenetman (Feb 13, 2008)

I ride the rural roads south of Atlanta on early Sunday mornings and seems to me the drivers get a LOT more aggressive just before 9:30 am. In fact, I don't really need to check my watch. I know what time it is because the drivers who are late will nearly hit you as they are racing to early church. Just a bit ironic if you ask me.


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## stinkydub (Aug 5, 2004)

*"At war" sounds a bit extreme*

However, commuting from Brookhaven to Buckhead and then to Downtown gets a little dicey.


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## niteschaos (Apr 19, 2002)

stinkydub said:


> However, commuting from Brookhaven to Buckhead and then to Downtown gets a little dicey.


I used to live and ride through Buckhead all the time. I now live in Cobb County and the suburban drivers here are madder than hell! Downtown in the gridlock you'd think it would be more dangerous, but in the few months I've been up here I've already been threatened and had stuff thrown at me. The roads are nice and smooth out in suburbia, but they just drive that much more dangerously.


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## dave2pvd (Oct 15, 2007)

niteschaos said:


> I used to live and ride through Buckhead all the time. I now live in Cobb County and the suburban drivers here are madder than hell! Downtown in the gridlock you'd think it would be more dangerous, but in the few months I've been up here I've already been threatened and had stuff thrown at me. The roads are nice and smooth out in suburbia, but they just drive that much more dangerously.


I agree.

I live downtown and work in Cobb Co. 

My intown rides are MUCH safer than my lunchtime Cobb Co. rides.


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## tconrady (May 1, 2007)

dave2pvd said:


> I agree.
> 
> I live downtown and work in Cobb Co.
> 
> My intown rides are MUCH safer than my lunchtime Cobb Co. rides.


I used to live in Cobb county and no way will I ride those roads. I hate having to go back and drive them in a car! Carroll County is much better but we still have our occasional jerks.


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