Dealing with Wrong-Way Riders

So [email hidden] says:

Quoted message said:

I hesitate to use epithets like "Fred," because the way
I figure it, to Lance Armstrong we're all Freds. But...
There's one Fred in particular that I (almost) run into
quite frequently. This dope is a regular commuter, but
he doesn't wear a helmet, he hauls a large load in a
backpack, and he invariably rides on the wrong side of
the road. (This being in the USA, that's on the left.)
Question One: What's the best way to pass this bozo?

With a straight-arm into his bars so he crashes away from
you.

Quoted message said:

Question Two: What, if anything, would you say to him
about his illegal, inefficient, unsafe, stupid way of
riding?

The straight-arm will say it all jb

"Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I suggest a bike such as the RANS Rocket [1] I have. The
exposed 62T chainring out front will increase the
intimidation factor.

[1] <http://www.ransbikes.com/2004Bikes/Rocket.htm>.

And throw one of these chain guards on it too ...

circlecitybicycles.comcguard.htmOpen ↗

C.Q.C.

"jeffbonny" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So [email hidden] says:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

he invariably rides on the wrong side of the road. (This
being in the USA, that's on the left.) Question One:
What's the best way to pass this bozo?

With a straight-arm into his bars so he crashes away
from you.

Quoted message said:

Question Two: What, if anything, would you say to him
about his illegal, inefficient, unsafe, stupid way of
riding?

The straight-arm will say it all

And I thought I was the crown prince of over reaction.

🙂

I've passed one twice on my commute over the winter. I'm
thinking if I do meet him again I will not swing wide;
force him to cede the right-of-way. If he wants to take
issue with it we can discuss rules of the road.

--
'If I seem unduly clear to you, you must have misunderstood
what I said'
- alan greenspan

Call the police, and report it as you would a motorist doing
something wrong. If Fred has a routine, it should be easy
for them to pick him off.

Quoted message said:

I hesitate to use epithets like "Fred," because the way
I figure it, to Lance Armstrong we're all Freds. But...
There's one Fred in particular that I (almost) run into
quite frequently. This dope is a regular commuter, but
he doesn't wear a helmet, he hauls a large load in a
backpack, and he invariably rides on the wrong side of
the road. (This being in the USA, that's on the left.)
Question One: What's the best way to pass this bozo?
Question Two: What, if anything, would you say to him
about his illegal, inefficient, unsafe, stupid way of
riding?

---------------------------------------------------------
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| reply. |
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One thing to keep in mind is that these people are not
necessarily idiots. One friend of mine was recently talking
about taking up cycling. He's a pretty bright guy, and is
starting with a high degree of fitness. He runs regularly
and works out. He threw me by saying, "of course, I'd ride
against traffic, it's safer." I think I eventually persuaded
him that he was wrong, that he would be creating a hazard
for law abiding cyclists. I'm not sure, though, because he
hasn't bought a bike yet.

Still, this idea is, unfortunately, very common among people
who don't know anything about cycling. It's one of those
notions that seems like common sense to those who think that
cyclists are second class citizens.

When I see a wrong way cyclist coming, I start making
frequent checks for traffic behind me. If it's safe, I pull
over to the left well in advance to make it clear what I'm
doing. If there isn't room, I come to a stop in my lane.
Either way, I loudly say "Hey, wrong way, wrong way!" I try
not to sound belligerent.

I've noticed that one guy who I used to see around here
frequently riding the wrong way, has started obeying the
law. I have no idea if it was what I said, or if someone
else persuaded him.

MP

Quoted message said:

I hesitate to use epithets like "Fred," because the way
I figure it, to Lance Armstrong we're all Freds. But...
There's one Fred in particular that I (almost) run into
quite frequently. This dope is a regular commuter, but
he doesn't wear a helmet, he hauls a large load in a
backpack, and he invariably rides on the wrong side of
the road. (This being in the USA, that's on the left.)
Question One: What's the best way to pass this bozo?
Question Two: What, if anything, would you say to him
about his illegal, inefficient, unsafe, stupid way of
riding?

---------------------------------------------------------
--------
| Nonspammers please remove the "z" from address above to
| reply. |
---------------------------------------------------------
--------

Bestest Handsander <[email hidden]> wrote in message OM-dndJUvsL5Ru3dRVn-
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

I second this approach. People are free to be idiots in
this country, and it has been my experience that idiots
get awfully upset when you question their idiocy.

Like when people point out how bad top-posting is? In any
event, people are not free to be idiots when their idiocy
puts others at risk.

--

A: Top-posters.
B: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

Graydon said:

Call the police, and report it as you would a motorist
doing something wrong. If Fred has a routine, it should be
easy for them to pick him off.

That's like telling the teacher in the third grade rather
than learning to get along with the other kids. One of the
biggest probems in today's society is that people have lost
the ability to confront each other in civil fashion. For
example, rather than speak neighbor-to-neighbor about
barking dogs, they go straight to the cops. We're becoming a
nation of spineless, passive-aggressive cowards. And then we
lament the loss of a sense of community...

Matt O.

Quoted message said:

I hesitate to use epithets like "Fred," because the way
I figure it, to Lance Armstrong we're all Freds. But...
There's one Fred in particular that I (almost) run into
quite frequently. This dope is a regular commuter, but
he doesn't wear a helmet, he hauls a large load in a
backpack, and he invariably rides on the wrong side of
the road. (This being in the USA, that's on the left.)
Question One: What's the best way to pass this bozo?

Same way you would pass any obstruction on the right side of
the road: look back to see if any faster vehicles are
approaching, negotiate your intentions using eye and hand
signals if necessary, and move left using as much of a
complete lane as you can so as to avoid conflict with the
obstacle as well as passing faster vehicles.

Quoted message said:

Question Two: What, if anything, would you say to him
about his illegal, inefficient, unsafe, stupid way of
riding?

You might smile, wave and say Hi. And be glad he's not in a
car.

--
Steven O'Neill [email hidden] NYC Weather Forecast Chart:
panix.comwgraph.cgiOpen ↗

Years, ago, late 70s, early 80s, I was a wrong way cyclist.
That was how I got around town, I didn't have a car, and I
just did what seemed natural without giving it any thought.
Of course, I was completely wrong. I didn't wear a helmet,
but that was pretty common then. Like the guy you're talking
about, I carried stuff on my back, but that's another issue.
I rode purely for transportation; my longest rides might
have been 10 miles round trip.

At some point I started riding with traffic instead of
against it. There was no near accident that I can remember,
and I don't recall anyone giving me a talking to. It just
became obvious that this was the safer way to do things. It
wouldn't have hurt if a more experienced cyclist had stopped
me and talked about it, but that didn't happen.

[email hidden] wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I hesitate to use epithets like "Fred," because the
way I figure it, to Lance Armstrong we're all Freds.
But... There's one Fred in particular that I (almost)
run into quite frequently. This dope is a regular
commuter, but he doesn't wear a helmet, he hauls a
large load in a backpack, and he invariably rides on
the wrong side of the road. (This being in the USA,
that's on the left.) Question One: What's the best way
to pass this bozo? Question Two: What, if anything,
would you say to him about his illegal, inefficient,
unsafe, stupid way of riding?

---------------------------------------------------------
--------
| Nonspammers please remove the "z" from address above to
| reply. |
---------------------------------------------------------
--------

On 5 Apr 2004 09:56:59 -0700, [email hidden] (Kaputnik) from

url='http://groups.google.com/'http://groups.google.com/url said:

Years, ago, late 70s, early 80s, I was a wrong way cyclist.
That was how I got around town, I didn't have a car, and I
just did what seemed natural without giving it any thought.
Of course, I was completely wrong. I didn't wear a helmet,
but that was pretty common then.

There is no safety comparison between wrong way cycling and
helmet use.

--
[email hidden]
Go outside. Shut the door.
103

[email hidden] <[email hidden]> wrote in
message [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

I hesitate to use epithets like "Fred," because the way
I figure it, to Lance Armstrong we're all Freds. But...
There's one Fred in particular that I (almost) run into
quite frequently. This dope is a regular commuter, but
he doesn't wear a helmet, he hauls a large load in a
backpack, and he invariably rides on the wrong side of
the road. (This being in the USA, that's on the left.)
Question One: What's the best way to pass this bozo?
Question Two: What, if anything, would you say to him
about his illegal, inefficient, unsafe, stupid way of
riding?

You're in America. Shoot the [censored].

--

A: Top-posters.
B: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

Mike Kruger said:

I do the opposite. I treat them as if they were a
pedestrian, so they pass me on my right. If necessary, I
will move farther left into the lane in order to do this.

Correct. You don't want to get trapped between him and the
curb.

Art Harris

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Question One: What's the best way to pass this bozo?

I generally just heave-to and stop if I can, and let the
WWR do all the passing. The WWRs in my neck of the woods
are all so unskilled, they haven't clued-in to the fact
that a bike tends to go where the rider is looking. I've
found any movement on my part tends to draw their notice
and thereby causes them to aim right at me. It's a small
inconvenience to stop, but in the long run I think it saves
me a lot of grief.

Quoted message said:

Question Two: What, if anything, would you say to him
about his illegal, inefficient, unsafe, stupid way of
riding?

Nothing. Most Vancouver WWRs appear to be either on drugs or
hungover, and readily become too bellicose to reason with.
So I just regard them as another irritant that just has to
be endured. Besides, by the time I see them, they will have
already been through umpteen confrontations with drivers --
each of those confrontations possibly shortening their fuse
a little more.

Interestingly, I've never, ever seen a female WWR.

The last time I encountered a WWR was while rounding a blind
corner. The second to last time was while I was just about
to egress an access lane, onto the street (he hung quick a
left from the sidewalk into the lane, and didn't expect
anybody to be there.) I think the worst way to encounter
WWRs is during turns.

cheers, Tom

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On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 04:27:09 +1000, "DRS" <[email hidden]> from Ihug

Limited said:

You're in America. Shoot the [censored].

*BANG*

Will you go away now?

--
[email hidden]
Simply a matter of work.
46

The other day I saw a kid riding on the sidewalk on the
left side of the street run a red to zip through an
intersection. He's cheating the odds. Hope he gets smart
before he gets hit.

I handle all wrong way riders the same: Ride close enough to
the curb that he (or she, if applicable) is forced to pass
you on the left (or right, if you live in a country that
drives on the left). As this is the proper way for two
vehicles traveling in opposite directions to pass each other
anyway, it should be legal as well.

Besides, if a car is approaching from behind, better him/her
than me. AND it might just teach him/her something...

- -

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear
for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

On Mon, 05 Apr 2004 16:25:38 GMT, "Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Graydon said:

Call the police, and report it as you would a motorist
doing something wrong.

That's like telling the teacher in the third grade rather
than learning to get along with the other kids. One of the
biggest probems in today's society is that people have lost
the ability to confront each other in civil fashion. For
example, rather than speak neighbor-to-neighbor about
barking dogs, they go straight to the cops. We're becoming
a nation of spineless, passive-aggressive cowards. And then
we lament the loss of a sense of community...

Aaah, yes. The idyllic sense of community:

lists.envirolink.orgWeek of MonOpen ↗
20031103/009556.html

Mon, 5 Apr 2004 12:39:12 -0700, <[email hidden]>,

(Tom Keats) said:

The last time I encountered a WWR was while rounding a
blind corner.

The westbound Bridgeport Rd. exit off Knight St. bridge
scares me. You're riding on a narrow path around big
sweeping right hand curve where the sight lines are cut by
bush. I ring my bell all the way around but I'm not sure
that will do any good.

Many's the time I've met WWR traversing that bridge.

Once it was a dad hauling his kids in a trailer. I had to
dismount for him to get by. I don't know what he did when he
got to the other end where the concrete barricades were
shoved around partially blocking the sidewalk.
--
zk

On Mon, 05 Apr 2004 17:50:51 -0700, Zoot Katz <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

You're riding on a narrow path around big sweeping right
hand curve where the sight lines are cut by bush.

Geez. He gets blamed for everything...

In article <[email hidden]>,

Zoot Katz said:

Mon, 5 Apr 2004 12:39:12 -0700,
<[email hidden]>, [email hidden]

(Tom Keats) said:

The last time I encountered a WWR was while rounding a
blind corner.

The westbound Bridgeport Rd. exit off Knight St. bridge
scares me. You're riding on a narrow path around big
sweeping right hand curve where the sight lines are cut by
bush. I ring my bell all the way around but I'm not sure
that will do any good.

Many's the time I've met WWR traversing that bridge.

Once it was a dad hauling his kids in a trailer. I had to
dismount for him to get by. I don't know what he did when
he got to the other end where the concrete barricades were
shoved around partially blocking the sidewalk.

Yeah, the local bridges do seem to inspire a lot of wrong
way riding. I guess they're trying to orient themselves for
whichever way they're going to go on the other side. The 2nd
Narrows seems to get a lot of that, too. There's especially
not much room for squeezing past on the Alex Fraser bridge.

As I understand the etiquette, when cyclists /do/ meet head-
on on the same side of a bridge (or one of its approaches or
exits), the one going downhill gets the "ROW". At least,
that seemed to be more-or-less how it was done during the
Lions Gate upgrade, and bi-directional cycling was relegated
to one side of the bridge. The tricky part is, does the
other rider understand that?

cheers, Tom

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