It seems to me that they could either a) not care about others on the road, or b) they could be so distracted as to be oblivious to others on the road.
If it's the former, I still don't get how self preservation doesn't kick in. Even if you don't care about killing innocent victims, he could easily kill himself too. Of course it could be the latter because you can see what looks like a bag of chips in his hand as he's making the illegal and dangerous pass.
When I saw him at the next stoplight and tried to ask him these questions his only reply was a middle finger.
I would really like to know what he was thinking. Maybe if someone knows him they can ask him for me.
His license number was 125TPH.
14 comments:
Wonderful video! I had a really great time watching it.
Hi, as an vehicle driver (and a good one), I have no problem with sharing the road with cyclists. However, I DO have a problem with cyclists who do not follow the rules of the road -- sail through red lights, ride in the middle of the road, don't stop at stop signs, etc. I can, will, and I DO share the road, but I want to give a friendly neighborhood reminder to the cyclists that the sharing goes both ways. Thanks for your time.
This is gold. Read about your blog today thanks to "Time Magazine" and I apologize if you've received tons of comments about that, but I just had to come see for myself. I don't ride a bike regularly myself (at least, not since I was a kid), but the kind of driving I see in my area is no better than those appalling drivers featured in your videos. Almost every time I get off the main road and turn on to my neighborhood's street, there is some moron who can't be bothered to slow down, so they pass by veering towards the gutter on the outside of the road to get around me. If a child, biker or pedestrian happened to be there, they'd be toast!
Thank you for the awesome videos; it's good to see someone taking action and making an effort to make the roads safe for everyone as they should be, not just the self-entitled windbags in SUVs or trucks.
You might consider contacting Keri at commuteorlando and asking her about her video setup in order to have a camera facing front and rear. Your current system of turning your head makes for very poor video.
Again, why create a bad situation for yourself on a visibly unfriendly bicycle road. Minimal shoulder with no give space on a busy blacktop. Ride smart and that crap wont happen. If u dont get the stuffing knocked out of u again by a texting, stoned, or distracted motorist, eventually someone is just going to kick your butt. We implore drivers to be aware, but you obviously ride stupid for some glorious video footage. --- just b/c i can go to a bodega in brownsville nyc, doesn't make it a good idea. I scrape idiots like that into a waiting ambulance way too much!
To all those arriving from Time Magazine, welcome and thanks for the comments and interest.
Mr./Mrs. Anonymous,
I have cameras facing forward and backward. The reason for the turning of my head is not for video, it's to be able to see what's coming from behind and decide how much room they are going to give me.
Mr./Mrs. Anonymous #2
I ride on moderately used roads in suburban areas that are marked bike routes. If you consider that riding stupid, then I can only assume you are not a cyclist, or at least not an educated one. I follow all applicable statutes and Department of Transportation recommendations for where and how to ride.
I don't ride for glorious video footage. If you had read the blog at all you'd know that I ride my normal routes and I record every ride, much like a convenience store has surveillance video rolling all the time. I've never heard anyone criticize a convenience store owner for footage of lawbreakers they share with the public or police. Why should I be judged differently because my surveillance video was taken from a bike?
Good stuff! I think it's great that technology exists for holding people accountable for their criminal behavior, when otherwise they wouldn't.
I also agree with a previous commenter that cyclists should equally obey the laws as should automobile operators. It turns out obeying the law can be good for your well being (especially stopping at red lights). :-)
In all of these blogs, somebody raises the "It pisses me off when bicyclists don't follow the rules" argument. While this argument has merit, the most common complaint (rolling stops at stop signs) really doesn't.
http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/why-cyclists-blow-through-stop-signs-its-physics.html
http://www.bicyclelaw.com/articles/a.cfm/legally-speaking-stop-as-yield1
I'm a pretty avid cyclist. You'll disagree, but I think you're too far in the road. You want them to give you room, you've got to give some room. I try to make it easy for cars to get by me ASAP. It's better for both of us. And it doesn't mean that I'm riding dangerously too far to the right, it just means that I'm giving a little space so they can clear me sooner, and we're both free of each other. "Share the road" goes both ways, and I don't see the point in defiantly holding up cars just to prove the point that I'm entitled to X ft. of road space. That's inviting confrontation, and who needs that?
I saw the article about you in TIME and had to check it out. Can't believe how rude the drivers are!! Stay safe Jeff! :)
-Megan
There are reasons why motorists occasionally get frustrated with cyclists. For instance, it is against the law In Texas for a cyclist to travel in the middle of the street as you appear to do in each of your videos and that bothers me. I seldom see cyclists stop at stop signs as they are required to do. Often, after I manage to get around a cyclist, the cyclist blows by me on the right to get ahead of me as I'm sitting still at a stop light. Again, against the law. Drivers should be courteous to cyclists but the courtesy should be returned. Do you follow the law?
You really don't have to ride in the MIDDLE of the road, there's plenty of room to the right.
Anonymous,
>>Often, after I manage to get around a cyclist, the cyclist blows by me on the right to get ahead of me as I'm sitting still at a stop light.
Some state laws allow a bicyclists to proceed to the front of the line at a stop sign or red light.
Jeff,
I like many others read the article in time magazine. When I first saw it I was hoping it would shed some light on both sides of the story. I read this article on the heels of a story broadcast on one of the world news programs about the cyclists in newyork and their ignorant games they play in that city.
It is a shame that things like that are given so much glory and now this new bike messanger movie coming out, which will do for cyclists what "The Fast and Furious" did for supertuners, is only going to fuel the fire.
I deal with ignorant cyclists everyday on my commute. I give them plenty of room and wait for the truly appropriate time to pass only to have them catch up to me at a stop light "buzz" my car and run the light. They go the wrong way on one way streets, jump from sidewalk to street and back again and think nothing of crossing in front of me to turn left from the far right lane.
I do feel for you, the actions of a few drivers and cyclists truly does make the whole bunch look bad.
I would say to try and remember, what you show here are brief moments of your entire ride. If it were that on a constant basis you would have stopped a long time ago.
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