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Can you count the fails?
This is a recent one from Hubs.
Hubs was driving home on a MAJOR road (at this point it was 35 mph, though that doesn't mean a whole lot to people most of the time). Two lanes in each direction, with a center turn lane. (For those of you familiar with my area, it's the terrible beast known as Guide Meridian Road. You may shudder now.)
It was well after dark, and Hubs noticed something in the center turn lane. It was a cyclist. He had no lights or reflectors, was wearing all black, no helmet, and was on a cell phone. Again, I must reiterate he was in the center turn lane which is as far away from the street lamps as he could possibly have gotten! Hubs said he saw the faint glow from the guy's cell phone, and that was the only way Hubs even noticed him!
Not sharing the road
So, the road I live on is a two way, unmarked road. Just because there's no lane markings doesn't mean you can just cruise down the center. You still have to keep to the right side of the road. At least, you should stay on the right side...
Saw a bike today slowly coasting down the center of the road. There was a car behind him who couldn't get around because the biker was in the middle and not leaving any room. There's no parking on this road, so it's not like he was afraid of someone opening a car door on him. He just felt like hogging it all I guess. I'm all for sharing the road with cyclists, but it needs to go both ways, please!
Shorter doesn't mean easier
Speaking of My Road and cyclists...
Not sucky, but merely bemusing. Every year, we have Super Duper Bike Race that always fills up the motel. When these cyclists make it into town, they go to their checkpoint, which is at the University. When they come into town, they end up on the road that connects with my road.
Now, my road is STEEP! I will often walk TO work down the hill, but coming back, I will take a slightly longer route up Main Road so I can avoid the STEEP hill. My road, Main Road, and Other Road (that the cyclists come into town on), form a sort of large triangle. Let me see if I can explain.
From Other Road, My Road is the most direct route to the University, however one may go another block and turn on Main Road to take a slightly-longer-but-flatter route to University. And for Big Bike Race, about half of the cyclists did just that. In fact, I think their direction packet even instructs them to Main Road, iirc. I wonder if some mapped their own route with GPSs or something, though, because several tried to go up My Road, and were having a hell of a time doing that! They were zigzagging all over trying to get up it. One even exclaimed to her partner, "I don't think I can make that! Oh, hell no!"
After biking 90 miles, I can't understand why they would attempt that hill, when there was a much easier way only two blocks longer!
Yes, it's shorter on a road map, but the terrain is much, much harder.
ETA: I just looked up the route map. I guess I was wrong. They were directed up that hill. In which case, the people who planned that route are cruel and sadistic bastards!
This is a recent one from Hubs.
Hubs was driving home on a MAJOR road (at this point it was 35 mph, though that doesn't mean a whole lot to people most of the time). Two lanes in each direction, with a center turn lane. (For those of you familiar with my area, it's the terrible beast known as Guide Meridian Road. You may shudder now.)
It was well after dark, and Hubs noticed something in the center turn lane. It was a cyclist. He had no lights or reflectors, was wearing all black, no helmet, and was on a cell phone. Again, I must reiterate he was in the center turn lane which is as far away from the street lamps as he could possibly have gotten! Hubs said he saw the faint glow from the guy's cell phone, and that was the only way Hubs even noticed him!
Not sharing the road
So, the road I live on is a two way, unmarked road. Just because there's no lane markings doesn't mean you can just cruise down the center. You still have to keep to the right side of the road. At least, you should stay on the right side...
Saw a bike today slowly coasting down the center of the road. There was a car behind him who couldn't get around because the biker was in the middle and not leaving any room. There's no parking on this road, so it's not like he was afraid of someone opening a car door on him. He just felt like hogging it all I guess. I'm all for sharing the road with cyclists, but it needs to go both ways, please!
Shorter doesn't mean easier
Speaking of My Road and cyclists...
Not sucky, but merely bemusing. Every year, we have Super Duper Bike Race that always fills up the motel. When these cyclists make it into town, they go to their checkpoint, which is at the University. When they come into town, they end up on the road that connects with my road.
Now, my road is STEEP! I will often walk TO work down the hill, but coming back, I will take a slightly longer route up Main Road so I can avoid the STEEP hill. My road, Main Road, and Other Road (that the cyclists come into town on), form a sort of large triangle. Let me see if I can explain.
From Other Road, My Road is the most direct route to the University, however one may go another block and turn on Main Road to take a slightly-longer-but-flatter route to University. And for Big Bike Race, about half of the cyclists did just that. In fact, I think their direction packet even instructs them to Main Road, iirc. I wonder if some mapped their own route with GPSs or something, though, because several tried to go up My Road, and were having a hell of a time doing that! They were zigzagging all over trying to get up it. One even exclaimed to her partner, "I don't think I can make that! Oh, hell no!"
After biking 90 miles, I can't understand why they would attempt that hill, when there was a much easier way only two blocks longer!
Yes, it's shorter on a road map, but the terrain is much, much harder.ETA: I just looked up the route map. I guess I was wrong. They were directed up that hill. In which case, the people who planned that route are cruel and sadistic bastards!