The System 459: Cycling Terms
Another “terms” comic. I haven’t done one of these in a while, but I love working on them. They always turn out well I think. Today’s comic is actually based on a true story of biking to work last week, where a guy zoomed by me, leaving only inches to spare, only to get pulled over a quarter mile later. Serves him right in my mind, as I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Makes you wish everyone just wasn’t in such a hurry all the time. Has this kind of thing ever happened to you?
To those that have stuck around since “chart-okalypse”, thanks! Hope you like what you’re seeing around here. As a recap on the chart, we’re working on a “PG” version of the chart as well as some more items that feature some of the artwork, including Professor Internet. Stay tuned to the site for more.
Another comic on Wednesday. To those in the US, hope you’re enjoying MLK day. To those outside, hope Monday isn’t sucking too hard.
January 17th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Bicycluddite: One who insists on relying on ancient, pre-technological modes of transporation
January 17th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Last summer I was run off the road by a motorist passing a left-turning car by pulling into the bike lane. I narrowly missed being hit by the car, crashing the guard rail and tumbling down a wooded embankment. Thankfully I wasn't hurt. Also thankfully, a motorcycle cop was 2 vehicles behind and saw the whole thing. Not only was he a cop, but he was the city's cop in charge of motor vehicle / cyclist / pedestrian interactions. Except for the near-fatality part, it was pretty sweet.
January 17th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
I have the first two terms happening fairly often, but the third one never seems to materialize.
Although I've found that having a Down Low Glow helps a lot, at night anyway.
January 17th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
As a motorist who’s nearly hit a cyclist because said cyclist blew a stop sign right in front of me, I have a tough time feeling any compassion for the cycling population.
I’ve also narrowly avoided being run off a sidewalk as a pedestrian by a cyclist who, unfortunately for him, found his handlebars tangled up in my messenger bag strap and his face in the sidewalk. (You really shouldn’t try to ride too closely to someone who has both my size and a complete lack of regard for your well-being – at least on a narrow sidewalk in a college town with bike lanes along almost every single road.)
To all you law abiding cyclists out there, though, my apologies. Most drivers suck, even for those of us who are comparably well-protected, and this goes doubly for all the lovely, unique butterflies in their super-wide SUVs.
January 18th, 2011 at 5:25 am
You mean, like, walking
January 18th, 2011 at 9:25 am
One of my favourite motorist / cycle interactions is 'the impatient turner', A motorist that insist on overtaking the cyclists before turning left (or right for you new worlders) when there is not enough space and end up ether forcing the cyclist to turn or emergency brake to stop from being driven into sidewards.
Its quite amusing how often the motorist will blame the cyclist for this!
January 18th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
I think we all tend to focus on the a@#holes out there, unfortunately. When I started driving buses 4 years ago I would really get wound up about cyclists riding to close to my bus, motorists who anxiously pass me only to cut me off, or pedestrians that run in front of my bus expecting me to stop for them.
As time has gone on, I've consciously focused on *everybody else* who are moving about in a generally courteous and safe manner, even if not always strictly legal. Cyclists perform "Idaho Stops", pedestrians frequently jaywalk across streets with no oncoming traffic, and cars that carefully move into a completely empty oncoming lane to get around my bus when I'm turning right.
My point is *most* people are just trying to get somewhere and do so in a mostly safe way. But who do I remember? Right now I'm focused on a Honda that turned right in front of my bus from the left lane to get into a driveway. I honestly don't know how I stopped that bus to avoid adding a Honda hood ornament to it.
When you're stopped in or near traffic, try looking around and seeing the courteous travelers – there are a lot of them and it will help preserve your sanity.
That said, I still get a little wound up about pedestrians darting in front of my bus. It can be really scary and NO, I won't pick you up when you endanger your life, and my career, like that.
January 18th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
I'm from a city where bicyclists don't have to stop at stop signs – by law! Unfortunately, the city grew so much as to make this old lack of law really dangerous. Bike lanes are rare at best. There is nowhere for cars, bikes and people to coexist. Nobody's prepped for the transportation needs of the population – whether it's the several cyclists I know who have been hit, the pedestrians who take both sides of the sidewalk then grouse, or cars who can't / won't look for bikes. I am a huge fan of cities who take the burden off individuals and putting it onto education and infrastructure – where it belongs.
January 18th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
[...] Comic and discussion at Rosscott Inc. [...]
January 18th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
I had a one tonne van run a red light and nearly take me out. I chased after him screaming like a banshee about how I was going to kill him which raised a few eyebrows – particularly of the two police officers (also on bikes) a few hundred meters up the road. I got sweet justice. He got a speeding fine and a lecture on driving like knob with an unrestrained child in the passenger seat.
January 18th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
Love the terms–they put it as it is, succinctly.
As a pedestrian, I have found myself narrowly missed by cars that don't seem to know how to read: Vehicles must Stop for Pedestrians. These signs are on a main street in a small town with crosswalks clearly delineated.
However, these people obviously didn't learn how to put letters together to form words. Perhaps had it been written as a tweet…
As a motorist, I sometimes find that cyclists decide that no matter what, they have the right to cut in front of cars to turn w/o bothering to see if there are any cars in close proximity.
I suggest driving/biking school be mandatory in all schools!!!!
January 19th, 2011 at 8:23 am
I’ve had the unlucky happening of being driven off the road by a bus while cycling. Unfortunately, all the police could do was issue a warning since there wasn’t any evidence. I’ve also had an on-coming school bus turn right in front of me while I was going 60. I stopped less than 20 feet short of hitting that bus. Another fun one was a cyclist that decided the road was his. He was riding on the center line on a country road. I was in my truck so I just went into the ditch to avoid him and be on my way, but he refused to move into the proper lane as per regulation.
I’ve found that most people are idiots.
January 20th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
So you have no compassion for cyclists because of someone that blew a stop sign? So one bad apple spoils the whole bunch? I guess you must also hate all motorists including yourself for siimilar reasons?
Douchbag.
January 24th, 2011 at 12:47 am
my place mostly is motorist, only minority is cyclist even among college students, maybe the city road is meant ‘for highway only’ & it’s kinda sad..
sometimes, looking at motorist just piss me off for sometimes, i mean at least please stay in a lane, NOT into a sideways or middle lane! (i’m a motorcross type, quite hard to overtake due to wide handle bar & i usually drive motor in a lane, acting it as a car drive on it’s respective lane)
& yea, that’s where high casualties probability happens in my places when major motorist take sideways or middle lane.
March 27th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Bicyclists need to learn to obey traffic laws just like motorists and pedestrians need to learn that a sign is good for nothing where their life is concerned. If you jump out in front of a bus or run a stop sign in front of a pickup, you are saying "I sure hope they have the time and wherewithal to stop or I guess today is the day I die."
March 28th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Very true!
March 30th, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Apparently you're the douchebag, Roger. Most people take the time to read the whole reply and get to the part where someone apologizes to the entire cycling population and agrees that there are drivers who also suck as part of their closing. Maybe you wouldn't look like an idiot if you followed some simple reading comprehension courses and read the entire reply before going half cocked on someone on the internet.
April 23rd, 2011 at 11:42 pm
I had a pedallation once- I was ran off the road by a Fed-Ex truck. After that, it hit a bump, and unless I hallucinated, that truck left the ground. That wasn’t too pleasant.
I’ve had tons of vexicles. One that stands out in my memory is the time that, even though I was on the far-right side of the road, an suv went by me and the kid yelled out the window. Nope- not even the driver- I had the pleasure of getting screamed at by a kid xD
I’ve had people tell me to get off the road… etc… This is hick-town. There are… maybe 4 cyclists here. People freak out. They have no idea what to do when they see a bicycle!
This is the reason that when I got my first car, an suv, I made sure to give the other cyclists plenty of room. So there- you guys have the priviledge of knowing that at least one (former- I have a van now) suv driver has your back.
July 6th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
In Minneapolis it's the jackasses who ride on the street when there's a bike path 20 feet away. Or the ones who insist on riding on Lake street (four-lane undivided with heavy traffic) for 50 blocks during rush hour when the Greenway (a special road just for bikes) is a block north.