Well that was fun until it wasn't.

Couple things.

1. This is illegal,

2. If the cyclist ran into you or just hopped off and let his bike fly into you while writing down your plate number, your insurance would be on the hook to buy him a shiny new bike to ride down the middle of the road on.

that thread title is so yogi bera

Wtf man

After posting that video and reading the thread I'm happy that I live in The Netherlands. For over here cycling is huge.
Nearly a third of all journeys made in the Netherlands are made by bicycle. Even the over 65 age group make nearly a quarter of their journeys by bicycle. Within some cities, over half of all journeys are made by bicycle.

My country is well equipped with cycle-paths and other segregated cycle facilities. The network reaches all parts of the nation and into the bordering nations of Belgium and Germany. The cycling surface quality is good and the routing tends to be direct with gentle turns making it possible to cycle at speed for considerable distances.The majority of car drivers over here are also cyclists, and thus understand how vulnerable a cyclist can feel. And it's very flat, seriously we have no hills (apart from one province)

Probably a 90 year old man that was like what the fuck was that?

Herein lies the fatal flaw of making this argument on a skiing website.

Atleast the Alps are close...but yes as for skiing my country sucks.
But in the Province that has hills, even some terribly steep ones everyone is still going by bike, it's just something Dutch, we bike everywere.

The thing is everyone thinks they are a better driver than everyone else. I guarantee you have done stupid shit while driving before and someone nearby has thought how in the hell does this guy have his liscense? I don't know how you know that you are a better driver than most of america but I agree, that was a fucking stupid thing to say.

Everyone in this thread saying they hate cyclist riding down the road makes me want to punch babies. You sound like dumb ass 17 year old assholes. Fuck off.

80% of the population claim that they are "above average drivers"

I'm in no way a "perfect" driver, as there is no such thing.

However, I stand by the fact that 80%+ are unfit to drive. The gross majority does not know the actual rules of the road, or if they do, have a total disregard for them in a variety of situations that puts others in harm. Additionally, they lack the comprehension of physics that would allow them to understand how to control that massive chunk of steel on wheels.

I cant wait until Gregor Robertson gets thrown out of office this fall. Then we can rip up the majority of the bike lanes in Vancouver that never get used and restrict traffic

Honestly, if you are a cyclist and you are riding right down the middle of the lane and won't pull over to the right hand side to let someone pass you, you are just being a douchebag. It's really not that hard to turn right for five seconds and let someone pass. You don't even have to slow down.

Alright bikers on the road is actually something i love hating on so i gotta put in my 2 cents.

first off... I don't know what the fuck was going on in that video... why were all those bikers taking up the street anyway? unless it was some designated biking road or festival or something... it seems just like a bunch of assholes trying to inconvenience drivers. If it WAS a special biking road, then thats the drivers fault 100%.

anyway on the general topic of biking...
Biking is great but it can be very unsafe for both bikers and drivers. When people bike on the road it pisses me off. Bikes are simply not fit to be on the same roads as cars. A SKILLED biker may be able to stay far enough out of the way to not inconvenience any cars, but most of them (even if they are trying not too, and as far as I have seen a lot of them aren't...) get in the way all the time. And theres always the fuckass that takes up the whole lane going a solid 5 MPH.

In Seattle there is one road (lake road to those who know it) on which the biking situation is horrible. It seems to be the preferred road for all bikers in the area despite being very thin (2 way road one lane each way) and very very curvy and hilly. There is no shoulder. This is when it becomes actually dangerous and not just annoying because if you are trying to pass these fuckers you have to go into the other lane. On a curvy road where you can't see if another car is coming you can either risk going for it or simply wait. They also tend to ride in long lines (sometimes 5 or more) and even SIDE BY SIDE. I mean for fucks sake right? I know this is just one example but you can see how this kinda thing is gonna cause problems.

SO BIKERS: Please ride in Bike lanes, bike paths, or other places where you are not a fucking DANGER to everyone on the road including yourself. DON'T ride on busy roads! DON'T ride in long lines or side by side.

I'm sure you can find quiet roads, paths, or other biking areas, and if you do have to ride on a busy road ride as close to the side as possible because it really is a pain in the ass to deal with you.

I will say that America's road systems (or at least Seattle's) are not very apt for riding bikes for transportation, which is too bad. I totally think bikes are great for transportation. (that said most people ride for exercise as far as I know)

alright thats my opinion on bikers on the road.

I don't even know where to start with how unbelievably ignorant that post was. Seriously. I guess the place to start is probably where you assume that cars have the right to the road and bikers do not, and that bikers' role is to stay out of the way of the cars, is probably where to start. But it seems like it would be a waste of time.

Seriously, it's unbelievable how many people actually believe this crap.

The only thing I dislike about bikers on the road is that it makes me jealous as a rollerblader that I can't do the same thing without the cops stopping me. I understand it's slightly different but if you're gonna give bikes the same rights as cars, then you might as well give those rights to all recreational vehicles.

I used to rollerblade on the road all the time as a kid at night, now it seems the cops are stopping blades and bikes all the time. I rollerblade fast, it is literally unsafe to go that fast with small wheels on the sidewalk as there are too many bumps.

I don't mind bikers on the road.

way to take the video i posted in the bike thread yesterday

I hate NSG so much, it's almost unbelievable. As many have said, most of you are the most ignorant, and asinine group of individuals. But that argument is beside the point.

I myself am one of those "Jersey wearing, tight short douchebags with the $2300 dollar bikes" And nothing pisses me off more than some impatient person that can't wait 10 extra seconds to pass me. Or when they do pass me they don't move more than a couple inches away from my shoulders. And I will, 9 times out of 10, take your license number down and report you. You have no reason to endanger someone's life because they are inconveniencing yours such a small amount.

Next time you are longboarding, skateboarding, walking, whatever down the "Designated bike paths" and a cyclist passes you at over 25 mph and your pissed off, think how we feel when we almost get hit by a car every time we are on the road.

And another point, saying cyclist shouldn't be on the road is like snowboarders saying skiers shouldn't be in the park. They have no right, it wasn't made specifically for them and skiers need to get out of the snowboarders way. And any skier that gets in a snowboarders way deserves to be pushed out of the way, sprayed, and their pass clipped.

Sparknotes: Fuck all of you.

hate to say it but i gotta agree with you on this one, jd.

Why is it that people always say this before agreeing with me on here?

It certainly says something about your reputation on here haha. Most kids I think see you as "the man" on here. Unfortunately not in a "that guy is the man" sort of way, but more in the "damn the man" big business, unfounded hatred sort of way.

Maybe it would help if I changed my icon to Doug's.

Because just like everyone else on NS you like making people look like idiots. The difference? You're good at it cause you're smart, and you're not afraid to shit on anyone really. I believe that's why.

hate to say it JD, but i've been wondering the same thing for awhile now

lol more like a bunch of fucking hipsters trying to be rebellious. Stay on the side of the road not on both incoming and driving lanes. People like this piss me off. That driver was just being a boss.

Im all for bikers, as Iam an avid biker and use one for my main transportation. That being said, if bikers want to be ON the road, not on the shoulder/bike paths(if they are available) should have to pay insurance. For a car to be ON the road, one MUST pay insurance, so I think its only right that if some bikers feel the need to be ON the road they too should pay insurance.
Not only would this end the debate on whether bikes have just as much right on the road as cars do, it would just make everyone more safe, cars and bikers.

Same goes for cross-country skiers on snowmobile trails.

ima copy nd paste my story from the other thread...

before this thread, I was unaware of the amount of people that despise bikers.

Nah, stay true to your roots and just adopt a dictator as your icon like iggyskier has. Perhaps gaddafi?? He's ruling with an iron fist lately despite the rebel uprising.

Bonus: He's extremely photogenic

Eh yeah I see your point.

It is unfortunate that bike paths aren't a viable means of transportation since they're usually scenic routes and obviously can't get you everywhere. I think it would be a fantastic idea to have networks of bike paths that are just as accesible as roads, but I don't know if thats financially realistic. I usually don't mind bikers too much and will pass them without complaint but there are instances where they can be unbelievably frustrating (i.e. bikers on 45 mph roads)

So while I'm not an arrogant asshole that treats roadbikers like shit as you seem to think I am, the fact of the matter is that (unfortunately) roads are by and large designed for automobiles and cater to drivers as such. Cars and bikes are inarguably apples to oranges, and they shouldn't have to share roadspace. Ideally bike paths should be on every road, but as that seems unrealistic, all we can do for now is try and stay out of each other's way as much as possible.

hahaha