You guys have most likely heard about the poor grad student that was recently killed on W. Main while riding his bicycle. It sounds like it’s one of those cases where the truck took a right in front of him, and he couldn’t do anything to avoid it. This is terrifying. This is the exact sort of thing that makes me afraid to ride a bicycle in this town. Many of the streets here are too narrow to allow for a proper bike lane, and driver/bicycle awareness is a problem anywhere you go. It has been explained to me that the stretch of West Main between Maya and the ABC store is a gauntlet of car doors and drivers that won’t share a lane.
Every spring/summer I start thinking of finding a bicycle to get around town on, but these horror stories keep me from ever executing the plan. What about you guys? Do any of you use a bicycle as a primary mode of transportation? Any unfortunate incidents that scared you away from riding a bike on the streets? I know that B yo used to make a living riding bikes in a much larger city, so I’d be interested to hear if/how it feels differently in Charlottesville.
#1 by shenanigans on April 21, 2010 - 11:13 am
The guy that died was a really strong Crossfitter too, so he must have been hit hard. So sad. Ask Tuffy Mc Fucklebee for biking horror stories, I believe he’s been hit a few times. I think his last one, he was hit in an interesection and since there’s no crosswalk, it wasn’t illegal or something stupid like that.
#2 by belmont yo on April 21, 2010 - 11:21 am
Its sad, but it sounds like this guy blew it. The truck, which was a monster septic draining thing *was* signaling a right turn and dude tried to pass on the right, fell, and was crushed by the huge double rear wheels.
In his defense, the truck was big enough that he could have been past the rear bumper and thus never saw the signal from the rear. But even if you perceive yourself to have the right of way, combustion engine vehicles are all bigger than you and its best to assume they will make the worst possible move.
This is all speculation, though.
#3 by brewer998 on April 21, 2010 - 11:47 am
Back when I lived in town I used to ride my bike 2.2 miles every day from Belmont/Hogwaller to West Main, right past the area in which this accident occurred.
I stopped riding my bike due to a hostile driver which literally made me fear for my life. This jerk-off blared his horn at me and then swerved his maroon Toyota Corolla at me like he was going to hit me. I was following all traffic laws. He came about a foot from me and scared me to death. This was at the intersection of Ridge and West Main.
Shortly after the wave of adrenaline that was stimulated came the murder-reflex. I chased the guy and forced him to run a red light to avoid my wrath.
That’s right redneck with blond mullet, beer gut, and a mid-nineties maroon Toyota Corolla! I still remember you and if I ever see you again sweet, sweet revenge will be mine!
But I digress… that experience made me stop riding my bike to work and switch to walking. Biking in Charlottesville blows mostly due to asshole drivers and partly due to the lack of adequate bike lanes.
#4 by belmont yo on April 21, 2010 - 11:54 am
@3 That’s why you keep a few depleted batteries (AA for warnings, D’s for DefCon 1) in your messenger bag.
Not that I would know anything about, nor reccommend, that type of behavior.
#5 by lauren on April 21, 2010 - 12:01 pm
yeah, this is exactly why i dont ride a bike here–it scares the hell out of me. that, and the hills. which scare the hell out of my quads.
it does make me feel less wimpy knowing that you, byo, of bike messenger fame, also find it treacherous.
#6 by brewer998 on April 21, 2010 - 12:37 pm
Why mess around? A Mac-10 in the messenger bag makes every day a DefCon 1 sorta day!
That’s actually a terrible idea. I totally would have murdered that mulleted moron if I had been armed.
#7 by Mz Fitz on April 21, 2010 - 3:33 pm
I’m a bike commuter, and am thankful that my route is less than a mile straight down 6th St. SE. While this commute has convinced me to attach pepper-spray to my handlebars after having a young fella come out from hiding behind a tree to “just scare” me one evening, I feel pretty good about not getting hit. I feel a bit safer now that they’ve installed enormous speed humps which I am totally opposed to. SRSLY, you should’ve seen MztrFitz take them on accidentally at full speed in his 15 passenger van last Thursday before they painted warning lines….
I digress. Overall, I think Charlottesville is terribly suited for cyclists. Most other places that I’ve lived, most notably, Fredericksburg, are better equipped for car, bike, and pedestrian traffic. Charlottesville has sidewalks and bike lanes that randomly end, spewing you out into the most dangerous spots. Roads that narrow tremendously right as on-street parking begins are commonplace, while bike paths are few and far between.
I’d also like to add that the culture of invincibility that pedestrians have towards cars needs to change. My experience with bikes is that they are more observant than average C-ville pedestrian.
Please note: I said average pedestrian based on specific neighborhoods that I frequent. The squirrels on the corner are oblivious, the ladies who lunch in north downtown have a case of smug clouding their judgment, and the folks downtown are a combination of the previously mentioned along with reasonable folks who both understand both Virginia law, and the laws of physics.
#8 by Donk on April 21, 2010 - 3:40 pm
@6
Yeah… I also discovered the speed humps about 3 days before they painted lines or put up any sort of sign to hint of their presence. Even with the painted lines and ’speed humps ahead’ signs, they surprise me almost every time.
I’ve also noticed that the crowds around the speed humps have been growing by the day. My best guess is that there have been some hilarious misadventures of drivers hitting them at speed.
#9 by Doc on April 21, 2010 - 3:43 pm
I just want to know where everyone got the silly notion that bicyclists were people too.
#10 by Mz Fitz on April 21, 2010 - 3:48 pm
@7, yeah they all tap each other too look over and watch the idiot about to hit it too fast. I’m sure it’s brought some great entertainment to the neighborhood. I’m waiting for them to set up some bleachers…
#11 by brewer998 on April 21, 2010 - 3:58 pm
@8
From your mom.
#12 by Doc on April 21, 2010 - 4:14 pm
@10: Well, that’s certainly not true, as she always makes sure to swerve her Corolla at bikers just to teach ‘em who really owns the road.
#13 by brewer998 on April 21, 2010 - 4:15 pm
Does your Mom have a blond mullet, by any chance?
#14 by Doc on April 21, 2010 - 4:19 pm
Maybe a mumllet, but not a full blown mullet, why do you ask?
#15 by brewer998 on April 21, 2010 - 4:23 pm
Blond + mullet + Corolla = maybe the driver who nearly killed me!
REVENGE!!!
(j/k, btw)
#16 by Mz Fitz on April 21, 2010 - 4:34 pm
I wonder if Donk ever drove a Corolla?
#17 by Doc on April 21, 2010 - 4:35 pm
Oh yeah? I’m pretty sure she could take you! You ever seen a redneck woman fight?
(i know, btw)
#18 by Donk on April 21, 2010 - 4:40 pm
For those that don’t know me…
Mz Fitz is making a mullet joke.
My hair is pretty short right now, thankyouverymuch.
#19 by Mz Fitz on April 21, 2010 - 5:14 pm
I may white-out the “speed” on the signs for some surefire hilarity.
Although given the number of used prophylactics I’ve discovered in recent weeks in in the neighborhood, it may not be a good idea to encourage more public sex.
#20 by Loki on April 21, 2010 - 7:19 pm
At least they’re having safe public sex. That’s a step in the right direction.
#21 by belmont yo on April 21, 2010 - 7:23 pm
Once a corolla dash deep in pure road rage
whose driver seemed t’be wearing a hair cage
hit a hump at full speed
paying signage no heed
and our laughter we could not disengage.
#22 by brewer998 on April 22, 2010 - 10:08 am
@ 19
“Safe Public Sex” … Seems like a contradiction in terms. I thought the whole point of sex in public was the danger aspect of it all. Must STDs rob us of all of life’s pleasures?
#23 by brewer998 on April 22, 2010 - 10:11 am
@ 16
Shiiiiiiiit! I grew up in mutha-jumpin’ Barboursville, baby! What the hell do you think we did for fun on Friday nights?
Redneck woman cage fights at the lumber yard after hours!
“Three teeth enter, no teeth leave.”
#24 by secretlyall on April 22, 2010 - 10:50 am
I’ve had several run ins with drivers recently.
The most recent: I am in my car at a stop light smooshing my hair down because I’ve just gotten it cut and hairdressers like to blowout women’s hair. Two guys in a truck pull up next to me. One of them turns and says to me, “Whayda think your a model?” while sneering. (What the fuck does this mean? I was getting uppity and caring about my hair?) So I give him the finger.
Light turns green. Truck decides to chase me down, including tailgating, slowing way down and then speeding up and screeching to a halt, swerving in and out of traffic. Scared the living shit out of me.
I know pedestrians step out in traffic and are sometimes oblivious. But I’ve only seen drivers be straight up dicks.
#25 by shenanigans on April 22, 2010 - 10:55 am
^ I hope you got their license plate number. You should report that shit.
#26 by secretlyall on April 22, 2010 - 10:56 am
@24 I wish I had thought of it at the time but I was too freaked out. Shaking, etc. Next time I need Lauren there in the car to be talking smack and writing license plate numbers down.
#27 by belmont yo on April 22, 2010 - 10:57 am
“Safe Public Sex” … Seems like a contradiction in terms.
Google “dogging”. Oi, mate!
#28 by brewer998 on April 22, 2010 - 10:59 am
@25 I know what you mean. I kicked myself for not getting the plates off of Doc’s mom’s Corolla. My thought process went something like this:
“Oh, fuck! Gonna die!”
to
“Oh, fuck! They’re gonna die! I’m gonna kill them!”
#29 by Donk on April 22, 2010 - 11:03 am
You can’t help but see these kinds of interactions all around town. Drivers pissed at pedestrians. Bicyclists pissed at drivers. Drivers trying to scare the crap out of bicyclists because they have something to prove.
I’ll admit that I sometimes get stressed out while driving and think about how satisfying a little road rage would be…..
But I realize that the pedestrians and bikers have ALL of the power. I’m not even talking about legal rights here. I’m saying that if you piss off a pedestrian or biker, and they retaliate a la B Yo’s recommendation….what are you going to do about it? That bicycle or pedestrian can dip off into the woods or some other place that a car can’t go. Are you just going to ditch your car in the middle of traffic and chase them down?
Probably not.
So, just grin and bear it. You can’t do anything about it, so you may as well make the best of the situation. I’m a big fan of the belief that the way that you react to a person/situation isn’t about the person/situation… it’s about you. So, put your anger issues aside and let the bikers/pedestrians along their way.
#30 by Donk on April 22, 2010 - 11:06 am
That being said…
I’ve definitely been yelled at by bikers when I wasn’t even doing anything wrong. There’s one specific biker that rides in his cutesy little bicycle costume on E. Water St. He’s yelled in my window once or twice when I was just stopped waiting for the right of way to turn. One of these days I’m going to chase him down.
/I wish I could practice what I preached.
#31 by shenanigans on April 22, 2010 - 11:09 am
I don’t have a problem with bikers, I just think they need to realize it’s easier for them to see me than for me to see them and so cycle defensively.
#32 by belmont yo on April 22, 2010 - 11:12 am
they retaliate ala B Yo’s recommendation
For the record, I recommend nothing. Especially in a town this small. I must have run out of rage in my late teens crazy gluing the locks on bank doors or something.
Now Im all about amusing myself. Someone rages on you, no matter what mode of transpo, try blowing them a kiss, or being extra extra polite. Let them have the anuerism. You can have a good laugh later.
#33 by Donk on April 22, 2010 - 11:30 am
@31
This.
I definitely enjoy the ‘killing them with kindness’ approach. I have to believe that people know when they are being assholes. When someone cuts you off, or runs a stop sign that you’ve been waiting for…
Smile and wave. You’re passive aggressively telling them to fuck off, which is really more fun in the long run.
#34 by secretlyall on April 22, 2010 - 11:56 am
@31 and @32I have definitely tried the smiling and waving thing and in certain situations it works really well…but I dunno, I think this might be a better solution for men than it is for women.
I don’t really want to smile and wave or blow kisses at guys who yell vaguely sexualized things at me (or really yell anything at me). And its not because I’m pissed. It because I don’t want them to think I want to flirt…
But yes, for general road rage, I think the smile and wave works VERY well.
#35 by brewer998 on April 22, 2010 - 12:54 pm
I think if someone threatens you or is outlandishly rude to you out of the blue that it says nothing about you if that shocking behavior causes you to react with some varying degree of hostility. Seems like a natural reaction to me.
But I might just be an asshole. The jury is out on that one.
#36 by Loki on April 23, 2010 - 6:36 pm
@32 I’m surprised that at the high speeds which you drive someone would be able to cut you off. That’s impressive! You’re like Dean Moriarty behind the wheel sans the hammer juggling.