I believe in sharing the road, but...

...had to follow a large group of bikers yesterday for about 15 minutes going up Angeles Crest Highway going ~5mph until the we had a safe passing zone. Speed limit was 45 mph. Something doesn't seem right here? Bikers on Angeles Crest Highway

I've come across that many times where they block the entire lane. They want all the same rights of the road as vehicles, but most follow none. They run stop lights and stop signs, run the reds on school busses etc...

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Bikers have increasingly taken to "blocking" the lane as an attempt to increase safety when riding. This may seem counter intuitive but too many drivers are distracted or just plain not courteous. Just presenting another POV.

CJ, I want to thank you for your patience and forebearance. As a long-time triathlete and cyclist, I appreciate drivers who aren’t trying to kill me. As a driver I don’t enjoy witnessing cyclists being grossly inconsiderate. That pace line is far too big for the Crest Hwy! The ride leaders should’ve broken that group into at least 3 spread by 1/4 mile between to allow for safety buffers on that grade. Cheers!

Can't stand it when these guys act like it's their road and have their own rules...Some roads are just not bike friendly!

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I cycle. And I agree. There are roads I refuse to ride, particularly enthusiast roads for cars/motorcycles. They aren't breaking laws though. And they are to be treated as another vehicle. Frustrating, yes. And I wish that all people, regardless of mode of transport, would consider other's around them - but they are allowed to use the road and to treat it just like they are any other vehicle.

Here is one California vehicle code on driving too slowly: 22400. (a) No person shall drive upon a highway at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic unless the reduced speed is necessary for safe operation, because of a grade, or in compliance with law. Also here is your trivia question: What is the speed limit on a CA road? Ans: The posted speed limit or whatever speed is the maximum safe speed. So for example you can get a speeding ticket in a 50 mph zone if you are going only 30 mph and the observing officer decides that is too fast to be safe (rain, obstacles, snow, etc I suppose).

Drive earlier. Do your recon on the way down hills and scout for slower users that you'll see on the way back up. Certainly not all road users apply common sense, but that's life.

For a single biker or a small biking group I rarely have trouble going severely left in my lane, sometimes even straddling the line if visibility is fine to give them some security and respect. This is byproduct of coal rollers, and other a-holes who for some reason do not recognize a human being on a bicycle as a human being and mess with them. I've read plenty of articles of bikers being run off the road by animals who should not have licenses. My poor senior-age parents are still avid bikers, bless them, and I worry about them every time they hit the rural roads . Safety in numbers... I understand the frustration.

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BS! They are unlicensed, uninsured and unregistered. They are impeding the flow of traffic for licensed, registered and insured vehicles and are not allowed to use the road just like any other vehicle, try taking your bicycle on the freeway and see what happens. Groups like this create a danger to themselves and others because of their arrogance toward the legal vehicles on the road and the flagrant violation of VTL. Biggest liability nightmare to legal vehicles on the road are these bicyclist groups.

I must admit, my wife bikes even with that I get furious about bikers capturing the whole road instead of staying to the side...the problem is it just takes one guy to do that and then you get prejudiced against the whole bunch. Can't wait to see the outcome of this thread.

To comment on DBC’s rant: Read NY Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) – �1231. Bicycles are legal vehicles or afforded the same rights as vehicles, in every state. I’ll also bet every single rider in that group has a DL. Statistically, take NY for example, 94% of all drivers (at least) are estimated to be insured. The biggest liability nightmare for today’s driver is a distracted driver. NHTSA reports 9 people die each day and 1,000 are injured in accidents involving distracted drivers. Also, bad cyclist behavior doesn’t warrant bad (or illegal) driver behavior. I don’t like seeing anyone in a car or on a bike mess things up for anyone else on the road because they’re rudely inconsiderate or ignorant of the rest of us. Unfortunately, that’s a statistic on a big uptick.

I bike too and it can be scary either way, in a car or on a bike. I do a couple of rides a year, long distance like the Seattle to Portland ride. Lots of bikers, but the groups I ride with stay single file or get yelled at. I won't ride with the groups "that own the road". It's not worth it. I don't want a car to have to come near me (or anyone for that matter) so I play it safe for everyone. While driving, I have come up on some groups going through twisty mountain roads outside Napa, CA and what a scare. The bicyclists are much braver than I. There is no way I would bike those beautiful hills and all blind corners. I will admit though, I have been going downhill on a road with tight turns that I will take the middle of the inside lane if there are 2 lanes in the same direction, but I am exceeding the speed limit at that point (That is usually when I say "God, please don't let anything break right now") Going 45-50mph on 2 skinny wheels can be exhilarating, but it has to be a the right place at the right time.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. D.

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DH, it's not a rant, it's a comment about bicyclists flagrantly violating the law. Again, these bicyclist groups pose a great danger to themselves and the legal vehicles on the roadway. � 1234b - Persons riding bicycles or skating or gliding on in-line skates upon a roadway shall ride, skate, or glide single file when being overtaken by a vehicle. Again, driving on general use roads, not closed roadways or bicycle paths in groups with 2,3,5 abreast are a danger to themselves and the legally licensed and insured vehicles on the road. I guess a group of 10,20,30,50 bicyclists should drive however they see fit on public roads or should they drive in a single file? The roads around here are all in use at all times by motorized vehicles, so the idea that bicyclist groups should not agree in advance to protect themselves and others by riding single file or at max, 2 abreast so they can get into single file quickly and efficiently as they are being overtaken by cars would be appropriate. To date, I can unequivocally say that I have never seen bicyclist group display ANY behavior that respects the roadway for cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc.

I am always surprised when these discussions come up, and quickly get out of hand; both sides pointing fingers. From my experience (and I am both a cyclist and an car insurance professional) most bike-car interactions that result in injuries or death are the result of single car-single bike collisions where the driver of the car wasn't paying attention, or wasn't looking where they were going. Very few are the result of cyclists "flaunting the law" or riding recklessly. Most are at city speeds, in broad daylight. Right and left turns by cars are the most dangerous situations for cyclists and pedestrians. Cyclists in groups are rarely hit, although it does happen. The safest way to ride is double file in small groups (less than 20). A group of cyclists like that presents a driver with an easily identifiable obstacle, that requires pulling out into the passing lane, or the opposing lane, and passing a much shorter group, making the pass easier. It is like approaching a slow moving car, or a horse and buggy. You wouldn't try to push your way past either of those things. Why push by a group of cyclists? I get it, you are a cardiologist, and if you don't make it to the hospital someone could die. Or a fire fighter, or whatever you think is so important that you can't wait 30 seconds. If the road is so busy that you can't pass at all, it probably isn't a good road to be hustling down anyways, but like any slow road user, the cyclists should pull off and let people by.

I'm on the side of the bicyclists. There are a lot of disrespectful, distracted and dangerous drivers on the roads. I personally know three people that were seriously injured by motorists while following the rules of the road - one run off the road into a ditch, another hit by a car, and the third had a car cut in front of them causing them to hit the car and get launched. I've had scares with jerks in cars honking a horn at my young kids as they passed (the kids were under 10) and we were legally riding single file transiting between our home and a dirt road a quarter mile away. Also, having been a motorcyclist for years, I have observed a lot of the same behaviors - distracted driving, people not seeing you, not using safe following or passing distances. What's the big deal - give a rider some space, let them have their exercise, and wait until it is safe to pass. Share the road. I've personally given up on riding on the roads unless it is a rural dirt road, I'd rather be on a mountain bike trail where my chances of survival are much higher. I also sold my motorcycles for the same reason.

Perhaps the most useless thread here

If you can't maintain the speed limit, your on the wrong road!

Porsche drivers and most other car enthusiasts should not be the subject of this thread. The original post and video tells you all you need to know, "...had to follow... until we had a safe passing zone..." /X3

Calm down and stay cool instead of getting mad while driving. Seen too many road rage videos between cyclists and motorists.

I'm a cyclist, and I hate cyclists.

I wondering if 150 years ago, it was the horse back rider that annoyed the guy in the buggy, or the other way around.

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Agree with this sentiment. Credit where it's due to OP. This is a very frustrating situation, but OP's example is the way to handle it.

That's a pretty obnoxious group of cyclists, especially on a road where people don't pay attention to speed limits (or just ignore). They definitely don't deserve to be intentionally harmed, but they are begging for some kid in their Honda to thin the herd.

"I believe in sharing the road..." I don't, not where the speed limit is above 45 mph. I think bicycles should be banned on two lane roads with no shoulder if the speed limit is greater than 45 mph. I live on such a road, speed limit is 55 and it's nice and smooth so the local clubs love to have organized rides on the weekend. It's also kind of hilly, many times I've topped a hill on this road and had to slam on the brakes to miss not killing 9 people. Dangerous and stupid...that's my opinion. Oh, and why are we sharing the road with a vehicle that pays no road taxes???