Bikers that always cut to the front of the line, repeatedly....

I am always getting quite annoyed of those fellow bikers, whom ride much slower than you, get in front of you at intersections. This is particularly bad on the diagonal roads where they will try to shortcut the light by pulling half way across it. 

Don't these guys have a clue after the 5th or 6th time that I pass them before they even finish getting across the intersection? It's not like this "head start" is really getting them up to speed any quicker. Most of the time they are just causing a potential conflict as I pass them....

I notice that it usually are the ones that are riding fixed gear... 

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Permalink Reply by Davo on August 26, 2013 at 11:02am

And "it's not a race"... no, but I do have places to be, like at the office on time, and I like to ride fast. And there are two traffic signals which basically add 10 mins to my commute if I don't make it through them on green.

So you only give yourself 10 min of leeway. What happens if you get a flat? Or hit other lights, or there is some sort of unannounced construction?

Permalink Reply by Michael A on August 26, 2013 at 11:37am

or just a headwind?

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on August 26, 2013 at 12:56pm

Sorry, Joe, but if not being able to pass someone is going to make you late you did not leave early enough.

Joe Schmoe said:

I ride pretty fast, so I can usually make a fairly accurate judgement of who's going to be faster than me. If it's a toss up, I give them the benefit of the doubt and wait behind them.  If it's someone on a POS MTB, or a beach cruiser, yeah, I'm going to shoal you, or else it's going to take me 1/4 mile to have enough room to pass you (my commute is all Broadway, and it makes me feel really unsafe to be moving slower than 15 mph on Broadway).  And "it's not a race"... no, but I do have places to be, like at the office on time, and I like to ride fast. And there are two traffic signals which basically add 10 mins to my commute if I don't make it through them on green. I give faster cyclists room to pass me, and also try to give cars lots of room to pass me too, whenever I can. What drives me nuts is when I'm just about to start moving at a green light, and someone on a bike shoots by me on my left doing 20 mph within a few inches, and doesn't announce themselves. Shoaling is annoying, that kind of passing is really unsafe. 

Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 26, 2013 at 1:01pm

+1

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

Sorry, Joe, but if not being able to pass someone is going to make you late you did not leave early enough.

Joe Schmoe said:

I ride pretty fast, so I can usually make a fairly accurate judgement of who's going to be faster than me. If it's a toss up, I give them the benefit of the doubt and wait behind them.  If it's someone on a POS MTB, or a beach cruiser, yeah, I'm going to shoal you, or else it's going to take me 1/4 mile to have enough room to pass you (my commute is all Broadway, and it makes me feel really unsafe to be moving slower than 15 mph on Broadway).  And "it's not a race"... no, but I do have places to be, like at the office on time, and I like to ride fast. And there are two traffic signals which basically add 10 mins to my commute if I don't make it through them on green. I give faster cyclists room to pass me, and also try to give cars lots of room to pass me too, whenever I can. What drives me nuts is when I'm just about to start moving at a green light, and someone on a bike shoots by me on my left doing 20 mph within a few inches, and doesn't announce themselves. Shoaling is annoying, that kind of passing is really unsafe. 

Permalink Reply by Maurice on August 26, 2013 at 2:22pm
I hit the perfect storm on the way home from work today: simultaneously shoaled by 4 different bikes while stopped at a red light, including one who passed on the right at full speed before slamming on the brakes directly in front of me. Mindful of this thread, I figured I'd give them a chance to ride faster than me when the light turned green. Um, not so much.

Passed all 4 within seconds without even trying. (There was very little car traffic.) I actually surprised myself with that one as: (1) I don't consider myself to be particularly fast, (2) I hit the gym at lunch today and so rode much slower than usual, and (3) I ride a POS MTB (no sarcasm...I paid $70 for it 7 years ago) fully loaded with my work and gym gear. Must have been the head wind.

Next light, shoaled again, except for the right-side passer who blew through without slowing down, narrowly missing several cars that he never even saw. Passed them all one last time just as we hit a stretch where all of the lights were in our favor. Somehow they never caught up to me...though I did eventually get passed by another guy on a POS MTB.
Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 26, 2013 at 2:30pm
This afternoon some bro-looking guy passed up a line of people on Dearborn, running the red to get around them. I tried to pass him mid-block and he swerved into me, nearly knocking me off my bike. He then had the nerve to call me the asshole and told me I didn't pass him properly.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on August 27, 2013 at 2:11am

Joe,

Out of curiosity, which two intersections together have a 10 minute cycle? I ride on Broadway occasionally myself and do not recall lights with a cycle time that long. Most lights follow the standard 90 seconds cycle time.

Joe Schmoe said:

...(my commute is all Broadway, and it makes me feel really unsafe to be moving slower than 15 mph on Broadway).  And "it's not a race"... no, but I do have places to be, like at the office on time, and I like to ride fast. And there are two traffic signals which basically add 10 mins to my commute if I don't make it through them on green...

Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on August 27, 2013 at 3:01am

Broadway/Hollywood, and Broadway/Brywn Mawr. Long light cycles, and people that block the box. Foster as well, now that I think about it. I've made it in 11 minutes, and I've made it in 27. Of course headwinds and flat tires affect that.  I ride a hybrid, so I basically don't get flats.   Headwinds will add a few minutes.  

But for example, on my commute yesterday, I took your advice and waited behind a woman on an older bicycle at Brywn Mawr. As we started through the intersection, I announced "on your left", and waited a few seconds for traffic to clear, and passed her as she wobbled in front of me. She then shoaled me at Hollywood, even though I was clearly moving twice as fast, and made me pass her again.  So why should I not have shoaled her at Bryn Mawr?

Permalink Reply by Davo on August 27, 2013 at 3:26am

I'll usually give people the benefit of the doubt that they are faster than me if they are shoaling. But if they are not I see no reason why you shouldn't do it to them at the next light. Sometimes Ill try to take up as much space to prevent people from shoaling at least on my right side.

Joe Schmoe said:

Broadway/Hollywood, and Broadway/Brywn Mawr. Long light cycles, and people that block the box. Foster as well, now that I think about it. I've made it in 11 minutes, and I've made it in 27. Of course headwinds and flat tires affect that.  I ride a hybrid, so I basically don't get flats.   Headwinds will add a few minutes.  

But for example, on my commute yesterday, I took your advice and waited behind a woman on an older bicycle at Brywn Mawr. As we started through the intersection, I announced "on your left", and waited a few seconds for traffic to clear, and passed her as she wobbled in front of me. She then shoaled me at Hollywood, even though I was clearly moving twice as fast, and made me pass her again.  So why should I not have shoaled her at Bryn Mawr?

Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 27, 2013 at 3:30am
Because a) you didn't know at the time you'd be faster (and if you pull the female, older bike thing, I'll punch you), and b) shoaling is bad behavior, and it's never gonna change if you only follow the rules sometimes.

Lead by example, give yourself a few more minutes to get to work, and next time, politely ask if you can start in front of her since you ate riding faster. Easy peasy.


Joe Schmoe said:

Broadway/Hollywood, and Broadway/Brywn Mawr. Long light cycles, and people that block the box. Foster as well, now that I think about it. I've made it in 11 minutes, and I've made it in 27. Of course headwinds and flat tires affect that.  I ride a hybrid, so I basically don't get flats.   Headwinds will add a few minutes.  

But for example, on my commute yesterday, I took your advice and waited behind a woman on an older bicycle at Brywn Mawr. As we started through the intersection, I announced "on your left", and waited a few seconds for traffic to clear, and passed her as she wobbled in front of me. She then shoaled me at Hollywood, even though I was clearly moving twice as fast, and made me pass her again.  So why should I not have shoaled her at Bryn Mawr?

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 27, 2013 at 3:41am

Because you got there first, so that's not shoaling at all if you're in front of the line enough that she can't shoal you any further without putting herself in the middle of the intersection. 

But then, I think you're just putting yourself at risk to be that close to crisscrossing traffic, not to mention putting that inexperienced older woman in greater risk, if she wasn't thinking and try to shoal you further. And so on, and so on...

Joe Schmoe said:

Hollywood, even though I was clearly moving twice as fast, and made me pass her again.  So why should I not have shoaled her at Bryn Mawr?

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 27, 2013 at 3:50am

Personally, I will stop normally behind the line, whenever possible, like the rest of the cars should be. If anyone shoal me, I'll pass them. They'll probably do it again several times and I'll dutifully pass them by, again, but after the first one, I'll pass while looking at them, shaking my head and give them the stink-eye.

Here's a pattern that usually happens:

The girls will catch my eyes and understand and stop doing it.

The guys will either do the same thing, or challenge me, being boys and all.

If they do, they either become very reckless and run lights to make sure that I never catch up to them, or I catch up to them again and this time, I'll add a little chuckle when I pass them, and that's when they stop. 

Yes, it's silly, repetitive, and sometimes frustrates me. But it is what it is, until they stop.

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