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 Adam Herstein on August 26, 2013 at 8:30pm

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.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on August 27, 2013 at 8:11am

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...

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Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on August 27, 2013 at 9:01am

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?

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Permalink Reply by Davo on August 27, 2013 at 9:26am

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?

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Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 27, 2013 at 9:30am

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?

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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 27, 2013 at 9:41am

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?

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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 27, 2013 at 9:50am

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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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 27, 2013 at 9:54am

This. And also some of them have never driven and really don't know/understand the traffic rules.

Andrew said:

Shoaling is indicative of people on bikes who think they are basically pedestrians on wheels. They move like pedestrians. Think about how pedestrians use the sidewalk, how they bunch up before crossing the street, or how they don't really look at the signal before they cross the road. These pedestrian-minded cyclists don't see any problem with shoaling (and other bad bike behaviors) because they are making decisions as a pedestrian would and not the way a motor vehicle would.

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Permalink Reply by Rich S on August 27, 2013 at 10:02am

I will shoal if there's room for me to get to the front. I usually take Clark which doesn't get very crowded. I do this for 2 reasons. First I ride faster than 80-90% of the other riders I see on Clark. I don't ride particularly vigorously but I'm not coasting either.

The second reason is to get ahead of traffic before the light changes. Some bikers will wait until the light is green before beginning to move through the intersection even though it's clear. That's fine for them but I don't think it's the safest for me personally. When it's clear and safe to do so, I'll proceed through the intersection a few seconds before the light turns green. Usually right when the cross traffic turns red or my direction gets a walk signal. Doing this allows me to get ahead of the cars and be visible to them before they start driving through the intersection. Particularly on intersections where the mouth is tight and the bike lane doesn't start until 15-20 feet into the street. I'm safely in the bike lane without getting squeezed by drivers.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on August 27, 2013 at 10:47am

I look at it like I'm riding singletrack. If I'm faster, please get out of my way. If you're faster, I'll [HAPPILY] get out of your way. If you don't make way, don't get mad that I shoal you at the next light. Fin.