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 John Wilson 6.0 on August 23, 2013 at 4:47am

That picture is two years old. I wear contacts instead of glasses now and have a mustache. So...okay.

Tim said:

Actually John, you sort of look like the guy that I'm complaining about here!!! Makes sense.

John Wilson 6.0 said:

So...you started a thread to complain about cyclists who do something you admit doing yourself?

Gotcha.


Tim said:

it's funny because I admit I do it too. Only thing is, I actually have a reason to do it, I ride fast. The thing that I don't do is, if someone is faster than me, I will let them go ahead of me, and that is how it should be.

Permalink Reply by John C. Wilson on August 23, 2013 at 5:28am

How many times will that one go around before it is laid to rest. Sidewalks do not have sight lines. Other users do not expect cyclists and will not behave like traffic.

But it doesn't matter. Those who believe sidewalks are safe will never be convinced. Try this one: It's illegal. Any incident that occurs will be the fault of the cyclist. Cyclist will be liable for anything that occurs. Period. End of story.



h' 1.0 said:

Depends on how one rides. If one were hell-bent on maintaining a steady pace of 14-16 mph, maybe.

I find the notion that one is less safe riding on the sidewalk than in the street with cars unlikely.

scott stevens said:

So ironic since your odds of getting hit by a car go way up riding on the sidewalk...  That GIF that was posted up earlier...  I bet this guy from the earlier poster wished he wasn't riding on the sidewalk...  Nearly hit by a car then finally hit by another biker...

h' 1.0 said:

It says right on the stations (in multiple languages?) that it's illegal.

My guess is that they're afraid of getting seriously injured or killed by cars.

Maurice said:

Quite a lot of them don't seem to understand that it's illegal (not to mention rude) to ride on the sidewalk here, including the fellow Divvying his way down a narrow River North sidewalk today at 6pm.
Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 23, 2013 at 5:38am

If you ride on the sidewalk, you can still get doored by patrons exiting buildings.

Permalink Reply by Andrew on August 23, 2013 at 7:24am

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.

Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on August 23, 2013 at 7:34am

My safety strategy is too stay as far away from other road users as possible. So I will shoal slower riders. It's only rude if you do it to people who are clearly faster than you, IMO. 

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 23, 2013 at 7:51am

How would you know they were faster than you when you've just arrived at a light and that they were already there?

Theoretically speaking, based on your statement, then you'd be shoaling everyone, until proven that they were faster than you at the next light.

Joe Schmoe said:

My safety strategy is too stay as far away from other road users as possible. So I will shoal slower riders. It's only rude if you do it to people who are clearly faster than you, IMO. 

Permalink Reply by Davo on August 23, 2013 at 8:25am

Im sorry if this has been answered before but is it shoaling only if you come to a complete stop or is it also when you are timing the lights better than the "faster" rider in front of you?

Permalink Reply by Maurice on August 23, 2013 at 2:33pm
Given the root word, I believe it only applies when all of the bikes in question are stopped.

If I'm wrong, then I'm the king of shoaling, because I time all of the lights on my commute.
Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 23, 2013 at 5:30pm

Shoaling is simply pulling up to stop at a stoplight in front of the person that was there before you (often in the crosswalk, the intersection itself, or in an otherwise dumb place to stop). It's quite rude.

I would not consider riding past someone who is stopped, if you pass on the LEFT, give enough passing distance, and - preferably - say something or ding your bell, to be rude or to be shoaling. You're just using momentum, as bikers should. 

As far as "timing lights" - that's impossible on my route downtown (Lincoln Ave.-Wells). Shoalers galore thru Lincoln Park, by the way. 


Davo said:

Im sorry if this has been answered before but is it shoaling only if you come to a complete stop or is it also when you are timing the lights better than the "faster" rider in front of you?

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on August 24, 2013 at 11:43am
I kinda hate pedicabs.
Permalink Reply by Matt Talbert on August 24, 2013 at 6:01pm

This annoys the HELL out of me, but in a different setting. I often bike on the North Branch Trail, since I can safely go faster. I will have passed someone on a mountain bike (or some kind of slower bike) quite quickly with my road bike. Then we get to an intersection at a street, not only do they go in front of me, they of course will violate traffic laws and disregard the cross signal. Of course, I pass them shortly after the crossing while still following the rules.

Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on August 26, 2013 at 10:57am

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. 

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