I've had people swerve at me just for passing them in a passing zone below the speed limit!!!
Like others have said, people will flip out on you for that stuff over here. I think they just look at it like you're butting in line, and since you're smaller... they'll bully you.
Seriously, people are a-holes about that where I'm at. It's not right, but it's reality.
Hell, I was on my dualsport (klr) the other day and I needed to turn around. I turned around in a parking lot, and jumped a little curb to get back on the main road. Some a-hole in a big truck must not have approved of me doing it, because he swerved right at me after I did it! I guess he thought I should have backed up and ridden all the way around it. It's ridiculous how some people act towards bikers here.

Cool ride, though, jules! Nice vid!

 

Gosh, I can't believe the attitude of your car drivers ... to actively try and push you off the road like that is, because of our vulnerability, attempted murder!! ... it's just not like that here, even if a car driver doesn't actively help by moving over they generally don't try to hinder or hurt you ... that's kinda alien, of course there are exceptions but I have to say I feel relatively safe with our car drivers apart from the old " I didn't see you" brigade but we all know about them and watch out for them ...


Here are a couple of our UK bike safey adverts ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr17D...eature=related



..and for bikers I like this one :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-xK_...eature=related

 

lol! When the first sign came up in the video I was about to say "WTF?!? They actually put out signs for shyte like that?!? I'm moving!"

Here in Philadelphia I say everyone has an overdeveloped sense of obligation. The drivers feel the world is obligated to them. It's common to make a turn onto a 1 lane 1 way street and find some idiot parked blocking the street while they chat with a pedestrian. Usually when a vehicle is blocking the view of them parked. Or have them stop in the middle of the same street while they unload their groceries while a parking spot is availible 2 houses down from theirs.

Motorcycles seem to offend their sense of obligation. Almost like they're outraged that we can ignore their ignorance because we can maneuver around them. While they have traffic backed up for a block and a half during their conversation we can filter around them. Or when we can make a lane change and pass because of our speed + agility while they're trapped because their car / suv / truck can't hit the spot. Oh and how DARE you interrupt their conversation on their cell with something so trivial as your fecking life!

Here's a question Jules: how many general road rage incidents do you have over there? Not targeted at bikers, just in general. Take the attitude behind someone susceptible to road rage, add in the thought that the flea on the bike can't do that much damage to their car and what you get is a passive aggressive stance towards us

 

omg you are a confident rider

 

Oh, why thank you :-)

I have been riding for 17 years though since I was 16, and at times
I maybe a little too confident, not good ... I spent a lot of time commuting through
the city when younger and you become very adept in traffic .. it all
becomes second nature, you don't think about it you just use the bike to
it's every advantage ... it had been years since I had ridden through the
city like that but once I hit it well it was like I was never away ... I am glad
I don't do it now though, I don't enjoy it and feel too restrained and
hemmed in ... I ride on open roads 99.99% of the time :-)


Jules

 

It must be a PA thing, raged drivers.
I filter every day here in California, better to be ahead than squashed. I don't know a single person who's been hit while splitting. ESPECIALLY at a stop light... thtey aren't moving, it's pretty safe.

Good riding Jules

 

Definitely a Philly thing. Washington ave heading south. It's a 2 lane split road with a center turn lane where people tend to park. I changed to the left lane to pass a bus, saw a head in a truck 'parked' in the center lane. So when he pulled into the left lane less than 20' in front of me, I was already changing back right.

When we got to the light he rolled down the window and yelled 'What the **** are you looking at???'. I didn't do anything but avoid his stupidity and look at him.

 

I know exactly what you're talking about, Kuroshio. My sister lives in philly, and I used to have to make rounds all over the city for work(27 stops). Also have a couple friends that live there. People sit or park anywhere. A lot of honking and a lot of bitchin' is almost necessary...

I'm interested to hear from people who have been aggressively swerved at, though. It's happened to me 3 times in the last year and a half. It can't just be me. One time was because I honked at a guy for stopping in the middle of the road to get his mail. Once was for passing a guy, and once was the story above.
I also actually got HIT by a woman in an SUV a few years ago. I was in my civic, went to pass, and she jerked at me and actually made contact.
It was weird, though, because I pulled over to check for damage and she pulled off behind me and apologized. WTF?

 

props