If another cyclist is in front of you and the light turns green, how patient are you?
Everyone on this forum agrees that shoaling at a red lights is bad.
But, what about when another cyclist is in front of you, and the light turns green, and they're looking at their phone?
What if they're just looking off to the side?
What if they see the light change to green, but they take an incomprehensibly long amount of time to "get moving"?
How patient are you? ;)
Views: 227
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on
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I'll wait a beat or two but if they are looking at their phone or slow-moving, I will safely pass them. I don't think there's anything wrong with passing on the left (and calling it out so they know you are there).
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Permalink Reply by ad on
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"Everyone on this forum agrees that shoaling at a red lights is bad."
Like most things in life, not sure this is so black and white. It all depends on context. If I come up to a red light and a Divvy rider is in front of me, I know they'll very likely start at a much slower pace then I will through the intersection. I personally won't shoal to the degree that I literally cut ahead and put myself in front of them, but if there is room to the left to cue up next to them safely, I'll do it so that they can tell I'm going to pass them right away. Some may still view that as shoaling I guess.
As Yasmeen notes, I think many riders see nothing wrong with passing slower riders (including at intersections). But, the key is to do it safely, which too many people are unfortunately guilty of not doing at times.
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Permalink Reply by Alex Z on
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Fair points. When I'm on a Divvy, I'm not offended when someone shoals me--they assume they are going to be faster than I am, and usually they are right. :)
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I don't shoal and have no issue with queuing up. If I'm first to a red light, I will always pull all the way to the right and welcome anybody to pull up along side me. If you're faster, then I'm glad I got out of your way. If you're not, that's no skin off of my nose...as long as you don't shoal by pulling in front of me.
Once the light turns green, there's no such thing as shoaling. If you're stopped looking at your phone, I will immediately pass you. If you're riding something heavier than my (relatively heavy) road bike, I'll soon pass you. If you're riding any sort of road bike, I'll take a few seconds to gauge your speed before I consider passing you and probably will not pass you at all...as long as you keep pedaling.
This morning, I passed an older man on a MTB who was having trouble accelerating when the light turned green (having just shoaled me when the light was red). He probably was in the wrong gear. Anyway, he got upset and complained that I was "racing" him. I'm not sure what else he said because I was too far away to hear the rest. ;^)
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Permalink Reply by David Barish on
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No issue passing. I would use what I call a level 1 announcement. (higher levels for emergent cycling events culminating with the blood curdling war whoop for the times when I perceive immediate danger). This is a simple ring of the bell or a calm "on your left." Tone matters here. There is no need to castigate the person as you are just letting them know that you are passing.
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