The pet peeve thread

[John_Brian_K]

And since we are on Peeves....the whole "Hack" thing....the word infuriates me and most of the things they are suggesting as "TIPS" are moronic.

[RedRamage]

1 minute ago, John_Brian_K said:

Funny you brought this one up.  I am in the market for an E Bike and when I get it thinking about using it to commute to work some days.  The road I take is a 2 lane, mostly with no real shoulder or side walk etc...so I was sitting here trying to plot my route in a way that would not take me 30 extra minutes, but would also not hinder the other commuters using that road.  I know if I was driving to work and we got backed up because of some moran on his bike I would get some serious road rage so noway would I put anyone else through that.

Honestly, I wouldn't be happy... but I also wouldn't be super angry if it was someone commuting.  But if there's no other option (ie, no sidewalk, no easy way via side streets) I'd understand.

It was just that this guy looked to be out exercising, on a major roadway, during rush hour... it just feel like a dick move.  Legally he was in the right.  But legally I can walk down a sidewalk repeatedly cursing even if there are young children around.  That still doesn't make it a nice thing to do.

[CMRivdogs]

Got behind a guy on his small motorcycle doing just that today. I was on a back road going thru a small town. 45 mph speed limit, he was barely doing 30. I finally waited until there was a turn lane, still had a double line to pass him after about 3 miles.

I kind of felt sorry for the guy, he had what looked like to be vet stickers on the back of the bike. The parade of cars behind me was getting long however.

[Motor City Sonics]

On 9/30/2021 at 9:13 AM, gehringer_2 said:

City of Ann Arbor actually passed an ordinance against idling cars but I rather doubt the AAPD are very much into enforcement since they are one of the constant offenders!

I think cops kind of have to have a car idling a lot, wouldn't they?    How else are they going to catch up to you to give you a ticket for a rolling stop when you could CLEARLY see there no traffic coming and okay, you don't stop completely 100% but almost no one does.      $165 scam.  

[Motor City Sonics]

On 9/30/2021 at 10:57 AM, RedRamage said:

Honestly, I wouldn't be happy... but I also wouldn't be super angry if it was someone commuting.  But if there's no other option (ie, no sidewalk, no easy way via side streets) I'd understand.

It was just that this guy looked to be out exercising, on a major roadway, during rush hour... it just feel like a dick move.  Legally he was in the right.  But legally I can walk down a sidewalk repeatedly cursing even if there are young children around.  That still doesn't make it a nice thing to do.

Bike riders who ignore traffic laws are a big pet peeve to me.  Blowing through stop signs.   Saw one do that in the New Center area - just blew through a stop sign and almost got hit and started screaming at the lady driving who did absolutely nothing wrong.   I bought a Dash Cam on Amazon the next day, because if a bike rider blows off the rules and you hit them, even when you did nothing wrong, the law will always side with the person who got hurt.   Sometimes they get hurt because it's their fault.   

[Motor City Sonics]

Plus I think people who take a bicycle on a main road these days, with the way people are always looking at their phones, are a bit insane.     

[gehringer_2]

7 hours ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Plus I think people who take a bicycle on a main road these days, with the way people are always looking at their phones, are a bit insane.     

absolutely. Cars and bicycles don't mix. I've done thousands of miles on a road bike in my life but I know enough physics to appreciate that what the law or the rules or the anti-car crowd or the urban reformers or anyone else says, you get in the way of a 300 hp, 2 ton steel object on a bicycle and you get dead pretty quick.

Edited October 2, 2021 by gehringer_2

[casimir]

I'm fortunate enough to have a rails to trails bike trail going right through the hood with plenty of mileage at my disposal.  Its pretty rare that I'm on a road, but if I am, I am right along the edge line of the road headed into traffic.  I'd rather have the vehicles that I'm sharing the lane with in my line of sight so that I know what I need to do.

[CMRivdogs]

One of bicycle peeves on the bike/walking trails is that bicyclists very rarely alert walkers/runners that they are approaching from behind. Just a quick comment “passing on the left/right” or whatever. Same with passing slower riders. 
 

It was quite common in Illinois several years ago (Prairie Path) but I seldom heard it in Michigan. Since I tend to walk my dog along the trails it would be nice to get her out of the way before something happens to both the dog and rider without having to look over my shoulder all the time.

 

Second, what is the etiquette when there is both a bike lane and a multipurpose trail along a route? I would prefer staying on the multipurpose trail given the number of construction trucks in the area but don’t want to piss odd neighbors who insist on walking 3 or 4 abreast 

[gehringer_2]

8 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Second, what is the etiquette when there is both a bike lane and a multipurpose trail along a route? I would prefer staying on the multipurpose trail given the number of construction trucks in the area but don’t want to piss odd neighbors who insist on walking 3 or 4 abreast 

In Ann Arbor, on Pymouth road between town and UM North Campus, there is a wide path on both sides of the road that cycles can use, but you still see crazies out in the middle of the 4 lane. Why - because for 40 yrs A^2 has loved to put in bike lanes, but once installed does not maintain them (huge peeve.) You can lose you dental work riding on them. Within 5 years of installation virtually every bike path built in A^2 was trash to ride on and to this day only one or two have even been rebuilt. They've just put in another round of new ones, I'll be interested to see how long they stay ridable.

Edited October 3, 2021 by gehringer_2

[casimir]

7 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

One of bicycle peeves on the bike/walking trails is that bicyclists very rarely alert walkers/runners that they are approaching from behind. Just a quick comment “passing on the left/right” or whatever. Same with passing slower riders. 
 

It was quite common in Illinois several years ago (Prairie Path) but I seldom heard it in Michigan. Since I tend to walk my dog along the trails it would be nice to get her out of the way before something happens to both the dog and rider without having to look over my shoulder all the time.

 

Second, what is the etiquette when there is both a bike lane and a multipurpose trail along a route? I would prefer staying on the multipurpose trail given the number of construction trucks in the area but don’t want to piss odd neighbors who insist on walking 3 or 4 abreast 

Yes, "on your left" is the preferred call out here on these trails here.

There is a short stretch of bridged path over a ravine that is shared with horses.  The metropark has signage about horses having the right of way, bikes need to wait.  Unfortunately, unlike most dog walkers, the humans with horses seemed to have forgotten their baggies.

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

7 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

One of bicycle peeves on the bike/walking trails is that bicyclists very rarely alert walkers/runners that they are approaching from behind. Just a quick comment “passing on the left/right” or whatever. Same with passing slower riders.

there was a discussion about this on the Portland subreddit a year or two ago, and some people noticed that people (including themselves) tend to step or veer in the direction that's called out. I know I've done that. one time, though, the person coming up behind me called out, "coming up behind you," or something similar. I thought that was kind of a cool idea, just say you're coming and let the person who needs to move decide which way to go.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Crazy Cat Gentleman

[CMRivdogs]

Basically if I’m walking (especially with the dog who tends to want to jump at the bike) as long as I know they’re coming I can get off the path.

if I’m on the bike they’re generally walking to the right of me, hence the shoutout 

[Biff Mayhem]

21 hours ago, casimir said:

Yes, "on your left" is the preferred call out here on these trails here.

 

We have a trail around a lake near our house and I use it often. I get many dirty looks and scowls from aimless walkers (usually middle-aged women) who suddenly have to move when I say "on your left". Sorry to have ruined your endless gabbing and middle-of-the-trail meandering, lady.

[John_Brian_K]

Ren Fest traffic....took 45 minutes, literally to go from our parking spot to the main road...I thought FOR SURE there was an accident or the road was blocked or something...we went stretches of 4-5 minutes were we did not move an inch.  Got up there and finally made the turn...no traffic whatsoever...extremely poor traffic management...there were cops all over 

[casimir]

5 hours ago, Biff Mayhem said:

We have a trail around a lake near our house and I use it often. I get many dirty looks and scowls from aimless walkers (usually middle-aged women) who suddenly have to move when I say "on your left". Sorry to have ruined your endless gabbing and middle-of-the-trail meandering, lady.

"Oh, look Karen, its the guy from MTS with the perfect lawn."

[Motor City Sonics]

Okay, this one is really, really, really nitpicky and stupid. 

Cart corrals in parking lots.  They are typically positioned 8-10 spaces apart, meaning you are really never more than 5 spots away, yet people are so damned lazy they can't put them away.  It's becoming a problem with employee shortages and fewer cart cowboys.   Okay......fine, but this is what REALLY annoys me.  At Meijer they have two rows for theirs, one for large carts and one for small carts, yet they are ALWAYS mixed up.   Basically this means that people are just too lazy to put them in the right row or they can't f'ing read.    I feel for the cart cowboys having to separate them.    It's just really one of those stupid little things that annoys me even though it doesn't really cause me any real problems.   I just hate it.  

Plus - to the grocery stores - more small carts please.  I know why they don't have them - because it's a psychological thing for shoppers and a larger basket entices them to buy more, but I love the small carts.  

Edited October 5, 2021 by Motor City Sonics

[CMRivdogs]

One of the first things I noticed when we moved here, people actually return carts. Or at least most of them.

 

So nice to live in a civilized area.

[Motor City Sonics]

13 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

One of the first things I noticed when we moved here, people actually return carts. Or at least most of them.

 

So nice to live in a civilized area.

One of our news stations was pretty desperate during ratings sweeps month and did a story about people not putting their carts back.    An actual news story.     I liked it better when they use to just warn me about bug parts being in Coney chili.   If that's the case, bug parts are delicious. 

[oblong]

I run on a trail, paved, but a trail nontheless and I get annoyed when people on their bikes do not announce themselves until the very end.  One guy that we see just rings his bell.  We don't take up the whole pathway.  Just announce "on your left", like Falcon did in Endgame.   And do it when before you are on our heels.  

[Biff Mayhem]

58 minutes ago, oblong said:

I run on a trail, paved, but a trail nontheless and I get annoyed when people on their bikes do not announce themselves until the very end.  One guy that we see just rings his bell.  We don't take up the whole pathway.  Just announce "on your left", like Falcon did in Endgame.   And do it when before you are on our heels.  

I'm not going to admit that I have a clown horn on my bike and I use it the second time around on the middle-aged-and-annoyed women the second time I pass them.

[chasfh]

On 10/3/2021 at 8:17 AM, CMRivdogs said:

One of bicycle peeves on the bike/walking trails is that bicyclists very rarely alert walkers/runners that they are approaching from behind. Just a quick comment “passing on the left/right” or whatever. Same with passing slower riders.

I use the bell on my bike. Works fine.

[chasfh]

7 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I use the bell on my bike. Works fine.

Also, I prefer it to shouting.

[chasfh]

On 10/2/2021 at 10:33 AM, Motor City Sonics said:

Plus I think people who take a bicycle on a main road these days, with the way people are always looking at their phones, are a bit insane.     

In the city of Chicago, it is illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk, so you must ride it in the street. So we have no choice.

Of course, the main roads in the city are nothing like the main roads in the suburbs, so, there's that.

[Jim Cowan]

On 10/4/2021 at 7:03 AM, Biff Mayhem said:

We have a trail around a lake near our house and I use it often. I get many dirty looks and scowls from aimless walkers (usually middle-aged women) who suddenly have to move when I say "on your left". Sorry to have ruined your endless gabbing and middle-of-the-trail meandering, lady.

It is only the people with the very fattest butts who will not move out of the way.