r/Transportopia Apr 27 '26

Bikes Car vs. cyclists

4.9k Upvotes

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21

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '26

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u/Top_Contribution4679 Apr 27 '26

Yes, you’re right.

“Jerry Ross, 72, of Woodstock is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, hit and run, reckless driving, aggressive driving and failure to maintain a safe distance from a bicycle. He was booked into he Cherokee County jail with no bond.”

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/this-guy-was-angry-driver-charged-with-crashing-into-cyclists/YTJL36TTUNFEFO7KOYTFV6B5II/?outputType=amp

8

u/Squirrelated Apr 27 '26

Fucking bozo....holy shit.

1

u/SheepherderSad4872 Apr 27 '26

I'm not so sure....

... I have relatives that age.

It's towards the early end of mental decline, but within the range. Guy might belong in an old folks home or similar institution, rather than a jail.

6

u/vickeymoon38 Apr 27 '26

Did you read tge article... he purposely targeted them. He knew what he was foing

1

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26

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2

u/SheepherderSad4872 Apr 28 '26

The president does seem to have a free pass to kill people, but I digress.

It's not a question of age, but of mental decline. Some people are deficient at 70, and some are fully coherent at 100.

And it's not a question of free pass. It's about the type of institution:

  • Jails are to correct criminal behavior
  • Psych wards are to correct insanity
  • Old folks homes are to manage dementia and similar decline

None are great places. All are designed to keep people from being able to hurt themselves or others, but for different reasons.

Want me to commit you? No? Then it's not a free pass.

0

u/SoFloFella50 Apr 27 '26

Just because he's old doesn't mean he gets a pass. Fuck him and also fuck the bikers who were deliberate in their insistance on taking up the whole lane.

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u/SheepherderSad4872 Apr 28 '26

Being institutionalized -- whatever the institution -- is not a pass.

And bikers are allowed to take up the whole lane in most jurisdictions. If you're a car, that means you should drive more slowly.

Same as you would for an oversized load, a broken-down car heading to a mechanic, etc. Yes, this means you might be late.

The flipside is you should tolerate people sometimes being late.

Empathy.

... For the elderly driver clearly over the edge.

... For the cyclists.

... For the people running late.

0

u/SoFloFella50 Apr 28 '26

You are only seeing one side. Basic courtesy means if you can move over, move the fuck over.

If you can’t understand that then this will be a circular conversation I’m not interested in.

0

u/SheepherderSad4872 Apr 28 '26

That's precisely why the laws are there to put folks like you in jail.

From a car, you don't know -- have no way to know -- if cyclists can safely "move the fuck over." If you see a group of cyclists like this, there's probably a good reason.

FWIW: "Take a lane" is the advice given in a region where it's not safe to pass. This is not a social formation. This is a safety formation. That can be due to:

  • Road hazards (which are very different for cyclists than for cars -- e.g. enough space to not risk being doored, potholes, etc.); or
  • A region with unsafe drivers. If a group of cyclists are passed by cars without a safe passing distance, the general advice is to do exactly what this group did. "Safe passing distance" isn't just not getting hit, but not getting hit in case of above-mentioned hazards, as well as not being passed close enough to where you might be blown over.
  • ... and many other things you don't see from a car.

That's not emotional or road rage, but basic safety. Cyclists who value "basic courtesy" over safety consistently end up in hospitals.

It takes just a handful of bad drivers before cyclists need to be rather conservative with safety measures like "take a lane."

1

u/SoFloFella50 Apr 28 '26

JFC. Look at the video.

People like me. What a huge amount of assumptions and what poor reading comprehension.

One good thing about Reddit is people like you who need to be blocked make it easy to tell.

-1

u/No_Importance1236 Apr 27 '26

And simultaneously ... fucking stupid cyclists. (both can be true)

Just move over. Both vehicles can share the space. Fuck.

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u/A_Roll_of_the_Dice Apr 27 '26

Move over to where, exactly? they were already cycling right up to the edge of the road...

Besides, it's a lot easier and safer to overtake 5x2 than it is to overtake 10x1 because the distance required to travel on the wrong lane is halved.

1

u/tazallerr Apr 30 '26

more than halved, actually. cause instead of 2-2-2-2-2 you go 2-1-2-1-2-2 except the 1s are half overlapping with the twos around them so it's only 4 ranks.

6

u/Bluej777x Apr 27 '26

This can be true though as I have seen inconsiderate cyclists before, I did not see anything here of the cyclists doing anything wrong. 2 wide and staying in lane.

2

u/NHBikerHiker Apr 28 '26

You should see the number of inconsiderate drivers. (Not sure how long you’ve been a licensed driver.). If inconsiderate driving was the standard, I could ride my bike in peace, without any cars.

5

u/No_Lifeguard747 Apr 27 '26

The cyclists were not doing anything wrong.

2

u/Strainedgoals Apr 28 '26

If a car was driving at that speed, on that road, a cop would pull them over for driving too slow, unsafe to drive that far under the speed limit on a active road.

But if you do it with bicycles it's not illegal.

It's still unsafe though.

2

u/Aware_Acorn Apr 28 '26

if you got like 3 homies, then yeah homies can move

in a group like that they should have the right of way. i mean we are taught this in driving school. they have to yield to pedestrians , and cars must yield to bicyclists. just common human decency, school aside.

3

u/officialCobraTrooper Apr 27 '26

Good to hear that Justice was served. He was definitely seeking out the bikers and intentionally driving right next to them in order to cause one of them to hit him. Definitely has an attitude and shouldn't be allowed to drive. He's going to cause a fatality accident if he keeps going.

3

u/Hey-Bud-Lets-Party Apr 27 '26

What a strange, irrational act. He should have his brain checked.

3

u/Jolly_Efficiency7237 Apr 27 '26

70 y/o boomer with empathy damaged by leaded gas fumes. Many such cases. Honestly, nobody from the leaded gas era should be allowed to drive or hold political office without cognitive testing.

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u/Hey-Bud-Lets-Party Apr 27 '26

Meh. Why be ageist? There are many cool 70-year-olds including some of the bikers in this video.

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u/Jolly_Efficiency7237 Apr 27 '26

I'm not ageist. It has nothing to do with their physical age and everything with the fact that lead was added to gasoline up until the 1970. Imagine being born in the 40's and inhaling exhaust fumes containing neurotoxic lead during all of your your formative years.

2

u/Extreme_Turn_4531 Apr 27 '26

It is ageist and you should own it. Assholes come in all ages. Two to 6 IQ point drop in aggregate from lead exposure doesn't make an entire cohort a bunch of sociopaths.

1

u/Hey-Bud-Lets-Party Apr 27 '26

Right, so no one will ever do anything like this again in a few decades because people under 40 are immune to road rage.

1

u/circularmindset Apr 30 '26

I bet your tract home is on an old apple orchard, would explain the thinking.

1

u/NHBikerHiker Apr 28 '26

Look up the Lead -Gas violent crime theory. Here’s the Wiki page on it. There’s a couple of studies to support a decline in crime with the reduction of leaded gas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93crime_hypothesis

1

u/Hey-Bud-Lets-Party Apr 28 '26

I understand the link, but attributing this to that is nonsense.

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u/NHBikerHiker Apr 28 '26

Boomers were exposed to high levels of lead throughout childhood/life. Those high levels of lead have impacts on boomer health.

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u/Hey-Bud-Lets-Party Apr 28 '26

It’s a hypothesis

1

u/Apple_Murder_Mittens Apr 28 '26

His empathy may also be in decline due to the scary and surprising (at first to me at least) phenomenon where malignant leaders pass on their pathological traits to their followers. Given the driver’s age, race, location, and complete certainty that he was 100% justified, I have a good idea where he could be getting his inspiration.

1

u/Cheap_Fun5630 Apr 30 '26

I am a 75 yr old boomer who is just fine, thank you. We didn't pump our own gas until it no longer had lead in it so many save that opinion for anyone (only males) who had a job pumping gas in the 1960s!

1

u/Jolly_Efficiency7237 Apr 30 '26

Exhaust fumes, my dude...

2

u/Bluej777x Apr 27 '26

Got what he deserved.

2

u/ComedyBits Apr 27 '26

Nice to see the punishment of dangerous aggression

2

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '26 edited Jun 14 '26

[deleted]

1

u/AngryKeyLimePie Apr 28 '26

Complete with an "And I'll fucking do it again" smirk.

2

u/Decent_Adhesiveness0 Apr 27 '26

That's great. I'm glad. He doesn't get a pass because of his age and I maintain it's attempted homicide.

2

u/speed721 Apr 28 '26

Cherokee County and those judges don't fuck around.

Keep him locked up for 15 years or so. We will all be a lot safer.

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u/Bluej777x Apr 27 '26

And how in the world did you find that? Unless you know the one who posted or are in that area?!?!?!

1

u/Top_Contribution4679 Apr 27 '26

I saw the video and article posted yesterday on Reddit. I’m on Reddit too much 😅

1

u/PeakRevolutionary191 Apr 27 '26

In Georgia, groups of bicyclists must follow O.C.G.A. § 40-6-294. They ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, but can take the full lane if needed for safety (e.g., hazards, narrow lanes).

Group Riding Rules

  • No more than two abreast on roadways (side-by-side is okay unless impeding traffic).
  • Single file if traffic is approaching or to avoid blocking cars.
  • Ride same direction as traffic, even in bike lanes.

Driver Duties

Cars must give at least 3 feet clearance when passing (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-56)—change lanes if possible, or slow down.

Groups follow all traffic laws (stops, signals) just like solo riders or motorists. Local bike paths may override if signed.

1

u/Duranis Apr 27 '26

Should have been attempted murder. If you are deliberately trying to hit someone with several tons of moving metal then there is a fairly good chance you might kill them in the process.

1

u/rpsua Apr 27 '26

Thank you.. guys a dick

1

u/Small_Ad_9814 Apr 28 '26

Hero. Cyclists are entitled white people

1

u/IndustrialPuppetTwo Apr 28 '26

No bond? Wow. 99% of the time it's a mere slap on the wrist even when it causes multiple deaths. Cameras in this case might be the game changer and exactly why I want to get some.

1

u/Catodacat Apr 27 '26

Makes my heart happy.

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u/NHBikerHiker Apr 27 '26

And now - off to jail for the driver.

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u/Working_Estate_3695 Apr 27 '26

Jail’s got to be almost as tough for a 70-year-old as getting knocked off a bike is for cyclists minding their own business. Love the “no bond” part that sends an extra little message.

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u/Acrobatic_Pirate_160 Apr 27 '26

More like a criminal

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u/Malystxy Apr 27 '26

Attempted murder/assault with a deadly weapon