Not Ranked
I apologize if I gave anybody the impression that I condone what these idiots are doing. I do NOT! Their actions, as can be seen from this thread, give some motorists homicidal thoughts. I have no interest in becoming a statistic.
Here goes... pick the response you feel is directed at you and let 'er rip! If they're not in order, please forgive me.
Maybe education would help the problem. Cyclists need to know that they have to obey the rules of the road and motorists need to know that cyclists have a right to be on the road. If 5 and 6 year old kids are creating problems, maybe the parents should teach them. Have you ever told the kids what they are doing is wrong and instructed them on the right way? I have. Now, couriers, those guys ARE crazy! Beyond redemption. If they had the money they would probably drive Cobras!
Glyn, I appreciate British humor, much to my wife's chagrin. Threatening bodily harm just ain't funny, especially when I could be at the receiving end.
When I made the comment about cojones I said "probably". I don't need to hear every personal feat of derring-do you've done to prove you have more guts than I do. Just try it. Stand on the shoulder with your back to the traffic and give it a whirl!
I'm sure the freight train incident was scary. The difference is that you were 10 feet away and the train is on tracks. That train isn't going to jump out and hit you. One twitch of the steering wheel by that semi and I'm under the wheels. When you let loose with the horn hope that the cyclist is by himself. I'm sure with witnesses your horn honking could get you in trouble if you caused a crash. Now all you need is a big dog in the back of your truck barking.
Thank you for taking the trouble to look up the statutes regarding traffic laws. Do they have any about obeying the speed limit, too? My point is we all bend or break traffic laws occasionally, and that is what the police force is there for. If some vigilante gets upset by being passed by a group of Cobras doing 100 mph, does he have the right to do physical harm to the cars and/or drivers if he catches them?
Obviously, a lot of motorists don't follow the rules either. What's your solution? Mine is to enforce the traffic laws, whether for cyclists or motorists. Not run people off the road. Is your locomotive horn on a diesel pickup by any chance? It's always helpful to lug the engine then floor it to give them a good blast of black smoke when you pass a cyclist, too. It may not demonstrate the size of your cojones, but it does demonstrate the size of their next door neighbor.
Stupidity? The semi driver or the cyclist? I could imagine a SAM would be a scary situation, but just like I volunteered to be on the road with my bike, you probably volunteered to be shot at by missiles and land on aircraft carriers. Some could say you put yourself in that situation ,too. Cojones or ? You knew the hazards when you signed up. Recreational pursuits and military service are apples and oranges, don't you think?
Oh, and I have a right to be on the road. I think I'll exercise it, thank you very much.
BMX riders setting up ramps in the street is an entirely different issue. Hey, I get upset at all the Michael Jordan wannabees with their hoops all over the sidewalk. Should I run over them if they play basketball in the street?
I hate to get behind slow traffic, too. There are laws for that, too. In Colorado you are supposed to pull over if five vehicles are jammed up behind you. Think anybody does? No. How are we going to keep those motorhomes off the road! They are in my way! Oh, that's right. They have a right to be there. But you have to admit, it's easier to pass a cyclist than a motorhome.
I doubt if 98% of any group does anything. Where did you get that number?
Cyclists ride for the same reason you drive your Cobras, hunt, fish, chase women or any other recreational pursuit. Love of the sport. They do have a right to be on the road. You have to share. That's life.
I do not condone breaking traffic laws by cyclists or motorists. I don't ride in big groups. I stay as far right as possible, but keep in mind that I get a much more intimate view of what's on the road, and the closer to the shoulder, the more broken bottles, loose gravel and other hazards there are, all creating potential problems.
And before anybody says anything about doping in the Tour de France (probably the first time that's been brought up on CC), let's put the NBA, NFL and MLB players through the same drug-testing standards. Now, what are we going to do on Sunday afternoons? Run over cyclists, I guess.
I'll be out on the bike this afternoon, riding about 40 miles. Please don't kill me for it.
Al
"Can't we all just get along?"
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