I am going to take some crap for this one. Not many but a couple people.
I am a considerate driver when it comes to people on bicycles. I think that it is a great way to exercise and a wonderful alternate form of transportation. I make sure that I don't tailgate them on back roads. I pass them carefully if needed, I don't gun my engine.
So when some jackass who thinks that he is Lance Armstong or just has his ego, decides to flip ME off for cutting me off in an intersection when I have the right of way (see that left turn signal, buddy it's for people make LEFT TURNS, NOT GOING STRAIGHT!) I get really fired up.
Who do these guys think they are? They are on a moving vehicle which is subject to all the traffic laws that we in cars are supposed to abide by but they are almost NEVER ticketed for things that would warrant HUGE fines for drivers in cars. They blow stop signs, red lights, use turning lanes as their own personal line jump at traffic lights and are a generally selfish bunch.
Share the road? Yeah, I'll share the road when they decide to share it.
No excuse for this kind of behavior at all.
7 comments:
Come on, Jen, it's totally unfair to let one person's poor behavior condemn an entire community of people who happen to like bikes. Your generalizations aren't any more fair than similar blanket statements that could be made about "all" car drivers.
There are asshole cyclists and there are asshole drivers and there are even asshole pedestrians. This guy is just an asshole. And I'm sure that when he drives a car or walks down the sidewalk, he's still just as much of an asshole as he was to you today. He just happened to be on a bike.
Oops! Forgot the disclaimer...
I know not every biker is like this.
Hmm, could have been they just didn’t know there would be a green arrow and proceeded when the opposite traffic got a red (not making their actions any more valid), they thought theyd beat you to it, or they didn’t care. I see this a lot during my daily commute. Just remember just because a person has a bike and isnt afraid of the roads doesn’t mean they know how to ride :)
Unfortunately many cyclists (esp in the city) make us cyclists as a group look bad. Case and point… you were mad at this cyclist and I assume next time you see a cyclist this will be in the back of your mind. Have this happen again and again on a daily basis and you will eventually start to look down on/hate cyclists. I don’t condone these foolish moves to save seconds on a ride, but it is also its pretty intimidating battling it out with cars for a place to ride on the roads with no cage to protect us in case of an accident. Not like you were in the wrong by any means, and riders should not be able anything they please, but its different on the roads for cyclists than motorists.
I don't see that here in our small city of 120,000 but I do see it in the bigger cities. But, I do all of my riding outside the city limits, in the wide open spaces. I'd be scared to death to ride in the city traffic.
That being said, I agree that the guy is most likely an asshole all the time, no matter his mode of transportation...
Whenever I get flipped off by anyone, I love to make them mad & pretend like I thought they were waving at me & I'm waving back. It makes them crazy to see me smile & wave. hehehehe!
It is CRAZY in downtown Minneapolis. We have an actual bike lane down the middle of the road just because of the issues bike riders have expressed--as well as caused. Some bikers are just fine, but some feel that they are entitled. Which is sad, but true!
Hmmm. Does he know that what he puts out into the world comes back ten fold. I see a nasty spill in his future. Hoepfully with the woman who stole my parking spot after I waited over 5 minutes for it. I think the accident should be her fault but he will hurt. :)
A lot of the bike riders in Seattle are really awful, too. They completely ignore traffic laws, and flip you off for obeying the law. And if anything happens, of course it's automatically the fault of the person with the most wheels on their vehicle.
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