Sharing the road called "impractical"

Quoted message said:

Recently there has been an interesting exchange of letters to the editor in the St. Louis Post.

My word! It could be the UK! Same stuff happens over here. The number of intolerant motorists seems
to be increasing a lot as of late 🙁

What some motorists forget too is that many cyclists are also motorists.

For a particularly bad example of motorist road rage, read
news.bbc.co.uk2725329.stmOpen ↗

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
Flush out that intestinal parasite and/or the waste product before sending a reply!

Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~

Brent Hugh said:

An excerpt from one response that was printed in the Post:

---
The law says that bicyclists have the right to ride on the road. The legal burden is on the
overtaking vehicle to pass safely. Is it too much to ask that motorists have the human decency to
not assault cyclists?

That's the bottom line. No one assaults drivers of slow moving trucks or tractors, which move even
more slowly, and are more frequently encountered. What makes it OK to be intolerant of a cyclist?

Matt O.

Matt O'Toole said:

Brent Hugh said:

An excerpt from one response that was printed in the Post:

---
The law says that bicyclists have the right to ride on the road. The legal burden is on the
overtaking vehicle to pass safely. Is it too much to ask that motorists have the human decency
to not assault cyclists?

That's the bottom line. No one assaults drivers of slow moving trucks or tractors, which move even
more slowly, and are more frequently encountered. What makes it OK to be intolerant of a cyclist?

Matt O.

My sentiment exactly. No driver in his right mind would try to mess with a tractor or back hoe. I
ride with a "slow moving vehicle" triangle (bike size). I suppose it works sometimes. It's too bad
that posting here is preaching to the choir. I agree fully mind you. It is never ok to be intolerant
of (and in the process, put their life in peril) cyclists. Best regards, Bernie

Matt O'Toole said:

That's the bottom line. No one assaults drivers of slow moving trucks or tractors, which move even
more slowly, and are more frequently encountered. What makes it OK to be intolerant of a cyclist?

Matt O.

They're simply jealous. Today on my ride home from work some young bloke roared past me in a hot
Torana (think Mustang for the Americans, but an old one) he was hooting along up the road making
stupid lane changes and generally behaving like a prize winning [censored]. I met up with him at the
next set of lights. I leaned down and asked him if driving like an idiot got him here any faster.
Off he hooted again when I met him again just up the road at the next lights I simply gave him a
little wave. He roared off at a great rate of knots leaving behind about $10 of rubber. All of a
sudden a siren started wailing and some lights started flashing from behind me. The next time I
passed the young hero he was having a nice chat with the local constabulary. This time I laughed and
gave him a thumbs up. Maybe he won't be in such a rush next time he passes a cyclist.

--
Cheers Damian Harvey

Just call me Clyde.

"wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What some motorists forget too is that many cyclists are also motorists.

I'm afraid I don't follow this.

Quoted message said:

That's the bottom line. No one assaults drivers of slow moving trucks or tractors, which move even
more slowly, and are more frequently encountered. What makes it OK to be intolerant of a cyclist?

Matt O.

I think there are several things going through their heads.

1) Bicycles are toys and do not belong on the road.

Of course, they forget the bicycles are capable of decent sustained speeds 20 mph + for a
surprising distance.

2) Bicycles are unsafe on the road (sort of like 1) above).

Here in the USA, cyclists are actually twice as safe as motorists per hour of activity. I think it
is because motorists typically kill themselves off by drinking and driving or falling asleep at the
wheel. People rarely cycle when they are that far gone.

3) Cyclists impede the speed of legitimate road users - translation sheeesh I have to slow down a
bit because of the #$&*$# biker!

When I drive and see a cyclist upahead, I have found that by easing off the gas a tad and timing my
approach to a gap in the oncoming traffic, I can usually pass very easily without slowing down much.
And then if I am REALLY IMPATIENT, I can just give it some gas and catch up with the other traffic.

What astonishes me is the number of motorists who do over the double yellow on blind corners to pass
me because it will kill them to slow down for 30 seconds. It is called "You bet your life". So far,
everyone I have seen make this bet has gotten away with it.

Here in the USA, we have an impressive number of motorists killed at rail road crossings. The
amazing thing is that most of them knew that the train was coming (the fatalities occurred at
crossing with lights and barriers which the motorists drove around) and still tried to "beat it" to
the crossing. So on this bet, they were betting their entire life against say not having to sit at
the crossing for 3 minutes. No wonder Las Vegas makes so much money out of gamblers.

Pbwalther said:

I think there are several things going through their heads.

1) Bicycles are toys and do not belong on the road.

That's a large part of it. You see a cyclist in all the spandex, you figure he's just out for a
ride, not headed to a "serious" destination like you are (even if it's to Blockbuster). So that guy
is just playing in the road, in your way...

Quoted message said:

Of course, they forget the bicycles are capable of decent sustained speeds 20 mph + for a
surprising distance.

20 mph will not impress a motorist.

Quoted message said:

What astonishes me is the number of motorists who do over the double yellow on blind corners to
pass me because it will kill them to slow down for 30 seconds. It is called "You bet your life".
So far, everyone I have seen make this bet has gotten away with it.

This is truely frightening, and I see it more and more.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but _`\(,_ | what canst thou say?
-- George Fox. (_)/ (_) |

In article <[email hidden]>, "David L. Johnson" <David L. Johnson

Quoted message said:

Pbwalther said:

I think there are several things going through their heads.

1) Bicycles are toys and do not belong on the road.

That's a large part of it. You see a cyclist in all the spandex, you figure he's just out for a
ride, not headed to a "serious" destination like you are (even if it's to Blockbuster). So that
guy is just playing in the road, in your way...

Quoted message said:

Of course, they forget the bicycles are capable of decent sustained speeds 20 mph + for a
surprising distance.

20 mph will not impress a motorist.

Quoted message said:

What astonishes me is the number of motorists who do over the double yellow on blind corners to
pass me because it will kill them to slow down for 30 seconds. It is called "You bet your life".
So far, everyone I have seen make this bet has gotten away with it.

This is truely frightening, and I see it more and more.

You bet your life is right.

There was an article in th Inky this morning stating that in Pennsylvania.. ³NEVER ( PennDots caps )
honk your horn at a bicyclist as it may scare him to steer into your path.²

On my AM ride a motorist blaired away at me as I passed by a ³Share the Road² sign.

In NJ it is required by law to ³beep² your horn when approaching a cyclist.

So much for cagers and cyclists.

As some friends at the US Naval Academy tell me..always navigate by the laws of gross tonnage.

HAND

--
³Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness³

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution

"wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What some motorists forget too is that many cyclists are also motorists.

I'm afraid I don't follow this.

The point is - many motorists treat cyclists as if cyclists shouldn't be on

the

Quoted message said:

road - heave no idea of how a road should be used, etc., etc. using this as

an

Quoted message said:

excuse to behave badly towards cyclists. Whereas many cyclists are also motorists, paying said
insurances, taxes, understand quite properly how to

use

Quoted message said:

the road etc., etc.. Some motorists seem to think of cyclists as some sort

of

Quoted message said:

separate species, whereas they aren't.

What would it matter if they were? Your thinking seems to justify cyclists only if they're also
motorists. Insurance is irrelevant, taxes are irrelevant, pedestrians and cyclists have always been
entitled to *right*-of-way, it's motorists who have to pay and be licensed for the revocable
*privilege* of driving on the road.

Motorists resent cyclists mostly because they feel they impede their progress. They use those other
arguments of taxes, etc. to rationalize their hostility, there's no misunderstanding involved, nor
is there a need for cyclists to also be motorists. The fact that most of us are should make us much
less willing to accept such nonsense, never mind promote it.

Many questions of this kind can be answered simply, "Because the can." A motorist can threaten a
cyclist more easily and convincingly than a backhoe operator. A motorist can squeeze by a cyclist
more easily than a slow-moving truck or tractor. So, they do.

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Brent Hugh said:

An excerpt from one response that was printed in the Post:

---
The law says that bicyclists have the right to ride on the road. The legal burden is on the
overtaking vehicle to pass safely. Is it too much to ask that motorists have the human decency
to not assault cyclists?

That's the bottom line. No one assaults drivers of slow moving trucks or tractors, which move even
more slowly, and are more frequently

encountered.

Quoted message said:

What makes it OK to be intolerant of a cyclist?

Matt O.

"Pbwalther" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What astonishes me is the number of motorists who do over the double

yellow on

Quoted message said:

blind corners to pass me because it will kill them to slow down for 30

seconds.

Quoted message said:

It is called "You bet your life".

I think it is more accurately called "You bet MY life." If that motorist has to choose a place to be
that is occupied by an oncoming car on the left or one occupied by a cyclist on the right, you can
imagine what the choice will be.

Many aspects of bad driving and road accidents can be explained by inadequate training. It is very
easy to get a driving license in the United States, and many drivers have low skills and little
knowledge of the laws and conventions of driving or of the potential consequences of inattention and
poor judgments. How often do you see motorists turn or stop without signalling, or overtake
unsafely, or drive with their attention diverted to other activities? These things are commonplace,
and all pose hazards to cyclists. "H. M. Leary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "David L. Johnson" <David L. Johnson

Quoted message said:

Pbwalther said:

I think there are several things going through their heads.

1) Bicycles are toys and do not belong on the road.

That's a large part of it. You see a cyclist in all the spandex, you figure he's just out for a
ride, not headed to a "serious" destination like you are (even if it's to Blockbuster). So that
guy is just playing in the road, in your way...

Quoted message said:

Of course, they forget the bicycles are capable of decent sustained speeds 20 mph + for a
surprising distance.

20 mph will not impress a motorist.

Quoted message said:

What astonishes me is the number of motorists who do over the double yellow on blind corners
to pass me because it will kill them to slow down for 30 seconds. It is called "You bet your
life". So far, everyone I have seen make this bet has gotten away with it.

This is truely frightening, and I see it more and more.

You bet your life is right.

There was an article in th Inky this morning stating that in

Pennsylvania..

Quoted message said:

³NEVER ( PennDots caps ) honk your horn at a bicyclist as it may scare him

to

Quoted message said:

steer into your path.²

On my AM ride a motorist blaired away at me as I passed by a ³Share the

Road²

Quoted message said:

sign.

In NJ it is required by law to ³beep² your horn when approaching a

cyclist.

Quoted message said:

So much for cagers and cyclists.

As some friends at the US Naval Academy tell me..always navigate by the

laws of

Quoted message said:

gross tonnage.

HAND

--
³Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness³

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution

Quoted message said:

For a particularly bad example of motorist road rage, read
news.bbc.co.uk2725329.stmOpen ↗

I'm absolutely *not* blaming the victim here since I've done the same thing (yelled and gestured at
inconsiderate motorists), but it does serve to illustrate that it's not always a good idea to
provoke these guys.

About fifteen years ago a woman in a station wagon didn't see me, blew through a stop sign, winged
me and knocked me over. She didn't see me but pulled into a parking lot down the street, so I caught
up to her and started yelling at her (I was a little bit upset). Even though SHE ran the stop sign,
a guy she was meeting in the lot told me it was MY fault for riding my bike in the street. *sheesh*

RFM

Personally, I think it's the general level of self-importance and lack of patience of our society.
The general public just doesn't want to spare any of their time for anyone else other than
themselves.

Share? That's something left to the poor and unfortunates of the community. At least that's how I
feel some people think of it. These are the same kind of people that would stand in front of the
exit door of a store, holding up other customers as they look for their pack of cigarettes. Then,
five minutes later, honk their horn at someone stopped at an intersection who's kindly waiting for
an elderly person to cross the intersection.

Even though our home's heating bill has been through the roof this winter, I smile when I see these
motorists cringing as they fill up their nice shiny SUVs at the gas pumps. I ring my little bell and
chuckle my *ss of as I ride by on my bike.

"Brent Hugh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Recently there has been an interesting exchange of letters

to the

Quoted message said:

editor in the St. Louis Post. MoDOT has recently

installed "Share the

Quoted message said:

Road" signs on quite a number of roads in the St. Louis

area. In

Quoted message said:

response to this, someone sent a letter to the Post,

leading to a

Quoted message said:

flurry of responses from local cyclists. You can read a

number of the

Quoted message said:

letters (some printed, some not) online at

mobikefed.org2003 03 01 newsarchive.htmlOpen ↗ 5

Quoted message said:

Here is the first letter:

---
Wayward Bicyclists

Newly-erected yellow signs in the area admonish drivers to

"share the

Quoted message said:

road", referring to sharing it to bicyclists.

Although state law dictates that motorists must have valid

licenses,

Quoted message said:

be of a prescribed age, and carry liability insurance,

there are no

Quoted message said:

such obligations for bicyclists. They will take great

risks on these

Quoted message said:

thoroughfares, and will surely be the cause of, or victims

of, serious

Quoted message said:

accidents.

One would think that bicyclists would be reluctant to

venture on

Quoted message said:

weathered, pock-marked streets to be threatened by

speeders, and be

Quoted message said:

subject to road rage.

Bicyclists, who are themselves drivers, should certainly

know how

Quoted message said:

quite impractical this request to "share the road" really

is.

Quoted message said:

---

An excerpt from one response that was printed in the Post:

---
The law says that bicyclists have the right to ride on the

road. The

Quoted message said:

legal burden is on the overtaking vehicle to pass safely.

Is it too

Quoted message said:

much to ask that motorists have the human decency to not

assault

Quoted message said:

cyclists?
---

--Brent

++++++++++++++ Brent Hugh / bhugh -a-t- mwsc.edu

++++++++++++++

Quoted message said:

+ Missouri Western St College Dept of Music, St. Joseph,

MO +

Quoted message said:

+ Piano Home Page :

staff.mwsc.edu~bhughOpen ↗ +

Quoted message said:

+ Music IQ Songs : mp3.comMusicIQOpen ↗

+

Quoted message said:

++ Music of the Human Genome : mp3.combrent d hughOpen ↗

++++

Does anyone make a "Run Me Over and I'll Sue" bike shirt?

Allan Leedy <[email hidden]> wrote:
: Many questions of this kind can be answered simply, "Because the can." A motorist can threaten a
: cyclist more easily and convincingly than a backhoe operator. A motorist can squeeze by a cyclist
: more easily than a slow-moving truck or tractor. So, they do.

A good bumper sticker (if bikes had a bumper) for a cyclist then, would be:

My other vehicle is a TRUCK!

Perhaps that would give some electricity to the idea that cyclists quite often own motor vehicles
and are in fact legitimate people.

Cheerz, Lynzz

Grenouil said:

Does anyone make a "Run Me Over and I'll Sue" bike shirt?

I want one that says "Please pass, Breaking in new engine."

--
Cheers Damian Harvey

Just call me Clyde.

as a life-long resident of missouri and an avid bicyclist, i can tell you that there is a tremendous
prejudice against us. even friends who know that i ride openly deride bicyclists in front of me.
another subject that seems to raise their ire is the katy trail, even though it has resurrected many
small towns in this state and brought in a lot of tourist's dollars. the bottom line is that it's
the unfortunate human traits of intolerance and not giving a damn about anybody else that causes
this. what to do? just keep your eyes open and your senses on alert when riding and remember you'll
probably outlive all the bicycle haters in their big SUVs and cars. also that when our troops are
put in the line of fire in far away lands because of oil, it won't go to fill our bicycle's gas
tanks! smokey strodtman [email hidden] (Brent Hugh) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Recently there has been an interesting exchange of letters to the editor in the St. Louis Post.
MoDOT has recently installed "Share the Road" signs on quite a number of roads in the St. Louis
area. In response to this, someone sent a letter to the Post, leading to a flurry of responses
from local cyclists. You can read a number of the letters (some printed, some not) online at

mobikefed.org2003 03 01 newsarchive.htmlOpen ↗

Here is the first letter:

---
Wayward Bicyclists

Newly-erected yellow signs in the area admonish drivers to "share the road", referring to sharing
it to bicyclists.

Although state law dictates that motorists must have valid licenses, be of a prescribed age, and
carry liability insurance, there are no such obligations for bicyclists. They will take great
risks on these thoroughfares, and will surely be the cause of, or victims of, serious accidents.

One would think that bicyclists would be reluctant to venture on weathered, pock-marked streets to
be threatened by speeders, and be subject to road rage.

Bicyclists, who are themselves drivers, should certainly know how quite impractical this request
to "share the road" really is.
---

An excerpt from one response that was printed in the Post:

---
The law says that bicyclists have the right to ride on the road. The legal burden is on the
overtaking vehicle to pass safely. Is it too much to ask that motorists have the human decency to
not assault cyclists?
---

--Brent

++++++++++++++ Brent Hugh / bhugh -a-t- mwsc.edu ++++++++++++++
+ Missouri Western St College Dept of Music, St. Joseph, MO +
+ Piano Home Page : staff.mwsc.edu~bhughOpen ↗ +
+ Music IQ Songs : mp3.comMusicIQOpen ↗ + ++ Music of the Human Genome :
mp3.combrent d hughOpen ↗ ++++

"H. M. Leary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]... ... snip ...

Quoted message said:

In NJ it is required by law to ³beep² your horn when approaching a

cyclist.

Quoted message said:

I don't think that it's a "law". I read about beeping your horn when approaching a cyclist somewhere
in one of the driver's handbooks, but I think it was merely a suggestion. A stupid suggestion that
should be completely ignored, by the way.

-Don