Angry cyclist!
- Thread starter dailycyclist
- Start date
As I stated before it's about awareness and education not necessarilry about the laws themselves. I understand you can't legislate good behavior but to say that "Oh that's just the way things are and should be accepted" is unacceptable to me..
Awareness and education... you mean laws and signs, or classes and commercials (public service announcements) that's the same thing just said differently. Earlier you proudly touted your additional laws and signs.... so now you call it awareness and education. We honor your efforts.... they just don't work.
How can humans get other humans to do things they don't want to do? Generally speaking.... we use guns! We shoot and/or threaten to shoot all those who refuse to obey. Another poster here (who wishes me DEAD) had raved about the efforts of another nation (a dictator controlled Socialist nation) that FORCED it's subjects to bicycle or take public transportation. He thought that was a good idea for America too. I disagree.Originally Posted by qdc15 .
Cutter, so we agree on something! Now, how can we increase the number of bicycles on the road?
I'm not buying the argument that traffic laws, traffic signs, speed limits, etc. are worthless. But we don't have to agree on everything.
It doesn't matter what you buy (AKA think/feel) about such things. The facts remain the facts... facts are damn stubborn things!
You want OTHER people to enjoy the sport of cycling.... invite them to join you. It really is as stupid simple as things were in elementary school. You want people to play on the playground with you... ask them to You don't want to dance alone... ask someone to dance with you.
However... if you want to change the world and save the planet by changing the way real humans think? Discuss that with your family doctor... or your spiritual counsel. That really is sorta like cult behavior... not healthy human behavior.
You know... that just isn't true. We lost power here about 5 years ago (joking aside... I live in a real city) for 8 days... and traffic moved swifter. The small city where my Mom lives had a similar event this last spring. We are regulated into gridlock.... not short of regulation. You bigger... more... government control types just can't see the Forest for the trees.
Are you posting: Please Mr Cutter.... don't confuse my issues with facts? I haven't ranted even once! Unlike yours... my posts follow logic and reason. Your claims make no sense.... you say your in Risk Management... and your "theme" is "risk reduction". Risk... is a mathematical calculation. How do you reduce a math formula? The stuff you post makes no sense.
Let me share a few little tid-bits of information here to make my point so clear that even the drunk guy at the forum can understand this (if he reads it sober).
The human brain is part of a bio-chemical machine. The brain isn't mechanical. It can cause or direct the body to perform the same task 10,000 times. Then for seemingly no reason... cause the body to perform the task so wrong as to cause itself injury.
It is the “seemingly no reason†that is the catch. Because there are many reasons that these errors happen that we fully understand.
The other day I was cycling along a street I often ride. I was going about 17MPH which is about my limit for that section of rough street. A large old Ford passed me... then very quickly within feet from me pulled into/along the street in front of me to park. The car was so close I had to stop as fast as I could to keep from plowing into the car. Once the car pulled to the curb... the cars reverse/back-up light then came on. I hollered “HOEâ€... checked my cycling glasses mounted mirror... and pulled further out into the street to pass the parking car.
As I rode by the car I glanced in and saw a small round mature man with three boys in the car with him. I would guess the boys from teenage to twenty's and also guess at least of couple of them were his sons. The thought that went through my head was jumping off my bike and yelling at the people in the car. I saw the look on the mans face... and could see he also thought this might be a yelling situation.
So... looking at the driver in his eyes... I shrugged my shoulders and said “sorryâ€.
Here is why: What had happened was the driver was likely talking with his boys and entered into what is actually called [memory] auto-pilot. We've ALL been there (it is a normal human reaction and ALL humans do it) often.... when driving we sudden realized that we don't remember a small period of driving time. We are further along our route... and don't remember driving the distance.
Auto-pilot isn't dangerous... normally. It just means that to compensate for other functions like a conversation, enjoying the radio, or some other mental distraction... our brain stopped making short-term memories. The brain was paying attention! Just no memory was created of the mundane routine task of driving. This happens all the time... it is a normal brain function that is NOT controlled by the conscious brain. It isn't something we can decide to do... or make our brain stop doing it.
So... do you think that just maybe... the man driving the old Ford and enjoying the company of his sons may have been on auto-pilot? My guess is that would certainly explain why he drove past me... then pulled across in front of me. His brain had recorded NO MEMORY of me being there. He was on auto-pilot.
For me... the struggle of not being in an accident scared me... the normal flight or fight response (to fear) is anger. I was ready! For the driver... I literally appeared from no where. It scared the **** out of him... hitting people and things with cars is never good. We shared the fight or flight response.
None of these things can be controlled of resolved with laws, signs, classes, or well wishes. Even riding my bicycle... I have caught myself in auto-pilot. Accidents will happen... our brains are hardwired and programmed in such a way as to make them unavoidable. Some injuries will happen!
The human brain is part of a bio-chemical machine. The brain isn't mechanical. It can cause or direct the body to perform the same task 10,000 times. Then for seemingly no reason... cause the body to perform the task so wrong as to cause itself injury.
It is the “seemingly no reason†that is the catch. Because there are many reasons that these errors happen that we fully understand.
The other day I was cycling along a street I often ride. I was going about 17MPH which is about my limit for that section of rough street. A large old Ford passed me... then very quickly within feet from me pulled into/along the street in front of me to park. The car was so close I had to stop as fast as I could to keep from plowing into the car. Once the car pulled to the curb... the cars reverse/back-up light then came on. I hollered “HOEâ€... checked my cycling glasses mounted mirror... and pulled further out into the street to pass the parking car.
As I rode by the car I glanced in and saw a small round mature man with three boys in the car with him. I would guess the boys from teenage to twenty's and also guess at least of couple of them were his sons. The thought that went through my head was jumping off my bike and yelling at the people in the car. I saw the look on the mans face... and could see he also thought this might be a yelling situation.
So... looking at the driver in his eyes... I shrugged my shoulders and said “sorryâ€.
Here is why: What had happened was the driver was likely talking with his boys and entered into what is actually called [memory] auto-pilot. We've ALL been there (it is a normal human reaction and ALL humans do it) often.... when driving we sudden realized that we don't remember a small period of driving time. We are further along our route... and don't remember driving the distance.
Auto-pilot isn't dangerous... normally. It just means that to compensate for other functions like a conversation, enjoying the radio, or some other mental distraction... our brain stopped making short-term memories. The brain was paying attention! Just no memory was created of the mundane routine task of driving. This happens all the time... it is a normal brain function that is NOT controlled by the conscious brain. It isn't something we can decide to do... or make our brain stop doing it.
So... do you think that just maybe... the man driving the old Ford and enjoying the company of his sons may have been on auto-pilot? My guess is that would certainly explain why he drove past me... then pulled across in front of me. His brain had recorded NO MEMORY of me being there. He was on auto-pilot.
For me... the struggle of not being in an accident scared me... the normal flight or fight response (to fear) is anger. I was ready! For the driver... I literally appeared from no where. It scared the **** out of him... hitting people and things with cars is never good. We shared the fight or flight response.
None of these things can be controlled of resolved with laws, signs, classes, or well wishes. Even riding my bicycle... I have caught myself in auto-pilot. Accidents will happen... our brains are hardwired and programmed in such a way as to make them unavoidable. Some injuries will happen!
[COLOR= #ff0000]Generally speaking.... we use guns![/COLOR]
I'm CampyBob and I approve of this message.
We shoot and/or threaten to shoot all those who refuse to obey.
<sigh> They always forget 'pistol whipping'!
You bigger... more... government control types just can't see the Forest for the trees.
I will be lending out my spare chainsaws shortly!
I'm CampyBob and I approve of this message.
We shoot and/or threaten to shoot all those who refuse to obey.
<sigh> They always forget 'pistol whipping'!
You bigger... more... government control types just can't see the Forest for the trees.
I will be lending out my spare chainsaws shortly!
It doesn't really matter... the OP was likely a fake... one of the regulars trying to start a hate-fest.
These posts always go the same direction. The leftest, liberal, Earth worshiping environmentalists, wanting to force people to be cyclist, and band private automobile ownership. Hoping to bolster there ranks with new followers. It gets old.
They use plenty of fake, silly, arguments... none of which ever hold up to reason or facts. Then they call names and act like reasoned thought is wrong because it hurts their feelings. It is like trying to reason with children.
The bad thing is I really think some of these guys have valuable cycling knowledge. But instead of wanting to share cycling information.... they want to spread idealogical progressivism that was out-dated back when cyclist still rode penny farthings.
They are fearful, angry, and resistant to leaning and understanding. Most are committed to the religion of Environmentalism... while deigning it as faith. So they become zealots of a cause without logic, reason, or an understanding of even their own faith. They are sad people.
.
These posts always go the same direction. The leftest, liberal, Earth worshiping environmentalists, wanting to force people to be cyclist, and band private automobile ownership. Hoping to bolster there ranks with new followers. It gets old.
They use plenty of fake, silly, arguments... none of which ever hold up to reason or facts. Then they call names and act like reasoned thought is wrong because it hurts their feelings. It is like trying to reason with children.
The bad thing is I really think some of these guys have valuable cycling knowledge. But instead of wanting to share cycling information.... they want to spread idealogical progressivism that was out-dated back when cyclist still rode penny farthings.
They are fearful, angry, and resistant to leaning and understanding. Most are committed to the religion of Environmentalism... while deigning it as faith. So they become zealots of a cause without logic, reason, or an understanding of even their own faith. They are sad people.
.
Did I mention that bicycle use in DC has more than doubled in the last ten years and continues to grow as fast as ever? How did they do that? Guns were not involved. Education, awareness, laws and signs. Bike lanes, sharrows, Capitol Bikeshares, three foot law, traffic cameras, public service announcements, are among the efforts that do work and are paying off in spades!
Your world view is distubing. People are capable of learning, growing, evolving without having a gun held to their heads. That's how we got where we are today and how we will continue to move forward. Laws are important. Our workplaces are safer, our air and water are clearer, our cars are safer, run cleaner and use less gasoline, our roads are safer. Our lives are better because of laws.
There are accidents then there are deliberate acts. The manuver pulled by the driver in your novel is refered to as a right hook. In Ma that would be a 75.00 fine. Now if the driver was swearing out their window swaying back and forth and struck you that would be assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Two different crimes with two different levels of punishment. laws are good and can be properly enforced.
When I'm riding on auto-pilot I don't overlook cyclists. That old man needs more education and awareness. If the number of riders continues to increase, motorists who just don't see bicyclists will continue to decrease in number. There will be a backlash from angry cagers infuriated about the fact that they have to share the road with a growing number of bicycles, and there will be altercations, vehicular assaults, threats and intimidation, but hopefully most will accept the fact that they need to share the road.
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