I think I know Cletus well enough to vouch for him. He is neither arrogant nor inconsiderate, but
he is an assertive, defensive cyclist, as am I. He does, however, get a little competetive at
times (as do
I). A bicycle is a vehicle by law in all 50 states. When cyclists move to the shoulder (when
available) it is only as a courtesy to motorists, not because is is required by law. Of course, in
Bellaire, TX, there are no shoulders--strictly curbs and gutters, or a narrow road flanked by deep
ditches. The main drag has a bike lane, but you must share it with busses, parked cars, broken
glass, discarded engine blocks, and low-hanging branches, so it's not always useable. Personally,
I like to allow myself 4-6 feet of buffer between me and the curb or parked cars. If the lane is
wide enough (wider then 14 feet) I don't mind sharing it with other vehicles. However, very often
this is not the case. Defensive driving (whether you're driving a car, motorcycle or a bicycle)
demands that you assert your space in the travel lane when you cannot safely share the lane. I am
constantly checking my helmet mirror for who is behind me, how fast, how big a vehicle, how close,
etc. Courtesy is also an integral part of bicycle safety; there's no point in delaying anybody
unnecessarily, so whenever it's safe to do so, I make room to be safely passed within my lane, but
always with an eye to what's up in the road ahead, making sure my courtesy doesn't get me into a
tight spot ahead. I adjust my position in the lane to clearly telegraph my intentions, especially
when approaching an intersection. When cyclists get into trouble, it's often because they were
riding too far to the right: they get squeezed into the gutter, they get "hooked" by motorists
turning right, or they get "doored." God forbid they're riding on the sidewalk--that's how you get
backed over by a Suburban coming out of a driveway.
Don't fault Cletus for claiming his space. By law, he has just as much right to be there as they guy
in the Mustang, and if the Mustang driver wants to pass, by law he must do so without exceeding the
speed limit or crossing a solid yellow line.
Now having said all that, I do have to fault Cletus for letting his competetive streak run amok.
Dude, take a pill!
Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40 SWB 26x26 OSS Lubbock, TX, USA
[email hidden] (Steve in SC) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Cletus Lee <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:In my town (Bellaire) the posted speed limit is 30mph on local roads. A highly trafficked street
into my neighborhood is two laned an cars must cross the double yellow stripe to pass
me. Sometimes oncoming traffic does not permit this and drivers get impatient and pass me
exceeding the posted speed limit. Lately, I have taken to pointing out the 30mph speed
limit signs to those impatient drivers that think my 22 mph is too slow. Since the local
police are quite dilligent in enforcing the law, this is usually enough to keep the
scofflaws in ceck.
Yesterday, I noticed a 5.0 liter Mustang (you know the kind) behind me at a traffic light. After
the light changed, I went through the intersection and dutifully pointedout the 30 mph sign as I
went by as a reminder. I noted that I was doing 23 mph at the time. Well I cranked it up. I did
not want to be passed by a Mustang. By the time the next speed limit sign appeared (there's one
every quarter mile) I was doing 30. I held that until I had to turn off on to my street.
The reason I am quite pleased to report this is that it was all done on the Giro with 10 lbs of
clothes in my panniers, fenders, and my SON Hub generator.
I have read your posts for some time, and you seem to be a very reasonable individual. That is why
I am uncertain about the naure of this particular post. I would hope that you are not "taking the
lane" unless IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Pointing out a speed limit sign while you impede a
motorist strikes me as being somewhat arrogant, if not outright inflammatory. Unless you are in
immediate danger, why not leave traffic enforcement to the properly trained professionals? I hope
that I have misinterpreted your post. There are several riders in our club that refuse to move to
the side of the road to allow motorists to pass. Frankly, I think that they are abject morons. It
would not distress me too greatly to see them run over. An arrogant and inconsiderate cyclist is
no better than an arrogant and inconsiderate motorist. A plague on both of them.
