1. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   One of the more recent Bike Snob NYC entries was good on its own merit (and if you haven't already discovered him, you might want to check him out. Quite funny in a bit of a snarky way, IMO.) That said, the reason I'm posting this is that I really like the quote he stuck in the middle:
   

   • Cycling's enemy is not the car; it is the idiot. And idiots travel by foot, car, and bicycle. If anything, the bicycle has more in common with the car than it does with the pedestrian, since the bicycle is a vehicle too. Really, the problem is that too many people don't consider bicycles vehicles (which is why they tell us to "Get on the sidewalk!"), coupled with the fact that too many cyclists don't ride like they're operating vehicles in the first place. Also, try telling a pedestrian who's been hit by a cyclist that his real enemy is the car.

   In a different form this has been my mantra when discussing cycling lately with colleagues who drive.

   So can we give up the War on the Car and have everyone work together in the War on the Idiot?

2. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   While I don't like to go around labeling people "idiots" it seems like we had a case of just this sort of thing happening yesterday in Toronto:

   1. No charges after fight between cyclist, motorist

      "He called me name and boom! Hit me without no reason," Hamid alleged.

      Detectives told CTV Toronto that Hamid became stuck behind the courier at Queen Street East and Church Street, which is in the middle of a construction zone.

      "The cyclist went out into the middle of the lane, which is the passing lane -- which he has a right to do because he is a vehicle on the roadway," said Const. Mike Wong of the Toronto Police Service.

      "And the driver of the vehicle thought he was slowing him down or whatever reason. As a result, there was a dispute. And it just escalated from that point on."

      LINK

      

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

3. natasha
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Sometimes I think if we all just gave ourselves a little more time to get places (cyclists and motorists alike) and just chilled out a bit the roads would be a lot safer and smoother for us all. I've been honked at because a driver had to slow down for a fraction of a second while I went around someone who was parking, had people drive dangerously close to me to pass. It seems that drivers have the same attitude toward each other a lot of the time too. I have drastically changed my riding style since coming home in September and I wasn't an aggressive rider to begin with, but I still feel unsafe on the roads. I hope that with all the escalating tension we are able to find a better way to share the roads, it seems there are only going to be more and more cyclists in the future.

4. lOCk
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Truth is, the average human intelligence `ain't that bright... and half the world is less than average intelligence. A light weight two/three-wheeled and slow speed vehicle operates much closer to the human performance envelope (ignoring supermen like Lance Armstrong and Usain Bolt) compared to the 3000lb 20th-century motorized carriage designed to move at many times human speeds and piloted by the average human... Lumping bikes in with autos is just silly...
   tks
   Lokc

5. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   @lock - I agree but I think perhaps my (or rather the original author's) choice of the word 'idiot' is the problem. I think for the majority it isn't a problem of intelligence but of a willingness to be a jerk or a lack of consideration. Jerk (or a more colourful word more suited to a less family-friendly forum) would be the word I'd choose, I think.

   But you're right - there's a lot to pay attention to as a driver and thus another reason why it helps to have a steel cage around you - that's a first line of insurance against your own mistakes and miscalculations.

6. mecyclelots
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I see far more motorists breaking MVA laws then cyclists. Yet these same motorists, most of whom are to lazy or have the knowledge of the MVA laws. Are the ones yelling, driving me in curbs or out right using their vehicles as weapons. These motorists are complete ignorant cowards that deserve to be shot. Nothing less. These lousy laws and the courts do nothing to protect cyclists. My friends wonder why I carry protection with me. Have you been at 75-90% of your heartrate and have a motorist get out of their vehicle? I have been assaulted like this numerous times. Struck by a vehicle and suffered serious life threatening injuries. No more I say. I cycle down the middle of my lane, like the law permits. Regardless of the honking, yelling, etc. Better then getting hit by a vehicle mirror as it attempts to squeeze by. I am a vehicle under the MVA and motorists can treat me as such.

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.