Dear driver who passed me today

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stufie
stufie Posts: 142 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Dear driver who passed me today while I was cycling:
Learn the rules of the road or get off it. As a cyclist, I have every right that you do, and I signaled before I made the left turn into my driveway. There was no need for you to speed off, rev your engine, honk abrasively, and flip me off.
Go @#$% yourself.


/rant
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Replies

  • HJCsDaddy
    HJCsDaddy Posts: 419 Member
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    Holy crap, you must live here in Bozeman too...
  • bunnysone
    bunnysone Posts: 486 Member
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    lol ... i totally agree as a cyclist ... but ... here's the upside ...

    Dear drivers who I PASSED today,

    I'm sorry that I get my own lane next to yours which is completely empty, proving that it is getting too cold and dark for you to get out of your warm car that JUST YOU are in, alongside hundreds of other single users.

    I'm sorry you had to wait in line in peak hour to get to the lights, to wait again, to get to the roundabout, to wait again, and to wait again for the guy who was turning up the street with no lights.

    I'm sorry that I was able to zoom past you with no restrictions on my bike lane and leave you wishing that you had the motivation to get out onto YOUR bike, train hard and be able to ride to work to.

    And of course I'm sorry that I have been able to get to work, write this post and be in the shower all before you have even started fighting for a parking spot in the expensive car park in the city :)

    Bike user

    PS stufie - don't ever change - don't ever give up cycling ...
  • jenj1313
    jenj1313 Posts: 898 Member
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    I hear ya... Whenever someone honks, gives hand signals, etc, I make sure to sit up tall, smile a huge smile, and wave like crazy... like they're my best friend or grandma or something. I figure killing 'em with kindness probably frustrates them more than if I give the bird back :-)

    I've had my share of run ins with drivers, though, so be careful. Remember that they ARE bigger than you, like it or not.

    Stay safe out there!
    Jen
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    You can honk back with an Airzound. Scares the **** out of them. Stupid cagers.
  • charlottelouise12345
    charlottelouise12345 Posts: 16 Member
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    Know how you feel... The other day someone actually stopped for me at a round about when I had right of way! I nearly fell off my bike in suprise... :p they usually just pull out in front of me even though I'm already on the round about and make me lose all my speed breaking so I don't crash into them!
  • stufie
    stufie Posts: 142 Member
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    You can honk back with an Airzound. Scares the **** out of them. Stupid cagers.

    I should invest in one. I've only heard the term "cagers" used by those who ride motorcycles...love it.
    Know how you feel... The other day someone actually stopped for me at a round about when I had right of way! I nearly fell off my bike in suprise... :p they usually just pull out in front of me even though I'm already on the round about and make me lose all my speed breaking so I don't crash into them!

    It seems like people here have no idea what to do when a bike is in the road with traffic. Yesterday my husband got in the left turning lane, and the oncoming car came to a full stop for him. It was a nice sentiment, but you could tell the driver had no idea what they were supposed to do, so they just stopped.
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    I like the ones who try to pass me on the left (in the oncoming traffic lane) when I am taking the lane 100 feet from a stop to turn left at a stop. Where the hell do they think they're going and what the hell are they going to do if someone comes around the corner?! :noway:
  • elelat
    elelat Posts: 117
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    One of the bumper sticker on my car says:

    I Stop For Cyclists!
  • seal57
    seal57 Posts: 1,259 Member
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    Cyclists in my town can be a big pain in the butt......There are bike paths but there are some who won't use them.....Most think they own the road.....:grumble:
  • marykeblom
    marykeblom Posts: 56
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    I respect cyclists...I don't have the guts to get on a bike because in South Africa people don't care about if they kill you or not. A young woman got killed on the road when a guy decided she wasn't driving fast enough (ON HER SCOOTER of all things) (this now from a taxi) So i don't dare, but i do pretend that i'm mountain biking in my living room with my Kinect ;) but i seriously respect you guys.
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    Cyclists in my town can be a big pain in the butt......There are bike paths but there are some who won't use them.....Most think they own the road.....:grumble:

    A lot of "bike paths" are not appropriate for those of us hauling at 20mph or faster. People mill about wearing headphones and oblivious to what's coming up behind them, kids weave back and forth slowly on bikes (rarely wearing helmets), people walking dogs with leashes that cross the entire path...these are all serious hazards when fast-moving bikes are added to the mix.

    YOU may not like bikes on the road, but those of us on bikes have EVERY right to the roadway that you have. We pay the same taxes, but our miles on the bike don't do the damage to the roads that cars do.

    So, yeah...we DO, in fact, "own the road."
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    ...YOU may not like bikes on the road, but those of us on bikes have EVERY right to the roadway that you have. We pay the same taxes, but our miles on the bike don't do the damage to the roads that cars do.

    So, yeah...we DO, in fact, "own the road."

    How much gas are you putting in your bicycle? None? Then how are you paying the same taxes as someone who puts gas in their car?

    I have no disagreement with the "same rights" statement but folks who don't buy gas don't pay the same taxes as those who do.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    How much gas are you putting in your bicycle? None? Then how are you paying the same taxes as someone who puts gas in their car?

    I have no disagreement with the "same rights" statement but folks who don't buy gas don't pay the same taxes as those who do.

    This is a terrible argument. Not only because it's ignorant of actual transportation tax funding, but because it also implies that the amount spent on gas tax gives one a right to the road. (I'm in a Hummer, get off my road, Prius!) Oh, and also it implies that anyone who owns a bicycle does not own a car. Car-fee cyclists are rare ducks.

    fyi - taxes taken from gasoline are spent mostly on highways.
    It's property tax and sales tax that pays for the local roads that cyclists ride on. Furthermore, cars -destroy- roads while bicycles cause no meaningful damage to the surface.

    So, really. Now that you know cyclists and motorists pay the same taxes for the local roads, but cars cause costlier (by factors of ten) maintenance and upkeep costs - well. We're doing you a favor by riding our bikes, paying the same amount of money, and not wearing out the road like you are. And we're not complaining about it. You're welcome.


    Now that you know; you never have to make that silly argument again. Again: You're welcome.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I can make all the silly arguments I want. Facts will never stand in my way.

    Around here there are a lot of bicyclists who scream that they have all the same rights as car drivers but they don't follow the laws. That gets annoying. I don't have any hatred toward them though. I used to do a good amount of bike riding years ago when I lived in town.

    In reality I would love to be able to ride a bicycle to work but I would be killed on the rural road from my house to the highway and it's a 20 mile trip each way. I don't even own a bicycle right now as I can't ride safely around where I live.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I always get annoyed by people who ride bikes.. Mainly because as another posted stated, they can't follow the rules.

    We don't have bike lanes where I live in Illinois.. so that means you are weaving in and out of traffic in front of my car.. and if I need to stop suddenly and you get hit, well then it's not my fault. There are sidewalks for a reason.. Stay on them!

    Would I ever honk, speed off and flip you the bird? No.. thats just uncalled for.
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
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    Dear bicyclist who blew through the stop sign at a 4 way stop as I was going through it...I didn't hit you this time, but I think I know who would have more physical difficulty if I did.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I live in a big city and have considered using a bicycle. I've gone to the meetings of a biking advocacy group and they always say the cyclist should be assertive. I always respond, Have you seen the motorists out there? In an argument between a truck and cyclist who do you think is going to win?

    But by the same token, as a pedestrian I've had a lot of very close calls with some crazy cyclists, often messengers. A couple of them have cursed me when I complained about almost being run over.

    There needs to be more education and enforcement on both sides.
  • andreanicole686
    andreanicole686 Posts: 406 Member
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    You can honk back with an Airzound. Scares the **** out of them. Stupid cagers.
    haha an air horn would be great!
  • nukebhs83
    nukebhs83 Posts: 158
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    dear bicycle rider,

    when you are riding on the side of the road on a busy highway please move over on the shoulder more and not ride the white line because when an eighteen wheeler is in the lane beside me and you are riding the line and i have to drive by you ---guess which one i am more likely to get closer to so that i dont get crushed. also, since you are so much healthier (due to riding your bike everywhere) cant you pedal faster?????? come on---pump those legs

    05 mustang driver

    ps---i will of course stop to render aid.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    I can make all the silly arguments I want. Facts will never stand in my way.

    Cheers.
    Around here there are a lot of bicyclists who scream that they have all the same rights as car drivers but they don't follow the laws. That gets annoying. I don't have any hatred toward them though. I used to do a good amount of bike riding years ago when I lived in town.

    I was pretty annoyed when cyclists rode with complete disregard for safety or the law, but now that I'm a bit of an advocate... it annoys me even more. Sometimes I think I'm the only cyclist in California that stops at lights/stop signs. Seeing folks on the wrong side of the road ON the sidewalk is annoying too - but that's mostly people on department store mountain bikes that aren't really cycling for the sake of cycling. They don't necessarily know that cyclists are not pedestrians.

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