Dear driver who passed me today

...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."

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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.

Ahh in the UK, all taxpayers contribute to the roads, whether they have a vehicle or not, this includes cyclists.

Except people that drive cars pay an additional road tax. Carefully ignored there, I see.

I would have no problem with cyclists if the majority of them weren't asshats with no respect for the rules of the road.

So you know the majority of cyclists? Funny, because I'm an avid cyclist and I can't claim that.

Also, I do own a car and pay the same taxes. I know of not a single cyclist who doesn't also own a car.

The majority of cyclists I encounter, then, sheesh. I don't care that much about the taxes but was just adding a carefully avoided fact into the conversation.

Except that your "fact" is completely unfactual

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

To answer your questions, yes, we do. Just not the insurance part. But the main reason cars have insurance is because you can hurt life an property. If you hit another car, what will happen? What do you think will happen if somehow a bike hit a car? Chances are, the car will be fine, and the cyclist will be hurt. I should also add, we pay the same as everyone else to register and gas up our car, along with insurance. We just don't drive as often as other people. We still have a car though. In most places in the US at least a couple months of the year, it's completely unsafe to bike in snow and ice and people still own cars. Just because someone bikes for transportation doesn't mean they don't own a car

We pay just as much as you do, and actually, what pays for the roads, is property tax. Do you own a home? If not, then what little from your rent, that is going to property tax, doesn't come near to what we pay for our house.

Perhaps instead of blaming everyone else for you problems you could do what most other adults do and thats leave your house in time to get where you need to be, leaving some room for things like accidents, cyclists, and other things that can impede your commute. If you're late it because of you, not because of the cyclist.

And it's people like this that make roadways dangerous for cyclists.

I think that drivers thinking bikes don't pay taxes is a lame argument. The bike rider most likely has a car at home and pays taxes and insurance.

My gripe about bikes is that on our country roads, we often get a line of cars 5 and 10 deep behind these bikes as we wait for opportunities to get around them. One day a family of bike riders were making their way up a long grade. As they passed an apartment complex with a long law to pull in and out of that complex, this family could have pulled over to allow the long line of cars behind them to quickly and safely get around but for some reason all 4 of them stayed on the side of the man lane further frustrating the drivers. But anyway when you get around these bikes FINALLY and go up the road you might get stopped at a red light. Then here comes the bike rider(s) passing you and going right up to the light. Now when the light changes we all have to try and get around the jerk again. I thought bikes had to obey the rule of the road. Rarely do I see bike riders wait at the end of the line of cars ahead of them at a red light.

My other gripe are the riders who seem to think a penlight is enough illumination in the dark. It's like they are daring a car to hit them.

I not only drive a car but I also ride a motorcycle. One of the first assumptions we make is that the cars CANNOT see us. We ride with that in mind. RIding a motorcycle is not the danger, it's the cars on the road that are the danger to us. We know that and we accept the risk. At intersections I assume the cars do not see me. Bike riders seem to dare the cars. Maybe the answer is that bike riders should be licensed to ride on the roads. I'm not asking for taxes, I'm just asking they pass the same safe riding classes that we motorcycle riders take.

I would not ride a bike on country roads. You are just asking for it. Along comes someone texting and POW! You get hit. What then? Lie in your hospital bed and cry a river? A friend got hit on his motorcycle by a pickup from behind. The driver simply was not paying attention. Thousands of dollars in hospital bills later he finds out the guy in under-insured. Now he's fighting with his own insurance company for uninsured motorist coverage. Do you bike riders carry uninsured motorist coverage? What will you do when an uninsured or illegal hits you on your bike. Cry another river I guess.

Look.... if there are 10 cars behind you, I think it's a safe bet to say one of them is not paying attention or had a real bad day and the last thing he/she needs is some bike rider blocking traffic. That's why I ride a motorcycle.... I save gas and I have enough power to stay out of the way and not block traffic. Bike riders would do well to obey ALL the rules of the road like I have to on my motorcycle and they would do well to find a place to let a long line of cars get around them safely. I think Washington State has a law that says if 5 cars are lined up behind another car or truck, that car or truck needs to get over and let them pass. It's common courtesy, something too many car drivers, motorcycle riders and bicyclists should try to practice.

We have a wonderful system of bike paths where I live and some cyclists still want to ride in the middle of the road. Taxes we pay when we fuel up our cars pay for these awesome bike paths that bikers refuse to use.

As one who rides for transportation rather than leisure, I avoid bike paths for three reasons. First, as others have pointed out, paths are generally poorly integrated with the road system, so they don't always go where the roads go. Second, and a corollary of the first, the intersections between bike paths and roads are frequently poorly marked, confusing to the driver, and therefore extremely dangerous for the cyclist (see below). Third, in many jurisdictions there is nothing in the vehicle codes that defines the status of a bicycle on a path: in Oregon, for example, a bicyclist on the sidewalk is essentially a pedestrian and prohibited from riding at more than walking speed, while a bicyclist on the road is a vehicle like any other, but a bicyclist on a path is completely absent from the vehicle codes.

How all of the above played out for me: some years back, I was nearly killed when a car driver ran a red light at a poorly-designed intersection of the road and the bike path, and the cop who responded was seriously considering citing me for violating an obscure rule about a bicyclist leaving a "sidewalk or other place of safety at greater than walking speed." In the end, I wasn't cited, but since then I ride on the roads: if somebody hits me, they have hit a vehicle, with all of the legal implications that pertain.

Interesting perspective!

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

Precisely what I think. Austin cyclists drive where ever they damn please all up on the busy service roads, so people are constantly having to enter halfway into the other lane to go around, and from my experiences, can be hazardous. Cyclists drive me nuts, to be honest. At least pick a less busy road! Common sense.

Common sense also says that a less busy road may not be available, it all depends on the cyclist's destination.

I don't know if I already posted this, but at least in the US - cyclists pay as much for the road whether or not they own a car or not. Local roads are paid for out of property and sales taxes.

Oh I agree with this so much! And then, on the two lane, no shoulder, 50mph speed limit twisty road with blind curves at every turn, the ride two - or THREE- ABREAST!!!! This is what ticks me off - because if I hit someone *i* will be the bad guy even though they are riding illegally.

You might be surprised. The law favors motorists. Some have literally gotten away with murder.

I am confused as to how people think that cyclists "own the road" as well as drivers? Do you have to pay to register your vehicle? Do you have to get an inspection sticker every year? Do you have to follow the bazillion traffic laws? Do you have to pay for insurance every month because its a law? No you don't.

So in my opinion, drivers who pay thousands of dollars a year for a car, they own the road. So when you choose to ride on a 1 lane road, and i have to go 10 mph behind you because I can't pass you, it pisses me off and makes me late. So can you not just pick a road that has a large shoulder? Or ride in a neighborhood? Or only ride on roads with at least 2 lanes so we can pass you? I'm all about you guys going out and getting exercise but choose your roads wiser.

Precisely what I think. Austin cyclists drive where ever they damn please all up on the busy service roads, so people are constantly having to enter halfway into the other lane to go around, and from my experiences, can be hazardous. Cyclists drive me nuts, to be honest. At least pick a less busy road! Common sense.

This cracks me up. I'm thinking you should probably just move. The cyclists here in Austin aren't going anywhere and they will always be on the roads. All of the roads. Just the other day I was driving my son to school on a very busy cycling road, big groups all the time. Yes, there is a bike path, but cars also get to park there so they have to come into the main lane often, as is their right. I have no problem slowing down for them and if I can, I'll move into the opposing lane and go around. THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS ON BICYCLES. Someday, it maybe me in that bike lane or my son. Is my destination more important than that? Never.

I do wish that there were more ad campaigns like, "Be Kind to Cyclists" but for runners. Our visibility is even lower and I have almost been hit three times.