Car hits cyclist = cyclist severely hurt or dead
Cyclist hits car = scratch, a couple of cuts and bruised ego.
I will keep that fantastic logic in mind when I am driving around semis. They should give me a wide berth because if they hit me they could kill me. Those ignorant s in big trucks not giving me enough room.
I think you forgot to mention that it is faster for you; at the expense of others. You save a few seconds at best, and cost a dozen cars; many with passengers each; more time than you save. So if you save 15 seconds and cost each driver 20 seconds, that's 360 man-seconds you cost with that stunt.
It is still slower for myself when riding a bike so I need to make up as much time as possible, plus as I have said before I generally keep to the far right of the road so that cars have little to no trouble in passing me.
I guess I can see where you are coming from with regards to a time aspect, I still don't get where you are coming from with the safety standpoint, it is much safer for a bike to pass a car that is stopped on the road than it is for a car to pass a bike when both are moving.
It is still slower for myself when riding a bike so I need to make up as much time as possible, plus as I have said before I generally keep to the far right of the road so that cars have little to no trouble in passing me.
I guess I can see where you are coming from with regards to a time aspect, I still don't get where you are coming from with the safety standpoint, it is much safer for a bike to pass a car that is stopped on the road than it is for a car to pass a bike when both are moving.
1st Para: So to save yourself time you feel it is okay that you make cars pass you multiple times? Your time is more valuable than everyone else's then? A bike moves slower than a car, if time is a huge concern for you drive. I don't understand that logic and then getting upset when drivers do not respond well to this.
2nd Para: Again, with making cars pass you multiple times. You are obviously increasing your risk of the same vehicles have to pass you over and over.
1. Selfish, sure... but then again everyone is selfish in their own way, is it selfish for someone who drives a car to pollute the air that we all breath by driving every day? To say that someone is selfish is pretty shortsighted as everyone at the end of the day everyone is selfish in their own way. I ride my bike because I am able to release tension, get some good exercise, do a good thing for the environment and do something that I really love to do. The time concerns are something that everyone has, cyclist or driver, and unfortunately that is just a part of modern life.
2. Cars are going to pass me anyways, so it really doesn't matter which cars do pass me.
All I meant was that, at least in my mind, it seems very backwards that people who choose to cycle are being called hippies, and that the city in general hasn't done more to promote cycling, and make it safer and more accessible to get around by bike. Many Canadian cities have a fair amount of bike lanes and more paths, and it seems as though Calgary is lagging behind in that respect.
Perhaps I should have said that Calgary is backwards, as opposed to Calgarians... but I still feel that the whole thought process behind promoting cycling here isn't very innovative.
But of course, what do I know, right? Like you say, I'm the one that's backwards.
I thought Calgary had one of the most extensive bike pathway systems in North America?
When I head downtown I will take Shaganappi and Memorial, I keep up a pretty good pace all things considered....
Then you're breaking the law, plain and simple. Keep driving your slow-moving vehicle on our major thoroughfares and I'm going to call the by-law cops.
If I'm riding home on Elbow and there's a 3 block line of cars delayed at a set of lights... sorry to all those drivers that I may piss off, but I'm not going to wait patiently for 15 minutes as traffic inches along. I'll hug the curb and ride to the front of the line. If that's illegal then get mad at the cop car I passed the other day.
Do my actions slow down traffic??? I doubt it. If they do sorry for delaying your arrival by a few secinds.
As far as I'm concerned that's an advantage of riding to work. Personally it makes me smile while I fly through traffic in the middle of summer when it 25 degrees out and all these commuters are stuck in their hot, rank non-airconditioned cars.
As far as I'm concerned that's an advantage of riding to work.
As far as everyone else is concerned, it's called being an a-hole.
I find it hilarious to hear all the cyclists feel they should be treated like any other vehicle in spite of the fact that they hold up traffic and yet they can just turn into a pedestrian whenever they please to bypass traffic.
If you want to ride on the road there's no logical explanation why you should be able to drive pass stopped traffic at a light.
and there's also no reason for drivers to not change lanes when they pass cyclists. But we're the only ones being bad guys.
Considering out of the few cyclists who have responded here the majority consensus is screw drivers, screw by-laws and screw traffic laws. Then yes, you are the bad guys.
As far as everyone else is concerned, it's called being an a-hole.
I find it hilarious to hear all the cyclists feel they should be treated like any other vehicle in spite of the fact that they hold up traffic and yet they can just turn into a pedestrian whenever they please to bypass traffic.
If you want to ride on the road there's no logical explanation why you should be able to drive pass stopped traffic at a light.
I don't necessarily think I should be treated like any other vehicle. If I could get to work on bike paths the entire way I would. The problem is some designated paths in Calgary are roads, which means by law I have to ride on them. It's illegal to ride on sidwalks...
And I've been called much worse than an a-hole, so I'm alright with it.
and there's also no reason for drivers to not change lanes when they pass cyclists. But we're the only ones being bad guys.
What are people supposed to do when it's bumper-to-bumper traffic and all the the cyclist essentially acts like a lane blocked off? Pretty hard to easily change lanes in that situation.
If it is bumper to bumper traffic, what is the harm in the cyclist moving to the front of the line, it isn't hurting anyone? I mean it isn't as though you are not moving anywhere at a faster or slower pace because of a cyclist. What is the rationale other than envy in that case?
Considering out of the few cyclists who have responded here the majority consensus is screw drivers, screw by-laws and screw traffic laws. Then yes, you are the bad guys.
The majority of drivers say screw traffic laws (state you have to switch lanes when passing a cyclist), screw the environment, and screw cyclists with aggressive driving habits, I guess we can call it a sawoff....
What are people supposed to do when it's bumper-to-bumper traffic and all the the cyclist essentially acts like a lane blocked off? Pretty hard to easily change lanes in that situation.
you aren't moving due to bumper to bumper traffic and it's me holding you up? I don't think so, pal.
Cyclists feel cars should change lanes to pass them as they are a vehicle on the road themselves. Fair enough. I completely understand not wanting to get clipped by a mirror of a terrible driver.
However, they also want the privilige of being able to pass cars, while sharing a lane.
So drivers must change lanes to go around a bike, but bikers can pass cars in the same lane?
I don't get it. If you want to be treated like a vehicle, act like a vehicle? It confounds me to no end how cyclists want to be given a full lane (which I fully appreciate) but then can decide they don't need a full lane whenever they choose.
Also to the guy who challenged drivers to get out of their car just once, I'm not sure if your point was to be tough or maybe I missed the point of that statement, but I don't think that many guys would hesitate to tell a spandex clad biker where to go. I've done it before, didn't think twice about it. Just because you ride a bike to work doesn't make you any more fit than those who drive and hit the gym before/after work. Get over yourself.
If that wasn't your point ignore that last paragraph!!
I'm pretty sure the point that the poster was trying to make is this - walk a mile in the other guys shoes. Most adult cyclists are also drivers, so we understand your frustrations with bad cyclists who flaunt or completely ignore the rules of the road. Many (not all) of the drivers who complain so loudly about cyclists haven't been on a bike in years. If you get on the saddle, you might understand better our concerns.
As someone who enjoys my bike ride to work nearly everyday, I have to say that a lot of drivers are just bad. Yesterday, for instance, I was in a designated right turning lane, and I signaled a right turn. A truck passed me in the driving lane, and then turned (no signal) right in front of me. I had to slam on the brakes and wait for him to pass.
I drove to work today, and I drove the same way that I normally bike. I was slowed for about 20 seconds waiting for an opportunity to pass a bike, while I waited over a minute stopped behind a car making a left turn. For the most part, bikes are not what causes traffic delays.
Seeing people with bad biking habits annoy me, because it makes us all look bad and further fuels the anti-bike crowd. Today, I saw a guy talking on a cell phone riding his bike down the street, and it angered me. I realize that with rights come responsibilities. Same goes whether you are in a car or on a bike. Whether I'm driving or riding a bike, I always try to think about what the other guy would want me to do - simple things like being visible, acting predictably, signaling my intentions, and showing respect for the other vehicles on the road.
__________________ You don't stay up at night wondering if you'll get an Oleg Saprykin.
