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To: fightinJAG
(the driver happened to be a longtime cycling advocate, who'd kicked off the altercation by chiding the biker for blowing through a red light.)

Good for him.

9 posted on 07/29/2008 8:06:51 AM PDT by sionnsar (Impeach Obama |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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To: sionnsar

Cyclists are like drivers. There are good ones, bad ones, and everything in between.

I will blow through arbitrary stop signs, especially at the bottom of hills. You know the ones I’m talking about: no cars around, no threat to safety, no reason to stop other than the mere presence of a stop sign.

I’m a “spirit of the law” sort of guy. That is, most speed limits and signs are there to help traffic flow smoothly and safely. If I am helping with both (sometimes by blowing through stop signs), that is a good thing.

As a driver, I have no problem with guys on bikes that blow through stop signs even though I have to stop in my car. It is much more “expensive” to scrub off all that energy on a bike than in a car. There are also several roads where I live that have quite a few arbitrary stop signs that are there for one singular purpose: to disincent drivers from using those roads to bypass clogged freeways.

I did have a motorcyclist (hells angle wannabe) come to a stop sign at the bottom of a hill and pull close to the curb so I couldn’t pass him. He was way ahead of me and just sat there at the intersection, waiting for me so I would have to stop. But he didn’t pull close enough. I blew by him. He then gunned it, got next to me and started swearing at me and balling me out. My response: I excitedly said, “Hey, I have a motorcycle too!”

It really annoys people when you can do things they can’t. I know the feeling but I try to supress it.

BTW, I’ve been hit on my bike by cars on three separate occasions. All three were taking illegal right turns in front of me. But I was watching for it and never went down. All three cars got very badly scratched up though. One was a 1 year old fire engine red Corvette with what looked like VERY expensive tires and wheels. It was very shiny as I looked down as I sorta ripped up his front wheel well, forcing my pedal through it to keep myself up.

The guys that do crazy stuff, pulling in front of cars, etc. are really asking for it, and will almost certainly get it someday.


58 posted on 07/29/2008 8:34:59 AM PDT by RobRoy (This is comical)
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