As a cyclist who avoids roads whenever possible -- which is "always" except for a few short, wide connecting roads between trails or bike paths, it burns me up to have to renegotiate the vehicle code at every intersection where some blue-hair thinks she's doing me a favor by waving me through a right of way I don't have.
Why do I have to do this?
Because of a handful of d0uchebags who don't obey the vehicle code. Let's face it: most people -- including the so-called "professional drivers" commenting on this thread are CRAPPY drivers. They don't know how to drive very well even when the vehicle is commanding 100% of their attention, which is never never. They're distracted by eating, phoning, texting, arguing with their mates, disciplining their kids, drinking, getting high ... Now add to that the aggravation of a few near misses with idiots and they feel completely justified in talking about maiming or killing cyclists.
A lot of this could be ameliorated if police would stop issuing tickets to motorists who're 15 miles over the speed limit, and issue citations to bicyclists who are in flagrant violation of the vehicle code or common sense.
Here are some violations the cops give a pass to all the time:
If motorists would just see police issuing citations for these flagrant violations, the heat level would go way down, the spandex class might learn something, and everybody's life would be a lot more pleasant. Especially mine. I don't appreciate the mindset created by negligent bicyclists any more than the idiots who think they'd be justified in killing someone over their momentary impatience.
Bump!
I have only seen a cop yell at a cyclist once.
A young kid who wasn’t wearing a helmet.
I had to pick him up from jail the next day, and take him to get his bike back.
Eventually, the DUI charge got dropped, but he had to pay the ticket for running a red light. On a bicycle.
OK pal, no issue with most of your rants, but this one:
Just where would you have them pass you? Perhaps walking their bike and groveling at your vehicular superiority?
Have you ever ridden a bicycle on public roads? All the exercise haters screech about cyclists not staying in bike paths, having never tried riding in one.
If you had, you would have seen all the broken glass and fast food debris from car and truck drivers that pollute the "bike lane". For much of some roads, riding there is a ticket to flat tires.
Moving over to avoid glass is something that has to be done. Understand that the bike you approach is not a steamship and may have to undertake defensive maneuvers from road debris.
I have scars from a flat tire at speed from some @sshole's broken bottle. Don't tell me about staying in bike lanes.