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Originally Posted by Fastskiguy
You have some good points and I have to comment on this one. TV is a "Gold Rated Community" but the League of American Bicyclists.
The Villages: Building a Bicycle Friendly Community in Florida | League of American Bicyclists
The fact that close calls, "bad feelings", and the occasionally maimed or killed cyclist happen here (one of the best places to ride in the entire country) is a sign that there is a major problem between cyclists and motorists.
And I just don't understand it. We're talking about taking just a moment, slowing down, and changing lanes. I doesn't matter if you're passing one rider or a group of 20, it's just a matter of seconds and you're past the group safely and on with your life as are they. Maybe once in awhile it's 20 seconds. But for some reason motorists just lose their everloving minds when they have to accommodate any other road users.
You even have posts on this thread (#11) that suggest cyclist wouldn't get hit if they rode responsibly. I mean, what the hell?? Is it OK to mow down anybody on or near the roadway just because they might be 1 foot to the left of where you think they should be?
I don't know what the solution is but it sure is a problem.
Joe |
Good points. It is a fact that the practice of mixing bicyclists and motorists on our streets (and to a lesser extent on highways) poses risk, sometimes considerable, for the bicyclist(s). Yes, they have a legal right to be there: I don't know about the rest of you but I'd rather be alive than right.
Back in Minneapolis (before the riots changed the downtowns into more-or-less ghost towns) you'd see bicyclists riding in downtown Minneapolis, usually two- by-two, and often at speeds that if an automobile was doing it, could easily result in a ticket for going too slow and impeding traffic. Driving in cities can be frustrating: if there is a vehicle or vehicles ahead of you going at about 1/2 to 2/3 your speed and you have a timeline to meet, are late for an appointment or a meeting, etc., it can be infuriating. Human nature is what it is. Lots of horn blowing, hand gestures, risk-taking, and sometimes even violence. There've been instances of cars intentionally bumping bicyclists, pulling next to them and forcing them to the curb, etc. To many drivers, bicyclists are seen as entitled jerks that see themselves as above the law, and their passive-aggressive cycling habits that inhibit traffic flow is resented in the extreme.
I am pretty sure that there are bicyclists who see motorists in equally negative lights, and both may be true, to a greater or lesser extent. But the truth of the matter is that bicycles and cars don't mix well, never really have, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.