Going about on his cat-business. And since I seldom see anything related to people stepping on cats in the shop I assume that includes watching where people are walking to not be there when the feet are there.
That sounds like me!
IMHO one would have a very limited life span if you always rode like that?
Assuming that drivers were the sort of people we get complaints of on this forum….
It is fortunate that in reality most drivers are considerate and it is the few bad ones that give them all the bad press.
While the majority of people want the mode they use to travel to have the right-of-way, they all complain about ‘other’ modes when inconvenienced, but I don’t think that most people won’t go out of their way to hurt others.
The ones we need to worry about are those who take a (redneck?) violent and unfriendly attitude to others.
In his way, this does, of course, include our Y-man!
Right you are, Tencon. Most motorists are courteous, or at least non-confrontational, to cyclists — although it could be debated whether or not that is an intentional act or just a manifestation that they never see or pay that much attention to us. It only take a couple of bad apples like those ‘redneck’ types you mention to cause cyclists to look at all motorists with a jaundiced eye.
Unfortunately, it’s a double-edged sword, in that most cyclists are law-abiding and operating within the law themselves. It’s the small minority who blow thru stopsigns and ignore traffic lights, ride against traffic, and otherwise flout the laws that tends to make motorists see all cyclists as reckless and irresponsible scofflaws.
My biggest gripe with bicyclists when I’m a motorist is needless “getting in the way”. I was driving my pickup down a windy rural road once, and came up behind 3 bikers who were riding 3 abreast – and obviously pleased with themselves about it. I had a CB radio with PA: “Ok you guys, stop being a bunch of Freds and let traffic around – I’m a cyclist too. You’re not being cool.” They promptly singled filed up looking a little flustered, and waved!
Certainly not the original source of the term, but an interesting tidbit. Since US railroads have been permitted to dispense with the caboose they now use a little box with a flashing red light that is attached to the coupler of the last car of most freight trains. This device is known among railroad workers as a “FRED” — an acronym for Flashing Rear End Device.
@Tencon & @Bicycle Bill: History teaches that despicable thoughts and actions are universal human afflictions and not confined to a single, supposedly inferior group. Invoking pejorative stereotypes does not solve problems.
For every violation by bicyclist, there are way more by cars that are really dangerous.
Here’s a video I made on a ride that shows the how scary drivers can be twards cyclist. HERE, at 2:10 a car honks then squeezing between me and another car quickly only to stop a couple of yards ahead at an intersection.
That is just one incident I have been able to record myself. It’s frustrating when stuff like this happens.
I’m not saying it’s an excuse. Things happen sometimes. I or anyone else here are not advicationg for cyclist to violate the law. I want the roads safe for all.
I’m more than a little tired of the focus on rituals, instead of results. Bicycles breaking the law are mostly-harmless. You can see this in mortality stats — about 1 pedestrian killed in bicycle accidents per year, versus 3000 killed in auto accidents.
That and cyclists pay the price for their own sins: without airbags and seatbelts to protect themselves, selection favors the skilled or the cautious. With cars, though…
I know I’m going to get in a bunch of hot water for saying this – but if it were me; I’d consider using the sidewalk for much, if not all, of this ride.
Better you get in hot water here than get run over at a driveway crossing. Here, you get to learn and change your mind before its too late.
Bikers on sidewalks are at way more risk, unless you ride at walking speed. And unless you also get ready for an emergency stop at every driveway, while you look over your shoulder and up ahead for any car that might be turning in without seeing you.
As I commute in every morning, I see those violations all the time: wrong side of the road, no lights/reflective clothing in the dark, ignoring signs/lights at intersections, etc. Drivers’ reactions to these offenses have an impact on their treatment of me, so I find it as annoying as the drivers do.
In this video I saw 3 other cyclists: two going with traffic, like Amckimmey, and one traveling on the sidewalk. I would consider that a violation. So 25% of the cyclists in the video were behaving badly. 20 cars or more passed Amckimmey safely and one unsafely (ok, s/he was a jerk). One was a little iffy, so we’ll make that 1/2 a driver. So, 1.5 drivers committed violations in 20+ drivers. So 7.5% of the drivers were behaving badly. See how the numbers work? Drivers are doing the same math, and that math puts me at risk. By comparison, there are far fewer of us, so we stand out. We REALLY stand out when we ingore the laws. We’re ALL safer when we ALL play by the rules.
We’re all safer when people quit driving so damn much. Even operated legally, just having cars on the road worsens the consequences of other people’s mistakes.
You know, it’s amazing the amount of time we waste finding fault with the other side’s behavior. Just ride, get where you’re going, and forget about notching up complalints about the rest of traffic. Just be observant enough to avoid a bad situation.
Rick & Brian, My cycling cap off to ya both. I just got my BicycleTimes Mag. Awesome work and very funny too. I am so happy to see YM in the mag again.
What, exactly, were those moving violations? In my experience it’s a rare cyclist who comes to a full stop at all stop signs even with no other traffic present. In most states that represents a violation of law but seeing it as a serious problem is, I think, a violation of good sense.
Hee hee, I love it. A truly defensive and saavy cyclist inevitably breaks the traffic laws. After all, they’re written for motor traffic moving at higher speeds, and needing more space. Sometimes they aren’t the best choice. That being said, you should definitely have a habit of following the rules before you can have the discretion to wisely break them.
Woohoo! Finally caught back up on my Yehuda. I know I’m really late to get back to the game, but I finally joined the Club again today. So nice to have new Yehuda again! I’m confident it will be $12 well spent. Thanks Rick and Brian for bringing it back!!!
Where’s the cat?
Going about on his cat-business. And since I seldom see anything related to people stepping on cats in the shop I assume that includes watching where people are walking to not be there when the feet are there.
That sounds like me!
IMHO one would have a very limited life span if you always rode like that?
Assuming that drivers were the sort of people we get complaints of on this forum….
It is fortunate that in reality most drivers are considerate and it is the few bad ones that give them all the bad press.
While the majority of people want the mode they use to travel to have the right-of-way, they all complain about ‘other’ modes when inconvenienced, but I don’t think that most people won’t go out of their way to hurt others.
The ones we need to worry about are those who take a (redneck?) violent and unfriendly attitude to others.
In his way, this does, of course, include our Y-man!
Right you are, Tencon. Most motorists are courteous, or at least non-confrontational, to cyclists — although it could be debated whether or not that is an intentional act or just a manifestation that they never see or pay that much attention to us. It only take a couple of bad apples like those ‘redneck’ types you mention to cause cyclists to look at all motorists with a jaundiced eye.
Unfortunately, it’s a double-edged sword, in that most cyclists are law-abiding and operating within the law themselves. It’s the small minority who blow thru stopsigns and ignore traffic lights, ride against traffic, and otherwise flout the laws that tends to make motorists see all cyclists as reckless and irresponsible scofflaws.
My biggest gripe with bicyclists when I’m a motorist is needless “getting in the way”. I was driving my pickup down a windy rural road once, and came up behind 3 bikers who were riding 3 abreast – and obviously pleased with themselves about it. I had a CB radio with PA: “Ok you guys, stop being a bunch of Freds and let traffic around – I’m a cyclist too. You’re not being cool.” They promptly singled filed up looking a little flustered, and waved!
@Zorba: Thanks for the Fred reference. Wikipedia has interesting speculation on the origin of the term. (Wikipedia: Fred)
Certainly not the original source of the term, but an interesting tidbit. Since US railroads have been permitted to dispense with the caboose they now use a little box with a flashing red light that is attached to the coupler of the last car of most freight trains. This device is known among railroad workers as a “FRED” — an acronym for Flashing Rear End Device.
@Tencon & @Bicycle Bill: History teaches that despicable thoughts and actions are universal human afflictions and not confined to a single, supposedly inferior group. Invoking pejorative stereotypes does not solve problems.
For every violation by bicyclist, there are way more by cars that are really dangerous.
Here’s a video I made on a ride that shows the how scary drivers can be twards cyclist.
HERE, at 2:10 a car honks then squeezing between me and another car quickly only to stop a couple of yards ahead at an intersection.
That is just one incident I have been able to record myself. It’s frustrating when stuff like this happens.
“For every violation by bicyclist, there are way more by cars that are really dangerous.”
that is no excuse. Two wrongs don’t make a right; acting like an idiot does nothing to reduce the number of idiots.
I’m not saying it’s an excuse. Things happen sometimes. I or anyone else here are not advicationg for cyclist to violate the law. I want the roads safe for all.
I’m more than a little tired of the focus on rituals, instead of results. Bicycles breaking the law are mostly-harmless. You can see this in mortality stats — about 1 pedestrian killed in bicycle accidents per year, versus 3000 killed in auto accidents.
That and cyclists pay the price for their own sins: without airbags and seatbelts to protect themselves, selection favors the skilled or the cautious. With cars, though…
I know I’m going to get in a bunch of hot water for saying this – but if it were me; I’d consider using the sidewalk for much, if not all, of this ride.
Better you get in hot water here than get run over at a driveway crossing. Here, you get to learn and change your mind before its too late.
Bikers on sidewalks are at way more risk, unless you ride at walking speed. And unless you also get ready for an emergency stop at every driveway, while you look over your shoulder and up ahead for any car that might be turning in without seeing you.
As I commute in every morning, I see those violations all the time: wrong side of the road, no lights/reflective clothing in the dark, ignoring signs/lights at intersections, etc. Drivers’ reactions to these offenses have an impact on their treatment of me, so I find it as annoying as the drivers do.
In this video I saw 3 other cyclists: two going with traffic, like Amckimmey, and one traveling on the sidewalk. I would consider that a violation. So 25% of the cyclists in the video were behaving badly. 20 cars or more passed Amckimmey safely and one unsafely (ok, s/he was a jerk). One was a little iffy, so we’ll make that 1/2 a driver. So, 1.5 drivers committed violations in 20+ drivers. So 7.5% of the drivers were behaving badly. See how the numbers work? Drivers are doing the same math, and that math puts me at risk. By comparison, there are far fewer of us, so we stand out. We REALLY stand out when we ingore the laws. We’re ALL safer when we ALL play by the rules.
We’re all safer when people quit driving so damn much. Even operated legally, just having cars on the road worsens the consequences of other people’s mistakes.
You know, it’s amazing the amount of time we waste finding fault with the other side’s behavior. Just ride, get where you’re going, and forget about notching up complalints about the rest of traffic. Just be observant enough to avoid a bad situation.
Rick & Brian, My cycling cap off to ya both. I just got my BicycleTimes Mag. Awesome work and very funny too. I am so happy to see YM in the mag again.
hmmmm…. sounds like my dad – “do as I say, not as I do”
What, exactly, were those moving violations? In my experience it’s a rare cyclist who comes to a full stop at all stop signs even with no other traffic present. In most states that represents a violation of law but seeing it as a serious problem is, I think, a violation of good sense.
Heck! It’s the rare *motorist* who comes to a complete stop at a stop sign with no other traffic present! Stoptional, don’tcha know?
Never confuse a law with either common sense or ethics. They rarely intersect.
Keep in mind, though, that many states allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs….
He teach bikeablitiy and broke the local highway code? does not compute.
Hee hee, I love it. A truly defensive and saavy cyclist inevitably breaks the traffic laws. After all, they’re written for motor traffic moving at higher speeds, and needing more space. Sometimes they aren’t the best choice. That being said, you should definitely have a habit of following the rules before you can have the discretion to wisely break them.
@Rick Smith: Any auto-biographical elements in today’s strip?
You have a good memory!
Woohoo! Finally caught back up on my Yehuda. I know I’m really late to get back to the game, but I finally joined the Club again today. So nice to have new Yehuda again! I’m confident it will be $12 well spent. Thanks Rick and Brian for bringing it back!!!
Im going to print this out and put it in our pedicab shop.