In fairness my comments are anti-elitist. Most OBC riders live in a
bubble
regarding what constitutes a cyclist. In reality once you get out of this
circle most cyclists are like most drivers: uneducated, stubborn, and
wrong.
And no amount of education will get through to 'em, education doesn't
work
if people have no intent to learn.
In such a case the only measure is enforcement.
My commute is down Prince of Wales, with a bike lane that has nice little
bicycles with ARROWS pointing them along the way. But at least half of
all
cyclists, adult cyclists (I'm assuming they're commuters) on this road go
against the flow of traffic, some of them yelling and screaming that
>I'm<
going the wrong way. These same cyclists get annoyed when I stop at a red
light (imagine that) or a stop sign. Don't ask how they handle the
traffic
circle.
If a big sign with an arrow pointing the way isn't enough, I don't know
what
is.
Given that, look at what these drivers see. The worst case example. Just
like
what we see with drivers. Good cyclists blend into the woodwork, we're
just
traffic. As do good drivers. How many of us have swapped stories about
that
driver that gave us lots of room? Nope. We remember the yabbo that tried
to
run us of the road. A lot of us tar drivers with the same Lowell Green
brush.
Depending on where you live (this goes for both cyclists and drivers)
what
you see has impact. If where you drive or ride there are a lot of yahoo
cyclists or drivers you remember that.
So when some Car Guy(TM) goes on about cyclists being a danger say:
"Yes, you're
right, a lot are. Same goes for drivers. I have no problem having bad
cyclists
charged and even taken off the road, if the same was true for drivers.
Both
need to learn, do you agree with me?"
On Wednesday, September 5, 2001, at 08:59 PM, Paul Lindsay wrote:
>> Re: [obc] Lowell Green on CFRAThing is, a lot of cyclists >are< jerks.
>> How
>> many cyclists out there are actually
>> following the rules of the road and behaving decently? Not many.
>> We're used
>> to riding with our OBC friends and on club rides and loops in the Gats
>> when for
>> the most part most cyclists are either incompetant commuters or bike
>> path and
>> sidewalk noodlers that are two eggs short of a dozen.
> Just a day or two ago I wrote an e-mail to one of the editors of the
> car
> magazine "Wheels" for tarring all cyclists with scorn and innuendo
> similar to
> the reported Lowell Green incident. This guy referred to all riders as
> "suicyclists" and was angry that we all "bitch and complain about car
> drivers"
> but don't follow the rules of the road ourselves. Such media people are
> dangerous.
> On the other hand, I think Michael's comments sound a bit
> 'elitist'. I
> think
> there are many commuters, bike path riders, and general tourist
> cyclists,
> equally competent and law-abiding as those of the OBC. And there are
> numerous
> times I have seen club members running lights and stop signs (somtimes
> wearing
> their OBC jersey).
> .... Paul L.
>
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