Friday, July 13, 2007

Random Road Rage

I like bicycles.
I think they deserve their share of the road.
But...
I think if you are riding a bike and wish to have your share of the road, then you darned well better follow the rules of the road.
STOP signs apply to bicycles as much as they apply to motor vehicles.
You get to an intersection, you friggin' stop. Don't just go coasting through while we all wait our turn for right of way and watch you blast through.
Yeah, yeah, I understand about losing and building momentum.
The dufus who ran a STOP sign this afternoon lost a lot of momentum when he hit the side of the truck that had right of way.

*****

Hey.
I like cell phones, too.
I even have a couple.
And sometimes, I can understand why you might use your cell phone while you are driving.
(I've done that, too, so I can't point fingers.)
But...
If your husband is sitting in the passenger seat, why the hell are YOU talking on the cell phone?
Hand it over, babe!
Unless he's just too busy playing with himself, you should not be talking on the phone when a perfectly capable person is right there to safely speak on your cell.

Thought you'd be more careful since you didn't bother buckling your daughter.

*****

And when you're riding that bike, if there's a sidewalk, could you use it please?
I can see by the droopy, plumber-crack jeans, flip-flops and lack of helmet that you are not a serious biker. You're not in a race, and if you are training for something, it can only be for the 1 mile donut chase.
Get off the road.
There's a perfectly good sidewalk with no pedestrians on it... right there.

7 comments:

Hapkido said...

Hilarious recounting of a PITA issue. I can't tell you how much that "share the road" thing infuriates me. All it means here in Iowa is bicyclists get to do whatever they want & drivers get to wait.

We had traffic backed up because a bicyclist wouldn't get off a 55mph highway & let a semi pass him. It was a state highway, so it was perfectly legal. If a car went that slow, they'd be pulled over for obstructing the flow of traffic. Grrrrr!

Anonymous said...

Um... well Yeah! All of that!

Anonymous said...

For some reason, we don't have too many cyclists around here. But when we do, it's a whole damn club of 'em and they ride in a pack, blocking the entire damn lane. I make sure to use my windshield wipers/sprayer when I go by so they get sprayed! Petty, I know, but they're the ones being so damn inconsiderate!

Thumper said...

Riding a bike on a sidewalk will get you a hefty ticket here...but we have these wonderful bike lanes meant for cyclists to enjoy. And in CA bikes are considered vehicles and are allowed use of road ways like a car...but there are a few cyclists around here who could stand a good upside the head hit from the Common Sense fairy. Just because you MAY use the street doesn't mean you SHOULD, especially when it means you;re cutting across three lanes of heavy traffic to get to the turn lane.

Just get off the bike at the corner and walk it across the crosswalk. That's legal, too...

Roses said...

I don't have a problem with everyone.

But like Thumper said, there are a select few who need a cuff upside the head here and there

Jessie said...

I personally love the bike riders that go in the middle of the road, in areas that aren't made for them. You know, like on two-lane highways. I get they need to get somewhere. Really, I do.

I do not however understand people that bike on the side with the vehicles where there is major roadwork going on. And we all know it because, hey, that neon orange? Totally an eye-catching color. Plus, all the cars going at a snail's pace. Another clue. I'm just saying.

Anonymous said...

I used to bike a LOT back in the day.

Ran plenty of stop signs & stop lights, too.

But I was always prepared to stop.

Tiny bike, big car... physics is a bitch that way.