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Motorists need to slow their *****es down. They go too dam* fast.
I obey the speed limit when I drive. What's so dam* hard about that?
I always thought that intelligence was a virtue. But speeding motorists don't seem to realize that going fast makes no dam* difference at all, except to get some poor bas*ard like me killed.
Then I'm sure then they'll feel very bad about it.
What's worse is that many of them are so young they can hardly see over the steering wheel. How would they feel if I jerked them out of their vehicle and flattened their nose, free of charge?
I suppose then they'd feel abused. :(
:D I guess I'm on a rant!
:beer:
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In total agreement! On the issue of the kids driving, I'll admit last year was my 1st with a license, and I went way too fast. This year the newness of it has passed and I have slowed down. I refuse to ride right after school because I know I will be pulling out of the high school and get hit by some sophomore trying to peal out.
-Middi-zon
It's about bloody time that the government took all that money they raise off speed cameras and spent it all on more speed cameras and more cops.
I've given up on the motoring public.
I ride (and walk for that matter) like I'm walking the halls of an asylum. I keep my pace quick and expect absolutely anything to come at me from anywhere. I keep my guard up. The only unfortunate difference is, eyecontact with the crazies in their cars is essential.
I've lost hope that anything will ever slow motorists down, or make them use headlights, or stop at lights, or simply drive sanely.
Good point Pete. May I add to your rant how foolish the axiom "The more horsepower I can afford, the better driver I am." is? This goes for all ages, I'm not singling out youth as a factor in this one.
I remember when 55 in a 50 zone was pushing it, then it was 60 in a 50 zone. Now it's 65.
Motorists complain when they get a ticket because they say everyone else is going the same speed.
When will limits get enforced? Maybe when congestion slows traffic is the time speed lmits will be observed.
By where I used to live in NY there is a street in the city limits. Its a 30 mph zone going downhill. The Police there are routinely pulling drivers over at 70+mph. The drivers usually say the police should be going after "criminals" and not them.
I wish the police would start using traffic cameras and photo radar for traffic inforcement more in the U.S.
I live almost across the street form the police station. Last week they had set up a photo radar unit on the front lawn of the police station. Its a trailer mounted unit that uses radar to flash your speed in three foot high nubers on a screen, red if your speeding, yellow if your not. Only one out of ten drivers would drive at the limit. I saw one 64 mph in a 35 zone... this is right in front of the police station.
Fines should be much higer, four or five times what they are now. And dont get me started on DWI
Back when the Wisconsin speed limit was 55, and they decided to raise it to 65, they said, "Well, everyone drives that speed anyway." So, now they drive 75.
Does anyone know of any sensible reason a speed limit would be raised?
Speeding on highways (freeways) doesn't bother me, what reallllly pisses me off is speeding in residential areas! :mad:
Short story: My wife is driving to an appointment, going 45kph (50kph limit) in a residential area. Woman behind her in SUV riding her ass, woman punches it, drives across yellow line into oncomming cars path, swerves back in front of wife, now going >70kph in SCHOOL ZONE!!!!!!! Woman stops in font of school, goes in. Wife goes in after her to confront her, woman says she was in a hurry... late for parent/teacher interview!!!! FFS, how can you drive like such a twit when you have kids of your own!!!!
Screw the tickets, for speeding in residential areas your licence should be revoked! Then if you are caught driving without a licence (or insurance) your vehical should be confiscated.
Pete, as you well know being from Atlanta there is a problem with speed limit signs. They subliminally project a different speed telepathically to drivers. Thus the following translations apply...
35=60
45=65
55=80
65or over means there is really no speed limit.
On the 285 perimeter around Atlanta the posted speed is 55 but the subliminal projected speed is try to beat everyone elses. I have been in groups of cars going 75-80 and there are still people kiling themselves to pass and cut you off.
Speed limits need to be enforced as posted if it is to stop any time soon. I will get a few tickets also but it will be worth it in the long run.
So a dozen or so people have posted in this thread. Yet no one admits to speeding over the limit or seemingly putting him/herself in the group of people being railed about. Nothing personal, but doesn't this strike you as at least a little hypocritical since there is no way everyone in this thread obeys the speed limit at all times themselves?
Let me ask this: how many of you obey all stop signs and stop lights while cycling?
I drive over the speed limit constantly. I can count on my fingers the times when I've seen someone driving at speed limit. I do all my stop when driving but can't say the same when riding.
I don't know where you guys ride but as a cyclist, I can't recall a single altercation with a motorist. It is my experience that the larger the vehicule, the more they obey the law. Motorists come first, followed much behind by cyclists and the absolute worse are pedestrians. I'll probably get flamed for saying this but I don't think the people on this site represent the average cyclist.
Originally posted by jatkins679
So a dozen or so people have posted in this thread. Yet no one admits to speeding over the limit or seemingly putting him/herself in the group of people being railed about.
Let me ask this: how many of you obey all stop signs and stop lights while cycling?
Just last year I replaced my 84 Chevette with a 2000 Toyota Echo. You can imagine the power I had with the Chevette. It took a while to get up to the limit and top speed was 55. Cars flew past me but I didn't care because the Chevette was such a good car for so long, and besides, I learned a long time ago, it's not about power, it's about skill that gets you around efficiently. Anyway, the jump in power in the new car was quite remarkable and thought I wouldn't be left behind again. I found out it doesn't matter how fast you go, someone always wants to go faster. Just yesterday, I was driving at 75 in a 60 zone (it's so easy in a quiet, and smooth riding car) and thought to myself I should let up a bit, I was approaching a 50 zone. I look into my rear view mirror and sure enough, here comes some bozo doing 85. Now I relax, keep an eye on the speedometer so I don't speed and try to keep out of the way of the bozos.
As far as following all stops and signs when cycling, you bet I do. I've got a lot of motovation not to be hit by a car. If someone on a bike flaunts the rules of the road he makes all cyclists look bad and these are the guys who only end up injuring themselves.
Many people are surprised to learn that I actually enjoyed utilitarian and recreational bicycling in Los Angeles. Yes, the air quality was (is) dreadful, but the greater Los Angeles basin comprises a well-connected grid of lower-speed residential and other local streets, permitting a cyclist or pedestrian to navigate from point A to point B without having to brave a high-speed highway. Bicycling in traffic is not inherently or particularly dangerous, but bicycling in high-speed traffic, in narrow lanes or through high-speed merges and diverges, can be.
I pretty much agree with what someone above said, as that is the way I drive...speeding on the Interstate is one thing, in a residential area is ridiculous. No bikes on I-64, although a deer could cause problems. It's the fools who drive 50 in the 20-30MPH zone that should get the hammer dropped on them...at least that's my 1 1/2 cents...:rolleyes:
Originally posted by jatkins679
...there is no way everyone in this thread obeys the speed limit at all times themselves...
I try to, and succeed 99.6 percent of the time.
I have sometimes fallen short of this when I have given in to some goofball behind me who is riding my bumper in an effort to bully me into submission. But I repent of this on my knees every time it happens. What gives when someone gets close enough for me to lose sight of their bumper in my rear view mirror?
My attitude is, if you want to speed, learn to fly a plane--just stay off my roadway.
Let me ask this: how many of you obey all stop signs and stop lights while cycling?
I do. It sets an example to motorists.
Of course, they may choose to ignore it. Sometimes they do, and I have seen them later on the road, riding in a large, black limo followed by a curious entourage of vehicles, all of whom are running their headlights in broad daylight.
Pete has just posted what I was going to say. Almost word for word. :thumbup:
Originally posted by Erick L
I'll probably get flamed for saying this but I don't think the people on this site represent the average cyclist.
An interesting thing is this: Just about everyone I've ever known who has ever ridden has been told at some stage that they don't represent the "average cyclist." Personally I'd like to meet this average cyclist character some day, could be quite an interesting conversation. Right up there with Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy etc etc.
Exactly what is the average cyclist?
I said the people here don't represent the average cyclist because just about everyone is a cyclist at some point and there are a lot more racers, commuters, tourers, long distance riders, bike enthusiastics of all sorts than in real life.
The average cyclist rides against traffic.
Originally posted by Erick L
The average cyclist rides against traffic.
In that case, around here at least, the average cyclist is in the minority. I guess my point is that stereotyping the "average cyclist" or anybody else is a particularly pointless exercise.
I never tried to stereotype the "average cyclist". I just said that the people posting on this board are alot more enthusiastic about cycling than the rest (the majority) of people with a bike. That's why they don't represent the "average cyclist".
The "ride against traffic" is how I picture the "average cyclist" to say that s/he is not too self-concious about cycling (for lack of a better expression).
jatkins, all my cars are too old and decrepit to speed in. If i ever have a nice, shiny new car, I may possibly become the hypocrite you accuse me of being. :D
Originally posted by Inkwolf
jatkins, all my cars are too old and decrepit to speed in. If i ever have a nice, shiny new car, I may possibly become the hypocrite you accuse me of being. :D
Just on that point, I'm still waiting for my first speeding ticket in my "car". You know, the two-wheeled pedal powered one. I don't have one of those other shiny spanky ones.
Well........in my town their are several very different "average cyclist" profiles; one is a multiple DUI license suspended character with a ball cap, NASCAR jacket, a chain-store ATB, riding lightless against traffic at night while carrying a bag with two six-packs in it, another is a conspicuously dressed recreational rider on a $4K bike who never rides either at night or in the rain, but pays some amount of attention to traffic law. The rarest is a rider on a rain-friendly bike riding with lights at night wearing reflective gear and obeying traffic laws;
theres a few dozen of us including one gent who rides a fixed gear on an old Trek touring bike a 25 mile round trip to work at the Portland, OR shipyards--fancy that, a genuine blue-collar commuter! I agree with the notion that "average cyclist" is sort of like Bigfoot, Paul Bunyan, or Lieutenant Kije; a figure strictly of imagination.
I have to admit, I do speed in my car a little on the interstate. Not really in town. As for on my bike, I do try very hard to obey all the laws with the possible exception of not coming to a "complete" stop at a stop sign where there is no one else around. Not to say I fly through it either, just that I dont click out and put my foot down if there isnt anyone there.
Allan
I think it's laughable that they dropped the speed limit on I-75/I-85 in Atlanta to 45mph. I guess they figure that they can at least write bigger tickets now. I do try to keep it slower when driving through there because I don't want a 25mph over ticket which is reckless driving. Nobody else seems to care. I-285 is basically a racetrack. They might as well run the Napa 500 there next year. I don't really mind speeders that much when there are so many drivers running redlights and stop signs, not signalling or even looking when changing lanes, honking the horn multiple times and cutting it extra close to me when cycling, etc. I will drive fast where it is safe to do so but at or below the speed limit when it is not. Ever notice how nobody slows down to the posted limit in workzones? Not even the cars doing the posted limit before the workzone. If you're gonna speed somewhere why pick the one place where there are people working a few feet from your lane.
I take positive pleasure in driving 5mph BELOW posted speed on secondary and neighborhood streets; our town has far too many streets with no sidewalks and with the 70's-style curves and cul de sacs layout and this encourages excessive speed in residential areas. I end up walking on a lot of lawns because of this, also.
Originally posted by JDP
I think it's laughable that they dropped the speed limit on I-75/I-85 in Atlanta to 45mph...
I-285 is basically a racetrack. They might as well run the Napa 500 there next year.
JD, forget about it.
Every traffic action in Atlanta, whether speed limits ("55?" Give me a massive break,) HOV lanes, handicapped parking, etc. is a joke.
No, I take that back. It's not a joke. It's windowdressing.
We get major highway dollars for maintaining a 55 mph. limit on
I-285, Atlanta's circumferential highway. The same is true for our HOV lanes.
It's the hypocrite's game for federal cash. You won't get a ticket for going 75 in a 55. Just don't set foot in an HOV lane unless you have a passenger. You will pay the piper.
Our city feeds on transportation money. We were born a railroad town and are now a trucking and airline hub. We want to attract more customers and not piss them off by making them drive sanely.
This will be followed by news reports of how Atlanta is cracking down on speeders, etc., etc.
:rolleyes:
Speeding on the highway is fairly safe & acceptable but on neighborhood roads or on tight city streets, it's downright dangerous for all involved. I find that most people drive at a speed that is safe for the area (which is usually the speed limit) but there are others (I was an offender when younger) that speed excessively on city streets and break other road rules of safety and/or courteousness.
The problem is that cars are over-powered. It is to easy to drive faster than the limit.
It is still possible to drive fast with the non-over-powered car on the highway. It will take just some more seconds to reach the same high speed.
This massive flaw in the design, this excessive power turned the modern car into the killing machine. Cars kill everywhere, in every city.
They do road improvements, safety signs, etc., but nothing helps or will help. Cars, as they are now, will continue to injure people in the cities on the massive scale.
Why would one need 250 horse powers in a sedan car? Such a car can reach 100 km/h in 5 seconds. It is the good marketing tool to advertise such a power.
However, such a machine on the loose in a city is more dangerous than a gun. But nobody cares in this case. Because of the phenomenon of the Car Culture.
Cities and streets were designed and built, when there were no cars. There were only horses and bicycles, when the concept of the city street was developed.
Can you imagine how nice those streets were in 19th century with only the ecologically clean traffic?
Can you imagine how nice those streets were in 19th century with only the ecologically clean traffic?
Actually the streets were pretty much dirt paths, hard to even walk on, full of horse dung. I think our streets are nicer now, couldnt ride a road bike on the old streets :-)
Point taken though.
Allan
Max - I completely disagree with your hypothesis that "overpowered" cars cause people to speed. Even a 130hp small car can break any speed limit in North America. A well built 130hp small car can cruise comfortably at 140kph, or more. You don't need 250 hp to break the law. Furthermore most of the reckless drivers I see are usually driving low hp imports (the fast and the furious idiots) or glutless sport utility vehicles and pickemups.
On the other hand I do agree that the hp wars are getting retarded, whe the hell needs a 405hp Corvette, or a 600hp Benz, or a 500hp Viper, etc. These cars are just serve as a big shinny penis for people with other issues. I am somewhat of an auto enthusiast (less so as I get older) and I drive a 200hp turbocharged Toyota MR2. I find that 200hp in that car is more than I can use most of the time and that it is downright dangerous to use that power in any urban environment, thus I just don't see the appeal of having even more power that you can't use. Also the performance limits of new sports cars are soooo high that 99% of drivers will never come anywhere close to exploiting them, even in controlled racing environments (auto-x, open lapping, etc). What's the point in having the power and the grip if you can't expoit it. IMO, this is what makes low hp, low limit cars like the Mazda Miata a blast to drive. The limits are low enough that normal drives can drive the car to its limits.
Me, I want a 120hp, 1400lb Lotus Elise. :D Too bad our nanny goverments in North America say it is unsafe for me... like riding a bike on the road is any safer! ;)
Maybe US racetracks should have "open lap" days like ones in other countries; my stepbrother was stationed in then-West Germany in the Air Force during the late 1960's and told me about circuits like the Nurburgring and Hockenheim selling lap time to citizens; it might drain the hormonal drivers from the road.
Most tracks in North America will have open track days. Also several car clubs rent tracks to do open lapping and training.
Organized motorsports in racing environments are great, once one tries real performance driving there is no fun in doing it on the street.
When I'm a few feet from a corner and the light is changing, that stops me dead in my tracks. I have always obeyed the traffic laws for one simple reason. Why? Because I rather get home in one piece. I've seen some motorists ride off before they actually had the green light, and that's because big brother wasn't watching. I love cycling and the thrill of it, but unless my life is in danger, it's not worth running a red light or stop sign to make it across the street a few seconds early.
I've been struck more than once and even then, I was obeying the traffic laws. Where I live, we have a very nice "traffic free" area for cyclists, roller bladers and joggers. What I love about having our very own space, which is a blessing for all, we don't have to concern ourselves about motor vechicles. If you never been hit... thank god.
I say, you can never be too careful while in traffic because the chances are greater. Stay alert, ride with the flow of traffic and keep a very loud whistle in your mouth because your life depends on it. :beer:
Originally posted by jatkins679
So a dozen or so people have posted in this thread. Yet no one admits to speeding over the limit or seemingly putting him/herself in the group of people being railed about. Nothing personal, but doesn't this strike you as at least a little hypocritical since there is no way everyone in this thread obeys the speed limit at all times themselves?
Let me ask this: how many of you obey all stop signs and stop lights while cycling?
Originally posted by ITALIA
...keep a very loud whistle in your mouth because your life depends on it. :beer:
Hear, hear.
Originally posted by KrisA
Me, I want a 120hp, 1400lb Lotus Elise. :D Too bad our nanny goverments in North America say it is unsafe for me... like riding a bike on the road is any safer! ;)
Well... a 120hp Elise is enough to get you into trouble. I still drool over a Caterham R500 which easily steps into the realm of ludicrous hp/weight ratio.
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