Advocacy & Safety - Hallmark moments

A friend sent me a link (http://www.mountainx.com/opinion/2008/witnessing_a_hallmark_moment) to this article:

Witnessing a Hallmark moment
by Randy Moser in Vol. 15 / Iss. 07 on 09/10/2008, Mountain Xpress, Asheville NC

This weekend, my wife and I met up with three bicycle-insect creatures. I knew we were in for a treat when the first peeled off through two lanes of traffic without signaling.

The other two were heading in the same direction we were. I had plenty of time to contemplate their spandex butts as they careened down the narrow road two abreast, taking up an entire traffic lane. They suddenly slowed down to kiss. It had all the charm of houseflies mating in mid-air. The one without the helmet veered into the other lane, causing traffic in the other direction to stop and preventing us from passing.

It was a Hallmark moment: He glided back and whispered something to her. She laughed. He patted her lower back. My wife and I were riveted to this little drama, forced to watch it unfold at 15 mph.

When I could finally pass safely, I mouthed a polite [obscenity] to let this young gentleman know how much I appreciated the show and his disregard for the rest of us. He flipped me the bird and I saluted him in return. We’d had our time together, and I was happy to say goodbye. But when we came to the stoplight at the end of the road, they caught up. The male leaned into my car window, breathing heavily and indignantly.

He was upset. I’d interrupted his perfect Sunday ride. I told him that I didn’t appreciate his unsafe behavior or being trapped behind him while he and his girlfriend smooched. He informed me, reciting statute and law, that he and his bug-mate had every right to ride two abreast in the narrow road. When I returned home, I felt compelled to check with the police.

“If they were impeding or blocking traffic in any way, they should have gone one after another,” the dispatcher said. “If an officer had seen this type of thing he would have had a word with them.”

I bicycle to work almost every day. If I was limping along with a line of cars behind me or wanted to gab to my wife, I’d pull over. Why? Because I’m an adult and understand that while the road might be my occasional playground, it’s also a public thoroughfare. If we want others to take us seriously, we have to act like grownups who understand this basic premise. As more of us turn to bicycling, I think it’s important to call road jerks to task. After all, they’re setting a bad image for all of us.

As I pulled away from this happy pair of smug bugs, the male gave me the finger again and the girl pantomimed a gorilla. I would have signed back something about petulant brats, but I couldn’t manage it safely while driving.

— Randy Moser
Asheville

***********************

There are a few comments there as well.

Sounds like both parties were in the wrong.

And this should get interesting, so :popcorn:

I had plenty of time to contemplate their spandex butts

How dare someone wear spandex! I mean, this is really beyond the pale. This is the main cause of rage right here. For some reason the mere sight of spandex flips a rage switch in motorists (and in a lot of cyclists!). It's like a bull seeing a matador's red cape.

knowing Asheville is a tourist town (call it like i see it), i still don't know what several of the comments mean about tourists trying to take more of the road than local people. can someone explain?

BTW, with more and more people commuting on bicycles, its about time to stop stereotyping cyclists as 'recreational'. although i can see why people would tend to call it recreational since it is so much more fun than siting in a car.

He spent more time writing the story, than he did waitng to get around them. Stupid turtle in his shell, a reptile moment.

He spent more time writing the story, than he did waitng to get around them. Stupid turtle in his shell, a reptile moment.

Yeah, but it's pretty good writing for what it is... reminds me of David Sedaris. Better than a lot of unthinking anti-bike screeds I've seen posted here. I'm a bit conflicted about this. I think the author was having a bad hair day when he ran into some inconsiderate cyclists. Period. Enough fault to go around with all parties in the story, and in the end, no one died or got hit.

Yeah, but it's pretty good writing for what it is... reminds me of David Sedaris. Better than a lot of unthinking anti-bike screeds I've seen posted here. I'm a bit conflicted about this. I think the author was having a bad hair day when he ran into some inconsiderate cyclists. Period. Enough fault to go around with all parties in the story, and in the end, no one died or got hit.

Probably embellished the story a little bit too to make it a better read.

Probably embellished the story a little bit too to make it a better read.

+1

i often wonder how many of these "scofflaw cyclist" stories are pure fiction and how many are just embellished.

Yeah, but it's pretty good writing for what it is... reminds me of David Sedaris. Better than a lot of unthinking anti-bike screeds I've seen posted here. I'm a bit conflicted about this. I think the author was having a bad hair day when he ran into some inconsiderate cyclists. Period. Enough fault to go around with all parties in the story, and in the end, no one died or got hit.

And in the end, the writer missed his golden opportunity... while he was fuming about the young lovers, he should of instead reached over to his own lover and planted a big one on her... thus taking advantage of a romantic moment.

So much for Hallmark.

by Randy Moser:

"I bicycle to work almost every day."Sure you do Randy!:twitchy:

It's possible that Randy Moser is a fine person in real life, only getting into self-reflective name calling as a literary device.

When you care enough to send the very best....They'll get over it, you'll get over it, life will move on.

Who wants to bet that Mr. Moser also yells at kids to get off his lawn?

This is the Randy Moser that wrote that letter to the editor. Before I sent it, I forwarded it to a bicycle friend and he told me I should check out this forum to get a feel for the potential backlash. I suppose his assumption was that here any bonehead on a bike would be defended no matter what he or she did. I guess he was right.

That same friend sent a link to this thread. Curious.

Working backwards…

I’ll take up that bet, Treespeed. It’s troubling that you think you can make that sort of leap based on an op-ed of around 500 words. What other super powers of perception do you believe you possess? Can you see through walls, too? Can you read Sarah Palin’s mind and if so what’s in there?

I’ve already moved on, Ritepath. The one good thing that came of this is I adjusted my own riding style. This encounter led me to check out the North Carolina bike laws and got me to thinking how a lot of the urban riding I’ve done involves me acting like a dick.

I appreciate the benefit of the doubt, Gcottay… I think…

CB, dude, come on… Is it really that hard to take on face value that I’m a bicyclist myself? My wife and I own three vehicles: A car, a motorcycle, and my Trek. She takes the car to work. My job is only four miles from where I live and it only makes sense to bike in. I guess you share Treespeed’s magical powers..?

I don’t need an opportunity to love up my honey, Genec. Jules was as outraged about these people as I was. Stupidity isn’t an aphrodisiac for us.

No embellishments, Frymaster, but at least a few omissions to make it PG13. When I criticized him for not wearing a helmet the bike dude leaned into the car like he was going to hit me, and I unbuckled my belt instinctively. I’ve had family members punched while in a car, seat belted back, and I didn’t want this to happen to me. I’m not proud of doing this, but thought I should come clean for full disclosure.

Plus I’m sure CB and Treespeed have already divined the truth.

MConlonx is a jerk. Period.

Sort of ironic to criticize the amount of time I might have spent writing an editorial when you’ve got around 200 posts on this forum, Hurricane Harry. I guess it’s not writing in general you oppose, but writing you disagree with…? In any case, I’m an ex newspaperman, so writing comes easy.

Western North Carolina isn’t particularly bike friendly, Trafficcasauras. The roads are narrow and twisty, often with no breakdown lanes. Two miles out of town and you’re in Southern country and almost everyone drives a truck. It takes getting used to, whether you’re on a bike or auto, and I think there’s always a clash between locals and tourists no matter where you go.

I suppose I am spandex intolerant, Apricissimus. I’ve never understood how people can spend so much money on apparel and not wear helmets or pads of any kind. It reminds me of nothing so much as Harley guys spending bug bucks on leather chaps, then going out without a lid.

Yes, it’s you’re right to spend money the way you want, but it’s also my right to think you’re a moron if you put fashion over safety. At its heart, this is probably a class issue for most people…

Well, I guess that’s it.

Thanks,

Randy

OK Randy... what irritated you more, the "bicycle-insect creature" that "peeled off through two lanes of traffic without signaling?" Or was it the "happy pair of smug bugs" "that suddenly slowed down to kiss?"

Or is what really upset you was that you were forced to "watch it unfold at 15 mph?"

Care to share with us the type of road this was... major arterial, or quiet residential?

And no, I am not defending the cyclists, as they may not have acted in the most mature and proper manner. But really what was it that caused your irritation, their actions, or the fact that you could not just "zoom zoom" away in your car?

T I suppose his assumption was that here any bonehead on a bike would be defended no matter what he or she did. I guess he was right.


+1 for Randy

I love it

I suppose I am spandex intolerant, Apricissimus. I’ve never understood how people can spend so much money on apparel and not wear helmets or pads of any kind. It reminds me of nothing so much as Harley guys spending bug bucks on leather chaps, then going out without a lid.


Just for your future reference, it's for comfort. Lycra makes spending more time in the saddle far more comfortable than regular clothing. But the questions remains (and not just for you): why does anyone care what people wear?

I think that’s a fair question, Genec. I suppose what bugged me was his disregard for others. (I should also note that the female wasn’t riding erratically and I might have reacted to the fact that the male was endangering her life in an attempt to be cavalier.) If a faster cyclist comes up behind me on the road, I do whatever I can to allow him or her to pass safely. Maybe I’m nuts, but I don’t see why this shouldn’t be the case just because the person in back of me is in a car.

The road was a narrow residential street with wide sidewalks and cars parked occasionally in front of apartment buildings. It was the type of street that gives you just two lanes when there are no parked cars.

I understand what spandex does, Aspricissimus. I wear bike shorts sometimes when I go for longer rides or tour on my motorcycle.

I know that it’s unfair to judge people by how they dress – I cite Sarah Palin’s publicist for proof – but it might just say something about you if you invest $500 on an outfit that prevents chaffing, but nothing on a $50 piece of kit that keeps your brains from spilling out onto the sidewalk. I’ll defend your right to be an idiot, but only if you don’t question mine to judge you on how you behave.

Randy

The cyclists were being goofballs,plain and simple. Randy,you did escalate things by cussing at the guy and flipping him off;honking(not excessive) should have been sufficient. But then the guy took it further by confronting you and taking his attitude. I don't see a prob with the way you described them,even the spandex comment.

You could have handled your end a little better,but those other folks were just being d-bags.

MConlonx is a jerk. Period.

+1: been called worse by better...

Awesome. One whole post here on Bikeforums and you instinctively pick up that fence-sitting is not encouraged in A&S. You win at teh interwebz!

you know, really, i could write a half dozen little vignettes like this about motorists a week if 'disregard for others' is the criterion.

of course, if i called drivers 'motor insects creatures' or 'petulant brats' or admitted on this board that i "mouthed a polite [obscenity]" at some driver, i'd be called "anti-car" and accused of giving cyclists a bad name or something.

so, randy, i'm sorry that you were inconvenienced for a few moments on your sunday drive and had to actually slow down to '15 miles an hour' on a 'narrow residential street'. obviously this event has caused considerable consternation to you if you feel that you need to spend hours discussing it on the internet. please keep in mind, however, that this is a forum for cycling advocacy and not a place for you to vent about your inconveniences while driving. for that activity i would reccommend a driving forum.

Frymaster, I have maybe a half hour invested in this whole thing. It is not a cornerstone event in my life. Writing the editorial took maybe 10-15 minutes and I probably spent more time reading the posts here than writing my responses. Again, maybe this is because I have a writing background.

I think everyone has had to slow down behind a bicyclist, jogger, skateboarder, etc… and I’m certainly not complaining about this. I’ve been on the other side and been forced off the road, yelled at, had things tossed at me and all that. This is not about bicycling; this is about attitude. That you seem to be unable to separate the two speaks volumes…

I didn’t start this thread, dude. This letter appeared in my local alt weekly and someone else posted it here. I’m not venting anything on this forum. I’m just responding to attacks. I don’t think I’m being defensive, but it seems appropriate to say something when people call you names.

Randy

This is not about bicycling; this is about attitude. That you seem to be unable to separate the two speaks volumes…

ah. the topic is attitude. so, have you written similar vignettes about the motorists who have forced you off the road, thrown things at you &c -- those activities certainly seem like much more fertile subject for an editorial on 'attitude'?


it seems appropriate to say something when people call you names.

i don't think i ever called you a name. or at least certainly nothing as creative as 'insect creature'.

I’ve written about a lot of things.

The point of my letter was that as a bicyclist, I thought it was important to call other riders out when they act like boneheads. We can hold specific people responsible for their specific actions and we can try to learn when others do things that piss us off.

I don’t think I’ve called anyone a name here and have mostly just answered questions when they’ve been directed at me. I’m not anti-bike. I don’t lecture folks about wearing helmets unless they’re idiots in some other respect. In general, I bet I’m the same type of casual rider as most people here.

I have never had a confrontation with another bicyclist – or a person in an auto, for that matter – which is why this event seemed important enough to write about. Had we exchanged happy insults on the road (as happens every day), I probably wouldn’t have even remembered him by the time I got home.

I will rescind my blanket statement about cyclists being bug creatures. It was a gross stereotype and I apologize for it. I’m just not hardcore enough to need a full bodysuit. For you guys going 20 miles a day each way to work, sure, it probably makes sense. I’m sure there are lots of good reasons for dressing like a superhero. ;)

Randy

For you guys going 20 miles a day each way to work, sure, it probably makes sense. I’m sure there are lots of good reasons for dressing like a superhero. ;)

Randy

A fellow cyclist once asked me why I was "always dressed in orange or yellow." Comes down to this... as a cyclist, I have a narrow profile... at times I may be no wider than a telephone pole... yet I want to be seen.

I try to watch out for traffic issues and foresee what is about to happen, but without eyes in the back of my head, there is no way I can know what is going on everywhere around me. When I'm on a bike, I envision myself as invisible... (Casper mode), yet I hope that others DO in fact see me... and with that in mind... I tend to wear bright and gaudy "costumes."

My "costume" usually consists of a cheap Target international orange long sleeve shirt with a bright SEE ME green vest... and a good pair of Pearl Izumi shorts, (considerably less than $500, BTW). I want contrasting designs and colors that turn heads... for a reason. I want to turn heads.

Even when I ride in a jersey, again, I tend to pick colors that are towards the red/yellow/orange end of the spectrum.

For some reason this whole "superhero" thing tends to amuse motorists... I'm just glad they saw me, it means I met my goal.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blinky-eXtreme-Bicycle/dp/B000KBEH1W

Run one in the daytime on flash. You'll stand out more with an active light.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blinky-eXtreme-Bicycle/dp/B000KBEH1W

Run one in the daytime on flash. You'll stand out more with an active light.

I run my Niterider on flash mode at dusk.

"When I could finally pass safely, I mouthed a polite [obscenity] to let this young gentleman know how much I appreciated the show and his disregard for the rest of us."

That's about the point I lost any sympathy I might have had for your 'plight'.

This is the Randy Moser that wrote that letter to the editor. Before I sent it, I forwarded it to a bicycle friend and he told me I should check out this forum to get a feel for the potential backlash. I suppose his assumption was that here any bonehead on a bike would be defended no matter what he or she did. I guess he was right.
...
RandyOh please Randy, show us a single post defending the cyclist before your post 14. I seem to have missed all of that defending of "any bonehead on a bike".

seems like randy mouther has several axes to grind- all of them at the expense of others.

Unlike David Sedaris, whose style is far closer to self-deprecation than an unbridled need to condemn the actions of others, this author seems to relish sarcasm. I, personally, am exhausted by cynical tirades and tough talk. This guy should get a job on talk radio or Fox News. There's an audience for this kind of hot air mockery but it doesn't appeal to everyone.

In a world where people are murdered every second of every day, where people are wiped out due to wars and ethnic hatred in every corner of the planet the idea that someone can't slow their car down for a few seconds to make room for a couple caught up in the, admittedly, self-involved euphoria of infatuation is pathetic and a sad commentary both on our culture and the author of the piece.

I have little sympathy for Randy's complaint.

seems like randy mouther has several axes to grind- all of them at the expense of others.

Unlike David Sedaris, whose style is far closer to self-deprecation than an unbridled need to condemn the actions of others, this author seems to relish sarcasm. I, personally, am exhausted by cynical tirades and tough talk. This guy should get a job on talk radio or Fox News. There's an audience for this kind of hot air mockery but it doesn't appeal to everyone. I understand that Al Franken's radio spot on Air America is open.
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/10/17/al-franken-angrily-rushes-senator-coleman-after-debate-media-cam

I hope that if nothing else, I’ve persuaded people that I don’t think I’m perfect. I agree that I should have honked the horn and then tried to pass. I’m certain the bike dude saw me trying to edge around, but in NC cyclists have to give up the lane if a motorist honks. That might have ended things there, who knows?

I could have cut this, of course, but didn’t, even though it would have made the whole thing less murky. I would have come off a lot better, too, but that’s not the way it happened.

As I say, I learned a lot from this encounter. I now carry the NC bike laws in both my bike and my car. I’ve become a less erratic rider because I know where the law begins and ends and was reminded about how my behavior affects others. Frankly, I’m a lot less embarrassed of calling the dude an ******* – he really, really was an ******* – when I passed than losing my cool when he got aggressive at the stop.

Yesterday was the second time I’d ever been to this forum, CB. I suppose if you do a google search you’ll see that I’ve written everything from how-to articles to generational rants, motorcycle screeds and interviews with musicians and artist.

I reserve the right to send a letter to the editor out on any topic I want. If you disagree, write your own. Expressing yourself like this really isn’t an earth-shattering event. I expected to have folks disagree with my letter –which I should say once again appeared in my local alternative weekly, not here as flame bait – but not one person wrote back in.

I don’t think I would fit in with the folks at Fox news, Buzzman, and I’m sorry, but if you do after reading this you must have some funny ideas about what Fox is… More of the off-base mental telepathy that seems indicative to this thread, maybe?

I don’t believe my letter was cynical in any way. My concluding point was that bicyclists should address this issue, call folks to task when they act in ways that give the wrong impression about who we are. A cynic would have said that all bicyclists are *******s and walked away.

I’m sorry a letter to the editor had the power to rock your world, Buzz. Really. I hope that you can survive the upcoming election and fallout, which is probably going to be very stressful, even if your (probably our) camp wins. You see far-reaching implication in events which are, to my way of thinking, sort of mundane. That’s a big burden to carry around.

And please, please re-read what I’ve said about five times: I was not upset at having to wait. I was upset at this dude’s disregard for others. We all get stuck behind slower people (in cars, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, and even bicycles) and no one is thrilled at it, but that’s part of sharing the road. What’s frustrating is when someone feels the right to act erratic and childish on a public road, endangering not just himself, but other cyclists in the process. I’m sure that to many non-riders would have a negative opinion about bicycling if they saw this type of thing. I don’t think that benefits any of us.

My feeling is that y’all have heard the same “I’m impatient and upset because I want to speed” argument so often that you read this even if that’s not what’s being said. I tell you, it’s odd to have to type it over and over again because you all seem intelligent and thoughtful, even when your weird mental powers have misled you to conclude that I’m a fascist because I wrote about a bad meeting with a jerk on a bike.

Randy

People can be rude. They do stupid crap sometimes that annoys us. It's a reminder to us all to be considerate while we're on our bikes. Of course, all of this could have been avoided if the riders had been just a bit more accomodating in the beginning.

Geez, people can be so critical of the posts here.

I feel for you, Randy. You've sort of been placed in a position to defend your post. I remember one of my very first responses to a post, and it seemed everybody jumped all over me because I had strong feelings about helmet use. It was wild, all of a sudden people are calling me a Nazi. Like I could really give two craps about somebody else's choice to wear a lid or not.

Best wishes.

Were the rude cyclists breaking the law?

Maybe:

"20-140. Reckless Driving

(a) Any person who drives any vehicle upon a highway or any public vehicular area carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others shall be guilty of reckless driving. (b) Any person who drives any vehicle upon a highway or any public vehicular area without due caution and circumspection and at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property shall be guilty of reckless driving."

Veering into opposite lane might fit. Calls for 911, not the finger.

Regarding letting by on audible signal, is that a reference to

"20-149. Overtaking a vehicle.

. . .

(b) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of an overtaken vehicle shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle while being lawfully overtaken on audible signal and shall not increase the speed of his vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle. "?

If so, I see no call for anything other than simply riding as far to the right as practicable, which I can't on brief inspection find in the code. Nor can I find a restriction on side by side riding. Perhaps I missed them.

This simply seems to be a typical instance of one pompous ass meeting up with another. I see this regularly. Of course, 99.99999% of the time it involves motor vehicles. Which isn't worth writing about here.

Complete jerks seem to represent about 20% of the public regardless of their means of transportation. Complete adherence to rational behavior and the traffic laws seems extremely rare.

Giving someone on a bicycle the finger is incredibly stupid. Sometimes such a person will take a gesture like that as fighting words and catch up. Oh, that happened here. Sometimes those people will be dangerous, or even armed.

I don't have any objection to being disappointed in or peeved at others on the road. Doing anything other than maintaining one's cool and acting safely isn't called for. Writing a pompous, self-serving, self-excusing piece of drivel in explaining one's own bad behavior seems moronic. Defending it is even worse. This is sort of a "kick me please" post that doesn't make any sense. Might as well title it "Motorists and cyclists are sometimes morons - poke at me please."

If there's a real problem, call 911. If there isn't, deal with it internally. If you're not sure how, find an adult and ask.

"When I could finally pass safely, I mouthed a polite [obscenity] to let this young gentleman know how much I appreciated the show and his disregard for the rest of us."

That's about the point I lost any sympathy I might have had for your 'plight'.

That's the way I see it.

Randy may have not liked what he saw, but he acted on it and had he not, he wouldn't have had any further confrontation.

Did he really think insulting a large group was going to go unanswered? Oh wait, he was in a car and thought he could get a poke in and not have to answer for it because he could speed away. That happens every day to cyclists. That he got it back is what upset him.

He may have not liked the hallmark moment, veering into the other lane, or the lack of a helmet but I hardly see how any of that showed disregard for others.

As far as I know, the cyclists are entitled to ride two abreast at cycling speeds on the roads of NC and I'll bet if he saw a couple share a hallmark moment in a car ahead of him, he wouldn't have had the same reaction.

It reads to me like Randy was making judgements on how the cyclists should have been riding, and impatient to pass a group that was going slower than he would have liked.

Ok, guys. I get it. You don’t believe me when I tell you that my prime reason for being upset was that this guy was acting like a jerk and not because I was hung up behind him. If repeating this six times over two days doesn’t convince you, nothing will. You think I’m lying. That’s cool. Nice to meet y’all too.

Tell you what, I won’t call any of you a moron, inbred turtle, or cranky old man for taking the time to read my letter, even if you disagree with me. Maybe I’m naïve, but if you tell me you saw or experienced something, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. If I don’t agree with you – as I haven’t agreed with some of these responses – I’ll argue my point, but I won’t toss around insults until you prove to me that you deserve them. Like this jerk on the bike did.

If I was walking, on my motorcycle or even (gasp) on my bicycle, this guy would still strike me as being a bonehead. I will venture a guess that most of you would think he was acting like a moron, too. If I were a bike activist, I probably would have confronted him too because it’s folks like this that will make the public demand more bike laws when none are really needed.

If a cop was there, I believe he would have pulled them over. When I called, this is what the dispatcher told me. When I researched the laws – printed them out for my car and bike – they backed up my theory. Was I a bit of a fool? Certainly. But I don’t regret writing the letter to the editor, even if it did expose me for acting like a jerk myself.

Now I’m going to duck out of this forum. You guys can feel free to toss around any old insults you want. I hope that I didn't cause too many of you to lose your faith in humanity along the way.

Randy

He may have not liked the hallmark moment, veering into the other lane, or the lack of a helmet but I hardly see how any of that showed disregard for others.

Now now, don't you know that persons riding bicycles are supposed to scuttle to the curbs like cockroaches when the lights are turned on. Randy knows this as he too "rides a bike." ;)



As far as I know, the cyclists are entitled to ride two abreast at cycling speeds on the roads of NC and I'll bet if he saw a couple share a hallmark moment in a car ahead of him, he wouldn't have had the same reaction.
Good point... one has to wonder what Randy's reaction might have been if he confronted a group of kids playing ball in the street in the same neighborhood, or as often happens in my neighborhood, neighbors chatting car to car, blocking the way for everyone as they have their chat.



It reads like Randy was just impatient to pass a group that was going slower than he would have liked and is making judgments on how the cyclists should have been riding. Not to mention making judgments on their clothing... :rolleyes:

But be that as it may... do we really want to make judgments on Randy and his view of the world... thus handing out the same sort of message Randy did? :D

If a cop was there, I believe he would have pulled them over. When I called, this is what the dispatcher told me. When I researched the laws – printed them out for my car and bike – they backed up my theory. Was I a bit of a fool? Certainly. But I don’t regret writing the letter to the editor, even if it did expose me for acting like a jerk myself.

Randy

Oh please, on a quiet residential street?

Are you going to start enforcing the same laws for local street ball games too? How about skateboarders? Jaywalking dog walkers? Or is it just star crossed cyclists (insects?) that gird your loins.

I think essentially what is being said is someone is making mountains of molehills.

... my prime reason for being upset was that this guy was acting like a jerk and not because I was hung up behind him...

yet you write you had to wait for plenty of time before you could pass and when you did, you mouthed a polite [obscenity] to this young gentleman.

Also mentioned was a lack of a signal (as if motorists don't signal either) and a kiss.

Mentioning veering into the other lane, causing traffic in the other direction to stop and preventing us from passing seems more than a little misleading. I very much doubt the one veering did so without clear space and I'll bet you just wanted that clear space to pass sooner than you did.

If the cyclist deliberately moved into the other lane to block you from passing, that may be another story. That would be being a jerk.


...if you tell me you saw or experienced something, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

No doubt, I wasn't there and I can only guess about what happened based on the letter, but to be sure, everyone has a different point of view and it seems to me, from my point of view that you simply seemed to be a little impatient.


... I won’t toss around insults until you prove to me that you deserve them. Like this jerk on the bike did.

Pot calling the kettle black? A bit of time passed and you made it by, but not without lobbing the first insult.



...If I was walking, on my motorcycle or even (gasp) on my bicycle, this guy would still strike me as being a bonehead.

For sure most problems have everything to do with what type of people we are. It doesn't make a difference what they're on or doing but do you really think the most effective way to handle someone in this situation is throw out an insult as you pass by?


...If a cop was there, I believe he would have pulled them over. When I called, this is what the dispatcher told me. When I researched the laws – printed them out for my car and bike – they backed up my theory.

Cops pull over all kinds of people for bogus reasons. The situation is a little more complex than you may think it is. Just how many people were the cyclists holding up and for how long? More than 3 cars for longer than 1 minute or was it more like 1 car for less than 30 seconds? I'm all for more cops on the road. There is almost no enforcement on the roads and I'd love for everyone to be pulled over when they do something wrong. That'd reduce the carnage on the roads.


...Was I a bit of a fool? Certainly. But I don’t regret writing the letter to the editor, even if it did expose me for acting like a jerk myself.

Good to see you can admit your foolishness, it was plain to see in your letter. I watch our newspapers for letters like these and respond showing how foolish they are.

I watched a good movie last night called, "This is England" set in 1983, it was about a 12 year old kid who had lost his dad in a war and found comfort hanging around with a group of skinheads. This morning I read Roger Eberts review of it and in his last paragraph he writes something that is quite applicable here. He writes,


It wasn't so much that they (skinheads) hated them (non-whites and immigrants), perhaps, as that they needed an enemy to validate themselves, because they felt as worthless as they said their opponents were. Whenever you see one group demonizing another group, what they charge the others with is often what they fear about themselves.



Now I’m going to duck out of this forum. You guys can feel free to toss around any old insults you want. I hope that I didn't cause too many of you to lose your faith in humanity along the way.

Randy

I'm not going to lose my faith in humanity as long as we have the good graces to sit around and talk out our differences.

I could however lose my faith in someone who chooses to throw out insults and not be accountable to them by driving away or ducking out.

I was not upset at having to wait. I was upset at this dude’s disregard for others. We all get stuck behind slower people (in cars, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, and even bicycles) and no one is thrilled at it, but that’s part of sharing the road. What’s frustrating is when someone feels the right to act erratic and childish on a public road, endangering not just himself, but other cyclists in the process.

At least there's always patronising busybodies around to set us straight by shouting obscenities from their cars.


I’m sure that to many non-riders would have a negative opinion about bicycling if they saw this type of thing. I don’t think that benefits any of us.


Yeah, because all cyclists are alike. :rolleyes:

So Randy, tell us all about the Trek you ride to work.

Randy, the true test of whether somebody is a cyclist or not is in these questions three.

First of which, what be the color of the fastest Madone?
Red, Blue, Black, or White?

Second for sure, what be the most aero of time trial frames?

And lastly, what is the name of the man with the mirror, fifteen lights, and all sorts of absurd gear that you would never allow to clutter your beautiful OCLV Red Carbon Fiber framed bike?

I don’t think I would fit in with the folks at Fox news, Buzzman, and I’m sorry, but if you do after reading this you must have some funny ideas about what Fox is… More of the off-base mental telepathy that seems indicative to this thread, maybe?

My comment was not about the politics of Fox News or talk radio but the tone of the discourse. As CBHI rightfully points out a tone that can be embraced by either side of an argument.




I don’t believe my letter was cynical in any way...

And please, please re-read what I’ve said about five times: I was not upset at having to wait. I was upset at this dude’s disregard for others.

Definition of a cynic: " a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons"


I’m sorry a letter to the editor had the power to rock your world, Buzz.


No need to apologize. My world was hardly rocked by your letter. Just more of the same IMO. Would have rocked my world had it offered something other than the usual "selfish jerks in my way" tone, which can come from cyclists about people in cars just as well as the opposite as expressed in your letter.



My feeling is that y’all have heard the same “I’m impatient and upset because I want to speed” argument so often that you read this even if that’s not what’s being said. I tell you, it’s odd to have to type it over and over again because you all seem intelligent and thoughtful, even when your weird mental powers have misled you to conclude that I’m a fascist because I wrote about a bad meeting with a jerk on a bike.

Randy

If we're all so intelligent and thoughtful- any possibility we might have a point? I mean, after all,
what exactly was the cyclist's offense if not impeding the flow of traffic and hence slowing down drivers like you? I don't think it implies you wanted to speed, though it does belie some lack of patience and limited tolerance for behavior that does not fit your definition of social acceptability.

Unless the offense was:


the wearing of spandex

kissing in public

public display of affection

not wearing a helmet



In which case, I must say- "ain't nobody's business but their own."

Ok, guys. I get it. You don’t believe me when I tell you that my prime reason for being upset was that this guy was acting like a jerk and not because I was hung up behind him.

I am so jealous that you live in a place where someone acting like a jerk is such a rare occurence that merely witnessing it inspires you to act, confronting the jerk-actor on the spot, and then following up with the police and local newspaper. You are indeed blessed, and likely don't realize how good you have it. Where I live I see people acting like jerks all the time, and they are so plentiful that I am forced to go about my life as if they don't exist.

I am so jealous that you live in a place where someone acting like a jerk is such a rare occurence that merely witnessing it inspires you to act, confronting the jerk-actor on the spot, and then following up with the police and local newspaper. You are indeed blessed, and likely don't realize how good you have it. Where I live I see people acting like jerks all the time, and they are so plentiful that I am forced to go about my life as if they don't exist.

Take heed Randy, this is the essence as to why you haven't received a warm welcome. If that was the worst thing that happened to you that day... sounds like it was a pretty good day.

And in fact, had the cyclist posted his version of the story, he probably would've been roasted here as well for his inconsiderate actions. This forum tends to be very intolerant of intolerance.

I don't see this thread going much of anywhere good. As far as I can see, both sides were wrong.

Randy, just a hint though, bicyclists are more vulnerable than someone in a car, so give them some room, even if it inconveniences you for a few seconds. As to the mouthing of obscenities.....what did that prove. You are welcome to respond to me via PM.

Thread Closed

Tom Stormcrowe
Forum Administrator