Rodney Crater

Ok. I know I am in the sticks and all but I am dumbstruck by the number of people that keep waving hi back to me because they think I am waving hi to them when I am just making proper hand signals. I know the town's sign logo at the city limits says this is a friendly place but come on!

Lone Prairie

I'll take friendly any day and hey, at least you know they are paying attention.

Best,
e.

caloso

That's great. I know what it's like to grow up in a small town. It could take you hours to wash your car because you have to wave at everybody who goes by. And half of them say something clever like, "Wash mine next?"

We had a volunteer fire department so whenever you heard the siren, you went outside to wave at the guys on the truck. When I went to college, I had to remind myself not to run outside of the dorm everytime I heard a siren.

Enjoy it. You're a lucky cyclist.

Rodney Crater

I agree, that is one of the big reasons I am still here after 5 years. I did not mean to negate the friendly part, just wondering why so many persons are misinterpreting the hand signals while in traffic, even when my arm is straight out.

Rodney Crater

I do. Yes I do. It is heaven compared to the metropolis and there is no "people pressure" due to the high density of humanity in a limited geographic area.

tokolosh

lol. that's kind of adorable. i guess at least it's comforting that you know they've seen you?

i had the opposite experience coming home today, kind of. almost waved thanks to someone in a giant suv for seeing me and NOT left-hooking me as i crossed the intersection. then i remembered it might look like a hand-signal if i waved, so i didn't. i felt muzzled.

Rodney Crater

[QUOTE=tokolosh]lol. that's kind of adorable. ... QUOTE]

Which is another major reason I posted the post. I see so many bad stories about the experiences others have had with drivers that I had to throw in something to brighten the day. I had to whimsically chuckle when I realized after the first few times that this was happening.


[QUOTE=tokolosh]...i guess at least it's comforting that you know they've seen you? QUOTE]

Absolutely.

ItsJustMe

I hear you. I'm really seriously thinking about building turn signals, because nobody seems to know what extended hands do.

Patriot

I live in a town of about 8000 now. It's growing, but out in the country area, it's still pretty much the same. Heck, I don't even have to use hand signals, The ol' boys waiting for me to pass by in their old pickups wave to me whether I am turning or not. They're just being nice. Better than having people swearing and crap thrown at me once I get to the city.

ItsJustMe

Glad to hear from another person living on the "other side" - to read this forum you'd think that the entire world consists of thiefs, maniacs and homicidal cretins. I live and work in small towns just outside a medium sized university town in SE Michigan.

When there's a fire on Sunday morning, you know it because 3/4 of the men are on the volunteer fire dept, and when beepers go off, they all get up and leave church.

I lean my bike up against businesses downtown all the time. I don't even own a lock. No problems. In college (I went to MTU, which is in a small town in the middle of nowhere) a roommate left his bike, unlocked, in a rack in front of the student union, during summer break (3 months). It was still there, untouched, when he came back in the fall.

I get honked at maybe twice a year. I don't think I've ever had a car closer than 2 feet. Almost all pull completely over into the other lane to pass me.

Just a reminder, there are places left where people are relatively civil.

Trek930

Aaah MTU. It is a bike friendly place. I got into MTBing up there and now reside in Detroit area. Great college. I only had one truck cut me off but that was turning into a frat house at night. I know they saw me and figure it was a beer run. That was the only one out of the 3.25 collage years I was up there. ItsJustMe were you in the CCCC?

tacomee

I've commuted in lots of different places in the US I've always loved rding in small towns. (I grew up riding in W. Montana)

Remember that bike riding was a much bigger deal 50 years ago-- it always seems that old small town duffers have a bike commuting story to share at the local diner of riding some 40 lb monster 15 miles to work at the sawmill or something crazy.

I'm not really happy with where our country seems to heading--- we need more cyclists and the spirt of self reliance that riding a bike gives a person.

cerewa

I would consider a using a pointed finger in that situation. People will realize you're not waving and eventually they may see that every time you point somewhere you go there, and begin to expect it.

I sometimes give people a thumbs-up or thumbs-down in traffic. They probably understand that most of the time.

LittleBigMan

orig post is hilarious

chipcom 

Actually, it's quite common in many places (NE New Mexico is one example) for people to wave at each other when passing on the road. They may just be waving, not reacting to you hand signals.

mirona

People have said when they see me point that it is as if to say, "stay there!" Unless you have a bumper with orange lights blinking to either side, they're never going to know what you're trying to do!