Do you ever imagine that other commuters are ashamed of your actions?
 

I may just be imagining things, but sometimes I suspect that other cyclists/commuters are deeply dissapointed in my actions even when they are relatively small deviations from normal behavior. Not sure why I care, but I must because I am discussing that feeling here.

Two examples:
1) This one was not imagined: Long line of cars, I filter past on the right slowly. Immediately behind the first car at the 4 way stop sign is a guy I call "grumpy bent Guy". He is actually taking the lane and I am sure he did not filter at all but waited his turn through the line like a car. As I roll past, he yells angrily.. "WAY TO GO!". Then I slow to a crawl at the sign (without stopping; legal in ID) and turn right when it is safe to go. As I roll away, he yells in a condescending tone.. "WAY TO GO....NICE STOP!!!"
I am pretty sure he was disappointed in my cycling. I also think he made himself look like an A## but that is his problem :)

2) There is a guy on my route every morning who is waiting for a bus with his bike. He is decked out in a full on safety vest so I assume he cares a lot about safety. He is about 30 yards down the road to my right through a busy intersection through which I go straight. Many times now he has seen me do my "right hand fakey" where I turn right, then do a U Turn, then an immediate right to avoid waiting at the light. He has never said anything but I feel he is disapointed in me as well.

How about the rest of you guys? Do you imagine that you are deeply letting your law-abiding, VC cycling cronies down out there ?

Depends on if I'm doing something stupid or not when they are around. Generally I don't care what they think.

You're just imagining things. It's a bad habit, projecting attitudes and beliefs onto whole categories of other people. Let it alone.

I typically don't care what other commuters think about me. I'm sure a few of them are disappointed in seeing me roll through stop lights which I know from previous experience simply don't change for a cyclist.

I was ashamed of the actions of a fellow commuter yesterday, to turn the tables on the question.

We both filtered up a line of traffic approaching a left onto a 2-lane one way street. There was a gap between a car and the bus, which we both slipped into as we breezed through the intersection before our left turn. He decided to look over at me instead of paying attention to the bus, which had to brake because of traffic, and my fellow commuter came close enough to kissing the back end of the bus that his shirtsleeve brushed the rear corner as he swooped around it. Close call!

In the words of Tennessee Williams, "Everyone is a critic."

Nope. I play enough Grand Theft Auto that I have effectively destroyed all my compassion for other people ;).

I think I'm that guy. I have seen hand full of cyclists perform the right, u-turn, then right to go straight to avoid the red light. It looks strange because often the u-turn is often illegal but I'm not disappointed. If maneuver can be safely done then more power to them.

I don't care either way. Plus, I can't stand safety nannies. If one made themself aware to me I may just perform an illegal maneuver simply to spite them.
Anyhow, I ride for my safety not what someone else thinks is safe for me. That is unless the police are present.

+1

+2 :thumb:

I bet it would be safer just to run the light.

Nah. It is fine.
I have a few streets where one direction will have a break in traffic but the other does not. If it is the one closest to me I will take a right and when the other direction clears out take a U turn provided that my lane is still empty.
However, all in all I tend to take breaks instead.

LOL:lol:

Not sure if you are serious or even from Boise. But my guy is on Five Mile/Ustick.

This is where we differ. I don't get being ashamed of someone else's actions, particularly when I have no control or influence over them.

Maybe a better word is "disappointed".

I didn't literally mean that I was that guy but more that I would fit that description.

Is the ten seconds saved by blowing a light in front of a line of cars worth the damage done in the eyes of the folks in the cars?

I don't ride nekkid.

And All Y'All should thank your lucky stars for that.

No... the voices in my head drown out everything else... hard to imagine anything with them screaming all the time!

Oh man! See, now I am disappointed. :)

Yes they do thank me. Some use their horn, some wave at me, and others just try and give an up close and personal thank you at 25 miles an hour!

Dude, see? Right there...you are the guy we disappoint ;)

lol

Actually, I figure other commuters are more ashamed of my bicycle.

Not at all disappointed. I can haul the mail down the right or left side of traffic with the best of them. Take a lane while keeping up with traffic, and all that fun stuff. But, I have seen enough close calls with folks thinking they are immune to getting t-boned on a bike, that I actually stop for lights.