Originally Posted by
DX-MAN
... I WILL cop to the idea that I don't care much for slowing down; generally, though, if I have room to get by, I don't care....On the MUP, people who waddle 3-4 across so they can flap their lips at each other, look at me, and mentally relegate me to the Twilight Zone, WILL get barked at.
I don't think it's hypocritical for a cyclist to resist slowing down in the same way as a motorist because of the whole momentum thing on the bike. Any body in motion wants to stay in motion and any body at rest wants to stay at rest. It takes
energy to get moving and it takes
energy to slow down. Automobiles burn that energy as well but the human operator only pays for it at the gas pump they don't feel it in their body the way a cyclist does.
Also because an automobile is a 4 wheeled vehicle it tracks more linearly than a 2 wheeled vehicle, which has a shorter turning radius and is more maneuverable in traffic. Sometimes it just makes sense to slalom around obstacles on a bike than to stop and go.