Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
That's an interesting observation. You were riding correctly and were hassled by a motorist and YOU blame your favorite whipping boys for being the inspiration for this act without a shred of evidence.
Very convenient. What else do you acknowledge that those evil salmon are inspiring, besides feel good Internet postings by self appointed bicycling perfectionists?
Relax... I'm not trying to wind you up. I understand why you are irritated by the propensity of posters on this forum (and for that matter, just about every internet forum that exists) to generalize and stereotype, and make unwarranted assumptions about others. Ironically, you are so wound up about this that you are making unwarranted assumptions about me. If it upsets you, be above it, don't dish it out yourself.
But anyway, to be clear, "salmons" are not my favorite whipping boys... hell I hadn't even heard the term before I found this thread. Second, I am not blaming "salmons" for the behavior of the motorist. I am saying poor cycling habits CONTRIBUTE to a potentially hostile atmosphere. That's actually what I wrote, almost verbatim. It shouldn't be so easily misunderstood. Yes, idiot motorists shouldn't be venting impotent rage at random passing cyclists. In a la-dee-da world I could snap my fingers and make it go away, but this ain't a la-dee-da world and sometimes there are multiple factors involved that contribute to negative situations. It's okay to acknowledge them without anyone assuming the acknowledged factor is being presented as the lone cause of it.