Originally Posted by kbarch

Pretty much.

What I've noticed, with motorists especially, is a rather childish tendency to "gun it" when the opportunity arises to pass someone who had been "holding things up," and a general lack of concern for relative speed in passing. When passing closely, the considerate thing to do is to modulate ones speed so that the transition between being behind someone and in front of them is smooth, and takes a second or two. Then, once fully past and in front, one can "gun it." It's the actual sensitivity to the presence of our fellow human beings that's polite, not what you might happen to say or not say to them. Forceful acceleration as one passes someone else is selfish and insensitive. If you need or want to rush past another random cyclist, give them as wide a berth as you'd expect to get from a speeding car. It's ridiculous to resent people who happen to be going a different speed than we are, or to approach them as if they were some sort of rolling hazard, unless they truly are.