Originally Posted by
Cramic
The point, regards a stationary cyclist, is that there must come a point at which even the most zen of the posters on here get frustrated. 1mph? 5mph? And it demonstrates everybody is simply drawing a line at a different point.
Your tractor analogy makes no sense and anecdotal evidence is not evidence. The vast number of cars that interact with a bicycle don’t toot either. You encountered three tractors and nine cars. To imagine they’re not tooting because a tractor is a bigger vehicle than a bike is a bit silly.
Who gets tooted at? Inconsiderate users of the road.
Look, no one is saying it's bad to feel impatient, but what gets me annoyed about these threads is that people clearly think that it's normal for drivers to express that impatience with their horns, close passing, and yelling, and it's the fault of some inconsiderate rider they encountered years before. Rolling down your window and arguing with someone while driving is moronic unsafe behavior. When people say they engage in it out of concern for the safety of others, I think the hypocrisy is obvious and should be called out. They're doing it because they're pissed off and they know they are protected by their big metal box.
I don't take the lane except where necessary (no shoulder, turning left, avoiding being to the right of a right turn lane) but I take a lot of guff from drivers who think they know what the rules are and what's supposedly "safe". They're invariably wrong on both counts.
When you use a horn to express dissatisfaction or to tell someone to get out of the way, it's the aural equivalent of " eff you". If you express your impatience and hostility on the road, you can expect to have it thrown back at you. People acting in a hostile manner on the road are making themselves and others less safe. This is not rocket science.
I do find it bizarre that people on a bike forum are bragging on their great Karen moments when they told off a cyclist.