Originally Posted by
apricissimus
To me, riding assertively means riding with confident body language, not hesitating to take the lane when I need to, and not being tentative when interacting with cars. If you're tentative, motorists will walk all over you. If you're assertive, things work out much better.
I ride mainly in busy city streets in Boston, and riding assertively is a must.
While I don't disagree with ride "assertively..." there are two issues that can really screw that up... one is when assertive cyclist meets assertive motorist. (or worse, "aggressive" motorist)
The other issue is when motorists mistake "polite" for "wimpy." We seem to have lost courtesy in this country, as everyone "assertively" works on their self esteem.