+1

:lol:

:p

Has to be one of the funnier posts I've read in A&S in a while.

I forget sometimes how sensitive some of the A&S denizens can be. Next time I'll post a warning for those so easily offended by anything that even remotely pokes fun at bad motorists.

Thanks for the chuckle! :thumb: :D

Thank you for the chuckle, and sorry I didn't previously understand that you are laughing at and not with, the denizens of A&S. The staunch, strident, and bigoted antimotorist attitude in here is indeed worthy of ridicule.
Sorry I missed the original intent of your hilariously tiresome vid.
I regret being bored enough to click anywhere near this forum, but things are quiet the week before Xmas.
Peace & safe riding in 2012! (Unless you're one of these ninnies who think it's reasonable & prudent to take-a-lane, in which case you clearly desire neither.)

You've misinterpreted my post. My bad. I'm not laughing at anyone. This is kind of like one of those jokes where you have to explain it afterwards- never worth it. So....never mind.

Here's another video that's not as ironic but maybe you'll see it as just as "self-righteous".

Warning you unless you really love bicycles and really love bicycling you may find this video highly offensive. For this I make no apology. Watch at your own peril.

#!

A&S is not representative of any cyclist I've ever met in real life.

1) Most of us who cycle, at least the grownups, also drive cars. So, if we talk about JAMs and cagers, we're talking about ourselves. I might get p****d about crazy and incompetent drivers, but no more so when I'm on my bike than when I'm in my car.

2) Cycling is relaxing - I feel better during and after a ride, more mellow - happier. I wouldn't think a person would have it in them to b***h and moan so much if they were actually riding their bikes, rather than yapping on the internet.

Actually, if those figures are true, city traffic would move faster if everyone rode bikes.

mmhmm

Actually when I mention JAMS and CAGERS, it is not about myself, or anyone that drives in a thoughtful, courteous manner... it is specifically meant as a derogatory term for really poor motorists that tend to consider themselves as the center of the world. The terms do NOT apply to most drivers.

On the flip side, there are cyclists that also consider themselves the center of the world... most likely they should be called Darwin Candidates.

My point is we have limited resources and one planet... we can share, or not.

Likely true... but that message just doesn't go well with the ads that imply driving is fun, sexy, and powerful.

Top Gear (a car show) did one of their host challenges as a race between a bicycle, a car, a speed boat on the Thames and public transit (including rail) from one end of London to the other during rush hour. The bicycle was ridden by one of the show's hosts (Richard Hammond). The bicycle won by a significant margin. The boat came second followed by public transit. The car came in dead last.

While Hammond is undoubtedly the fittest of the show's hosts, he's not exactly a top bicycle racer either. London traffic is awful and a bicycle has an advantage in congested traffic.

I've met two combative, auto-hostile people who actually believe as these silly A&Sers do, and I'm always either sick or busy whenever they want to go for a ride together.
To paraphrase Cyril in Breaking Away: We redskin cyclists are few; motorist palefaces are many... I council peace. :)
http://www.noozhawk.com/images/uploa...aking_Away.jpg

I saw that episode... and frankly given the choice, I would have gone with the boat. But that is beside the point... the fact that even public transit beat the car is something that should open eyes... but it doesn't. People want their rolling living rooms... and damn anything that gets in their way. But of course by saying that, I am no doubt merely expressing some "bigoted antimotorist attitude."

Here in So Cal, there was a race from door to door when the 405 was closed down and a local short hop airline offered flights from Burbank to Long Beach... again, the cyclists won. Of course there were no peanuts and mixed drinks served to the cyclists.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/...to-long-beach/

Really what it comes down to is that for single person transport (which IS most auto traffic) in a dense city situation, the bike is often faster, albeit, not nearly as comfortable.

My old commute from City Heights to Kearny Mesa was loads faster by bike, in spite of the hills... It would take me about 45 minutes by car, but just over 30 minutes by bike... of course, if one factored in the shower... well at least I didn't also have to go to a gym daily.

Maybe it's being 'beat over the head' with the attitude I'm about to explain over the last five or so years; maybe it's just living in a small city that was rated #2 in obesity and risk of heart attack in a recent study (behind Detroit). But I've gotten to be a real dcik about the lifestyle.

Pretentious, outwardly promoting what's actually an empty lifestyle, which REQUIRES a shiny car, the biggest flat-screen TV they can haul in the front door, the latest ill-fitting urban fashions, and a pocket device that makes/takes phone calls, texts, surfs the web, streams TV and movies, plays games, and can find wherever you are in the world at any given moment. It's about stuffing tasty foods down, kicking back on the couch, playing video games, and drinking until the stupor takes over. Even the casual and fairly idle life of the decadent rich would bore these folks. BUT -- they try to live it on (maybe) $30K/year! They could play 52 Pickup with their credit cards!

But they can't figure out why they're wearing PLUS-sizes, having hypertension and cholesterol issues, and dying by retirement age or sooner.

I like to eat, sure; put a steak dinner in front of me, you better make sure your fingers are clear! But I will burn off a LOT of it by pedaling until my body screams at me to stop. A lot of popular foods are off my list, and I really don't regret ANY of them.

If haters hate me for that, oh well. I'll pedal past their funeral processions.

Pretty much this.

All I would add is that just because we kvetch here about this or that interaction with drivers, doesn't mean we aren't all having a good time riding our bikes.

I, for one, have had precious few negative interactions with motorists (aside from occasional ya-ya); but as a cycling advocate (you know, this forum and all) I do think there are strong misconceptions and negative connotations associated with cyclists that need to be fought against. Just because I point these out and try to change those misconceptions doesn't mean I'm not riding or not enjoying myself. I wouldn't ride if I wasn't enjoying myself; it's a great stress reliever. But the fact of the matter is that it isn't like just dealing with other drivers when you are in a car; there is a unique attitude towards bikes, and we deal with problems that drivers don't.

Not even to mention that in a world where the majority of modal share is cycling, you can usually still share a narrow lane with a bike, even if it's unsafe to share with a car; meaning you can pack more people/traffic into a single lane or road surface. Less backed up traffic, better traffic flow, higher average speeds.

Please help me - what be a JAM?

Jack a$$ Motorist... one who drives without concern of those also using the same road. Doesn't have to be someone giving cyclists a hard time... your typical tailgating, constant lane changing, speeding motorist is a prime example.

As opposed to the "JAB"... one who rides his bicycle in the middle of busy roads without concern for any other road users, ignores laws and traffic control devices when they inconvenience him, and has arthritis from constantly giving people the finger... in other words, your typical A&S poster.

JAB = JAM

Just that the JAB thinks the JAM should give way since the JAM is not as puritanically righteous in his approach to life...

In reality, most folks are just ok. But it's like a sailing cartoon I once saw - dozens of boats out on the water. Each and every crew thinking "Lotsa jerks out today...."

Give that poster a ceegar!

Said like a typical JAM. Those that don't drive, are subjugated to the 'back of the line'.

I have never driven a car, nor do I want to. I get everywhere on my bike, or by some other means of transportation.

I get p****d about incompetent drivers from the standpoint of a cyclist, and thinking as if I were driving a motorized vehicle. So keep an appreciation of what motorists both, go through, and need to do.

Why do I gripe about the traffic, because my bike is my only independent form of transportation. Also because, I have a right to be on the road and I am not going to allow a JAM to encumber my travels.

That is not a good reason. As for self-righteous clods, speak for yourself.

To borrow the tenets of your tagline....

Just because I 'take the lane' consistently, does not mean I am an irresponsible cyclist. That isn't being self-righteous, that is being experienced.

Sounds like you've got some issues to work through. I never feel like I'm "subjugated" while on a bicycle. But then, I make an effort to get along with other road users whether I'm on a bike, a motorcycle, or a car, and so nearly everyone else I share the road with treats me with the same respect. If I was an arrogant, militant "bicycle driver" with a chip on my shoulder, I imagine I'd meet more than my share of "JAMs" too.

Having never driven a car, you therefore have no idea what is involved in doing so as either a good or a bad driver. I would submit that it can be a benefit to be a driver as well as a cyclist, since you can have some idea of the perspective of a driver, which you cannot have now.

And as to not allowing motorists to encumber your travels, remember that as a cyclist the life of no-compromise can earn you a eulogy. Insisting on your rights while on a bicycle is not always the smartest approach.

I make an effort to get along with other commuters, regardless of their mode of transportation. My disgust towards motorists is because of the times, when I have been following the law, only to get slammed by motorists who obviously don't know(or care to know) the traffic code.

The only issue I have to work through, is not allowing motorists to treat me(as a cyclist) as if I am an afterthought when I am on the road.

My way of getting along with motorists is understanding what they go through, when they are driving.

Any 'militant' reaction to motorists, is a result of repeated ignorance on the part of motorists, at large.

Just a couple of days ago, I was almost knocked onto the railroad tracks, while I was making a right-turn to cross the railroad tracks. The SUV didn't like that I was in front of them and sped by me, by less than an arm length.

When it obvious that there is intention and/or, not wanting to wait, on the part of the vehicle driver behind me when there is no passing room available, I get ticked.:notamused: