beatnik0422

I love it when there is a line of cars--all moving--and I blow past them on the shoulder. It was especially great today, since the only motor vehicle I do have broke down yesterday. My wife is the only one that uses it on a regular basis, but still my spirits were raised a little knowing that I don't have to rely on a vehicle powered by fossil fuels.

10 Wheels

Fun

slloth

I live for these moments. Since my commute is mostly rural I don't get a lot of them. Sometimes I ride in the cities and enjoy zipping past traffic. Great feeling.

Roody

You mean only motor vehicle. A bike is a vehicle too--only better.

beatnik0422

You are very right. I corrected myself.

knobster

watch yourself. I've had cars decide they want to drive down the bike lane to get to the turning bay, thus nearly running me over... I like blowing by them also, but always worry about that.

miket.

i worked security at a few columbus crew games this past season, i didnt get to leave until the stadium was completly empty. my favorite part of the night was still being able to make it out of the parking lot before most of the fans did, stuck in their cars moving inches at a time.

Cyclaholic

where's the dust? I don't see no dust.

B17

What's the thrill of passing motorists on a bicycle? They're in their vehicles, you're on yours.

mjw16

That's one of the highlights of my commute too; passing cars on the 14th Street Bridge on my afternoon ride home. I love seeing the luxury cars and suv's lined up in a virtual parking lot trying to get onto the GW Parkway as I sail past at 17 mph. I always wonder what they must be thinking.

Foofy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWlh1o-fCEU

kegoguinness

Had that experience last night. I was hardly blowing by the cars, but even on the uphill stretches of my ride in the city, I was going a little faster than the cars on Connecticut Ave here in DC. On the downhill I was passing car after car. And yeah, as noted, there's danger in that: cars turning in/out of places, scooting into the lane temporarily; getting doored, etc. So I keep my speeds in check and I am hyper-aware. But, man it's fun.

accordionfolder

Good to see I'm not the only one who gets a twisted sense of joy out of doing that.

ItsJustMe

I once passed about a 4 mile long line of cars. The expressway was closed for construction and the surface street bypass was a 2 lane road. I got through in about 20 minutes (it was slow riding on the gravel shoulder) but the people in cars probably took at least an hour to get through the same area.

bhop

Yes, it's fun.. even though there is the possibility of them right hooking you, I still feel more at ease than when they're zooming past at 40mph.

bdcheung

Nothing like cruising down M Street in Georgetown at rush hour - especially since the far right lane is often completely open, save the occasional parked car or city bus.

degnaw

+1

The only time I get to pass cars is at the one traffic light and one stop sign along my route, and even then there's never more than ten waiting. Regardless, when it happens, I find it the highlight of my day

genec

There is one section on my commute where it can take motorists up to an hour to move 2 miles... yet they sit there and wait. Even with a steep climb, I can ride right past these folks who are just sitting there for minutes upon countless minutes every day.

And yes, at times, some have driven in the BL.

B17

Still curious. I can the what, but the why eludes me.

evblazer

That reminds me of my commute home last night except replace the light by a stop sign and lose the shoulder Waiting in line with a bunch of cars certainly doesnt' balance out being able to pass them as infrequently as I do

bikeequus

passing cars stuck in traffic is always good, there is a place in my commute that has numerous spots where cars must go slow, sometimes I will pass a given car 4 x in the space of 4 miles. although I love fast cars too, it was a special treat to pass a shiny new porche 911 turbo 4x recently in this section. Reminds me that these cars are mostly useless bling for most people, haha the 911 is really a $100K golf cart!

bikeequus

maybe its that for many, bike commuting is slower than going by car, always a drawback in our time concious society, passing cars lets you overcome this drawback, if even for a moment.

Roody

It's fun to pass cagers who just passed you. Karma works!

(OT--I wish you'd proofread your posts before you submit them. The typos made both of them hard to understand. It's also OK to explain yourself at greater length--we're not paying by the word! )

bhop

If you have to ask, then you probably wouldn't understand..

Catgrrl70

Yes, I love it. And accident, road closure or a game or event at one of the stadiums will do this. Cars are lined up down the street. Oh, and if the bridge is open, I get to ride through the red lights that stop traffic and wait on the bike side of the bridge, ahead of all the cars. I have to be careful of motorcycles and scooters that sometimes use the bike lane/shoulder to lane split (illegal here, and they do get an earful from the bicyclists they cut off - doesn't happen much in the winter, but definitely in the summer more and more frequently) and vehicles that are frustrated and move onto the shoulder specifically so a bike can't pass them (most definitely happens on purpose), but I can move to the sidewalk and get around them, and being yelled at by people stuck in cars for absolutely no reason whatsoever.