I have been a bike commuter for only a short while, started on 9 January of this year. But I have been a bicyclist for my entire life (off and on) and have ridden over 10,000 miles since I moved to Florida seven years ago. ON THE ROAD most of the time, some miles on the bike path.

So, the other day on the way home, I saw a friend of my wife's in her car, waiting to pull out on the road, and went across in front of her and gave her the big wave. Later I got a note from her on Facebook, telling me how DANGEROUS it was to ride in the bike lane on the side of the highway.

Well, I told her I was fine, and safe enough, so...she called my wife and demanded that she tell me how DANGEROUS it was for me to be commuting on my bike. My wife, God bless her, told her friend that I was well insured (worth a lot more dead than alive) and that I knew what I was doing, and she trusted me to stay safe.

Where do the people get off, the ones that haven't been on a bike in decades, telling me how DANGEROUS it is to ride to and from work? They have no point of reference, no experience, no CLUE. Just leave me alone and let me RIDE!!!!

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

At least she's being honest with you about how poor of a driver she is and how little she pays attention.

"I'm on the phone, looking at my gps and eating more than I am looking out the windshield so I'm all over the road! I'll probably kill you soon, its DANGEROUS!"

Well, I just tend to tell them to mind their own f business when it gets too much. Yes, I am sick of that preaching attitude as well. It might be a bit too much of an response for your particular situation, though - that is, if you need or want to be on a good standing with that friends of your wife. Me, I get so sick from that, that I simply don't care anymore, I ain't letting someone who doesn't even ride to preach me on how its done, I cut them off almost immediately.

Tell them it is just as dangerous driving on the Highway in a vehicle when there is a 50,000+ lb 18 wheel truck behind them.

No winning is there?
"Damn if I do and damn if I don't"

It is their subconscious method of telling you to get the hell out of their way.

Pretty brash calling your wife making demands of her; and you say she is a friend of your wife?

Defriend.

Tough crowd.
I hear it all the time with bicycles and motorcycles. I've been riding/commuting on each since an early age.
Thank them for their concern.
Hope your wife supports your decisions -- though I'm sure she understands. Also, If they think down around the Big O is bad come up here to Pinellas County!.
Unlike other posters I don't think any of these people are vicious or "telling you to get the...out of their way."

Whenever I hear how dangerous it is to cycle on the road, I tell people who drive that I am fine and they need to watch for one another. Cyclists usually don't crash into one another.

Yeah, well if it weren't for cars, it wouldn't be dangerous. Bottom line is....cars weigh almost 3000lbs, move 50-80mph and the drivers don't pay attention, feel cyclists belong on the sidewalk/bike path and road rage on a regular basis....and when going for the same piece of road, they win all ties. That said, we accept it and take every precaution we can to be safe. Doesn't change the fact that it is dangerous.

I hear it all the time, I just laught and they back away slowly. LOL

Just say something like - "As long as drivers pay attention to the road and not their phones and their food, I'll be fine."

My boyfriend's grandmother doesn't know why I'm risking my "pretty face" by getting a bike. That I should save up for a car. Like that's going to happen.

Most drivers only deal with cars. I'm sure you startled her. I'm glad she's thinking about it.

With his numerous community connections around our village, sometimes I like to know what my employer really knows when he tells me to ride carefully every time I leave work.

Ask her if she is really concerned about you safety if she would be kind enough to turn her mobile phone off and lock it in the trunk the next time she is behind the wheel. Maybe that will make her think about all of the technology that has come along to make driving more enjoyable also causes distractions at the same time.

The short answer is because it's the only way that they can justify continuing in their dangerous activity. So they have to try to convince us that our activity is the "dangerous" activity.

Good point there, she doesn't sound like much of a friend to either TT or his wife.

I think it also comes down to you doing what you want and makes you happy rather than conforming and driving your car to work. People are always concerned/skeptical of the person that is "different"

I have gotten the same response from a lot of people as I only started commuting about 2 weeks ago. I just tell them that I am being as careful as I can.


A good thing that might have come out of this is maybe she will look twice and be more careful if she knows that you are commuting via bike

I have my own theory on this. (Digital Cowboy is thinking along the same line.)

The auto-addicted majority realize-probably mostly subconsciously-that we are handling our transportation needs in a smarter, healthier way than they are. But even if they recognize the wisdom of what we are doing, they still simply do not want to do it. So they need to rationalize their own unwillingness.

The two main forms of this rationalization are; 'anyone who wants to ride a bike instead of driving has a screw loose' (that's what they mean when the call us bike-nuts) and 'it's dangerous'.

Those who feel the need after that to actually interfere with us are those who haven't fully assuaged their guilt.

There's really not a lot we can do about it other than to ride defensively and never forget that we are the ones who are right.

"dangerous", "stupid" and "childish" are all phrases that have been aimed at me, being the only bike commuter at work.

but, they also say the same things about my fencing and stickfighting.

some people don't want to believe there's any other way than theirs. the majority of my coworkers consider driving to work a 'chore' and only look forward to getting home and making trips between the tv and the refrigerator.

i don't understand them any more than they do me....

My USUAL reply to a comment that riding my bike is DANGEROUS is that life is dangerous and I won't consider living in a bubble to be safe. I know that in an altercation with a car or truck on the road, I will be on the receiving end. I told my wife the other day that I probably will get hit by a car eventually, how badly I am hurt is the question. She doesn't like to hear it, but it's the same as my feelings about commuting on a motorcycle, something that I did for a lot of years. It's not if you are going down, it's when. I still carry the scars of some down time on a motorcycle, and have dropped my bicycle a couple times in the last few months, but the drops are slower and less damage ensues. I prefer to commute on the bicycle and will continue to do the DANGEROUS thing twice a day across this little South Florida town where I live. I guess I just had to take a moment to vent, and see what the consensus was...

I've been ready to die for a while now. All I ask of the motorists is, please, make it a clean kill.

"Thanks for your concern, but it's only DANGEROUS because of too many ******** behind the wheel; now, unless somebody elected you my mother, MYOB." Tell Madam Nosey that, in your wife's hearing. When wife gets upset that you insulted her friend, tell her it's not open for discussion.

Well, maybe you won't want to take advice from someone who's 2x divorced; but then, neither happened because I insulted a friend. . . .

Have seen too many comments from bicyclists (!!) on BF (not in this forum) and on bentrideronline stating that riding in traffic, on the road, is dangerous. Unbelievable.