Quote:
Originally Posted by awarhold
Cyclists are meant to be punched.
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Ok, this made me grin - but also made me wince.
Here's the deal: Motorists hate anything that slows them down.
Anything.
So, motorists get pissed off at cyclists, because they slow them down.
And no, I'm not limiting this to the arrogant cyclists who ride three abreast at 18.7 mph. I'm also talking about the very reasonable cyclist who rides along the far right side of the lane, or even on the shoulder, because little old lady motorists (of whatever size, age or gender) ALWAYS put on the brakes and refuse to pass while there is any oncoming traffic.
Always.
It's not that we're pissed off at cyclists, exactly. It's just that we're pissed off that they're there.
So it ain't personal. We're just as annoyed at school buses, heavy trucks up hills, left-lane bandits determinedly driving right at the speed limit, etc.
This is human nature, so it's pointless to blame the other guy, and the only way this will change is when we get to George-Orwellian autonomous roads, and we're all reading our papers on the way to work while the cyclists do whatever they do.
Bruce
PS - I live in Lancaster County, PA. You know, the Bible belt, with covered bridges, hex signs, the Amish in their buggies, etc. Tourists flock here by the tens of thousands each Spring, Summer and Fall, partly to view the Amish and their horse-drawn buggies.
Me, I thought the first seventeen buggies I saw after moving here were pretty cool - but now, they're pretty much annoying. The Amish tend to stay as far right as possible, but their buggies are both wider and slower than bicycles.
So traffic builds up behind them, just as it does with cyclists.
As I said, nothing personal, but Gr-r-r.