Bicycle vs. Pedestrian

[central scrutinizer]

51. Every mode of transportation has people who will irritate somebody using the same or different mode

I rarely use a car and use my bicycle for commuting to work, shopping, exercise, running errands. I try to always follow traffic laws, although I do roll through stop signs if there is no one coming. Pretty much every day there are drivers who endanger me by wandering into the bike lanes while using their cell phones or using the bike lane as a right turn lane. The actual assholes who throw stuff at you or drive close while encouraging their pitbull to lunge at you are very few. (Of course my bike has Union Yes and No Blood for Oil stickers on the fenders so maybe they are FR regulars.) The bike lane is often full of broken glass from assholes in cars who just drop shit out of their cars.

Cyclists who run stop lights, ride on sidewalks are jerks who make it harder on cyclists like me. I really dislike the trick riders on BMXs with their headphones turned up to ear bleed levels. Zigging and zagging and totally oblivious to anybody else. I am traveling a lot faster than them and just want to pass, but they can't hear anything.

Most of my commute ride is on multi-use paths. Riding in every morning around 6AM is OK because I am the only one out there. When I do encounter joggers or cyclists coming my way, I put my hand over my headlight because it is very bright But going home at 5, if the weather is nice, is sometimes annoying. All I want to do is get home but then you come up behind 4 joggers, running abreast, all using iPods who can't hear your bell so you have to yell at them then they give you a dirty look. Share the path, bozos.

You just have to show some respect to others, but don't expect reciprocal treatment from everybody. The actual assholes are a very small number. Most are just ignorant or inattentive.