charlie@nbires.UUCP (Charles Carrington) (10/23/85)
The following is from Ken Fricklask(?) (knf@druxo.UUCP) >In Boulder, where I live, I find some of the bicyclists are INCREDIBLY >self-righteous about their riding. Amen. Boulder cyclists are the worst. I say this as an avid cyclist myself. I have commuted regularly to work and school in the Denver and Boulder area for the past 10 years. In Boulder, there is a large community of racing cyclists and an even larger community of cyclists who wish to look and act like racing cyclists. There is an unwritten code of ethics among these people that includes, but is not limited to, the following: Never ride single file when you can ride two or three abreast. Never ride on the shoulder of the road or in a bike lane when you can ride in the traffic lane itself. When forced to ride on the shoulder, ride as close to the traffic lane as possible. Never actually stop for a traffic light. Instead, wobble precariously towards the intersection, passing stopped cars on the right and, if necessary, out into the intersection itself. Actually taking your foot out of the pedal and placing it on the ground might be interpreted as a sign of weakness. When out in the countryside on a training ride (or pretending to be) feel free to completely ignore all stop signs. If the local residents and motorists find this annoying, tough. They obviously don't understand anything about bicycle racing. Treat all other "non_racing" cyclists with haughty disdain. Make a great show of whizzing past them on the roads, but never give them any warning or acknowledge their presence in any other manner. In general, never miss an opportunity to infuriate the motoring public, and never seize one to show any courtesy or deference. >Occasionally, you even see a "violent biker" -- these guys seem to >intentionally get in your way when driving just to cause you grief. > > Has anyone else seen anything like this? > > '`'` > Ken > `'`' All too often. One of the worst cases occurred earlier this summer when I witnessed a large group of cyclists (10-12) taking up an entire lane on highway 52 east of Boulder. This is a major state highway that carries a lot of traffic including many heavy trucks at speeds up to 65+ MPH. (Too damned fast, but I'll save that for another flame.) There is an 8 or 10 foot wide paved shoulder on this highway that is somewhat rougher and sandier than the traffic lane, but still perfectly adequate for cycling. I know, because I have ridden that road myself a hundred times. This group was not only totally ignoring the shoulder, but was deliberately blockading the entire traffic lane clear out to the center stripe, forcing overtaking traffic to slow to <20MPH until they could pass. We certainly have some wonderful ambassadors for the cycling community around here. -- Charles Carrington charlie@nbires.UUCP (303) 444-5710 NBI Inc, Boulder CO
vsh@pixel.UUCP (vsh) (10/25/85)
We have our share of problem cyclists here in greater Boston, especially
Cambridge. Driving in Boston/Cambridge traffic is bad enough; but
picture this:
You are making a left turn through a gap in (heavy) oncoming
traffic into a one-way street when a cyclist (no helmet, of
course) emerges THE WRONG WAY from the mouth of the one-way
street!
Do you:
1) Run the cyclist down?
2) Stop and get creamed by the oncoming traffic?
3) Swerve and total your car on a lamp post?
I have encountered several (3-4) situations like this, fortunately,
each time there was room to avoid an accident. But someday ...
--
Steve Harris
Pixel Systems Inc.; 300 Wildwood St.; Woburn, MA. 01801
(617) 933-7735 x2314 (work) (617) 664-0099 (home)
{allegra|ihnp4|cbosgd|ima|genrad|amd|harvard}!wjh12!pixel!vsh