Joe Bagadonuts
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I could tell from the photo that they were not avid, but anybody with a driver's license ought to know that they shouldn't be doing that. As far as educating cyclists and non-cyclists about each other, I'm on the job. It's not easy because, very honestly, it is a lot of extra (and probably unnecessary) work for cyclists to obey every single rule written for automobiles.These were not avid cyclists, to be fair. Seemed to be a group of tourists on rented bikes.
I appreciate cyclists, really, but there's just a huge % (seems like maybe 1 out of 5 or so) that just come off like the road is theirs with ZERO respect for through traffic. Those types piss me off because they are the ones that do it completely consciously. You should write a book on it. It would be a bestseller to non-cyclists (a self-deprecating comedy). Lol
For instance, in a car it is no big deal to stop at every stop sign, even if it's obvious there is no traffic. Many competent and completely safe drivers do not come to a full stop when they arrive at an intersection first and they know they will have the right of way. They are not putting anybody at risk even though they are technically breaking a law. For a cyclist to come to a complete stop in that same circumstance, though, means the investment of a significant amount of energy getting back up to speed. It's also important to remember that a cyclists braking and maneuverability are far better than a car. So when a cyclist approaches an intersection where he can see that there's no actual reason to stop, I can understand why many blow through, and I can also understand why that pisses some drivers off.
All of this makes it even more important that cyclists do not break rules there is no reason to (like doing what those people you took a photo of were).