How to **** Off an Arrogant Pedalcyclist

Brent P wrote:
> Hey Scott, I ran into an actual arrogant pedalcyclist today.
>
> I am waiting in a queue at a traffic light. About 6th in line, I'm in the
> center of the lane behind a minivan. A guy on a mountain bike passes me
> in the gutter and starts passing the motor vehicles ahead... the light
> turns green and he nearly gets right hooked twice. He cuts through the
> intersection in front of the minivan that I am behind. Now the minivan is
> slowed to his speed, and thusly so am I. In a few seconds, the minivan
> was able to pass, and then I got to pass mr. mountain bike.
>
> I said to him 'lovely gutter passing', He responded with an arrogant
> "Whatever".
>
>
That guy needed about a quart of oil in front of him, then let's hear
his "Whatever". He gives us MTB guys a bad name. I ride in the middle of
the lane with the cars at lights, it's the only sane way to get across a
light controlled intersection. Once across I can safely pull over to the
bike lane and let the cars go by. The only time something went wrong was
when I didn't trip the metal mass detector and got all the cars behind
me stopped because of it thinking I was the last car. Sorry gas guys.
Bill Baka

In article >, Mike Latondresse wrote:
> (Brent P) wrote in
> :
>
>> But let's examine your aruguement another way. It would be ok in
>> your eyes for him to have his 5 cars and my 3 cars on the road at
>> the same time, but not our two bicycles? You'd rather have 8 cars
>> on the road taking up space than two bicycles that together don't
>> even take up the space of one car. Seems insane to me.
>>
> Well Jim's logic seems to verge on that. Hope most of the rec.autos
> type people are a little more sane.

Most are. I'm also one of them. I'm not welcome in the bicycling NG's
anymore because of my views on speed limits, etc.

(Brent P) wrote:

>Hey Scott, I ran into an actual arrogant pedalcyclist today.
>
>I am waiting in a queue at a traffic light. About 6th in line, I'm in the
>center of the lane behind a minivan. A guy on a mountain bike passes me
>in the gutter and starts passing the motor vehicles ahead... the light
>turns green and he nearly gets right hooked twice. He cuts through the
>intersection in front of the minivan that I am behind. Now the minivan is
>slowed to his speed, and thusly so am I. In a few seconds, the minivan
>was able to pass, and then I got to pass mr. mountain bike.
>
>I said to him 'lovely gutter passing', He responded with an arrogant
>"Whatever".

I've done this many times, but will only do so when there's a bicycle
lane or wide enough road that I won't be in the way of the cars I
pass. One of my riding rules is "never make anything slow down to
pass you twice".

Normally in a situation like this, I'll fall in behind one of the cars
in line and follow the parade through the light. It's safer and less
obtrusive to the cars. I always position myself so they can see me in
their rear-view mirror so they know they don't have to worry about
flattening me (not that all of 'em would worry).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

(Brent P) wrote in
:

> In article >, Jim Yanik
> wrote:
>
>> You pay for each and every auto you use on public roads.
>> You don't get to pay for one and the rest go for free.
>> Even motorcycles must pay for each MC used on the roads.
>> You haven't paid for any of your bikes.
>> Yet you expect the same priveleges as autos.
>
> Are you going to pay the taxes to collect a fair bicycle tax? I'll pay
> my annual 75 cents if you'll pay the dollar or more in collection
> costs.

Why would a bicycle tax cost any more than the auto tax to collect?
The agency is already established;the motor vehicle department.
(it just needs renaming)
It would be enforced just like autos are;by the existing police department.

Also,why would you assume that a USER fee would only be $.75? In most
states,there's a minimum fee for any auto regardless of weight or
size.Maybe around $25.00.

>
> But let's examine your aruguement another way. It would be ok in your
> eyes for him to have his 5 cars and my 3 cars on the road at the same
> time, but not our two bicycles? You'd rather have 8 cars on the road
> taking up space than two bicycles that together don't even take up the
> space of one car. Seems insane to me.
>
>

* 8 cars that have paid their usage fee.
They are not paying for any "space" they take up,just the *use* of the
road.
It's a USER fee.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Bill Baka > wrote in
:



Hey,California has another method of road deterioration. Earthquakes,or
ground movement.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

On Fri, 20 May 2005 22:36:19 -0700, Scott en Aztlán
> wrote in message
>:

>For my part, I've had an extremely pleasant week. Since I stopped
>driving to work, I haven't encountered any arrogant pedalcyclists,
>arrogant motorists, MFFYs, or other unpleasant people.

Amazingly, neither have the people who live and work around you and
your usual routes.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Jim Yanik wrote:
>
> It's a USER fee.

Well, Jim, if you're serious about road taxes for bicycles, I suggest
you quit wasting your time here. Stop haranguing us. Start haranguing
your legislators.

When they dismiss you as a crackpot, you can put your energy into
running for office. Make bicycle taxes the centerpiece of your
campaign.

And when the voters dismiss you as a crackpot, I suggest growing long
hair and a long beard, wearing a robe, and parading the streets with a
sign on a stick.

- Frank Krygowski

In article >, Jim Yanik wrote:
> (Brent P) wrote in
> :
>
>> In article >, Jim Yanik
>> wrote:
>>
>>> You pay for each and every auto you use on public roads.
>>> You don't get to pay for one and the rest go for free.
>>> Even motorcycles must pay for each MC used on the roads.
>>> You haven't paid for any of your bikes.
>>> Yet you expect the same priveleges as autos.
>>
>> Are you going to pay the taxes to collect a fair bicycle tax? I'll pay
>> my annual 75 cents if you'll pay the dollar or more in collection
>> costs.

> Why would a bicycle tax cost any more than the auto tax to collect?

It wouldn't. A fair tax would be less than the cost of collection.

> The agency is already established;the motor vehicle department.
> (it just needs renaming)

It still doesn't function at zero cost.

> It would be enforced just like autos are;by the existing police department.
>
> Also,why would you assume that a USER fee would only be $.75? In most
> states,there's a minimum fee for any auto regardless of weight or
> size.Maybe around $25.00.

So you want a puntive tax on bicyclists. Like cigarettes or alcohol.

Your agenda isn't fairness, it's punishment.

>>
>> But let's examine your aruguement another way. It would be ok in your
>> eyes for him to have his 5 cars and my 3 cars on the road at the same
>> time, but not our two bicycles? You'd rather have 8 cars on the road
>> taking up space than two bicycles that together don't even take up the
>> space of one car. Seems insane to me.

> * 8 cars that have paid their usage fee.
> They are not paying for any "space" they take up,just the *use* of the
> road.
> It's a USER fee.

All 8 cars can legally be on the road at the same time. You clearly
prefer 8 cars on the road over 2 bicyclists. Why I have no clue, other
than an irrational hate of bicyclists.

wrote:
> Jim Yanik wrote:
> >
> > It's a USER fee.
>
> Well, Jim, if you're serious about road taxes for bicycles, I suggest
> you quit wasting your time here. Stop haranguing us. Start
haranguing
> your legislators.

I would GLADLY pay oh... 5% of what car drivers pay (a gross, vast,
incredibly disproportionate overpayment), priviso they Shut The Hell Up
Forever, and queue up behind my muscular spandexed ass for my new
morning commute along Kirk Road and Fabyan Parkway
<http://tinyurl.com/7zumr>

Heck -- I'll pay 2X what an "average" Lincoln Navigator contributes to
do that. It would be so worth it. "Oh ****, they're paying to be here
-- what now?"

..max

In article .com>, what does THIS button do? wrote:
> wrote:
>> Jim Yanik wrote:
>> >
>> > It's a USER fee.
>>
>> Well, Jim, if you're serious about road taxes for bicycles, I suggest
>> you quit wasting your time here. Stop haranguing us. Start
> haranguing
>> your legislators.
>
> I would GLADLY pay oh... 5% of what car drivers pay (a gross, vast,
> incredibly disproportionate overpayment), priviso they Shut The Hell Up
> Forever, and queue up behind my muscular spandexed ass for my new
> morning commute along Kirk Road and Fabyan Parkway
><http://tinyurl.com/7zumr>
>
> Heck -- I'll pay 2X what an "average" Lincoln Navigator contributes to
> do that. It would be so worth it. "Oh ****, they're paying to be here
> -- what now?"

If I have to pay, I'll pay the same as IL requires for my cars. Then I'll
take the lane always. I paid for the entire lane, and thusly I'll use the
entire lane and they'll have to find their way around me just like they
have to do with the countless senior citizens who often driver slower
than I bike.