How would you have responded to this??

[mimitabby]

did you include the "Let's all live together in peace" part?

[Running Mommy]

Yes I did mimiT...
And you are right Lisa, I was a bit sarcastic, but we have such a problem up here with people that are in a hurry and mow others down. You should see some of the road rage that I've witnessed on this stretch of road. It's like people hit that stretch of road and go nuts??!! On that forum folks have taken to "outing" people by posting pictures of the offending cars and license plate #'s. So yeah, it's bad!!

It is scary how people drive out here. I thought it was bad in CA, but it is WAY worse here!!

luckily where I ride people have mostly settled down and drive normal, but there are stretches in the valley I wouldn't think of riding.. sad but true..

[PinkBike]

Saturday I witnessed some bike riders riding in the CLOSED bike lane going South on Estrella right before Elliot.

i wish people would realize that "bike lane closed" does not mean bikes are not allowed - it is to tell the drivers that bicyclists will not be using the bike lane, as it is closed, thus they will be using the street.

cant we all just get along.

well, i guess not the yay-hoos but that is another thread.

runningmommy you done good with your reply.

[singletrackmind]

The gist is right, perhaps a little civility would make the message more palatable....honey/vinegar. I also post a link to our state's driver's manual, which has an entire chapter on sharing the road with cyclists, including the part where we aren't supposed to ride on sidewalks, with a blurb for those too lazy to click.

People simply don't get it. They don't have the experience of riding amongst themselves so they don't understand. Like you said, they get behind the wheel and it's all about them them them them. Then there are people like my dad too. He was driving up a hill with no shoulder, coming up to a cyclist and he complained that it was too dangerous to pass because you couldn't see oncoming traffic due to the hill. I suggested he wait until it was safe. You could see the light bulb brighten, it just didn't occur to him that you could wait. It was only for several seconds and then we carefully passed. This is one of the, no, the gentlest guy I know who does think of the others on the road and is careful but hadn't realized.

Since we can't get them to bike a bunch of miles in our shoes we have to rely on education, sweet and gentle and lots of it. It shouldn't be us/them, we aren't sides, we're people. On the same note, if any of y'all are the sort that bike with a me me me attitude (saw a lot of that at the last group ride), zipping through stops, taking up lanes unnecessarily, etc, well.....

[onimity]

It's hard to respond to someone that self-centered and ignorant without expressing some irritation, I think, but if you can keep emotion out of it and act as if she were asking an innocent question it's probably the better tactic. It might make her think twice about her opinions, whereas something she views as an attack will likely increase her anger. And it sounds like she drives a large weapon rather regularly!

I'd say something like, I understand that it can seem dangerous to have cars and bikes in such close proximity, but did you know... and then cite the state driver's handbook, that bikes are vehicles and have the right to use roadways just as other vehicles (ours explicitly states that bikes don't belong on sidewalks) and perhaps throw in some stats too, that sidewalks are in fact much more dangerous than roads.

Hopefully she'll e-mail you and perhaps the two of you can have a cup of coffee and a friendly discussion about why bikes might want to be on roadways in spite of the danger posed be people that (ahem) do things like park in the bike lanes. It's possible that you may be able to show her how her perspective is off, but it doesn't sound like she likes to have her opinions challenged.

Anne

[mimitabby]

yeah, meet somewhere that she has to WALK to because there's no place for her car! that'd be the day in the USA!

[Meg McKilty]

did you include the "Let's all live together in peace" part?

/damn hippies.