man beaten by motorists (not cycling!)

[crazycanuck]

I don't get why we're posting this stuff? It's nothing to do with cyclists..

I could post a gazillion links but THEY"RE NOT ABOUT CYCLISTS getting bashed, mashed or whatever by drivers or pedestrians..

Can we keep it this way please?

[kelownagirl]

I don't get why we're posting this stuff? It's nothing to do with cyclists..

I could post a gazillion links but THEY"RE NOT ABOUT CYCLISTS getting bashed, mashed or whatever by drivers or pedestrians..

Can we keep it this way please?

Gee, I dunno. We've been known to go off-topic before.

[mimitabby]

I don't get why we're posting this stuff? It's nothing to do with cyclists..

I could post a gazillion links but THEY"RE NOT ABOUT CYCLISTS getting bashed, mashed or whatever by drivers or pedestrians..

Can we keep it this way please?

actually yes it is. That same man might have attacked a cyclist for being in his way too. Road rage affects more than just cyclists. By focusing on just cyclists, we are really only seeing a small part of the picture. So many gals post on here, oh, it's awful, motorists hate us, it's getting worst. What's getting worst is traffic, and we on our bikes are seen as just another impediment. Non-cyclists are also being brutally attacked, run over, harrassed. The sooner we can see that it's not motorists vs bicycles, it's motorists trapped in metal cans out of control and furious because this vehicle they bought for $30,000 as an instrument of freedom as shown in commercials is NOT an instrument of freedom, it's a big pain in the butt, all they ever do is stop for lights, traffic, men watering flowers, bicycles and pedestrians.

This corner of the forum is called "crazy drivers"
If this little bit of news doesn't fit that category, I'll go eat my raleigh bikes hat.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I don't "get it" either.
Mimi posts a thread called "Man beaten by motorists (not cycling!)" in the CRAZY DRIVERS forum. The news story is about road rage and crazy drivers....HELLO?
So, if she posted the same thread in the OFF TOPIC (non-cycling) forum then it would have been ok? Or is is that she's not supposed to post negative things because some people feel it serves no useful purpose?

Threads are started every day here on TE that have way less to do with cycling than this one, yet the posters are not asked to explain "what effect or change or response they hoped to elicit by posting it" or having to say "why they think we'd be interested". I for one was interested. Others are apparently not. That's fine, so don't read the thread. I also wonder why anyone who feels posting such news stories is merely dwelling on negative or non-productive "sensationalism" would be reading the Crazy Drivers forum anyway. This forum is all about car drivers doing crazy, dangerous, or angry things.
When people here post endless notices about "another cyclist killed by angry driver" or post bloody pictures if injured cyclists- what effect or change or response do THEY hope to elicit by posting it? Half the time, just as with this thread, all we can say is "how awful" or "when will it stop?". We don't really learn much from most of those limited information news stories either, except it might hopefully make us a bit more careful in general. There is some value in that too.

Road rage is a BIG problem for cyclists- it kills cyclists every day. I think that's very relevant to cycling. This story wasn't about some guy stabbing his wife because she cheated on him. I saw it clearly as a story about how car drivers get angry and act out when something gets "in their way" and holds them up. Any dialog about road rage can only be a good thing I'd think. It's good to be aware of the different faces of road rage, and I see no harm in being reminded that it's not always directed at people on bikes.

I'll need to remember that oxysback and BleekerSt_Girl have a mindmeld with you and can speak for you.

As for that all I can say is that I always speak for myself (as indeed I am now), and Mimi has never needed the likes of me or anyone else to speak for her. I really see no need for such sarcasm.

And now I have to go to our local Village Board meeting to attempt (for the third time) to get them to install a couple of bike racks along Main Street.....I'm sure they think of me as "that crazy bike lady".