I'm glad I got this off my chest

[indysteel]

I've got to say..... some of the most obnoxious drivers I've encountered have prefaced their remarks with "I bike too"..... One sweet lady decided to try to squeeze past me with about 5 feet to go until a stop sign - and indeed did end up stuck on the wrong side of the road, then told me "I'm a biker too. You are supposed to move over for me". I think I just as sweetly told her just because she might occasionally ride a bike that didn't mean she knew anything about how to do it safely or legally.... I take the lane at intersections.

You aren't suggesting that I was obnoxious are you? I told this guy I was a cyclist because I didn't want him to interrupt my comment as just an irate motorist rant against cycling. Certainly I don't think the mere fact that someone rides a bike means that they know the rules of the road, but I know that what this cyclist did was illegal and dangerous.

[Eden]

You aren't suggesting that I was obnoxious are you? I told this guy I was a cyclist because I didn't want him to interrupt my comment as just an irate motorist rant against cycling. Certainly I don't think the mere fact that someone rides a bike means that they know the rules of the road, but I know that what this cyclist did was illegal and dangerous.

No no no! The guy should not have been running stop signs. Just saying that announcing to someone that you are a cyclist isn't necessarily going to get you a good reaction... it may end up having the opposite affect (even if you are right), because it sets up the person to expect a lecture.

[indysteel]

No no no! The guy should not have been running stop signs. Just saying that announcing to someone that you are a cyclist isn't necessarily going to get you a good reaction... it may end up having the opposite affect (even if you are right), because it sets up the person to expect a lecture.

I see your point, but I think it could go both ways. I think it's just as possible that he would have written me off as the typical motorist who hates cyclists. Would the woman who lectured you have bothered you less if she hadn't shared that she was also cyclist? It seems to me that she would have legitimately annoyed you either way--because she was wrong. Ultimately, whether you are a fellow cyclist or not or whether you share it or not, it pays to be in the right before lecturing someone on a bike.

But thank you for your input. It's definitely food for thought.