vincent
The narrative of this post seems to be getting forked based on who thinks they are being addressed in which post, so I will try to make them as personal as possible.
side note, I ride to work most days, but I am just as likely to ride the bus, carpool or drive my full sized pickup depending on what the day requires.
JanS, started down the “rude” conversation initially. However she contradicted herself in saying she wanted bikes to follow the rules of the road, and then called a cyclist rude for doing so. All I did was point that out.
… she also… went … passive aggressive … and checked out of the conversation…
Julie & Job brought up excellent points about how nerve racking it can be driving around an inexperienced or *dangerous* cyclist. Which is part of the discussion I wanted to have with everyone. Gas prices and good weather are pushing more people out on bikes, a lot of them for the first time.
barmargia had a point about people being held to the law. I pointed out they have been.
now finally:
JT I don’t want to seem like I am baiting, I am only describing what I am seeing on the road as a cyclist which includes not only drivers who seem justified in spitting, swearing, and following me to tell me why they think I should get a car or ride on the sidewalk… Tons of novice riders who are on brand now shiny bikes doing all the things that people here have called dangerous, and things that endanger me as a cyclist. I can scroll up and read through, and I don’t see anywhere where I made this about me. Your statement “No one has shown you animosity” is totally ignoring the original context of this thread, and the single time I used the word in the context of asking a question to further discussion. People seemed to defensively trigger on the use of the word itself rather than attempting to further the conversation.
Now as far as your “road etiquette* goes, your making some huge leaps of judgment to assume that your interpretation of etiquette would mean the same thing to a cyclist and a driver. Yeah being inconvenienced on your way in a neighborhood is lame, but racing past a slow bicycle or getting angry that they are breaking the law is far more rude, dangerous and in the case of the slow moving vehicle, wrong. I would gladly take your officer bet, as I have cited the relevant RCW. Also your green lake story is cute, but its a very weak straw man.