Cyclists vs motorists

OldRidgeback wrote:

It also fails to show that most adult cyclists are drivers as well. 

It does, but presumably the tribalism from the drivers’ side is not from the section that overlaps, but from the section that generally thinks cyclists are weird and should get off the road. That tribe is a tribe of arses.

For various reasons, I’ve hardly been on the bike this year. I’ve driven more and walked loads.I can’t bring myself to join the ‘motorist’ tribe, because, as petrolheady as I can occasionally get, I think the advantages are already stacked in motorists’ favour, and I think it is the most destructive mode of transport. It NEEDS to be actively discouraged.

On the other hand, I don’t need much of an excuse to get ranty about being a ped/cyclist.

He does at least touch on the

He does at least touch on the inequality of the equation: 30 secs of delay (if that) vs intimidating, maiming or killing behaviour.

 But the reference to ‘arrogance’ – can we rebalance this, please.

Dear drivers,

taking up the space of 4 bikes while you sit on your fat arse and belch life-shortening shit into the air is more arrogant than any behaviour you will encounter from someone on a bike, and that includes teenage lads who can’t see past their dangly bits, wheelieing down the middle of a stretch of road.

Cyclists don’t ‘think they own the road;. They’re on bikes – they are acutely aware of the dangers that the road holds for them. It’s lazy, polluting arseholes who drive when they could cycle or walk who exhibit ‘own the road’ behaviour. Much of what you perceive as ‘arrogance’ (taking primary, say) is borne out of self-preservation or slightly different (or – shit – occasionally better) behaviour on the road than you.

If you see a man dressed as Larry Blackmon and are intimidated by his muscular thighs and buttocks waving around on a bike, and see such behaviour as arrogant, I’m sure that says more about you than me him, and his ‘arrogance’.