Bicyclists
The problem with the in-city bicyclists is that the vast majority of them are utter assholes (95% by my count). On one hand they demand some sort of equal treatment, on the other hand they pee on the rules of the road at every corner. A bicyclist won't think twice to cut across a 6-lane street whenever he/she thinks it convenient. Neiter pedestrians, nor motorcyclists do anything like it, but bicyclists do it all the time.
Naturally, when assholes get into a mob, bad things happen. I like how Wikipedia whitewashes though: "As with many acts of civil disobedience as mass protest, there have been acts of violence and destruction perpetrated by Critical Mass protesters." So, the label of "civil disobedience" is attached to the mob of assholes. Nice framing!
The worst part is, since the humanity does not know a treatment for assholes, there's precious little that can be done about bicyclists. A few communities took up appeasement and toleration, making "bicyle lanes" (which bicyclists ignore when they feel like it), "trails" and so on.
Tracy is one of such appeasement towns. Naturally, results are mixed... For example, one day I was preparing to make a right turn from Grant Line into a neighbourhood. I followed a van. As I reduced speed and merged into the bike lane, I saw a bicyclist riding the bike lane in the opposite direction. He swerved to the curb, I went back into car lane, to the consternation of the driver who was preparing to pass me. I hope the jackass peed his pants at least. It would be the least he deserved.
Fortunately, Tracy is a sprawling suburb, so the geography puts a dumper on proliferation of bicyclists. But make no mistake, the menace of a bicycle is ever-present.
I think that the only recourse left to good people is to educate the next generation to place a social stigma on bicyclists. It must be a common understanding that riding a bicycle is not something decent people do.
Naturally, when assholes get into a mob, bad things happen. I like how Wikipedia whitewashes though: "As with many acts of civil disobedience as mass protest, there have been acts of violence and destruction perpetrated by Critical Mass protesters." So, the label of "civil disobedience" is attached to the mob of assholes. Nice framing!
The worst part is, since the humanity does not know a treatment for assholes, there's precious little that can be done about bicyclists. A few communities took up appeasement and toleration, making "bicyle lanes" (which bicyclists ignore when they feel like it), "trails" and so on.
Tracy is one of such appeasement towns. Naturally, results are mixed... For example, one day I was preparing to make a right turn from Grant Line into a neighbourhood. I followed a van. As I reduced speed and merged into the bike lane, I saw a bicyclist riding the bike lane in the opposite direction. He swerved to the curb, I went back into car lane, to the consternation of the driver who was preparing to pass me. I hope the jackass peed his pants at least. It would be the least he deserved.
Fortunately, Tracy is a sprawling suburb, so the geography puts a dumper on proliferation of bicyclists. But make no mistake, the menace of a bicycle is ever-present.
I think that the only recourse left to good people is to educate the next generation to place a social stigma on bicyclists. It must be a common understanding that riding a bicycle is not something decent people do.
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