Bikes vs Cars

[talon]

I'm always happy to see people out riding bikes.

I'm not so happy when they act like they own the whole road, weave in and out of traffic, run lights, go the wrong way down the street, are so far over they are actually taking up 2 lanes, wobble as they go down the street so you don't know if they'll suddenly veer out in front of you, and don't signal their turns. That kind of irresponsible bike riding scares me because I'm afraid they'll do something stupid and get themselves killed right before my eyes.

I'm not worried that I'll be the one hitting them because I watch them carefully and pay excruciating attention to them and their reckless antics.

But what pisses me off about bike riders are the ones that kick the car when they pass me or throw stuff at me when I pass them or start pounding on my car when I'm stopped at a light, or start screaming obscenities at me while I'm stopped at a stop sign or traffic light..

I don't get out of my car and beat on their bikes, why do they feel they have the right to beat on my car when I've obeyed the traffic laws - including the ones for pedestrians and bicyclists? I don't throw things at them as I pass them, why do they feel they have the right to throw things at me? I don't scream at them, although some of their hair-raising behavior may make me scream in fear or shock or dread. So why are they screaming at me and calling me names at stops when I've given them plenty of space and obeyed the traffic laws?

I know there are drivers out there who do dangerous things like swerving into bicyclists (stupid drivers, they oughta be ticketed and forced to ride a bike for a week or two), but just because some other drivers are antagonistic towards bicyclists doesn't mean all drivers are.

Something else that really annoys me (on a "why must II deal with it" level) are the parents who let their children ride bicycles unsupervised without ever teaching those poor children bike safety. We've already had 1 child killed and several injured in our neighborhood because the kids are biking all over the place, popping out from between parked cars, pedaling down the wrong side of the street, pedaling around after dark with no reflectors or lights, and ignoring stop and yield signs and traffic lights. I'm really surprised it's been so few children hurt.

If the bicyclists will obey the traffic laws as well as I do, then we'll have no problems.