Stopped cycling to work after someone turned into me – while looking at me right in the eye as she did so. Said she didn’t see me (flashing lights, bright day-glo vest, etc). She certainly saw me bouncing off her front windscreen!
I remember being asked to come up with posters in 3rd grade. Anti-smoking, anti-drugs. This was in the mid sixties in smalltown rural America. Smoking we knew about, but the only thing we knew about drugs was what we saw on TV, and at that time, it wasn’t much, since the local stations filtered out anything too racy. If the network was showing a film they didn’t like, we got old episodes of “Let’s Go Bowling” or minor-league basketball games.
Normally I’m on the side of the cyclist but when I go for my early morning walks I often see cyclists doing dangerous things because they are talking and not concentrating. Two Sundays ago there was an incident between a driver and a cyclist. The cyclist shot through the stop street and the elderly driver of the vehicle hooted at the cyclist as he had to take evasive action. The cyclist was furious and waited until the old man had stopped in the church on the corner where he was attending early mass. The cyclist was rude and abusive and told the old man to pray in church because he obviously needed to. The old man pointed out mildly that the cyclist had failed to stop at the stop street. The cyclist shouted and cursed at the old man with a lot of abusive language. There were several witnesses by this time as people were all going in to church and the cyclist did not win support from any of them. That sort of behaviour does not give the cycling community a good reputation and there have been a lot of cyclists injured or killed by motorists recently in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
I wish the cops would give those cyclists who fail to obey the road rules more tickets. That would help alleviate some of the mentality that they don’t have to follow the rules and are above the law.
Sorry Olfart, you still have to follow the rules; No riding side by side on the highway.No riding against the flow of traffic.Stop at all signs and signals.Signal your intentions to turn or stop.
I lived in a city about 30 years ago that was not friendly for people on foot or bicycle. Today that city has added more vehicle lanes but still no sidewalks or bike lane. Also poor public transportation.
I don’t generally mind cyclists in the traffic lanes if they’re obeying the laws. A couple of weeks ago I was behind a cyclist as we came up to a T intersection with a stop sign. I was impressed that he actually signaled for a left turn, but then he made the turn without even slowing down. The road he turned onto has an almost-blind curve coming in from the right, so he could easily be been in an accident. I see cyclists run stop signs and traffic lights all the time.
It’s nice living in an area that is used to cyclists and drivers sharing the road. Most people know how to behave around each other and the cyclists obey the traffic laws. I found out from a cyclist why some of them don’t stop at intersections – they have special shoes that clip into the pedals so they can use the energy of the upstroke of their feet as well as the down stroke to go faster. They don’t want to clip out at intersections, so they keep going. Around here, cyclists either don’t use them or are skilled enough to balance on their bikes until it’s their turn to go. The bike lanes are also clearly marked and there are plenty of signs to remind drivers to be mindful. Works out pretty well.
Hey, I have no problems with cyclists. Even the little cars I drive can hurt them pretty badly. So I try to cut them a little slack.
That having been said, if I had a dime for every cyclist that I’ve seen go down the middle of two lanes of stopped traffic, I would have been able to retire a wealthy person by now. Sometimes you wish your car had torpedoes.
Actually, if they ere required to follow the rules of the road and slowed traffic down as you state, they could be ticketed for obstructing traffic. Hmm, not a bad idea; we already have enough of them here who ride the white line, doing 15 – 20 MPH in a 45 and expect traffic to slow to their pace instead of moving out of the way to be polite to others.
I had to deal with cyclists on a two lane road for five years during commute and as they clogged the right of way during lunch. We need research on what causes the base IQ of cyclists to drop 40 points in groups larger than three.
Olfart, bicyclists cannot travel as fast as cars. If they travel side by side they block traffic.Bikes pay no road taxes, yet they “share” the road. Why not obey traffic rules without blocking?
I’m both. I can’t take a side here. I don’t want to get run off the road nor pay $8 a gallon for gas!-At times I’m a pedestrian and everyone’s out to getcha! :)
Hey olfart and any other cyclist taking a similor or same position, tell that to the cyclist in SF who killed a pedestrian. Yep, ran her down like a dog because he was “special”. Your attitude is EXACTLY why there is growing animosity between cyclists and drivers. I see everyday why it festers. Cyclists who have a chip on their shoulder the size of Texas doing all they can to piss off motorists.
And when you start paying registration fees, driver’s license fees, gas taxes, etc. to help pay and maintain those roads, you have little to no credibility. The only reason many states are mandating bike lanes is due to narcissistic, greenies who think they’re entitled to special privileges becuase they don’t use fuel to get around.
Those who demand others subsidize their beliefs are leeches. Oh, forgot one little nugget, I ride, but I figure since folks like you have done so much to spread ill will amongst drivers and cyclists, I mountain bike. I don’t play “stupid games” to win “stupid prizes”. I would suggest you grow a clue.
You and folks like you are doing more harm than good here.
Thank you. Cars are coffins! Also, it’s often pointless for a bicyclist to stop at a stop sign. We can see whether there’s any oncoming traffic. Generally not getting one’s self too close in front of a movng vehicle keeps one out of trouble. And if one is moving at the speed of traffic, we have every right to take up a lane.
Whether one is driving, cycling, or walking, what is often lacking is empathy for others as humans.We could all benefit from leaving home a little sooner so that we aren’t in a rush, and this would allow us to take the time to make the day of another person safer and more enjoyable.If we do this, we will suddenly discover that our day becomes more enjoyable as well.
When cyclists start paying license fees to pay for the roads then they can gripe.Other wise shut up, stop at stop signs & lights just like cars do and stay far to the right as best they can. Remember: 2-ton car vs 35lb bike with 175lb rider, who’s gonna win??
@exoticdoc2 and @Nabuquduriuzhur: I agree completely… only perhaps up to 5% of bicyclists actually follow rules of the road. Really sad.@olfart: whatta dumba55 you are.
skinny people that go to the gym use cars also. You don’t have a car? Why can’t people have respect for eachother. A simple comic strip sets you off like this? If I was on the bike I would be more careful because I’m the one that could be dead in 2 seconds flat. Nuff Said.
Hey people, c’mon. A little respect here, please. I’m both a cyclist and I own an automobile. I use both each day. As a cyclist, I stay off busy highways, use secondary roads, streets and trails, obey the traffic laws (including stopping at stop signs) and generally try to stay safe for both myself and the people in motor vehicles (and, by-the-by, the car or truck ALWAYS wins). And, being in clips in no excuse. Right-thinking cyclists break out of clips and come to a stop at stop signs. Simple as that.
As a motorist, I always give cyclists enough room. They deserve the use of the paved roads and streets too. I mean, for pete sakes, share the road. As a motorist, are you really in that big a hurry? Would you really feel better if you killed or maimed a cyclist just to be “right?”
Actually, I do. As I drive, I pay my registration and taxes so I pay my ‘fair share’ in building and maintaining it. Any cyclist who also drives as car pays for the road they ride or drive on. So we have the ‘right’ to use it just as much as you!
But there are just too many aggressive drivers in a big hurry out there to cycle safely on the streets. I don’t intend to argue with them any more as in any argument between a car and bike I know who is the loser!!
generally speaking, anyone who makes a purchase pays a tax of some kind. rank and file cyclists don’t decide how the tax dollars are alloted. if they did, bike trails would be ubiquitous. very few cyclists ambulate solely on two wheels…
If you are not MOTORIZED, stay off of the freaking roads!No, they aren’t your roads, too!Your little bicycle doesn’t pay road use taxes or fuel taxes.If you can’t maintain the speed limit, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!Wimps.
margueritem almost 11 years ago
True, but I like the basic idea.
rentier almost 11 years ago
Stay at home and water your plants and you’ll never get probla(e)ms!
Downundergirl almost 11 years ago
Stopped cycling to work after someone turned into me – while looking at me right in the eye as she did so. Said she didn’t see me (flashing lights, bright day-glo vest, etc). She certainly saw me bouncing off her front windscreen!
legaleagle48 almost 11 years ago
I’m not touching THIS debate!
ratlum almost 11 years ago
Checking with Mom is a great idea,Dad has not got enough people that think like him yet,to make poster popular .
Linux0s almost 11 years ago
How about “Hey! Get off the road butthead!”
jslabotnik almost 11 years ago
It’s getting pretty close to dad having his wish
Phapada almost 11 years ago
super idea…..!!!
Sillstaw almost 11 years ago
Bill Watterson, you doomed us all with your wish for $8-a-gallon gasoline!
rentier almost 11 years ago
Wear Calvin and Hobbeses vest and you’ll arrive your home best!
orinoco womble almost 11 years ago
I remember being asked to come up with posters in 3rd grade. Anti-smoking, anti-drugs. This was in the mid sixties in smalltown rural America. Smoking we knew about, but the only thing we knew about drugs was what we saw on TV, and at that time, it wasn’t much, since the local stations filtered out anything too racy. If the network was showing a film they didn’t like, we got old episodes of “Let’s Go Bowling” or minor-league basketball games.
ant almost 11 years ago
Ouch $8.
tripwire45 almost 11 years ago
The door swings both ways, Dad. And I’m pretty sure you drive a car most of the time, so you’re also one of “them.”
germanvisitor almost 11 years ago
I’d use that one.
NormanBates almost 11 years ago
Or: “Cyclists must follow the rules of the road like everyone else”. Every day I might spill cyclists because they don’t respect anything.
JoanHelen almost 11 years ago
Normally I’m on the side of the cyclist but when I go for my early morning walks I often see cyclists doing dangerous things because they are talking and not concentrating. Two Sundays ago there was an incident between a driver and a cyclist. The cyclist shot through the stop street and the elderly driver of the vehicle hooted at the cyclist as he had to take evasive action. The cyclist was furious and waited until the old man had stopped in the church on the corner where he was attending early mass. The cyclist was rude and abusive and told the old man to pray in church because he obviously needed to. The old man pointed out mildly that the cyclist had failed to stop at the stop street. The cyclist shouted and cursed at the old man with a lot of abusive language. There were several witnesses by this time as people were all going in to church and the cyclist did not win support from any of them. That sort of behaviour does not give the cycling community a good reputation and there have been a lot of cyclists injured or killed by motorists recently in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
bbadenov almost 11 years ago
I’m good with biking … the one I ride comes with a V-Twin and has the words Harley-Davidson printed on the side of the gas tank.
Eric Klein almost 11 years ago
Gas here us 8 bucks a gallon.
rogcbrand almost 11 years ago
Wow! “olfart” is such a pleasant person!
DW Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I wish the cops would give those cyclists who fail to obey the road rules more tickets. That would help alleviate some of the mentality that they don’t have to follow the rules and are above the law.
StkFigs almost 11 years ago
How about: look each way before you cross and you’ll have a 80% better chance of living till you fifty
Dave Ferro almost 11 years ago
“I hope gas goes up to eight bucks a gallon” Well, we’re halfway there…
Cat Hammer almost 11 years ago
I’d have sympathy for cyclists asking motorists to follow the rules and be considerate if I saw more cyclists doing so.
Aaberon almost 11 years ago
Big Thumb’s Up!!!!!!
CHAZ.SHIELDS almost 11 years ago
Sorry Olfart, you still have to follow the rules; No riding side by side on the highway.No riding against the flow of traffic.Stop at all signs and signals.Signal your intentions to turn or stop.
KSfarmgirl almost 11 years ago
I lived in a city about 30 years ago that was not friendly for people on foot or bicycle. Today that city has added more vehicle lanes but still no sidewalks or bike lane. Also poor public transportation.
neatslob Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I don’t generally mind cyclists in the traffic lanes if they’re obeying the laws. A couple of weeks ago I was behind a cyclist as we came up to a T intersection with a stop sign. I was impressed that he actually signaled for a left turn, but then he made the turn without even slowing down. The road he turned onto has an almost-blind curve coming in from the right, so he could easily be been in an accident. I see cyclists run stop signs and traffic lights all the time.
Captain Colorado almost 11 years ago
Not so! Bicycles don’t pay road taxes.
Poollady almost 11 years ago
I think Hobbes’s idea was better!
HeidiTentee almost 11 years ago
Would you like some cheese with your whine?
Karaboo2 almost 11 years ago
Dads just mad cause he can’t text and ride at the same time.
BluePumpkin almost 11 years ago
It’s nice living in an area that is used to cyclists and drivers sharing the road. Most people know how to behave around each other and the cyclists obey the traffic laws. I found out from a cyclist why some of them don’t stop at intersections – they have special shoes that clip into the pedals so they can use the energy of the upstroke of their feet as well as the down stroke to go faster. They don’t want to clip out at intersections, so they keep going. Around here, cyclists either don’t use them or are skilled enough to balance on their bikes until it’s their turn to go. The bike lanes are also clearly marked and there are plenty of signs to remind drivers to be mindful. Works out pretty well.
rshive almost 11 years ago
Just like Hobbes, Dad. Too long.
JR6019 almost 11 years ago
Dad had better think twice. He drives, too. Maybe he can afford $8 a galleon, but I can’t. I can’t even afford what it is now!
rshive almost 11 years ago
Hey, I have no problems with cyclists. Even the little cars I drive can hurt them pretty badly. So I try to cut them a little slack.
That having been said, if I had a dime for every cyclist that I’ve seen go down the middle of two lanes of stopped traffic, I would have been able to retire a wealthy person by now. Sometimes you wish your car had torpedoes.
mklange Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Actually, if they ere required to follow the rules of the road and slowed traffic down as you state, they could be ticketed for obstructing traffic. Hmm, not a bad idea; we already have enough of them here who ride the white line, doing 15 – 20 MPH in a 45 and expect traffic to slow to their pace instead of moving out of the way to be polite to others.
dzw3030 almost 11 years ago
I had to deal with cyclists on a two lane road for five years during commute and as they clogged the right of way during lunch. We need research on what causes the base IQ of cyclists to drop 40 points in groups larger than three.
KEA almost 11 years ago
it’s hard to take people seriously who dress like that
porkerroy almost 11 years ago
coffeeturtle almost 11 years ago
I’m both. I can’t take a side here. I don’t want to get run off the road nor pay $8 a gallon for gas!-At times I’m a pedestrian and everyone’s out to getcha! :)
dflak almost 11 years ago
I love the bycylists who ride between the lanes of cars stopped at the red light so they can be out in front when the light changes.
I don’t trust any cyclist and give them a wide berth.
travburg1 almost 11 years ago
I cannot remember when I last saw a bicycle rider that had a brain.
Number Three almost 11 years ago
Oooooh… Dad is RAGING!
But I like that slogan though…
LOL xxx
SZonian almost 11 years ago
Hey olfart and any other cyclist taking a similor or same position, tell that to the cyclist in SF who killed a pedestrian. Yep, ran her down like a dog because he was “special”. Your attitude is EXACTLY why there is growing animosity between cyclists and drivers. I see everyday why it festers. Cyclists who have a chip on their shoulder the size of Texas doing all they can to piss off motorists.
And when you start paying registration fees, driver’s license fees, gas taxes, etc. to help pay and maintain those roads, you have little to no credibility. The only reason many states are mandating bike lanes is due to narcissistic, greenies who think they’re entitled to special privileges becuase they don’t use fuel to get around.
Those who demand others subsidize their beliefs are leeches. Oh, forgot one little nugget, I ride, but I figure since folks like you have done so much to spread ill will amongst drivers and cyclists, I mountain bike. I don’t play “stupid games” to win “stupid prizes”. I would suggest you grow a clue.
You and folks like you are doing more harm than good here.
tbritt99 almost 11 years ago
Getting your wish there dad.
BluePumpkin almost 11 years ago
I don’t condone it – that’s just the reason behind some of the bad behavior.
MiepR almost 11 years ago
Thank you. Cars are coffins! Also, it’s often pointless for a bicyclist to stop at a stop sign. We can see whether there’s any oncoming traffic. Generally not getting one’s self too close in front of a movng vehicle keeps one out of trouble. And if one is moving at the speed of traffic, we have every right to take up a lane.
Hobbes Premium Member almost 11 years ago
How can there be 82 comments already today?
Hobbes Premium Member almost 11 years ago
How can there be 83 comments already today?
Hobbes Premium Member almost 11 years ago
How can there be…….. Well, you get the idea……..
Hobbes Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Whether one is driving, cycling, or walking, what is often lacking is empathy for others as humans.We could all benefit from leaving home a little sooner so that we aren’t in a rush, and this would allow us to take the time to make the day of another person safer and more enjoyable.If we do this, we will suddenly discover that our day becomes more enjoyable as well.
GROG Premium Member almost 11 years ago
And I hope you get rained and hailed on – volleyball sized hail.
Popeyesforearm almost 11 years ago
he lives in Portland. Bike Zealots of the World!
dvoyack almost 11 years ago
When cyclists start paying license fees to pay for the roads then they can gripe.Other wise shut up, stop at stop signs & lights just like cars do and stay far to the right as best they can. Remember: 2-ton car vs 35lb bike with 175lb rider, who’s gonna win??
Aldus PM almost 11 years ago
@exoticdoc2 and @Nabuquduriuzhur: I agree completely… only perhaps up to 5% of bicyclists actually follow rules of the road. Really sad.@olfart: whatta dumba55 you are.
Kathy M T M Premium Member almost 11 years ago
skinny people that go to the gym use cars also. You don’t have a car? Why can’t people have respect for eachother. A simple comic strip sets you off like this? If I was on the bike I would be more careful because I’m the one that could be dead in 2 seconds flat. Nuff Said.
tedsini almost 11 years ago
Sure are a lot of haters giving each other a piece of their mind today. With this kind of rage I think I’ll stay home and just read a few more comics.
Soo5002 almost 11 years ago
Hey people, c’mon. A little respect here, please. I’m both a cyclist and I own an automobile. I use both each day. As a cyclist, I stay off busy highways, use secondary roads, streets and trails, obey the traffic laws (including stopping at stop signs) and generally try to stay safe for both myself and the people in motor vehicles (and, by-the-by, the car or truck ALWAYS wins). And, being in clips in no excuse. Right-thinking cyclists break out of clips and come to a stop at stop signs. Simple as that.
As a motorist, I always give cyclists enough room. They deserve the use of the paved roads and streets too. I mean, for pete sakes, share the road. As a motorist, are you really in that big a hurry? Would you really feel better if you killed or maimed a cyclist just to be “right?”
Downundergirl almost 11 years ago
Actually, I do. As I drive, I pay my registration and taxes so I pay my ‘fair share’ in building and maintaining it. Any cyclist who also drives as car pays for the road they ride or drive on. So we have the ‘right’ to use it just as much as you!
But there are just too many aggressive drivers in a big hurry out there to cycle safely on the streets. I don’t intend to argue with them any more as in any argument between a car and bike I know who is the loser!!
jack fairbanks almost 11 years ago
generally speaking, anyone who makes a purchase pays a tax of some kind. rank and file cyclists don’t decide how the tax dollars are alloted. if they did, bike trails would be ubiquitous. very few cyclists ambulate solely on two wheels…
LOWRIDER84 almost 11 years ago
If you are not MOTORIZED, stay off of the freaking roads!No, they aren’t your roads, too!Your little bicycle doesn’t pay road use taxes or fuel taxes.If you can’t maintain the speed limit, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!Wimps.
hardcoreparkour4 almost 11 years ago
I wish gas prices would go down to 8 bucks a gallon.
matalupe over 10 years ago
Well, yeah, he IS right … too close to $8/gal. as it is!
jackproarty almost 6 years ago
Calvin’s dad reminds me of Jef the cyclist from Pearls Before Swine.