On 10/31/2017 6:08 PM, AMuzi wrote:
On 10/31/2017 4:36 PM, wrote:
On Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at 8:27:04 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 10/31/2017 10:29 AM, AMuzi wrote:
On 10/30/2017 10:37 PM, John B. wrote:
On Mon, 30 Oct 2017 22:52:12 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 10/30/2017 10:04 PM, John B. wrote:
On Mon, 30 Oct 2017 07:25:14 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

You rarely have to worry someone is actually going to run you over.
After all if might get blood on their car that they'd have to wash
off. But the continuous threats are tiring. When I get back from a
long city ride - say my home down to Palo Alto along Hesperian then
back again - some 50 miles - I will be threatened at least two
dozen times with cars trying to nudge me off the road. Even with
open lanes they could easily pass in. Another thing is that you
will be riding along and a car will come up behind you fast, swerve
around you and turn directly into a driveway that causes you to
slam on the brakes. Usually a store or something.

I can only say that the U.S. must be different. I've ridden in
Japan,
Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and have never, repeat
NEVER, had anyone threaten me, either by word or action. I also rode
in New Hampshire and Southern California, but that was a long
time ago
and I can't be sure but I certainly don't remember any acts that
were
threatening.

I can only say that other parts of the U.S. must be different,
because
what Tom describes almost never happens to me. Although my "other
parts
of the U.S." statement needs some modification, since I've ridden all
the way across it, and ridden at least a little in 47 states so far.

The last irritating incident that happened to me was three weeks
ago, on
a 50+ mile ride. Ohio has a new law requiring three feet passing
clearance. One car passed closer than that when there was plenty
of room
to go around. But as someone said, I probably shouldn't attribute to
malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.

If the police were to ticket these people the state would never
again have to raise taxes. And it would have the side effect of
increasing road safety. But the drivers would not stand for it.

Locally one of the people who was caught by a red light camera
wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper. He was outraged
that they were using cameras to record miscreants. There were a
dozen follow-ups by others agreeing with him and not ONE comment to
the contrary.

In our area, the camera issue was speeding, not red lights. Yes,
there
were online complaints about the fact that the cops were giving
tickets
for being 13 mph over the 50 mph limit on the city-center freeway.
But
here, to counter the over-privileged bitching, there were several
individuals posting "Don't be stupid, just drive slower." I was
one of
those. I mentioned that the time saved by speeding had to be less
than
three minutes.

In W. Australia, and probably the rest of the country, they had "speed
Cameras" which were mounted on portable tripods along roads ranging
from city streets to "way out in the country". I was told by my mate,
who's daughter was employed by the Perth Police in a clerical
position, that these cameras communicated with the police in some
manner and transmitted data on speeding cars which the police computer
turned into a speeding ticket which was mailed to your house.

The attitude seemed to be "stay under the speed limit" rather then
"I'm being persecuted".

But the U.S. attitude, which admittedly I only see posted in Internet
articles, about some sort of leeway on obeying laws seems odd. If it
is O.K. to drive 15 mph over the posted limit then why a lower posted
limit. Why not simply a posted 65 mph limit?

One wonders, is it O.K. to steal if it is only a little?ÂÂ* Or even
commit murder... in a small way?



In the Land of the At One Time Free and the Now Not So Brave, we select
the best citizens for public office:

https://710wor.iheart.com/featured/m...eeding-ticket/



Exemplary.

Funny thing - around here, it was a Republican rather than a Democrat,
and it was for drunk driving instead of speeding. No video, though,
AFAIK.


--
- Frank Krygowski

We now have had two club members struck by cars and had video
recorders on and turned this over to the police who say they can do
nothing. That's liberal California for you. But Frank tells us that 20
year olds speeding around are Republicans.


Speaking as a generally hard-boiled and cynical cyclist, I am absolutely
amazed at the vicious comments people post to local news sites after a
cyclist crash or death. Hating cyclists, texting whilst driving (drunk
or doped up notwithstanding) and generally flaunting bad behavior seems
to cut across party lines.

I'm sure there are differences, and some demographer could coax them
out, but overall as a nation we just suck at being human.

You could argue it's worse, much worse, elsewhere (or better. whatever),
but we are not who we were either.

I recently read up on "rolling coal" - that is, using modifications of a
pickup truck's diesel engine to purposely shoot dense black clouds of
unburned diesel fuel out the exhaust. I'd seen it done many times, but
had it done to me (and the folks I was riding with) only once.

The comments in the articles were disheartening. I didn't realize that
most of the people "rolling coal" are intent specifically on abusing
people who choose not to pollute. The comments bragged about taunting
Prius drivers, economy car drivers and bicyclists.

One source said there are no laws against this practice in other
countries, since they're not needed. Nobody else does it; it's just
American jerks.

Yes, we are not who we were.

--
- Frank Krygowski