On Jul 22, 9:28*pm, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article ,
* * * * ComandanteBanana writes:

Not that you can do much about it other than building BIKE FACILITIES
(bike lanes and bike paths), or letting cyclists TAKE THE LANE, but at
least you know the bone of contention is COMPETITION.

Skilled riders don't compete with drivers, they cooperate with the
reasonable, rational & sociable majority of them, while letting
the impatient ones get ahead, and getting ahead of (or otherwise
avoiding) the indecisive, screwy ones who don't know where they
want to go.

You are assuming skilled riders, but not skilled DRIVERS, and that's
where the equation falls apart.

This interview has A LOT of valuable information about many other
issues (like legislation in different states or how we cyclists are
divided), so UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE...

Divided we ~what~? *Riders have been divided on various issues
over decades, and yet people still ride.

The main divide is: ELITE VS. NON ELITE, where the elite ones don't
care about those lesser cyclists who prefer and need bike facilities.


One thing I'd like to remind the drivers is, "Yes, we can rescue you
from your cages!"

What stupid glibness.

They are in a CAGE of sorts, aren't they? And they call them CAGERS
for something. Also notice how they are prisoners of debts, insurance
and gas.


Nolo: One thing that may be a factor in some accidents is what you
refer to as a prevailing prejudice against cyclists by motorists. So,
could you talk a little bit about that?

Bob Mionske:
vehicles don=92t like them -- don=92t want to see them in the road -- and
I think that prejudice against cyclists stems from the competition for
the roadway. You have more people riding, and the motorists have to

* * * * * * * *^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ adapt the way they drive.

* ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yeah. *Pretty good, eh?

As for car/bike "accidents" (some of us prefer to call them
"collisions,") the majority of them happen in intersections,
and arise from either or both of two factors: unawareness
of opposing traffic, or misjudgment of relative speeds.

And sometimes they just IGNORE you, or are simply chatting on the
phone...


My cerebral cortex is better than yours. *It ~really~ is.
Think about it, if you can. *And I'm not laying any claim
to fame. *A lot of people's cerebral corteces are better
than yours. *I'm just one of 'em.

Even a monkey can ride a bike and get by for a while. Soldiers can and
do survive wars, which don't make them any smarter than the rest of
the population. But in YOUR mind, this is being "SMART."

Perhaps the smart ones never go to war!


I guess it's fairly easy to blast out into opposing traffic,
get hit by a car, and then petulantly whine: "That driver
hit me because he hates me, because I'm so f'ing smart!"

But go ahead and enjoy your bathtub revolution. *In private.

Stupido.

That's a sweeping comment. If I'm STUPIDO, I'll admit it. I'm not like
you. I have made mistake running a light, etc. And many drivers
actually care for us. But you MUST admit to this possibility...

"Assume 1% is REALLY aggressive and that you are overtaken by just 100
cars... How many accidents can you get into? One, right? And how many
you need to be killed? One, right?

I rest my case."