On 3/27/2015 7:11 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:

On a personal basis I can't see how impeding others is justified as a
matter of habit. It seems like a very selfish act.

Rather like justifying armed robbery, "because the bloke ran out of
money".

Well, my recent run to the hardware store on the bike was likely to
delay some motorist, even though it actually didn't. But the delay, had
it occurred, would have been far less than 30 seconds; it's usually less
than five seconds (the time a motorist typically has to wait to change
lanes and get around me).

In any other context - e.g. pushing a grocery cart down an aisle, taking
a child shopping, stopping to buy something from a sidewalk vendor -
delaying someone else by five seconds doesn't raise an eyebrow; it's
normal human interaction, seldom requiring even "excuse me."

For some weird reason, it's considered an offense only when the person
delayed is sitting on a super-comfortable seat, in air-conditioned
comfort, while listening to his favorite music. Go figure!


--
- Frank Krygowski