Cycling Mob Cycling Forums - View Single Post

06-18-2004, 05:58 AM

In rec.autos.driving, Tom Keats said:

>Arrogance is expressed by all kinds of /some/ (but not all)
>road/street users.
>
>But so is co-operation, courtesy and consideration. Those
>things just don't get noticed as much.

I notice. And when it happens, I give a friendly "thank you" wave to the driver
who helped me out. But you're right, most people don't notice - or, perhaps more
correctly, they don't see it as courtesy and cooperation; they see it as their
due. These are the people who think that, because their turn signal is
activated, they somehow have the RIGHT to merge in wherever they want; if you
slow down and allow them into the lane in front of you, they don't appreciate it
as a small favor - they think you owe it to them.

>Another, earlier subthread heretofore discusses pedestrians
>who get half-way across a street and stop, just to stop the
>car traffic, just because they can. On the other hand, I
>distinctly recall occasions when a friend of mine had knee
>surgery, was on crutches, and drivers aimed and accelerated
>at him because they thought he was taking too long crossing
>the -- not a street, but a back access alley. I guess the
>drivers thought he was being 'arrogant' for trying to get
>around while being gimped.

As I said earlier, it's easy to tell the truly arrogant from the merely slow.
Crutches are a dead giveaway, don't you think?

>As a non-driving, transportational cyclist, I've had lots of
>driver arrogance shoved in my face, when I didn't deserve it.

As a sometime pedalcyclist, I have had lots of pedalcyclist arrogance shoved in
my face, also. Like the pedalcyclists who seem to feel that stop signs and
redlights do not apply to them.

So what?

>Driver Arrogance is the most prevalent and pervasive kind of
>on-the-road arrogance

>I bet not many drivers have had as much crap hurled at them
>from, or have been passed-&-cut-off by cyclists, or have been
>threateningly, on-comingly aimed-at in their own lane, as the
>other way around.

OF COURSE you're going to see more arrogant behavior from motorists - THERE ARE
MORE MOTORISTS ON THE ROAD. This makes raw number comparisons meaningless. What
you need to do is divide the number of arrogant drivers by the total number of
drivers, and compare this ratio to the arrogant pedalcyclists ratio.

>because drivers have all got at least
>2 1/2 tons of aces, and good acceleration up their sleeves.

So? Pedalcyclists have Kryptonite locks and greater maneuverability; they can
ride on the sidewalk or a bike path or even into a shopping mall to escape a
motorist bent on revenge.

Tell me, how often do you see motorists blocking the road to bicycle traffic the
way Critical Mass does? This is the epitome of arrogance.

>It actually could readily be said that private car drivers are
>the /most/ arrogant group of road users.

Sure, you could say it - it just wouldn't be true.

--
Sloth is the first deadly sin.

06-18-2004, 05:58 AM	#835 (permalink)
Scott in Aztlán Posts: n/a	Re: Holy shatz! Cop stops bicycle! In rec.autos.driving, Tom Keats said: >Arrogance is expressed by all kinds of /some/ (but not all) >road/street users. > >But so is co-operation, courtesy and consideration. Those >things just don't get noticed as much. I notice. And when it happens, I give a friendly "thank you" wave to the driver who helped me out. But you're right, most people don't notice - or, perhaps more correctly, they don't see it as courtesy and cooperation; they see it as their due. These are the people who think that, because their turn signal is activated, they somehow have the RIGHT to merge in wherever they want; if you slow down and allow them into the lane in front of you, they don't appreciate it as a small favor - they think you owe it to them. >Another, earlier subthread heretofore discusses pedestrians >who get half-way across a street and stop, just to stop the >car traffic, just because they can. On the other hand, I >distinctly recall occasions when a friend of mine had knee >surgery, was on crutches, and drivers aimed and accelerated >at him because they thought he was taking too long crossing >the -- not a street, but a back access alley. I guess the >drivers thought he was being 'arrogant' for trying to get >around while being gimped. As I said earlier, it's easy to tell the truly arrogant from the merely slow. Crutches are a dead giveaway, don't you think? >As a non-driving, transportational cyclist, I've had lots of >driver arrogance shoved in my face, when I didn't deserve it. As a sometime pedalcyclist, I have had lots of pedalcyclist arrogance shoved in my face, also. Like the pedalcyclists who seem to feel that stop signs and redlights do not apply to them. So what? >Driver Arrogance is the most prevalent and pervasive kind of >on-the-road arrogance >I bet not many drivers have had as much crap hurled at them >from, or have been passed-&-cut-off by cyclists, or have been >threateningly, on-comingly aimed-at in their own lane, as the >other way around. OF COURSE you're going to see more arrogant behavior from motorists - THERE ARE MORE MOTORISTS ON THE ROAD. This makes raw number comparisons meaningless. What you need to do is divide the number of arrogant drivers by the total number of drivers, and compare this ratio to the arrogant pedalcyclists ratio. >because drivers have all got at least >2 1/2 tons of aces, and good acceleration up their sleeves. So? Pedalcyclists have Kryptonite locks and greater maneuverability; they can ride on the sidewalk or a bike path or even into a shopping mall to escape a motorist bent on revenge. Tell me, how often do you see motorists blocking the road to bicycle traffic the way Critical Mass does? This is the epitome of arrogance. >It actually could readily be said that private car drivers are >the /most/ arrogant group of road users. Sure, you could say it - it just wouldn't be true. -- Sloth is the first deadly sin.