Re: When are you too old to drive?

Darby OGill wrote:
> "Brian Nystrom" <brian.nystrom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
> news:a5qRh.9046$hI4.8448@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Judging by the list of newsgroups this crap was spammed to and the fake

>> return address, it appears that the real point of this post is to piss
off 
>> as many people as possible. This is TROLL, nothing more.
>>
>> As a cyclist, this is aggravating as it's hard enough to get drivers to

>> share the road without some moron like this guy encouraging them to
"knock 
>> us off".
> 
> As a motorcyclist, I know where you're coming from.
>  Everyone seems to think courtesy is for the other person.
> Patience is a virtue.
> 
> PS-I seen some sanctimonious cyclist too. I'm sure not you!(or me)! 

Sure. No road user group is completely without blame. Jerks are jerks, 
regardless of what they're driving or riding and you're always going to 
encounter them.

What most motorists don't realize is that in most states, bicycles are 
considered to vehicles, just as cars, trucks and motorcycles are. As 
such, we DO have the right to use a lane if need be. From a practical 
standpoint, we typically try to stay out of the way and use shoulders 
where they're available and in adequate condition, so we don't impede 
faster traffic. Staying "as far to the right as practicable" is often 
also required by law.

Although I do most of my riding solo, when I do ride with groups, we 
ride single-file unless the shoulder is wide enough to permit us to 
double up without intruding into the travel lane.

What amazes me is the amount of harassment I get from people driving a 
5' wide car in a 10' wide lane that don't think they have enough room if 
I'm riding near the white line on the edge of the road. This past 
summer, I even had some brain-dead "bimbette" driving a Jeep that her 
mommy and daddy must have bought her try to tell me that I should be 
riding on the sidewalk (which is illegal here). At the time I was on a 
road with 2, 10' wide travel lanes and a 6' wide shoulder. Apparently, 
that wasn't enough room for her.