Sunday, November 21, 2010
Cyclists rights
In today's Post Dr. Gridlock discusses a cyclist's response to being followed by an impatient motorist. Despite many efforts to educate motorists on the rights of cyclists, it's surprising how many people think that bicyclists have no rights to the road. In every state cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities to use our roads, paid for by everyone, as motorists. This doesn't keep motorists from regularly harassing cyclists, both physically and verbally.The latest example is illustrated in the Dr. Gridlock article which was in response to an earlier online chat in which a cyclist discussed being honked at for many blocks by an impatient motorist. Dr. Gridlock responded appropriately but he was later berated for not castigating the cyclist:
Surely the cyclist must share some of the blame for not yielding the right of way to the motorist who was legally using the service road. The cyclists actions were not only selfish, but even dangerous.
He or she could have taken the moral high ground and engaged in safer behavior by pulling aside, instead of being apparently annoyed and pigheaded by refusing to yield to the bigger and heavier automobile.
This response sums up the situation. In school when the bigger, heavier kid harasses someone we call them a bully. When a motorist does it, it seems to be accepted behavior. Cyclists are tired of being bullied by motorists. We're not going away, in fact there are more of us on the road each day and we'll continue to use the road as is our right.He or she could have taken the moral high ground and engaged in safer behavior by pulling aside, instead of being apparently annoyed and pigheaded by refusing to yield to the bigger and heavier automobile.
Labels: bully behavior, cyclists rights, dr. gridlock
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