Has No Respect

Cyclists don't belong on sidewalks (although some bike riders will ride on them anyway).

Cyclists belong on the road if they can't find a suitable bike path (always my preference).

This rankles some drivers and scares the heebie-jeebies out of some cyclists, but that's the Highway Traffic Act.

I don't have a problem being on the road, but that's because I bother to follow the rules of the road.  I think other, true cyclists also tend to obey the traffic laws, whereas your average garden-variety bike rider will do so only when convenient, because REAL cyclists know that following the rules engenders respect.

Motorists HATE it when bike riders sidle up beside them at red lights.  It's unsafe, it's illegal - it's disrespectful.

Motorists HATE it when bike riders run red lights and stop signs.  It's unsafe, it's illegal - it's disrespectful.

Which brings us to today's idiot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd8RuAG12GA&feature=youtu.be

Motorists do not respect bike riders, and by extension, cyclists, in this city.  Why should they?  By and large, bike riders and cyclists don't respect the rules of the road.

All it will take to reduce the friction is for bike riders and cyclists alike who ride on the road is to show some respect for the rules.

This seems so simple to me that anyone who can't grasp it seems like an idiot.

This Idiot is a Motorist

My first blog entry with a video featured cyclists, and the second pedestrians.  Since then I have logged hundred of kilometres on my bicycle, most of those rides captured on video.  Upon review, it would seem that my main concern with Winnipeg drivers is their apparent and total disregard for using turn signals.

I`ll post a clip montage on that topic another time.

Today`s entry is reserved for one special driver I encountered last summer.  She . . . she just . . . well, see for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwFmYaUoT_4

What are the options here?  Clearly, she found herself somewhere she didn't want to be, but instead of going with the flow of traffic and looping around, she deliberately flouted the rules of the road.  Did she think they didn't apply to her?  That it would be all right "just this once"?  That apologizing would make everything okay?

Fortunately, the rest of us on the road that morning were driving defensively, and no one was hurt.

This time.