That encapsulates it, sad as it is. I a glad I do not ride a motorcycle anymore. Things have changed from really bad to ridiculously bad.
Funny, when I'm out road-riding on a bicycle, most people around here, I must admit, show the decency to pull somewhat to the left and provide safety and respect to bicyclists as they pass them. BTW, the law is something like 3 or 4 feet, and if there is not room to provide that amount of space, drivers are required to wait at a safe distance behind the bicycle until they can safely pass them - just as with slow-moving farm equipment. (And no, I am not in support of bicyclists arrogantly taking up too much space in the roadway - they do not have the right to do so). Surprisingly often, though, the drivers who do not give you a respectful berth actually are closest to you as they pass you, then you notice that they drift to the left after they are past you. No sense to it. I don't think that it's very often an intentional thing. And yes, Robert, as to your having to scurry out of the way of blissfully speeding cars (while you're pushing a baby carriage no less!!): I have recently come to recognize why speeding cars coming down my street tick me off so much. It's about a balance of power - cars against pedestrians. To quickly illustrate this, picture downtown Chicago (or Boston, where it is common knowledge that you don't step off the curb, or it's your ass) and compare it with small town rural America (as we have historically known it). In the former, the cars have the power - it is accepted that people had damn well better keep their hides out of the way of traffic, or it's curtains, and it will be the fault of the pedestrian. In the latter, the driver who hits a pedestrian would be considered reckless and a scourge to society. So when I see our rapidly growing town getting more red-light-runners and cel-phone-yapping reckless drivers, I realize that the power balance is shifting from the pedestrian to the car driver - the sad natural progression. Ranting must be done once in a while. Brian On 5/28/07, Robert & Tara Ludwick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
We wont let our kids ride bikes around here except at the bike trails at the park or in the yard, it's just not safe. as much as I'd like to see the oldest boy get a bit more exercise , I'd rather not see him get flattened. Pretty sad, When I was his age , out in California, we used to ride our bikes 20 miles to the beach. I wouldn't let him try anything like that now. The last time I attempted walking in our *city* (all of about 50k people in the whole county ) downtown I was pushing a young child in a stroller and out of 6 , traffic light controlled intersections, all small 2 lane streets in an old southern downtown, I had to run, and dodge and shove the stroller out of the way to keep from getting creamed at 3 out of 6 of those crossings, while crossing on a green "walk" light while idiots in suvs and minivans careened around corners with cell phones glued to their faces while not even looking where they were going. Those kind of survival odds stink. It's not anyones imagination, the driver's are getting worse, and we have small colleges in this town every fall we get an even scarier batch of kids in bigger and bigger vehicles that have been handed down from their parents, migrating in from the woods. It was bad enough when they were all driving moms old toyota with no cell phones, now it's moms old monster truck with a cell phone talking or texting away, and most of those kids come from small towns where the driver's test consists of driving around the town square twice with the deputy and not hitting anything. -------Robert Mike Canfield wrote: > Agreed. I ride my bike alot. Prefer to keep to seasonal back roads as > there are less idiots intent on running you down. In town or on the highway > I ride like every car I encounter doesn't even know I am > there..........Maybe they don't. > > Mike > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Zoltan Finks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 2:57 PM > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fuel Mileage > > > >> Absolutely understandable. I always question whether I'm getting paranoid, >> but it seems drivers are getting worse by the month. Red light running and >> cel phone talking in particular. Often when I think someone is >> intentionally driving agressively toward me, I find a little girl yapping >> on >> a cel happily. So that's surely the one huge downside to bike riding. >> >> Brian >> >> >> On 5/28/07, Peter Frederick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> I sincerely wish that I could safely ride a bike around here, but with >>> high speed SUV traffic on narrow, shoulder-free roads, it's asking for >>> severe injury or death. >>> >>> Likewise it would not bother me at all to walk a couple miles to the >>> train or bus stop to take one of them to work, beats the hell out of >>> driving all the time. >>> >>> Peter >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________ >>> http://www.okiebenz.com >>> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ >>> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> >>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >>> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >>> >>> >> _______________________________________ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ >> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
