Vehicular manslaughter is... bad... right?
Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure they don't it so much when you do that. Nonetheless, I was severely tempted to commit about 20 counts of it yesterday. I was driving into Bemidji after the two hour trip from Fargo and was looking forward to being back. The stupid 16 year old girl who couldn't see over the steering wheel and was driving ten miles an hour under the speed limit for the entirety of the construction zone just outside of Bemidji had already kinda pissed me off, but whatever. I was glad that I was finally back.
Then, at the stoplight right by where I turn to get to my house, I noticed a bunch of bikers on the road.
Before I go any farther, I need to explain my thoughts on bikers. I don't mean motorcycles, though. I mean pedal bikes. Now I like biking as much as the next guy. It's a fun activity. People who bike really hardcore (think spandex shorts) bother me. Partially because all they talk about it how far they biked and far they are going to bike and how they are doing things to make themselves bike better. Guess what? You may be really excited about the 4 hours a day you spend on your bike, but for the rest of us, it's boring as hell.
The other reason I hate bikers is their "share the road" mantra. They always go off about how the road is for bikers, too, and how cars need to share the road. Well guess what? The road is not for bikes. Bike paths are for bikes. Roads are for cars, no matter what any idiot says. Because cars are an order of magnitude more massive and move twice as fast as you and your bike will ever hope to. So stop being pretentious and stupid and get out of the way.
Now that you understand my thoughts on bikers, let me return to my situation. I'm at the light, and I see a group of bikers, probably 10 to 15 strong. Taped onto their backs are signs that read (you guessed it) "share the road". What's worse, these bikers aren't even the spandex-y kind that can sort of keep up with traffic. They're a bunch of average joes on assorted non-racing bikes. And they're piddling along at about 10 miles an hour.
I was able to restrain my impulses, but I wanted SO badly to spin the steering wheel and send my car right through the middle of their little group. Seriously, though... bikers don't belong on the road unless they can keep up with traffic or stay out of the way. Otherwise you're just making a nuisance of yourself.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
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2 comments:
Well, it's actually supposed to be illegal to ride bicycles on sidewalks, so before you go getting all upset at cyclists, remember that the ones on the road are the ones OBEYING the law.
But I do understand where you're coming from. I only get frustrated with cyclists if they're going significantly slower than the speed limit and there's no way to pass them. Overall though I think their dedication to fitness and not messing up the environment is pretty awesome.
...Which is why more cities should make bike paths. And bike lanes. I hate biking in traffic just as much as the cars hate trying to avoid me.
In the meantime, don't hate on people with spandex. Butt padding is an awesome and essential commodity.
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