Now I remember why I quit cycling!

Quoted message said:

Today I had a guy pull up next to me and >in his best "Deliverance" drawl said "Boy, you gonna >get
hurt REAL bad out here."

Quoted message said:

I think I'll try meandering down the >sidewalk tomorrow. I don't want to give this up

Hi Dave, hang in there, and DON'T give up!! I have days like that too. I've been seriously
commuting for almost 6 years. It helps to force yourself NOT to look up at the drivers once they
have passed, (hope you use a helmet mirror) "training" them is hopeless, and if you don't watch
people flipping you off, pointing at the sidewalk, or whatever, it will leave much less of an
impression on you, which will make your commute easier to stick with. Good Luck! Mark C.

Hate to tell you this Dave, but the guy probably gave you pretty good advice. Those who insist on
"taking the lane" are those idealists who have never been run down by an auto and never had to
recover from a serious auto-induced injury. And, by the way, chances for a complete recovery and
return to normalcy are pretty slim. Find a safer time and place to ride. There are times when being
right isn't worth the price.

"Dave Clary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Because the drivers in my part of town are complete [censored]. I have a

short

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commute to work but there are only three possible routes for me to go

home. Two

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two-lane roads and one four lane--neither one has any shoulder at all. I

do my

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Forrester best and "take the lane" but it's scary as hell with these

yahoos

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barreling down on you in an F250 and waiting till the last possible second

to

Quoted message said:

change lanes. Today I had a guy pull up next to me and in his best "Deliverance" drawl said "Boy,
you gonna get hurt REAL bad out here."

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow. I don't want to

give

Quoted message said:

this up. The ride in is enjoyable and I like getting my exercise in

before I

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get home and have to deal with home work and honey-do's.

Aaaarggghhhh!!

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗

Dave, my brother-in-law's three friend's were riding recently in Texas and got hit by a semi, 1
killed. That's a shame when anyone can not ride with out being harrassed by cars.

Dave Clary said:

Because the drivers in my part of town are complete [censored]. I have a short commute to work but
there are only three possible routes for me to go home. Two two-lane roads and one four
lane--neither one has any shoulder at all. I do my Forrester best and "take the lane" but it's
scary as hell with these yahoos barreling down on you in an F250 and waiting till the last
possible second to change lanes. Today I had a guy pull up next to me and in his best
"Deliverance" drawl said "Boy, you gonna get hurt REAL bad out here."

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow. I don't want to give this up. The ride in
is enjoyable and I like getting my exercise in before I get home and have to deal with home work
and honey-do's.

Aaaarggghhhh!!

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Because the drivers in my part of town are complete [censored].

That attitude is probably the result of having WAAAAAAAYYYYY too many What-A-Burger stands in town.
I have visited CC a few times and really am amazed at the number of WAB's. (which possibly explains
the size of the butt on the statue along the shore...you know the one I mean)

Ride safe and watch them four wheel demons...

Scoot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Trying to save someone from their own stupidity is like trying to teach a pig how to dance: it
wastes your time, and annoys the pig."

(Scoot) said:

Quoted message said:

Because the drivers in my part of town are complete [censored].

That attitude is probably the result of having WAAAAAAAYYYYY too many What-A-Burger stands in town.

Can't have too many Whataburgers. We have far too many Circle K's--but not WB!!
:-)

BTW, I eat a Whataburger without the bread for lunch every day ( a What-a-atkins-burger). I've lost
42 pounds since mid-march. Take that Subway!!

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amazed at the number of WAB's. (which possibly explains the size of the butt on the statue along
the shore...you know the one I mean)

gotta be Selena!

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Ride safe and watch them four wheel demons...

Easier said than done but thanks!!

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗

(Shwackman) said:

Hi Dave, hang in there, and DON'T give up!! I have days like that too.

I'm talking about EVERY day--it doesn't change!

Quoted message said:

helps to force yourself NOT to look up at the drivers once they have passed, (hope you use a helmet
mirror) "training" them is hopeless, and if you don't watch people flipping you off, pointing at
the sidewalk, or whatever, it will leave much less of an impression on you, which will make your
commute easier to stick with.

That stuff doesn't bother me--it's the daily close calls and realizing that a side mirror on one of
these trucks can kill me!!

Good Luck!

Thanks....I need it!

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗.

WHATABURGER! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH, that DELICIOUS Burger brings back SO MANY FOND memories of my
Native Houston days! (And also a Broiler Burger #4 Chilly Cheese) Born (Hatched, dropped off by
aliens, etc.) and 33 years of being there, before I hoofed it to South Florida in 88. Since I gave
up so-called junk burger food (NEVER CONSIDERED Whataburger junk food though) 2 years ago, I've
dropped 20+ lbs. BUT I'd SUCK DOWN a BIG DOUBLE WHATABURGER SO QUICK, if there was one local here in
South Florida. EZ (WANT A WHATABURGER) Biker :-) Pompano Beach, Fl. (Aero & GRR Ti Pilot)

"Dave Clary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(Scoot) said:

Quoted message said:

Because the drivers in my part of town are complete [censored].

That attitude is probably the result of having WAAAAAAAYYYYY too many What-A-Burger stands
in town.

Dave Clary <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Because the drivers in my part of town are complete [censored]. I have a short commute to work but
there are only three possible routes for me to go home. Two two-lane roads and one four
lane--neither one has any shoulder at all. I do my Forrester best and "take the lane" but it's
scary as hell with these yahoos barreling down on you in an F250 and waiting till the last
possible second to change lanes. Today I had a guy pull up next to me and in his best
"Deliverance" drawl said "Boy, you gonna get hurt REAL bad out here."

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow. I don't want to give this up. The ride in
is enjoyable and I like getting my exercise in before I get home and have to deal with home work
and honey-do's.

Aaaarggghhhh!!

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗

Don't give in Dave! I too have a short commute to work on some really busy streets with no shoulders
but the right lane is plenty wide for me and the cars. I've had a few incidents of drivers honking
or hollering "get on the sidewalk", etc. These are strangely far less frequent now. Maybe they're
getting used to me;-)

Edward Wong Orlando, FL

Dave,

I hear ya. Being your neighbor to the north (Oklahoma), we have the rednecks cruising the streets too. More than once have I thought in my mind about the duelling banjo song from Deliverance.

The smart commuter knows when to take the sidewalks. The notion of the LAB's taking a third of the lane theory is nice. But doing that all the time makes a cyclist the traffic fodder.

On my way to work, I generally have a good ride. There are a few spots that I take the sidewalk for safety reasons. On the way back, I take the backroads and goes through alleys and unconventional places to get home. Usually that is marred by teenagers wanting to get as close to me without clipping me.

Quoted message said:

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow. I don't want to give this up. The ride in
is enjoyable and I like getting my exercise in before I get home and have to deal with home work
and honey-do's.

Aaaarggghhhh!!

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗

Dave, I commute in Austin where the people are supposed to be more enlightened than the avg Texan.
And for the most part the majority of motorists are OK, but it only takes one jerk to ruin your day,
or life. So I ride an extra 2 miles in order to avoid bad streets, but like you there are only so
many routes between Points A and B. So I ride on the sidewalks ( Why not? There aren't any
pedestrians in Texas!) and have to get off my bike in 2 places to carry it over curbs in parking
lots that I cut through. Oh, but did I mention I don't ride the bent? As much as I prefer bents I am
convinced that a DF is a better choice in urban traffic. More manueverable, quicker starts, better
visibility, and able to jump and bump over curbs, and plow through gutter trash. Our right to the
road won't protect us from those few jerks that can't slow down for a few seconds.If you can't share
the lane, espesially in rush hour traffic, then get off that road. Taking the lane in busy city
traffic ain't gonna educate nobody. It just pisses most motorists off, provoking some hot head to
take a risk with your life in order to teach YOU a lesson! Find another route, or alter your
schedule if possible to avoid the peak traffic, or even walk the bike through the really bad
sections.Be careful out there.

Dave Clary <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow.

Don't do it, Dave. One of my old riding partners in Houston is a bicycle enthusiast/attorney, who
told me that statistically, you are 4 times MORE likely to get hit by a car riding on the sidewalk
than on the street. Ride the road, keep one eye in the mirror, claim your space, take the lane when
necessary, and don't let them intimidate you. A couple years ago, there was a law passed in Texas
that says a cyclist has the right to take the lane when it is less than 14 feet wide. Personally, I
always leave myself at least 6 feet of swerve-room between myself and the curb (or parked cars). I
assert my position within the lane, but I'm also watching my "6", prepared to swerve into the gutter
if necessary (and it seldom is). I found this method worked well even in downtown Houston rush hour
traffic. Lubbock is a cinch compared to that. Of course, drivers will tolerate you better if you can
ride 25-30 MPH between stoplights. Nothing like some aggressive rush hour traffic to get your heart
rate well into the target zone!

Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40, SWB OSS Lubbock, TX, USA

[email hidden] (Bill Anton) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

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Dave Clary <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow.

Don't do it, Dave. One of my old riding partners in Houston is a bicycle enthusiast/attorney, who
told me that statistically, you are 4 times MORE likely to get hit by a car riding on the sidewalk
than on the street.

This MIT paper says "180% more likely". danenet.wicip.orgdilemma.htmlOpen ↗

Just this morn, after taking my turn at a 4 way stop, an idiot in a mini-van yelled "get a
real bike". Before I even thought about it, I had already yelled the standard but effective
"go to hell". "Get a real car" would have been better. About 5 miles later, I was riding up
that very steep but thankfully short grade at Cedar Canyon. A car was following patiently
behind me, so I pulled off into my friend's driveway and stopped, the car pulled alongside.
I thought "<sigh> what's this?" An older man said "that's a great bike!" We chatted for some
time, and I was grateful to have made a new friend especially because it helped me put the
previous guy in perspective. Last week, a UPS driver made a big deal about passing me on a
nearly vacant road, only to stop the truck in the middle of the road 200 feet later, so I
had to pass him. [censored]. Wish I'd met somebody nice right after to help put THAT guy in
perspective...

cheers, rorschandt

[email hidden] (Bill Anton) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Dave Clary <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow.

Don't do it, Dave. One of my old riding partners in Houston is a bicycle enthusiast/attorney, who
told me that statistically, you are 4 times MORE likely to get hit by a car riding on the sidewalk
than on the street.

Might that not be because statistically most of the riders on the sidewalk are children?

(Pat O'Malley) said:

the bent? As much as I prefer bents I am convinced that a DF is a better choice in urban traffic.
More manueverable, quicker starts, better visibility, and able to jump and bump over curbs, and
plow through gutter trash.

Yea, I agree with that--at least for the route I HAVE to take to get to my house. The way I got
started cycling again after a lay off was to repossess the DF I had bought for my couch potato son
in an attempt to get him out for some exercise. But it just sat in the garage. After riding it for a
couple weeks, I started reading this group while researching an EZ-1. I had to get 'bent again--I
just can't do the DF thing anymore! :-)

Quoted message said:

Our right to the road won't protect us from those few jerks that can't slow down for a few
seconds.If you can't share the lane, espesially in rush hour traffic, then get off that road.
Taking the lane in busy city traffic ain't gonna educate nobody. It just pisses most motorists
off, provoking some hot head to take a risk with your life in order to teach YOU a lesson!

Effective Cycling is great in theory--I think what you are describing is the real world. My activist
days are way behind me. I was member of the Texas Bicycle Coalition and was even being recruited as
a board member. I know how it's supposed to work. But I'm riding to try and enjoy myself and unwind
after a day of work--worrying about becoming a hood ornament isn't part of that equation.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Find another route, or alter your

schedule if possible to avoid the peak traffic,

Unfortunately, neither or doable options. The only thing left is to try the sidewalk and not worry
about making time. I'll have to be very defensive, dodge obstacles, be wary of driveways and the
like. I can probably live with that as long as I get to "fly" going into work in the morning.

BTW...my first "long distance" ride on a bicycle was from Bergstrom AFB to a friend's house near
IH35 and the airport (the old one). I bought a Raleigh Super GranPrix from a place that was a combo
locksmith/bike shop (forget the name) in 1978 or so.

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗

(Bill Anton) said:

Dave Clary <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow.

Don't do it, Dave. One of my old riding partners in Houston is a bicycle enthusiast/attorney, who
told me that statistically, you are 4 times MORE likely to get hit by a car riding on the sidewalk
than on the street.

I think that number can be easily reduced if going in you know you have to ride defensively and are
prepared to stop often.

Quoted message said:

you. A couple years ago, there was a law passed in Texas that says a cyclist has the right to take
the lane when it is less than 14 feet wide.

That's fine but an epitaph on my head stone saying "but he had the right to be there" probably won't
comfort my family much.

Quoted message said:

Personally, I always leave myself at least 6 feet of swerve-room between myself and the curb (or
parked cars). I assert my position within the lane, but I'm also watching my "6", prepared to
swerve into the gutter if necessary (and it seldom is).

I probably wasn't clear in describing the road I have to ride. There is NO room to the right. The
right lane is no wider than the left. An expressway empties onto this road so the traffic light
cycle means that eventually I'll have 20 vehicles behind me. I know I have the right to be there,
but I have several cars behind me (more likely trucks), all doing at least 50mph in a 40, and they
have no place to go. And I live in a city where the local talk radio king pin rags on cyclist from
time-to-time.

This is why my other news group is rec.sport.golf!!! :-)

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx Home: home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ RSG Roll Call
rec-sport-golf.commembersOpen ↗

oooops...that should have been..

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comTexasP38.htmlOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think I'll try meandering down the sidewalk tomorrow.

Don't do it, Dave. One of my old riding partners in Houston is a bicycle enthusiast/attorney,
who told me that statistically, you are 4 times MORE likely to get hit by a car riding on the
sidewalk than on the street.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you saying, that if you are on the sidewalk, a car will come on the sidewalk and run over you, 4
times more likely than if you ride in traffic?

Which is likely to be more fatal?
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Quoted message said:

Might that not be because statistically most of the riders on the sidewalk are children?

Marvin' mawego at comcast.net said:

Which is likely to be more fatal?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a guess -- the one that kills you the more dead?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Don't do it, Dave. One of my old riding partners in Houston is a bicycle enthusiast/attorney,
who told me that statistically, you are 4 times MORE likely to get hit by a car riding on the
sidewalk than on the street.

rednecks keep their dickless monster trucks on the asphalt?!?!?

Let me re-phrase that. Which is more likely to be fatal? ;-)
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"Zippy the Pinhead" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Marvin' mawego at comcast.net said:

Which is likely to be more fatal?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a guess -- the one that kills you the more dead?