I Couldn't Make This Up if I Tried

There is no wise-ass comment I can make that will add to this. It stands alone. It was sent via email at work:

Yes You Can
It's the way most of us say it, just matter of factly.
Plain words by themselves, those three.
Words that can be written on a thumbnail, or blasted across a bright autumn sky.
But remember, together, these are more than just words.
They are our way of doing business.

In keeping with the spirit of Yes You Can, your local Spirit Team doesn't believe we should recognize November.
We believe we should turn next month into Yesvember.
A full month of activities designed to help make Yes You Can more than just three words.
Stay tuned for full details.

The Spirit Team

Cars and Bikes, Bikes and Cars

So it has been pointed out to me that I should write a note or two about “bikers” not following traffic laws. First of all, I prefer the term “cyclists” because “bikers” brings to mind Harley guys. Not that there’s anything wrong with Harley guys, but you get the idea.

In my previous rant about having close encounters with motorists, it was suggested that driving 5-10mph over the speed limit does not constitute driving like an a-hole. And I agree. I do it. Everyone does it. But there’s a little more to it than simply the speed limit. My words, “…for that particular stretch of roadway” is the key phrase there. And the fact is that at times, it seems that people rip down this road at more like 10-15mph faster than the speed limit – again, it’s a curvy, slightly hilly road. Drive a little faster on a relatively straight stretch of road, no problem. But on this road, some kid doing 50 in his crappy little beat-up, 1990 tuner Civic is eventually going to wreak some havoc.

Anyway, on to the lawless cyclist part. I couldn’t agree more. You see, I happen to obey the laws of the road, and many of us do. However, there are a lot of hotshot guys out there who are either morons or think they’re way too cool to obey traffic laws while on bikes. This gives cyclists in general a bad name, and provokes comments like, “Stay off the road with your bike and you will have nothing to worry about!”, or simply “Hey! Get off the road!”. More comments on those comments in a moment. Bottom line, there is no excuse for my fellow two-wheelers who ruin it for the rest of us. I can’t tell you how many times I have waited at an intersection for a light to change regardless of whether there was traffic. Yet invariably, every time, another rider comes zipping by me as if I am some kind of dork for obeying the light. Frankly, I hope these guys are ticketed, and I hope that law enforcement officials get a little tougher with offending cyclists. Wouldn’t bother me at all, because I obey the lights and signs, and I use hand signals while in traffic.

Now….what can I say about the “get off the road” comments without getting red-faced?
Fact is, a bike is a vehicle (yes, yes, I know, then we must obey the laws too – we’ve already gone over that). And the fact is, there will always be bikes on the road because bike trails don’t go absolutely everywhere. No, to answer your next question, we can’t ride on sidewalks. It’s dangerous for several reasons, and it’s illegal unless you’re a little kid. So as long as motorists can get it through their skulls that hey, cycling is becoming a bigger sport here in the U.S. (especially in Colorado) and start to come to grips with the reality that there will be bikes on the road, then we can all start to learn how to share the road. Would I love it if there were no cars on the roadways? You bet! Since that’s not realistic in the least, I have learned to watch out for motorists who might not be watching for me. Hopefully, in time, angry drivers will realize that maybe that guy on the bike up ahead has a good reason to be out riding. Maybe he’s trying to make some kind of difference. Maybe we should not shout obscenities at him, or throw something at him, or try to seriously injure him by running him off the road.

My sport is cycling. I need to be on the roads. I don’t get pissed off when the little kids in my neighborhood play hockey in the street and I have to wait a second or two for them to move so I can get in my driveway. So no, I will not stay off the roads, but I will hope that the cars I encounter won’t kill me. And I will hope that more cyclists are like me and obey the laws so that we will all start to gain respect on the road.
(Thanks to mark25 for the note!)

Drive Fast

I must preface this by describing the road on which our office building sits. It is pretty curvy, kind of hilly, and many blind spots.

Today someone sent out an email to everyone with the subject line: Speed Trap.

The message:

All ~
There is a speed trap set up west of the building just past the putt putt golf course. Be careful.

Thanks for the heads up, Don!!

To which I replied:

“Personally, I think people driving like maniacs and a **holes should be caught, not spared/warned ....co-workers or not. Trust me -- as a bike commuter, I see way too many on that road up close & personal.”

(I had to use asterisks in the note since it was work and all. That way, no one would really know that what I meant was “ass”)

Oh great. So we use corporate resources to encourage us to look out for Da Fuzz. Go ahead and break the law and endanger others – we’ll warn you and let you know when you need to drive safely and reasonably for that particular stretch of roadway.

Robot Alert in Austin