Dogwater Soup

Lets get the facts straight shall we.

I was a bicycle courier in Vancouver for three years, after which I became a car courier for health reasons (I fucked up my back). Back then I had to take a licensing TEST before I could be a bicycle courier. Yes, that’s right, so I knew what the rules of the road were. The problem with that is other people on bikes didn’t have a clue. Nor did most drivers in vehicles. Based on the ranting going on in here, they still don’t.

The LAW states bikes are not NOT allowed to ride on the sidewalk. End of fucking story.

This now sends them into the streets and roadways (where they belong) but most don’t have a clue how they’re supposed to conduct themselves. The fact of the matter is you are now on the road like a car, obligated to abide by the same rules as a car. If you have a drivers license to drive a car you have no excuse for being a moron on a bicycle. If you’ve never owned a car and don’t have a clue, read this: http://www.bikesense.bc.ca/appendices.htm#law before going anywhere!

Back in my courier days when the crunch came down and time was not on my side I did some crazy shit. I also got nailed for it. Got a “running a red light” ticket and fine just the same as if I had been in a car.

What part of the problem is, is the fact that people on bikes seem to be either from group(a) or group(b). Group A. are the ones that are scared shitless when on the road with traffic around them. These are usually the idiots on the sidewalk. These people should either get some balls, learn their rights and get moving, or leave the bike at home.
Group B., well they’re the holier than thou bunch of assholes that think because they’re “being green” the rest of us are scum and have no rights. This attitude is usually backed by complete ignorance of the traffic rules. When it comes to bikes on the road, a lot of drivers suffer from this as well, I’ll get to that.

Then there are a few of us in Group C. We are the ones that know the traffic rules, know how traffic works/flows and have the confidence and acute where-with-all to get ourselves from point A to B without running down some old lady on the sidewalk, getting killed or pissing off people in cars. You know what the secret to this is? Ride on the road (like the law states). Be completely aware of your surroundings at all times, with 60 percent of your attention on what’s in front of you, 20 percent on what’s going on to your left and 20 percent to what’s going on to the right. What about “behind you” you ask? Fuck behind you. If you’re actually riding your bike and not taking it for a walk you should be moving with the flow of traffic to the point where anything that’s going on behind you is of minimal concern. Your attention should be on what is happening or may happen in front of you.

If you’re on the road you use lanes like you would in a car. If there is a right turn lane coming up on the right, don’t stay to the right, move over into the through lane like you would in a car. Use the left turn lanes like you would in a car. It’s people that get freaked out about being on the road that piss drivers off. If you’re coming up to a light and there are cars in front of you all waiting, stay in your lane in the order you would had you been driving a car. Don’t scoot along the curb so that you’re first in line when the light turns green. This WILL and does justifiably piss drivers off because if they just took the care and attention to correctly go around you, they don’t want to do it again. Think of yourself as a slow moving vehicle, end of story.

If some asshole in a car IS riding your ass in traffic trying to make you move. Hold your ground, continue moving forward and give him the finger. You’re in the right, he’s just a dick.

Now, some brush up bitch slapping for the people in cars.

A PERSON ON A BICYCLE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO TAKE UP SPACE IN A LANE JUST AS A CAR, BUS, TRUCK OR MOTORCYCLE. GET USED TO IT.

If you don’t like how “slow” they are, lift your little finger, put on that signal light, change lanes and go around them just like you would granny in a Cadillac. It’s the fucking law.

Basically what it comes down to, Bicyclists need to be 100% educated on the rules of the road and not be chicken shit scared little pussies while riding. Cars need to cut them some slack and also learn to treat them simply as slower moving vehicles and not some annoyance to intimidate.

I’ll tell you one thing, if every one rode like a “responsible” bike courier does, there would only be a few pissed off drivers, the really ignorant dumb ones. The kind that back in the day, were the ones that would get mirror polo’ed at the next light.

Have a nice day, be kind and ride safe.