Key in; ignition on; brain off!

Angela Atwood-Moore response on MoBike forum:

"Some" motorists turn off their brains when driving? I would say "most" and even that is generous! And the real problem with these over-speed passes is that in my experience, they usually occur before the driver intends to cross railroad tracks, go down a hill with speed bumps, roll through a residential street/neighborhood, make a right hand turn in front of me, or before we both have to stop at a red light/stop-sign: making all these types of over-speed passes COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY!Key in; ignition on; brain off!

Bottom line: bikes and peds are not the problem. The real source of the transportation problems we face? Too many cars, an unjustified (unjustifiable?) sense of entitlement drivers have to speed and to hog the roads, and ongoing traffic engineering practices that claim the intention of reducing traffic congestion, but simply make driving more convenient, bringing more drivers, and ultimately INCREASING traffic congestion. Key in; ignition on; brain off!

I, too, get the routine "get on the bike path" exclamations as I ride through Sligo Creek parkway, while pedaling at or very near the posted speed limit. I have found motorists are particularly good at delivering irony: they often wait until we are very near or right at the rare "Share the Road" sign. It's even got a DRAWING OF A BIKE on it! Key in; ignition on; brain off!

One of my favorites is the assertion (shared none-too civilly at a stop light the driver was in a rush to get to) that "I caused a traffic jam" because I was taking my lane and cars couldn't get around me. Yes of course .... a single bicyclist CAUSED a traffic jam. It had nothing to do with the 10 cars behind me or the 10 cars coming the opposite direction. Key in; ignition on; brain off!

My ABSOLUTE favorite is the expression that"I nearly caused a head-on collision" when a driver attempted to pass me not only unsafely, but unnecessarily. Some selfish drivers can't even remember to use the brake pedal! "See bike...must pass bike...no matter what!"
Key in; ignition on; brain off!

<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MontgomeryBike/message/4650">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MontgomeryBike/message/4650</a>;

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