Critial Mshiny happy persons strike again

oldopelguy wrote: I think the real issue is one of seperating cars from bicycles and providing for fair use of both. If I had my way there would be a seperate, designated, set of lanes for bicycles, Mopeds, scooters, and Kei cars in major metro areas and they would never have to get on a 55mph+ road with cars at all. America is a long way from any of that sort of thing, though.

Minneapolis has actually been doing a pretty good job of that. There are literally hundreds of miles of bike paths in town and in the greater metro area (both offroad trails and designated bike lanes on city streets.) I can get on the bike path system two blocks from my house, and from there get all over town without having to worry about traffic. Motor scooters aren't allowed, but Segways are OK. :)

I have a nice 8 mile bike path not half a mile from where I live.. I am hoping they go through with the plans to extend it the full length of the railroad right of way

Wow, these guys are much bigger shiny happy persons than the shiny happy persons who try to kill me while I'm riding.

On the other side of the Mass-hole coin, this from NYC...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25898876/

With video, no less...

I love how often cops completely make stuff up when they dont like someone. They charged the cyclist with intentionaly ramming a police officer... lol

I think that anyone who has ridden a bicycle as an adult, or has ridden a motorcycle will most likely treat bicycles and motorcycles with more respect. Where does the term "Shiny Happy People (Person)" come from? The REM song is the only thing I can think of......Here in Upstate (Think Great Lakes...) you can get run over just trying to cross the street on foot if you don't carry one of those "Hockey Horns" or a bike bell.

Chebbie_sb (Dave)

i believe the phrase "shiney happy person" automaticaly replaces a word that is censored on this message board. Another one you will probable see is "E36 M3"

and berkeley

thatsnowinnebago wrote: and berkeley

Among others

GlennS wrote:

seann wrote:

GlennS wrote: Yes, and when bicyclists get angry we could smash their bikes up with tire irons.

I've been honked at, yelled at, run off the road countless times and been hit by an apple at full speed but that's just a few people being shiny happy persons. When you ride you have to assume that at every intersection a car will cut you off and the drivers side door is going to pop open from every parked car just as you pass it. In a car you don't have to worry about bikes the same way. I'm just convinced that the only way people will be more aware of bicyclists is if there are more people biking. You see this when riding in the city. On a weekday it's no big deal because the drivers are used to bikes every where but riding your bike in the city on weekends when people come in from the suburbs is suicide. I guess my point is that it just isn't an even playing field.

For claritys sake i was being completely sarcastic. Im fairly certain bastomatic was aswell. Im sympathetic to the crap most cyclists have to put up with. People on two wheels dont get enough consideration from a large percentage of the people on four.

Sorry, I see that my quote you was not really apropriate. It's fixed.

SupraWes wrote: My family and friends will be quite unhappy if you run me over in a fit of rage.

Then don't cycle with a "Critical Mass" group.

Oh, and obey traffic lights, signs, and signals.

How many words are censored ?

Ok, that little outburst gives me a question... Now I remember that when we started on this new board, we had some sort of automatic simultaneous preview window when typing our posts. Now that was awful, and I don't want it back, but I do notice that there is now no way to preview posts at all. It would be nice if the people periodically fulfilling their curiosity about the board filters had some way to do so without accidentally posting profanity :).

Wowak wrote:

SupraWes wrote: My family and friends will be quite unhappy if you run me over in a fit of rage.

Then don't cycle with a "Critical Mass" group.

it's a good thing we don't get them around here. I would be afraid of cycling on fridays for fear of getting caught up in with the shiny happy persons

While being on a bicycle sucks around cars...it's part of the game. If you ride it's the price you pay. Same as riding a motorcycle. Motorcyclists have the exact complaints. Course, on a motorcycle if you break windows, beat on cars, break laws you get tickets.

THIS DOES NOT GIVE CRITICAL MASSHOLES the right to skirt laws or cry foul when they're clothes lined off of their bicycles by the police.

Ever notice those guys only try this sh!t in cities? I was reading about this the other day...if someone smashed in my window I would "fear for my life" and exercise my self-defense rights especially if anyone else was in the car with me. Ventiliated bicyclist anyone? Now, the next 150 jerks might get me but the first 28 wouldn't be so lucky. Also, a car is a weapon. My first motorcycle and bicycle taught me that. Why stop for these babies now? They've proven that they're dangerous and willing to harm people. Also, if they're running red lights and get hit...who's at fault? In a car the person running the light is at fault...I'd imagine the law applies to bicyclists as well.

I'm probably one of the few on this forum who've been ticketed for a bicycle moving violation. Silly me, I stopped when the campus cop told me to. (I was not guilty of the charge, but that's another matter.) It does bring up a question: How should an officer stop a bicyclist who does not obey a verbal command?

slantvaliant wrote: It does bring up a question: How should an officer stop a bicyclist who does not obey a verbal command?

PIT maneuver?

I'm a life-long dedicated road cyclist. I raced for about a decade, was a bike messenger in DC, and worked in bicycle shops forever. To this day, I try to get in 80 or 100 miles a week spread over 3 or so rides.

All of that said: I'd like to gather up all the Critical Ma$$holes and ship them all someplace more bicycle-centric like the geographical center of Nevada. I've watched the tide slowly turn for decades regarding how cyclist are treated, and it's steadily improving. Granted, cell phones, the ever growing lack of attention paid to driving, and the curious trend of people in CARS who drive at less than 25 mph are all an issue, but still, I haven't been deliberately run off the road or had stuff thrown at me in years. Critical Ma$$holes anger, nay, infuriate the self-absorbed and entitled drivers of our nation's capital, and I simply don't want to the the poor fu*ker who bears the brunt of the misdirected rage of some K St. lobbyist who's car got kicked by some crustypunk on way home from work the week previous.

And regarding fleeing and eluding on a bicycle. If you know the city, and by that I mean the alleys and pedestrian walkways, particularly those with short staircases, and where there are bunches of bikes parked; you're as good as gone.

motomoron wrote: I'm a life-long dedicated road cyclist. I raced for about a decade, was a bike messenger in DC, and worked in bicycle shops forever. To this day, I try to get in 80 or 100 miles a week spread over 3 or so rides. All of that said: I'd like to gather up all the Critical Ma$$holes and ship them all someplace more bicycle-centric like the geographical center of Nevada. I've watched the tide slowly turn for decades regarding how cyclist are treated, and it's steadily improving. Granted, cell phones, the ever growing lack of attention paid to driving, and the curious trend of people in CARS who drive at less than 25 mph are all an issue, but still, I haven't been deliberately run off the road or had stuff thrown at me in years. Critical Ma$$holes anger, nay, infuriate the self-absorbed and entitled drivers of our nation's capital, and I simply don't want to the the poor fu*ker who bears the brunt of the misdirected rage of some K St. lobbyist who's car got kicked by some crustypunk on way home from work the week previous. And regarding fleeing and eluding on a bicycle. If you know the city, and by that I mean the alleys and pedestrian walkways, particularly those with short staircases, and where there are bunches of bikes parked; you're as good as gone.

Yep, I find that you can evade the police the longest in GTA:SA using the mountain bike

I like to road bike and that article even made me mad at myself.