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jlcatch22 t1_jaa5kiu wrote

I saw two cyclists on the road recently, and had they been riding one behind the other they could have easily just occupied the side of the road, not impeding traffic. But no, in true dickhead cyclists fashion, they had to ride side by side, so that one of them was in the lane and cars had to wait for the opposing lane to clear to get around them.

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periphrasistic t1_jaaej17 wrote

Terrible. What do you do when you encounter a slow truck?

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jlcatch22 t1_jaaexxs wrote

A slow truck is probably there out of necessity. Not like the entitled dickhead on a bicycle that impedes traffic for his hobby.

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Cindexxx t1_jacrpkr wrote

You know some people can't afford cars, right? If I'm biking it's a hobby, if my nephew is it's because he doesn't have a license much less a car. Taking an hour walk and turning into a 10 minute or less bike ride helps a lot getting to work or buying groceries. There's no public transit at all, there aren't even Ubers here. Even if there was, it'd cost way more than it's worth.

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jlcatch22 t1_jact8kp wrote

Okay. What does that have to do with choosing to ride in the middle of a lane and not the side of the road?

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Cindexxx t1_jad1c39 wrote

The side of the road is unsafe. Bikes should be following traffic laws, can't do that from the side of the road.

If there's a shoulder not covered in parked cars, of course they should be there. Safer for everyone. But in my small town most roads don't have a spot to ride, and riding on the sidewalks is illegal. So you go with traffic.

Now if you're lazing along at 6mph you're just impeding traffic, if you're that slow you should be walking. That's basically on purpose and I won't be defending that.

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periphrasistic t1_jaagx14 wrote

So your contention is that cyclists should pay taxes to maintain the roads for your use, but if they also want to use the roads then they’re entitled dicks: do I have that right?

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IveGotDMunchies t1_jaah99p wrote

Most bike laws state that if a bicycle is on a road they must follow vehicle traffic laws. You're not supposed to ride two wide even as a motorcycle.

Furthermore laws usually state to ride next to the shoulder/curb so that vehicles can pass.

People doing the opposite are dicks. Am a cyclist

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periphrasistic t1_jaai6p4 wrote

In my state, claiming the lane is legal and depending on the number of lanes and their width, vastly safer. When cyclists are in the side of a lane, motorists are encouraged to attempt to pass them within the lane, which has a nasty tendency to either clip the cyclist with their side mirror or force the cyclist into the doors of parked cars. If there is a wide shoulder though, then yes, cyclists should absolutely use that.

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