It's no big secret that I don't like the majority cyclists and yes I am aware of the studies that say its just some kind of transference of rage or whatnot. But I have had quite a few run-ins with cyclists in my area, last week two blew through a stop sign forcing me to lock up my Mini and steer into the center grass road devider. They were quick to point out it was my fault by cussing at me and flipping me off. Mind you I had no stop sign to stop at, they did. I have found most have a arrogance about them, that they feel they are somehow better than us lowly car drivers. It seems a large enough group of cyclists feel that the rules of the road not only don't apply to them, but they are somehow morally superior because they are riding a bike (99% of them don't use for commuting, shopping, or daily transport). It happens at least once a week in my neighborhood, a guy (or even better a group) in full "Tour de Something" regalia, start blowing through stop signs and red lights, and someone nearly gets killed.
In this video a group of cyclists are seen blasting through the streets of Washington D.C. not stopping at red lights and one of the members of the group that was ahead of the rest gets nailed by a Taxi. It looks like he was ok, and I honestly hope that he is, but the problem I have with cyclists who constantly moan "same rules / same rights" is that they don't have the same rules, and many of them don't even attempt to follow them, as this video proves. Car owners and motorcyclists have to pay registration fees, carry insurance, and get a license to use the roads. Cyclists don't have any of the responsibility of being a licensed road user, but demand all the rights and protections. Like in this case, it's likely the Taxi drivers insurance company is going to end up eating the repairs, since cyclists don't have to carry insurance.
Source: YouTube
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