Just a quick comment!

There are a few of you people out there that are really sick, uniformed, kind of dumb and not at all considerate or knowledgable regarding cyclists.
I enjoy my road bike more than going 110 in my Cobra.
Bike riding is actually good for, push the pedals....

Best Regards to all you Haters, Bill

A reply to that would be too easy...must resist....:CRY: try to comport myself properly...:CRY: resist! resist! I mean good gosh...he's handing me the rope!!

Bill, Bill, Bill...you had to go ahead and open up a 'dead thread' didn't you?

:LOL:

Well, since I don't have the wonderful self control of Bo...let me take this one

Now, Bill, NO-ONE is disagreeing that cycling is good for you...ah, the exercise, the fresh air, the great cameraderie of yellow spandex, the contribution to the ecological well-being of the planet, the ability to hug trees as you cycle past, smelling the roses, being at one with nature, riding and chatting three-abreast oblivious of anyone behind you, averaging 2.3 miles per hour, breaking the rules of the road whenever they get in your way...but all these points are irrelevant and that was NOT the point of the original post!

Why should cyclists get to experience all these wonderful benefits of cycling AT NO COST, was the point!!!!

Let's take all the hyperbole OUT of the thread and reduce this to one simple question...

"Why shouldn't cyclists have to pay for using the road?"

Bill????


Al...you still there?


LOL


Glyn

PS, Bill this is NOT about 'HATING' cyclists, just asking them to pay their way!!!!! (ooh, and perhaps GETTING THEM OUT OF EVERYONE ELSE'S...LOL)

Glyn, Believe me I'd be very happy to pay if they would give me a safe place to ride and a good surface, or pay an yearly fee to help keep the roads in good repair.
My only disagreement was the "somewhat nasty things" that were said regarding cyclist. Those statements were unfair and showed disrespect for the cyclist.
By the way, tree's are good for making boats and camp fires and shade when I'm resting or waitng for my car to cool down.

Best of Luck, Bill

I REALLY was done with this.Not anymore.....................

Another PC liberal with a low comprehension level who thinks we're not supposed to hate anyone.I hate people too brain dead to grasp a simple concept.:rolleyes:

As long as cyclists continue to place my and my livestock's lives in danger then I will continue to scare hell out of them with the stock trailer as I go by. They should use some common sense and respect for us just as much as we should for them. They are egotistical, blatantly confrontational, and when so a road hazard. It's so bad on our narrow lane country roads out here I'm working on a design to spray horse urine out the side as we pass by. Use some common sense about where you ride.

And what makes you guys so damn special. We pay to drive on the same roads despite their condition, etc. You should pay too.

Damn-Bernie,how could i forget horses?Horses have right of way over ALL!

Bill...what, the rest of us DON'T pay??? Slightly fatuous statement on your behalf I'm afraid...ALL motorists DO pay but the councils/government still don't necessarily give us a safe place to drive, or a good surface...we DO pay a yearly fee to help keep the roads in good repair...cyclists DO NOT PAY ANYTHING...

try again...

"Why shouldn't cyclists have to pay for using the road?"

Glyn

I agree. All vehicles that get on the road have to pass minimum saftey standards. Have a horn...lights... and so on. We had a contoversy in our neighborhood about golf carts on the road. Police warned, then arrested and ticketed folks for driving unlicensed vehicles on public streets. Turns out though, you can get a license plate if it has lights, seat belts, and a horn.

Bicycles should meet minimum safety standards. The riders should meet them too (get licensed). Pay registration fees. This IS coming. Once this happens, the controversy is over. If someone breaks the rules, call their tag number in.

Mike

Mike-it's not quite that simple.%/

Glyn, I'm really sorry you guys feel so bad that I don't directly pay to ride my bike down the road. I do although pay plenty of fees such as...all the taxes you pay, so get over it.
I know one thing..when some driver runs me over out on Hwy. 95, [B]it will be [/B]quick.
Who knows, maybe that driver will be very happy knowing that he or she eliminated one of those freeloading cyclists.

Chill, Bill

Just having fun!

Sorry Bill, I can't let this one rest until you capitulate and admit that cyclists are wrong here. Let us examine your statements...

"Glyn, I'm really sorry you guys feel so bad that I don't directly pay to ride my bike down the road. I do although pay plenty of fees such as...all the taxes you pay, so get over it. "

Everyone (well, all responsible citzens!!) pays taxes, but we motorists pay ADDITIONAL TAXES FOR USING THE ROADS. I understand that you pay taxes like the rest of us...federal, state, sales etc., BUT YOU DON'T PAY THE SAME TAXES AS MOTORISTS TO USE THE ROADS, so why should you get to use them for free?????

No cyclist has yet answered that SIMPLE QUESTION!

:)

Glyn,

I capitulate! You win!

I'm just an old 65 year old retiree that is on the government dole anyway and I enjoy all the benefits of getting older, including riding my bike for excercise.

I also spend plenty on my Cobra stuff as you do, so I feel its not too much to ask to use the roads.
Are you suggesting that little kids pay to ride their Big Wheels and bikes around? Some things should remain "Free" in this country, we don't need bigger government to regulate everything. Those "far lefter's" would like the folks in Washington control every part of our lives.

Anyway, I'll be more than happy to pay a road fee..providing the annual sticker is really cool looking.

Best to You and Yours, Bill

Wait one minute ... if you start taxing cyclists, will they start taxing me for walking on the road? Maybe place a sticker on my a$$? Put up toll booths on the sidewalks? What if you are walking a dog? Where do you put the sticker so they do not scratch it off? How about kids walking to school? :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

Politicians will tax anything they can think of, as long as the uproar is very small so they can be re-elected. If they believe their re-election chances will be greatly diminished by a new tax (license, fee, etc), it will NOT be implemented.

Warren,
If they catch you out walking Turtle ,they ought to do more than just tax you two.
Maybe convert him into a speed bump and let him earn his keep.

Fred,
You crack me up :LOL:

Taking Turtle for a walk is just like taking Frenchy for a walk ... they just don't give a damn, so I just drag him along the street. :)

If anyone posting on this thread hates cyclists, come on up to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket where everyone rents bikes or those damn little scooters .... the traffic in the summer is ridiculous. That's why I go there in the fall when all the day tripping idiots are not there.

I'll be nice to them when they pay my $600 vet bill. Ashholes didn't even stop to see if we were hurt.

I know this is an old thread. I came across it doing a search for something else.
I am on my second Cobra, and have a Corvette for track events, as well as a Mustang as a daily driver, so I consider myself a car guy.
I am a cyclist. I am not going to touch the "payment" issue. But I buy huge amounts of gas and pay all the associate taxes. Insurance would be a good idea but only if motorists without insurance were arrested on the spot when detected. I think motor vehicles have a better chance of causing damage than my 18lb bike.
Now there are divers and drivers, there are cyclist and there are people that ride bikes. There are A$$ holes in both groups. Kids who ride on the wrong side of the road are not cyclist. They are kids who have toys. Their total ride may be 3 blocks to a friends house. They have no concept of the rules of the road. They only know their mother told them to ride facing traffic. This of course is dangerous and not correct but that myth has been handed down from mother to child since the bike was invented. Most cyclist are law abiding and courteous. There are woman drivers and there are woman cyclist need I say more. There are cyclist who are racer want to be's. They are the problem. They are arrogant, inconsiderate and just plane a$$ holes.
I wish the police would stop them and issue tickets for stop signs, and riding two abreast and all for all other inconsiderate things they do.

The solution is mutual respect, and acceptance. You can't drive around with the attitude that bikes have no right to be on the road.
Many times when I am driving I will come across a pack of cyclists who may be riding two abreast. If I can't pass because of oncoming traffic, I roll down the window and yell "car back". That is the command used by polite cyclist to inform those up ahead a car is approaching and to get over.
You can't make the assumption that all cyclist know each other. I had a motorist complain that a bike rider committed some infraction and pointed to a guy I had never seen before in my life. It's like if you are cut off by a car and stop at the next light and complain to the driver of the car next to you.
So in the words of that famous american ,Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along"

That's funny this thread popped back up. I was thinking about it Sunday morning. Reason being there were about 10 cyclist riding down the road. Taking up a complete lane, and veering into the second lane.

I rode my bike as a commuter for years using the BART train, and pedaling. As JayBar said there are a$$holes in every group. I was very fortunate to see 10 at once......LOLOLOL:LOL::LOL::LOL:

For whatever reason the racer wannabes seem to be a lot more here in Texas than anywhere else I have been. The other day there was a large group taking up 2 of 3 lanes on a very busy road. traffic was backed up for miles. leaving 1 lane open when there are hundreds of cars is still blocking traffic. Also the light turned red right as I caught the group and not a one stopped. traffic started moving from the other direction and then stopped because they rode out. All it would have taken is for 1 person to not have been paying attention to the bike riders running the light and there would have been a major accident. They had also had the nerve to flip off the cars that honked at them. I am sorry, but I agree these people need to get off the road. I come across another cyclist often during the summer riding on the side of hwy 78. (2 lane hwy). He stays over to the side and will even stop and wait to cross the bridge where there is no shoulder if traffic is coming. Cyclists like this I have no issue with. I understand that there are times that I will have to slow for a cyclist, but there is no need for them to block traffic for miles because they feel that they have the right to be there.

At the same time there are motorists that need to get off the road too. That same stretch of 78 I have come across a lady in a Cadillac doing 35 (speed limit is 60) more than once. If someone tries to pass her, she speeds up and then slows back down when they fall back in line. When I have the opportunity, I lay back a bit and nail the gas when the last car is still comming. I pull out at the right time and have enough speed that it is too late for her to block me, but she has no need to drive that way.