it is a bit of a myth... the resentment is not from our action... our actions are in response to their actions...

it is a bit of a myth...
the resentment is not from our action as cyclists...
our actions are in response to their actions...
their actions illicit our actions
their actions may be without thought
there actions may be without consideration of the world around them
their actions may be without consideration for anything but a consideration of self
fulfilling the robotic draw to push the gas pedal
never considering the results of their actions

the other day I read this article in the NY TIMES: The Wild Bunch
in this article there seemed to be a call for the bicyclist to behave
as if the misbehavior of the cyclist is why car drivers drive the way that they do

well... my behavior is pretty considerate of the world around me
although I may blow through a red light or view a Stop Sign as a Yield Sign
I try not to buzz the pedestrians.... a pedestrian may think such... but I always give people their respect and their space
there are greetings and audible warnings as well as passing distances that are usually more than ample

the funny thing... my actions do not cause a reaction
when I ride I obey the law more than I disobey the law
yet I am treated with disregard no matter what my action is
because that action is on the bicycle

if I ride my bike in the road and cars pass me...
why is it that when they are lined up in the queue at the red light and I go to pass them... why is it that they have failed to grant me the right side of the lane?

they want me to ride to the right... but they do not offer me the right of the lane
there is more room towards the center lane... yet they block the space to the right
so I pass them on the left... just as they passed me
only I move back to the right side of the road.... allowing them to pass me
but I do not ride so far right so that the can pass me within the lane
SHARE THE ROAD does not mean SHARE THE LANE
the lane is not wide enough for us to travel in the lane together
it is not safe

so... the other day when I was on Mount Pleasant Street and the car that took a U-Turn in front of me... causing me to panic stop so I did not get pinned between his front corner panel and the parked cars... he must have been resentful that I ran a light two miles back
because his actions seemed so intentional
aggressive... dangerous... obnoxious
more than likely ignorant rather than intentional

ah....
the show and the tell
I can not recall specifics... perhaps I could fabricate some generalizations
I really could try to fabricate some stuff
we all know what happens
it is the same thing every time

there are countless times where I make the complete stop at the FOUR WAY STOP
and well... I am not granted my turn
why? I guess those drivers recognized me from some time when I broke the law
therefore punishing me at that moment
no... they are so stuck on the notion of me
let me answer my own question
cause honestly... in my car I get the same mal treatment
everyone is so quick to reach for the biggest piece of cake that they did not realize that not everyone is getting their fair share

ENOUGH ALREADY!
IS MY POINT TAKEN!

the way that a cyclist rides is not the crazy chaotic action of anarchy that the outsider thinks them to be
when I am riding my bicycle aggressively in the city... actually... whenever I am riding my bicycle in the city... I am trying to put myself in

so what is my point...

the actions of a cyclist may well put others at a risk of a scrape or a bruise
but the actions of a car driver put people's lives at risk
the car drivers and their sloppy driving styles are dangerous to all around them except themselves
while the actions of the actions of a cyclist whether within or outside the limits of the law tend to put no one at risk other than themselves

it is ignorant to think that cyclists stopping at stop signs and red lights will make them any more safe
nor will this action bring them any more respect
people disrespect the cyclist for reasons unknown to me
it is not because of their actions
it has to do with a glitch in their head
something wrong with the program in their system

it is true... some time ago
at least a few sentences I continued typing
all in an effort to have words to go along side of these final images
but I lost steam
I lost ambition
and I lost content
but I did not lose movement in my hands
so I type

I think about my actions
the disrespect I get from car drivers
the car drivers pass too fast
the car drivers pass too close
on the narrow urban streets the cars come at me as if they are playing chicken

I do not understand why cars pass me so close... when they could drive closer to the center lane
I do not understand why cars exceed the speed limit when they are passing pedestrians and cyclists... don't they know that SPEED LIMIT means SPEED MAXIMUM?
this SPEED MAXIMUM is how a car should be have around other cars
while passing a person who is comprised of flesh and bones they should drive bellow the speed limit and not above it