Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for August 17, 2019

I often get feeling cyclists are afraid of stopping, almost as if they are driven by inertia. This is the reason they don’t stop at red lights or give pedestrians the right of way.

When I’m driving, I’ll try to change lanes (including driving half in the turn lane for a while if I have to) when passing a cyclist or, if I’m on a road with no sidewalk, a pedestrian (or if the pedestrian chooses not to use the sidewalk, like that one guy this morning). If I can’t change lanes, I’ll hug the center as close as I can without hitting the car that is keeping me from changing lanes. I don’t have to worry about angry cyclists smashing my spit-covered windshield with their bike lock.

California (San Francisco) cyclist is not satisfied with their bike lanes, they will deliberately encroach the separation line to incite problems. They believe traffic signals are not meant for them, then complain when they get hit while running red lights, stopping suddenly in front of a vehicle, or when then get cited for hitting a pedestrian.

Easy Rider Peter Fonda died . Just heard on the radio .

I rode a bike through all 4 years of college. We didn’t have bike lanes, helmets or fancy plastic clothes that advertised the names of the companies we sold out to. We had to share the road. Of course, we were still arrogant as heII.

It’s been my experience that automobile drivers usual do that kind of thing to cyclists, not the reverse. So tired of this character. I don,’t know what Stephan has against bicycles.

Would love to see a Croc on a bike Stephan ….. Croc Power !

Just finished a six day bikeride in northern Michigan. What a beautiful part of the country. There was only one incident with a car: at one point in a town, with slow traffic due to a stop sign up ahead, the road narrowed and so bikes needed to merge with cars. A fellow in a pickup was quite upset to find a bicycle ahead of him, and passed the bicycle dangerously, nearly knocking her down. Otherwise, no spitting, no windows broken, no one run off the road.

Violence.

Stephan’s just pissed he’s to fat to ride

Cyclist need to start help paying for the roads. Since, they want to use them.

Yes, you have “accidentally” driven too close. I totally believe you. It’s not as if every time I ride my bike, it’s for me natural to think of all the horrible ways I could die because of the inability of car owners.

So, if they don’t want to stop, why don’t they just ride a stationary bike?

I rode for years, many miles a day. Always obeyed traffic laws and kept an eye out for others. I rode until it was suicidal since so many drivers crowded me enough that they rubbed as they pulled up to a stop. They also cut me off a time or two every stinkin’ day. Bicyclists and bikers have a right to the road but not to be jerks – being a jerk ruins it for everybody else. But drivers I saw every single day were maniacs who deserved serious jail time. And yes, sidewks are for pedestrians only. It’s illegal in many places to bike on sidewalks. If I rode today, I’d go armed. Your 2,800 pound (and way more) vehicle shouldn’t be used as a weapon unless you’re willing to face the death penalty as far as I’m concerned.

I live in a place where hiking, biking, camping, boating and such are a way of life. The Huntsman games are held here each October and major streets are closed for the runners and bicyclists. That’s annoying. We just stay home that day. So, we see a lot of bicyclists. Yes, there a lot that are so close to the edge of the bike lane that I could reach through the window and knock one down (and trust me, I’ve wanted to do that more times than I can count) but by and large they mostly stay in their lane. I do agree with the other posters about running red lights and not stopping forpedestrians. THAT’S why they annoy me.

If cities would simply remove storm grate covers, we could rid ourselves of this pesky urban cycling problem. #FeedPennywise

I was on a NAVY base full of new officers that insisted that we salute them properly. A safety announcement came out saying that we bicyclists must keep their hands on the handlebars and do not need to salute while riding.

My main problem with cyclist aren’t the bicycle commuters. It’s those who chose to play in the road as some kind of hobby.

Next time Goat,flip them the bird

There’s no topic quite so effective at bringing the alt-right white supremacists out of their survival shelters for a good ol’ moronic rant than one that confronts them with the shame of recognizing they really don’t give a flyin’ fuque about any human life other than their own.

As an automobile driver, motorcyclist, and regular bicyclist, I find rude, unkind, selfish behaviors abhorrent from all who share the roads and pathways. Never been a commercial truck driver, though. Let’s all try to be just a little more considerate of others, and then a little more, and then a little more. Then yell, swear, and honk at the few who still don’t fall in line.

90 percent of cyclists are fine. We only notice the 10 percent who act as if they own the road, ride on the line separating the bike lane from the car lane, ride 2 and 3 abreast in car lanes at 20 mph under the posted limit, run stop lights and stop signs, spit on cars, think they are superior beings, and so on. That is, 90 percent of the cyclists are fine, and 10 percent are arrogant jerks.

There’s no need to defend arrogant jerks (unless you are one).

“Stupid is as Stupid does, momma always said.” – Forrest Gump. This applies equally to cyclists and drivers. And pedestrians. (Sometimes, especially to pedestrians.)

Someone shoot Jef the cyclist

Ok, I am NOT a cyclist. I would NEVER ride in the street because I would be afraid. I ride IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ONLY. That said, being a neighborhood, there are cross streets every x-number of feet. It would make no sense to stop. It would be stop and go every 30 seconds. Not fun. Not exercise. It’s a very quiet neighborhood, but I DO look to see if there are cars coming to the intersection and adjust my speed either faster or slower to accommodate them. We finally got our HOA to install stop signs at each intersection (for the cars) as they were FLYING through at 30 miles an hour, rather than 15-20. We had lots of close calls with recreational bicyclists and kids on skateboards and even mothers with strollers! Cars can stop more easily than someone on a bike/skateboard/stroller and with the shape of some streets here, one cannot see the cars until they are already in the intersection! So I understand the professional cyclists dilemma of not coming to full stops at every crossroad. Not defending them. At all. I just don’t think they are doing it out of arrogance.

Right, Jeff, he should have hit the windshield with a bike lock, possibly cracking the glass (depending on size/weight/speed of the lock), startling the driver into swerving – either possibly causing an accident with another MOVING vehicle if there was traffic, or – RUNNING INTO THE IDIOT CYCLIST!

Who would have been arrested and charged for causing this disaster (if he survived).

Great idea there!

Goat + Bike Guy + “conversations”=politics

And I often get the feeling that motorists spend more time texting, talking on phone, shaving or doing makeup than driving

Nobody obeys traffic laws, unless they think they see a cop.

On a recent trip to Israel I was impressed to see many “Bike Highway” These were actual areas marked for cycles, along the normal road ways, and separate from the side walks.All were quite wide and were marked for multiple direction traffic.I also so a great deal more cycles over there as well, and most were some form of electric!

Oh HE with the tingling taint.

Glad no-one brought up E-scooters…

Car hits bicycle or bicycle hits car. Either way very bad for bicycle.

It’s like me when in the RV. Cars don’t accelerate when getting on the interstate, they expect me to pull over and there’s a semi in the passing lane. I’m at 28,000 lbs and they are 4000. I think they are going to lose

Hey cyclists! How does it feel to know that everybody else thinks that you are a bunch of rude, elitist creeps? And don’t you DARE to call yourselves “bikers” unless you want a real biker to get off his Harley and pull your spandex shorts up over your head and tie them in a knot. I live not far from the Pasadena Rose Bowl. A few years ago, a moving mass of Sunday Cyclists were down in the arroyo orbiting the Rose Bowl. Many families recreate in that area as well when there are no event crowds. Sure enough, the cyclists totally ignored pedestrian right-of-way, knocked down and injured an old Hispanic lady in a crosswalk, and proceeded to curse her for interrupting their workout. Unfortunately for the cyclists, her family was watching, and those very righteously pissed-off, young, strong Latino street fighters thoroughly pounded the weak, spindly “healthy” cyclists into the pavement. Then the cops showed up and cited the cyclists for hitting the old lady. No that’s Instant Karma!

I am a cyclist who will DISMOUNT to accommodate older people or people with kids, burdens, disabilities, baby carriages, etc., etc. I ride the sidewalk because I HAVE been hit – despite never riding in (even near) darkness, and having a large American Flag on a stalk., lights at both ends. I was hit ON THE SIDEWALK by a contractor’s trailer. Broken hip, hospitalized. Today, I was almost hit be a LEFT TURNER, from 3 lanes over. I have NO illusions – for cyclists, “right of way” is a fantasy. I know some cyclists are idiots – as are numerous pickup truck drivers and BMW drivers..but back off on Jeff, please. He’s the exception. Most of us just want to live.

And when I talk about the endemic violence deeply rooted in American culture, people look at me as if I had three heads. Re-read this strip and these comments with that idea in mind and see what you think.

“Will no one rid me of this Jef the Cyclist?” (As Henry II supposedly said of Thomas Becket….)

A lot like his more motorized brethren, without the civility.

Because it’s often safer than coming to a stop. (assuming you aren’t coming to close to motor vehicles)

Obviously, hit a nerve with some people here. And no politics…go figure!

Goat should have swerved and smashed him into the railing or off the road.

I’m happy to give bikers the right of way. I don’t want biker on my bumper!

A few years ago in the UK, a cyclist was killed after riding through a red light by a woman who was texting as she drove through the junction. Both were in the wrong, though not everybody would acknowledge it. Only one of them died.