This year I resolve not to castigate the lazy folks who use automobiles for transportation

[taterguy]

Unless I'm provoked of course.

Happy New Year DU!

How do you plan on making the world a brighter place in 2010?

:toast:

[ashling]

1. By not castigating those snotty assed enviro-bicyclists.

:P

[taterguy]

3. I have an appointment with my doctor to clear up all my ass snot

[ashling]

19. I hope you have Health Insurance

They tell me that ass snot can be a seriously painful condition . . . or was that hemorrhoids?

:hurts:

[HuckleB]

4. What about those big-headed pedestrian commuters!?

}(

[cliffordu]

87. Hey! I resemble that statement!!

:rofl:

[MindPilot]

2. I promise not to launch personal attacks against the Luddite twits

who castigate me for driving.

Oh wait. See now this is why I don't make resolutions.B-)

[taterguy]

6. Would I be posting on an Internet message board if I was a Luddite?

It's not that I'm opposed to technological advances.

I just have a problem with how they're applied sometimes.

[MindPilot]

80. See, now that is why I don't make resolutions....

last.:toast:

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I use bike in Summer, but right now, NO WAY

too dangerous...

happy new year

[taterguy]

9. Being afraid of living is just another way of dying before your time

And aren't you glad I didn't resolve not to call out people for errors in capitalization?

[nadinbrzezinski]

79. It is not fear, just common sense

as a medic I saw my fair share of unnecessary accidents.

And capitalization, shmacapitalization... the grammar police is so yesterday!

[HuckleB]

32. BIKE WINTER!

[H2O Man]

7. My concern is people

who steal automobiles in an attempt to stay in the same place. I'm not accusing anyone in particular on DU. Nor am I attempting to give anyone a free pass.

[hlthe2b]

8. I resolve to make taterguy transport me via rickshaw to & from work

each day... :evilgrin:

[taterguy]

10. Make me an offer I can't refuse

[hlthe2b]

17. Great Olympics training-- Mile High Altitude, plenty of snow and...

I'm on call around the clock! How can you turn that down?....;)

[taterguy]

29. A) I have no desire to be in the Olympics

B) Everyone (well, at least Lance Armstrong) knows that NC is the premier place for bike training.

Read his book.

Seriously, it's pretty good.

[hlthe2b]

33. Btut how does training in NC help me?

Actually, if I read his book and find it uber awe-inspiring, I might be tempted to ride my own bike! (although 18 miles each way to work in COlorado winter might just be pushing it)

[walldude]

11. So calling them lazy isn't castigating them?

I plan to not listen to people who use snide comments on the internet to boast about their imaginary superiority to others. Happy New Year.

[taterguy]

13. It's not 2010 yet

At least in my time zone.

[Ikonoklast]

12. Buy using a squirt gun on all cigarette smokers.

It's for their own good, you know.

[taterguy]

14. How do you plan on catching up to the smokers on bicycles?

[Ikonoklast]

22. Easy.

They'll be the ones wheezing, coughing up phlegm, and going really slow.

OK, I'll get a few cyclists that have allergies, but that is a acceptable risk I am willing to take.

[taterguy]

27. I can do 40 mph on a bike

If I'm going down a very long hill

[Ikonoklast]

30. I can do 128 mph, *up* a hill.

That's on two wheels, too.



I'm not a total jerk, however. I'll give you a head start.

[debbierlus]

15. Where do you live - ever ride a bike in three feet of snow?

With wind chills below 20 degrees....

What do you expect people who live in an area with no mass transit to do?

[taterguy]

16. You're right. It never snows in Minneapolis which has one of the largest % of cyclists in the nation

:eyes:

[uppityperson]

92. They plow the streets pretty quickly though, and they have mass transit

[HuckleB]

37. How many days a year is there that much snow on the ground?

[FLDCVADem]

18. Let's see...

...I live 20 miles from where I work, because that's where we could afford to buy a house and I have two kids to take to school (different schools, middle & high).

Should I buy a sidecar for my bike and drop them that way? And bikes aren't permitted on the Beltway, so I guess I'm stuck driving.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. I resolve not to puncture your skinny assed tired with a sharpened wheel spoke

I didn't unrec your thread although I feel like I ought to.

[HuckleB]

47. Maybe you should rec the thread, or try to educate yourself before you rant.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/23/study-cyclists-cause-less_n_265141.html

[uppityperson]

93. That was a rant?

[LisaM]

21. I take the bus, and it does irk me that some of my coworkers, who can, don't.

It's not always pleasant, buses are packed, and I need to walk home on dark streets. But I still do it to keep my car off the road.

It used to be a lot better till they gave free bus passes to the high school students, which turned the experience overnight from a good one to a bad one. Not just bad, awful.

But I still do it.

It's really not safe to ride a bike from my house to my work.

[FLDCVADem]

24. I couldn't care less either way

If I were taking the Metro instead of driving, I still wouldn't care what anyone else did.

[LisaM]

34. Those who don't take the bus don't get it

They think nothing of running into your office and asking you to do something that might take five or ten minutes, not realizing that it could throw your schedule off by an hour if you miss a bus.

These people also just stay home in bad weather, leaving we who ride the bus to shoulder the burden.

[FLDCVADem]

36. Ah, I see what you mean n/t

[snagglepuss]

77. Why not get a beat up used bike and bike from your house to the bus stop.

Just chain it to a pole. I used to do when I couldn't bike all the way to work. It was nice hopping on a bike after a bus trip.

[LisaM]

90. I'd have to walk the bike over the footbridge

where the bad people sometimes hang out. Or ride it down the same dark street it's unsafe to walk on because it's too narrow, there are no sidewalks, and you need to jump into a ditch if there's oncoming traffic. The distance is very short, just full of pitfalls.

[Cerridwen]

23. (edited) You mean like my 72 year old mother with diabetes and kidney disease?

She can't walk from the front door to the mailbox, about 10 feet, without damn near falling. I'm sure I can talk her into biking to her dr. appointments. The summer here would be great for her.

I hereby invite taterguy to visit Las Vegas, NV this coming July. I have a gallon or so of UV protection floating around here somewhere and I'm sure you have several gallons of water you can schlep with you around the valley. Be sure to fill up at each stop.

I challenge you to get from the Charleston Heights area to Henderson via bus using our wondrous bus system as you stand in 116-120 degree F weather waiting for a bus to come that has a place for your bike; the bus stop by the house has a sign, no shade, no bench; you'll love it. Plan on adding an additional 2 hours to your commute each way. Don't worry, it cools off to the high 90s by sundown. You must do this five days a week, M-F as though you are commuting to a job. Don't worry, asphalt and cement add only about 20 degrees or so to the ambient temperature.

Be forewarned, cyclists in this town are used as target practice. Oh, and bring a strong lock. Not a lot of places to safely park your ride.

Should you require groceries or any other side excursions, please add an addition hour for each excursion.

Of course, Phoenix would be much more entertaining as their "public transportation" is even worse than here in the Valley and their temps are a few degrees warmer.

Be careful to not fall or get knocked over. The asphalt leaves serious burns during the time of day that you can fry an egg. Road rash would be preferable.

Don't worry, we have a swamp cooler here. It's only miserable about 22 out of 24 hours when you can't bring your core temperature down.

You'll love it. Then you can report back to everyone at DU about how wimpy we are here in the desert.

eta: oh, please be sure to check with your physician when you get home. Skin cancer of various types is common in these parts.

[HuckleB]

44. So that excuses everyone else?

Thanks. When my mid-section gets bigger, I'll send you another thank you PM.

[Cerridwen]

46. Uh, nope. Reading comprehension is your friend. Learn it.

The OP assumes everyone who doesn't bike is lazy.

My response is some people have valid reason for their "laziness."

The OP reminds me of people criticizing Gore for not walking everywhere or taking public transportation at all times. Ignorant black and white thinking.

If only we could all be so healthy and live in moderate climates in places where it's safe to ride our bikes.

Then, there's the real world for the rest of us.

[HuckleB]

48. You keep making those ludicrous assumptions.

I'll stick with the real world.

:eyes:

[Cerridwen]

50. Which assumptions are those? Please explain. n/t

[HuckleB]

51. WOW!

You really need an explanation?

:rofl:

[Cerridwen]

55. Please explain what assumptions you saw me make.

I don't see anything ridiculous in asking what you saw.

[HuckleB]

56. You presume that the author of the OP doesn't know that some people can't ride bikes.

That's just plain ludicrous.

You know it.

I know it.

So cut the crap.

[Cerridwen]

60. Ah, I see.

"the lazy folks who use automobiles for transportation"

The OP actually meant, "the lazy folks who use automobiles for transportation" except for those who need transportation for medical or physical reasons, who don't have access to acceptable or accessible public transportation and he was just using short hand as evidenced by all his previous posts about cycling and the "lazy" auto owners and drivers.

Ah, yes. I see it now.

I also noticed the OP didn't actually respond to my reply. I'm sure it was just an oversight on the OP's part.

[Name removed]

62. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Greyhound]

91. What, no answer? I'm shocked, shocked I tell ya! n/t

[Hassin Bin Sober]

25. I'll resolve to try not to run bicyclists over when they blow stop signs and stop lights ....

.... and then whine about "rules of the road!!!"

[taterguy]

28. So you resolve not to commit attempted murder or assault?

How much will power does that take?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

31. No. I'll try to be extra careful to look out for some douche-bag who doesn't care ...

.... enough about himself to follow reasonable traffic rules. You know, like running through intersections on the red.

[HuckleB]

35. Got any more BS to offer up?

:eyes:

[Hassin Bin Sober]

39. Truth hurts. Doesn't it.

Or are you going to make the ridiculous argument those poor bicyclists would NEVER blow a stop sign or stop light. :rofl:

[HuckleB]

40. Since you clearly know nothing about a riding a bicycle, please keep belly laughing.

Your belly needs the exercise. Maybe your brain will follow suit.

Cut the knee-jerk BS.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/15/cycling-bike-accidents-study

[Hassin Bin Sober]

43. LOL. Are you some kind of performance artist who works in irony?

"Cut the knee-jerk BS" ... OK.

Un-knot your panties. :rofl:

[HuckleB]

45. Knock knock?

Is anyone home?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/23/study-cyclists-cause-less_n_265141.html

[Hassin Bin Sober]

75. Un-knot you panties and check your link.

From your own home-town:

(I wonder if people like you read your own links before puking up pablum)

THIS WAS IN YOUR OWN LINK!:

http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/09/08/porland-study-finds-drivers-and-cyclists-5050-at-fault-in-accidents/


Portland study finds drivers and cyclists 50/50 at fault in accidents

As the saying goes, there are “lies, damn lies, and statistics”, and there appears to be a case for as much in cycling. We recently referenced a report through the Freakonomics blog that indicated that drivers were at fault in 90% of accidents that involve cyclists in Toronto. This finding seemed to contradict the widely held believe that cyclists are a bunch of lawless hooligans who are a threat to themselves and everyone on the road. This report certainly left a lot of cyclists (including this one) with a smug sense of superiority.

Well, it might be time for a reality check. The blog at OregonLive.com recently posted some of their own numbers based on police reports in America’s urban cycling mecca. Their study found motorists to be at fault in 53% of accidents. Now this was only a survey of accidents reported to police, but it is difficult to see how this number could get to 90% even factoring in unreported accidents and cases where the police officer’s conclusion was incorrect.

These numbers hardly leave drivers off the hook nor does it mean that the vast majority of cyclists are outlaws. Still, it does mean we have a responsibility to ride safe and not assume all motorists are out to get us.

[HuckleB]

84. The blogger's "study" still backs up my stand, and not yours!

50/50 isn't going to help your BS one bit!

:rofl:

[leeroysphitz]

26. Rode my balloon wheeled cruiser to the 7-11 just to get out of the house today.

Lemee tell you. You can not dress warmly enough to make riding a bike in Michigan, at the end of December any less uncomfortable than it sounds.

[Confusious]

38. Nice you're rich enough to live in a place

Where you can use a bike. The us poor slobs who don't will have to suffer your superiority complex.

[HuckleB]

41. Rich enough?

The lack of a car payment and/or maintenance and fuel needed for those vehicles sort of goes against that red herring.

[taterguy]

42. I earned 13K when I started using a bike

In fact, a large part of what got me into it is that I couldn't afford a car.

I earn a little more now, but I promise you I ain't rich.

Don't give me that poverty crap.

[LeftyMom]

49. How's your Jetta doing?

It's easier to make a big production of being virtuously carfree when you don't actually have to deal with the downsides of not having a car. :rofl:

[HuckleB]

53. I'm amazed to see so many excuses at DU.

[vadawg]

96. not excuses just facts, im not gonna cycle 100miles and then work a 13 hour shift

that may involve me having to spend a lot of it on my feet, or running or involved in a lot of physical work, just not going to happen. Also im not going to do the same journey on public transport that dosent run to my schedule and would involve me spending extra hours in travelling, nah im happy to pay whatever i have to for gas, and happy to drive a crap milage 4x4 if that means i can get to listen to whatever i want to on my radio, run to my own schedule, and have the freedom to make stops along the way if i want...

[flvegan]

64. I almost posted that very thing

when I saw the OP.

:rofl:

[LeftyMom]

78. That's becaue you're awesome. nt

[Taitertots]

83. OMG! epic burn

Complaining that people are too lazy for driving around, while driving around themselves.

[DainBramaged]

52. This year I intend to call the cops on ALL of the bike riders who ignore traffic laws

[HuckleB]

54. Are you going to do the same for all the automobile drivers who ignore traffic laws?

If not, why the hypocrisy?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/23/study-cyclists-cause-less_n_265141.html

[DainBramaged]

58. Bike riders CONSISTANTLY blow red lights, turn without signaling,

cut off cars, fail to yield. Don't call me a hypocrite till you've driven with me. Give me a fucking break, ever driven in Northern NJ and been confronted by packs of bike riders who FAIL at every opportunity to stop at intersections or stop signs, red lights, yield signs with BABIES in tow in a wheeled basket or on the fender in a basket.


Give me a break.

[HuckleB]

61. I'm not giving you a break.

I called you on your BS, and I showed you that your BS is BS.

And then you offered this gem:

"Packs of bike riders (in NJ)."

:rofl:

So, if there are packs of bike riders out to get you in NJ, what do you call the far more numerous automobile drivers?

Oh, and, isn't this interesting...

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/04/so_you_think_cyclists_are_the.html

[DainBramaged]

71. I can see you've been hitting the beavers again with your toothpick

two words and they aren't Merry Christmas. Go find someone else to try and bullshit woody.

[HuckleB]

72. LOL!

:rofl:

I love it when evidence leaves people with nothing but a good angry "grrrr" to offer.

Alas, if only people would challenge their own BS.

[DainBramaged]

73. Bye 'huckle'

You'll be the last person of '09 to hit my ignore list.

And since I'm positive you'll reply (you fools ALWAYS do) read this genius, it's not just NJ it's NYC too. You corncobs in the woods think you have a clue. And DON'T think talking on a cell phone while riding a bike is legal either. But then again, coming from the woods, what would you know about NJ?

(NOTHING)

. You live with beavers and moose. Your studies are for shit. Come live in the most expensive auto insurance state in the US, come RIDE your bike in traffic at rush hour, what bullshit, you know NOTHING about NJ cyclists and the problems they create.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/cyclists-routinely-disobey-law-study-finds/

http://nyunews.com/news/2009/sep/23/bike/

Reckless bike riding on the rise in the city


Taxis and delivery trucks aren't the only dangerous vehicles on New York streets these days: Bike traffic is on the rise and according to a spring cycling study, riders are getting reckless.



Between 2007 and 2008, the New York City Department of Transportation observed a 35-percent increase in commuter cycling.



In April, Peter Tuckel, a sociology professor at Hunter College, studied the biking behavior of 5,275 cyclists at 45 different intersections in the city. He found that 37 percent of the observed cyclists did not stop at red lights, and that 13.2 percent of the cyclists were riding against the flow of traffic.



Tuckel said as the number of cyclists grows, there is a greater chance for irresponsible cycling and any reckless behavior becomes more noticeable.



"I don't think cyclists were given much attention before when they were a numerical minority, but now people are becoming very concerned about this issue of irresponsible cycling," Tuckel said.



Nancy Gruskin of Westfield, N.J., was personally affected by dangerous biking. This past April, Gruskin's husband, Stuart, was killed by a deliveryman who was riding his bike against traffic with no brakes, according to a lawsuit filed in the Bronx Supreme Court.



The lawsuit said that Stuart Gruskin, who graduated from the Stern School of Business, died from brain swelling on May 1, caused by a traumatic head injury from the accident.

[HuckleB]

74. A brilliant response!

You make a crap claim. I offer evidence to show how crap your claim is, and you put me on ignore!

Got woo!? (Your study only addressed cyclist behavior. The one I posted looked at cyclist and automobile driver behavior. Do you understand why your BS is BS yet?)

:rofl:

It boggles my mind how many DUers fall for such BS cliches, and then stand by them in the face of the evidence. Ugh.

BTW: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/23/study-cyclists-cause-less_n_265141.html

[uppityperson]

94. That sounds like a good idea.

[greenbriar]

57. I am going to try to be positive about everything

might be hard to be positive about repukes... ;)




I will also quit smoking

[SemiCharmedQuark]

59. In Chicago, you can get away with only a bike. But a lot of people (like my mom) live in rural

areas. There isn't public transportation there and she certainly can't bike 60 miles a day. I suppose you could tell her to get a different job, but that would be rather callous since she's been at the same company for 18 years now and a good job is hard to find for people in their fifties.

[HuckleB]

63. Why do these anecdotes, which everyone understands are part of the real world...

... always act as a distraction from the real issue?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

65. Probably because the OP is worded in such a way as to condemn all motorists

And that comes off as kind of assy.

[HuckleB]

68. And it's clearly humorous, as well.

Heck, he offers a toast!

Sheesh.

[Throd]

66. I use 'em for fun!

[Jakes Progress]

67. I will try to suffer self-congratulating egoists quietly.

Whoops.

[HuckleB]

69. That ain't easy at DU.

The ivory towers are many.

[hunter]

70. You're all a bunch of filthy apes. Look what happened to the dinosaurs when they got too cocky.

They became birds.

Happy new year!

[old mark]

76. I will not run over so many bicyclists with my gigantic SUV.

just a few selected ones.

mark

[Taitertots]

81. I plan to laugh at anyone foolish enough to ride a bike in Michigan during the winter

A)Drive a Car: Easy, comfortable, affordable, and safer
B)Ride a Bike: Exhausting, uncomfortable, dangerous, prohibitively time consuming, and unattractive to the ladies

Driving a car isn't lazy, riding a bike is foolish.

[dysfunctional press]

82. what about non-lazy folks who use automobiles for transportation?

have you got anything for them?

[Hannah Bell]

85. I resolve to be nice to Rush Limbaugh. I won't wish for him to have brain-eating cancer.

[SeattleGirl]

86. And I promise not to castigate you for insisting that everyone

ride a bike, regardless of their physical condition, like my dear late mother. :)

Nice dream there, taterguy, but it's not possible for everyone to ride a bike.

[yodoobo]

88. Thanks, but I don't need approval to travel as I see fit

But go ahead and castigate me for driving. A good laugh is a great thing

[Maru Kitteh]

89. They don't make a kiddie seat big enough for my 87yo mom, but thanks for calling us lazy.

Doesn't really matter. She never learned how to ride a bike anyway. Know why? She was in her early thirties before she could afford one, and that bike went to her first born. Her own mother abandoned her when she was seven. Being rented out to abusive farm families to work as a maid was an improvement in her life. Decades she spent in the factories keeping us fed crippled her body.

But hey - thanks again for calling us lazy.

[Incitatus]

95. I'll stick with my car. Do you know how hard it is to send text messages while ridng a bike?

}(