[NMCycling] The punishment pass and close calls

[David Porter via Bike-racers]

Doug,

  Well and good, but one can see cyclists do the same thing to 
pedestrians on the bike paths..


On 10/27/2016 11:04 AM, Doug wrote:
>
> Driver disdain of bicyclists is a form of discrimination directed 
> specifically towards bicyclists, a minority group, by a majority 
> group, motorists. Even government agencies such as DOT or municipal 
> agencies discriminate against bicyclists. The discrimination may be 
> conscious or not.
>
> For whatever reason, some people believe that anyone who acts, looks, 
> or thinks differently is not deserving of respect. I think respect, or 
> lack thereof, for others different from one’s self is the core issue, 
> as Chris Hereford pointed out.
>
> There are many examples of disrespect and hatred towards others based 
> on factors such as race (African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asians) 
> and religion (Muslims, Catholics, Protestants and even conflicts 
> within the respective religion, for example Shia vs. Sunni Muslims); 
> in general, any group that is a minority relative to the majority. 
> Motorcyclists are a minority group and are harassed similarly to 
> bicyclists. Ironically, pedestrians are also a minority group, even 
> though most people at one time or another are pedestrians.
>
> As a result we have had the Crusades religious war, the Shia-Sunni 
> conflicts in Middle Eastern countries, the Ku Klux Klan against 
> African Americans, Germans against Jews, etc.
>
> If people could be taught respect for others, many of the world’s 
> problems would resolve. Tolerance or respect can be temporarily 
> enforced, legally, by totalitarianism; i.e., the odds are great that 
> undesirable behavior will be virtually 100% punished. Legal measures 
> are mostly ineffective if undesirable behavior is not certain to be 
> punished. A great example is speeding. Drivers speed because they are 
> unlikely to be caught and punished; drivers who have never sped are a 
> rarity. It is much easier to catch speeding drivers than drivers who 
> pass a bicyclist with less than 5’ of clearance. If speeding cannot be 
> suppressed; the probability of stopping driver harassment of 
> bicyclists is near 0%. To my knowledge, no driver has been cited for 
> this violation; not even when a bicyclist is hit from behind while 
> riding on the shoulder of a road. However, if a pattern of harassment 
> by a specific motorist can be established, such as with the Close Call 
> Database, then said motorist may eventually be prosecuted and penalized.
>
> *From:*Chris Hereford [mailto:cnhereford at yahoo.com]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, October 26 2:13 PM
> *To:* David Porter; David Porter via Bike-racers; New Mexico Sports 
> Online; 'Doug'
> *Cc:* bike-racers at swcp.com
> *Subject:* Re: [NMCycling] The punishment pass and close calls
>
> I think the problem in the US is that drivers care that cyclists don't 
> stop. Why should a driver be concerned about that? What effect does 
> that have on a driver? Or 30 drivers, when a bike cruises through an 
> intersection? NONE!
>
> I'll bet it's not concern over the cyclist's safety either. It's 's 
> general hatred for anyone who gets ahead, not waiting in line. The 
> same hatred when a driver gets delayed by 15 seconds of reduced speed, 
> waiting for room to pass a bike, but not a slow moving car. It's the 
> same hatred drivers have while approaching a lane closure; one driver 
> attempts to block vehicles from proceeding to the closure point.
>
> Sitting at a redlight, waiting your turn, and staying off of the 
> driver's road will not eliminate the punishment pass. it's about 
> perceived privilege, and that breeds hate. This ignorance can only be 
> educated away. 3 feet to pass, 5 feet to pass, it makes no difference, 
> these rules will only cause more hate towards cyclists. The difference 
> will come when all road users understand that all road users are 
> humans, and we respect each other, and have no ill will towards 
> anyone, no matter their effect on our path.
>
> Can't teach respect with a driver's manual!
>
> Moo!
>
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8
>
> On Thu, Oct 27, 2016 at 1:27 AM, David Porter via Bike-racers
>
> <bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com <mailto:bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com>> 
> wrote:
>
> It's the "blowing through" that upsets them. If one comes to a stop 
> first, then proceeds, the hackles come down a notch.. Consider the 
> slow down an opportunity for a sprint interval and add to the training 
> regimen. ;~)
>
> On 10/26/2016 10:04 AM, New Mexico Sports Online via Bike-racers wrote:
>

-- 
Dave Porter Porter Custom Bicycles 2909 Arno St. NE Albuquerque, NM 
87107 505-352-1378 Go HERE: my world www.porterbikes.com/
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