dont ever move to a small town!!!!!

[Monocrom]

Country mouse here. I had to look up parkway. Found this photo on Wikipedia. Garden State Parkway. Now, where exactly would you have bicyclists ride here?

They'd be all the way on the right, by those trees. I'm not even joking!
Also, that's rush hour. Rest of the time, fellow drivers treat the Parkway as though it's a frickin' race-track!

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

They'd be all the way on the right, by those trees. I'm not even joking!
Also, that's rush hour. Rest of the time, fellow drivers treat the Parkway as though it's a frickin' race-track!

I just had a mental image of four combines abreast across that parkway. Ooooooo, would there be some angry motorists!

Okay, so, back on topic, after my nice little brain vacation, you mean the dirt path between the breakdown lane and the grass?

Personally, if I was in charge of that highway, I would treat it just like an interstate highway, and ban bicycles from it. I don't know what the posted speed limit is, and according to you it wouldn't matter, people there treat it as a suggested minimum speed not a maximum speed, but no way would I want to be on a bike with vehicles whizzing by me at highway speeds. That's nutz!

When I was a scoutmaster, and we took the scouts on a bike hike, (bike ride, long distance) we had a vehicle following behind at slow speed with four ways flashing, to slow traffic, and get them over in the passing lane to get around the boys. Then, later, when my ham radio club provided communications for an MS bike-a-thon, they had a bike shop vehicle following to help with breakdowns, and a motorcyclist running back and forth along the route looking for people with problems. But these were both organized events, not individuals out for a pleasure ride. That photo of the clump of riders likely was taken by someone in the group's support team driving behind them. I sure hope so, anyway.

 

[Monocrom]

Oh, the bicyclists aren't actually "allowed" on there. They just go there anyway. Keep in mind, NYC bicyclists = Violently suicidal.

They don't care, and cops here don't stop them. Mostly because our mentally diseased mayor is very much Pro-bicycles and Hatred of cars.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

If it is a Town, it is still too big. I am near the unincorporated community of maybe 300 or so that has a ZIP code and my P.O. Box for the last 50+ years. It is too populated, and like everywhere else in America today, it has too many druggie/tweaker thieves. The globalists want us all in hellish Judge Dredd style mega cities, with the rest of Earth locked up.

American has ten times too many police, a hundred times too many people unwilling to take responsibility for their own protection and the consequences of their actions, a thousand times too many politicians who wrongly believe they have the right to tell us how to live, and a million times too many illegal aliens.

The best tee shirt of all YouTube merch comes from OG's Danger show. White printing on black says "Nobody is coming. It's up to you." Any honest cop, including my battle scarred ex-cop wife, will tell you "when police are needed in seconds, they'll be there in minutes." Since the dawn of time, your protection has been YOUR responsibility. Police do not exist to protect you. They have no legal duty to do so. When I undress at night, my .45 goes into a wall holster just back of my night stand. When my wife goes to bed, her .38 goes into her wall holster (her old duty .357 hangs nearby). Free men are armed, slaves are not.

The "American Experiment" was to establish a government which existed only to protect the rights and liberties of the individual. Look how that has turned out. Ignorant people and ignorant jurors have a lot to do with that.

We are headed for a fall. The more rural you are, the better your odds. The more skills you have, the better your odds. The more self sufficient you are, the better your odds. Give it some thought.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Oh, the bicyclists aren't actually "allowed" on there. They just go there anyway. Keep in mind, NYC bicyclists = Violently suicidal.

They don't care, and cops here don't stop them. Mostly because our mentally diseased mayor is very much Pro-bicycles and Hatred of cars.

JTR1962 is Mayor Adams?!

 

[Monocrom]

Okay, I know you're just joking.
But honestly, he has a working brain and I'd be much happier with him as Mayor than the current one.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Okay, I know you're just joking.
But honestly, he has a working brain and I'd be much happier with him as Mayor than the current one.

I doubt he could do worse, anyway, and we know he would have compassion for caretakers.

 

[bigburly912]

I just want to take a second to say @jtr1962 kudos to you for holding a meaningful conversation while taking a little ribbing. Good on you sir.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Oh, the bicyclists aren't actually "allowed" on there. They just go there anyway. Keep in mind, NYC bicyclists = Violently suicidal.

They don't care, and cops here don't stop them. Mostly because our mentally diseased mayor is very much Pro-bicycles and Hatred of cars.

Well, hospitals need lots of organ donors. I take it most of these bicycle daredevils are young and healthy, albeit a bit mental. Oh well, no brain transplants yet, AFAIK, so no loss there. So, look on the positive side?

 

[rwolfenstein]

Well, hospitals need lots of organ donors. I take it most of these bicycle daredevils are young and healthy, albeit a bit mental. Oh well, no brain transplants yet, AFAIK, so no loss there. So, look on the positive side?

Oh I forgot to add, out here the speed sign is the maximum and the minimum at the same time. Apparently my state thought that cruise control existed back in the 1850s. Anything under the speed is considered impeding traffic and is I believe (bail schedule changes from county to county) 110$. Bicycles here can ride in roads much like a car and under the DMV they are considered a car. However, the manual also requires them to keep to the shoulder side of the paved road, otherwise its impeding. Just much like the remainder of the PNW, we let laws fall by the waist side and generally its not enforced like it was 10 years ago. Not saying we need to go hammer everyone, but there is a time and a place. Granted, I bike ride myself, but I was raised with the mentality of you yield to cars and ride safely. Not expecting everyone to stop for you or that you own the rode. This of course is just my thoughts.

 

[bykfixer]

I was in a big town today for a class. It was like being in a bowl of granola. Nuts, fruits and flakes galore. Dog crap (I guess it was dogs) on the sidewalks, people shouting obscenities at each other and lots of people wearing N95 masks out doors.

And pizza has to be brought in from the next town over. No way dude. Oh, don't get me started on the idiots on bicycles. Couldn't get out of there fast enough, but ran into a traffic jam as I reached the city limits.

Sadly, 20 years ago it was a beautiful place.

 

[bigburly912]

I just left Winston Salem North Carolina…… yes we went though Mayberry.

 

[idleprocess]

Yeah, getting stuck behind a lane full of bicyclists going slower than the speed limit in a no passing zone kind of sucks, but that's why you start for your destination early, because schist happens (said the geologist), and you can be delayed. I hate getting stuck in a construction zone, waiting for a pilot vehicle, while a mile of vehicles pass. What are you gonna do? Suck it up, Buttercup! Life sucks, and then you die.

Generally agree, however there's also a lot of just because you can doesn't mean that you should.

Roads I will ride my bike on:

• Neighborhood streets - almost no traffic and motorists are both reasonably attentive while not being in a hurry
• Select Secondary arterials - off hours these divided roads (4-6 lanes) are reasonably safe to ride on
• Tertiary arterials - 4-lane roads, many not divided, that interconnect neighborhoods but often intersect one another with stop signs rather than signals, tend to have lower speed limits and more attentive drivers than other arterials
• Outlying 2-lane roads - some outlying areas have farm-to-market roads that are slowly being repurposed as arterials as the development frontier expands outward; generally low/no-traffic with understanding motorists

And even then I've been coal-rolled and yelled at a few times - all on secondary arterials where the ... aggrieved ... had the room and lack of traffic to go around. And cut off once by a motorist turning right although it's possible they were drunk or otherwise distracted.

Roads I will not ride my bike on:

• Primary arterials - generally 6-lane divided roads with speed limits >45MPH. Too much traffic at all times of the day, connecting between cities with all signaled intersections and drivers trying to get places yesterday
• Divided highways and their access roads - I made the mistake of doing the latter once on the return leg of an experimental "ride your bike to work" route at night and was fortunate that the little traffic on the access road opted to take the center and inner lanes.
• Constricted 2-lane roads - there's a road nearby along the crest of a dike impounding one of the local reservoirs that would be neat to ride, but not only is there significant traffic along it at all hours, there's negligible shoulder with W-beam guardrails the entire length. Every few weeks I hear about a cyclist causing a traffic jam on this road.
• Sidewalks - Besides the fact that it's illegal they're too unpredictable in terms of dynamic and static hazards.

 

[Monocrom]

Well, hospitals need lots of organ donors. I take it most of these bicycle daredevils are young and healthy, albeit a bit mental. Oh well, no brain transplants yet, AFAIK, so no loss there. So, look on the positive side?

Ironically, the most obnoxious ones are older! We're talking Late '30s - Early '40s.

 

[whelmFlash]

there is nothing close by . i went looking for a good therapist and phycologist . there are no good ones hell there is non even bad ones lol. wtf lol? sure we have no crime and its pretty here but so boring lol. plus i feel like a alien here lol like i have a diaper on my head and im covred in cottage cheese

How many people live there?

 

[jtr1962]

Ironically, the most obnoxious ones are older! We're talking Late '30s - Early '40s.

Those are probably the ones my brother calls the Tour de A$$holes when he's riding. Always in spandex, and they pass everyone with inches to spare.

I doubt he could do worse, anyway, and we know he would have compassion for caretakers.

Definitely. You have to go through something to understand what others going through it are dealing with.

If you think Mayor Adams is pro-bicycle, Bloomberg was the real bike Mayor.

My pet project if I ever magically became Mayor would be elevated bike viaducts over major arterials. Those would solve so many issues people have with bikes, plus they would be a blast to ride on.

I respectfully disagree. The speed limit is the MAXIMUM speed allowable, not the minimum required. The only roads that have minimum speeds posted to my knowledge, are interstate highways. But I haven't been over every highway in the USA, so there may be others. I live in farm country, and getting stuck behind a piece of farm machinery (tractor, combine) or even road equipment, is not uncommon. Drivers have to be observant, and drive defensively. A clump of bicyclists doesn't take up any more room than an eighteen wheeler. Motorists, unless they are first responders on a code run, just don't have that much urgency, sorry. I know, you have places to go, and people to see, and things to do, so start early, take your time, and drive safely. Geez, I sound like a drivers ed teacher. Do I really have to say all this on a forum of adults? I certainly shouldn't have to.

Exactly. For some reason many drivers will get enraged being stuck behind a bicycle but will be OK if they're behind a combine or tractor doing the same speed. Go figure. I generally take the lane when I'm on roads without bike lanes for all the reasons you mentioned. I do try to let people pass wherever it's safe for me to do so. That usually means at least at intersections.

Hmmm, that must be that "New York state of mind" that I hear Billy Joel sing about.

The same mentality Monocrom mentions applies statewide. I recall visiting my grandmother upstate occasionally. The NYS Thruway would generally be moving at least 80 mph. This was in the 55 mph era in the mid 1980s. A few times my brother and me made it back in 3 hours flat. 270 miles. You had to travel in the mid AMs to make that kind of time. Most of it was ~110 mph cruising, with a few blasts past 130 mph thrown in for good measure. Either there were no cops, or they didn't particularly care that time of night. Definitely we were in a New York state of mind. This wasn't long after Top Gun came out. "I feel the need for speed!"

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I respectfully disagree. The speed limit is the MAXIMUM speed allowable, not the minimum required. The only roads that have minimum speeds posted to my knowledge, are interstate highways.

Thank you for being respectful. Yes posted speed limits are the maximum allowed. However, there are traffic laws concerning impeding traffic that cyclists are held to.

But I haven't been over every highway in the USA, so there may be others. I live in farm country, and getting stuck behind a piece of farm machinery (tractor, combine) or even road equipment, is not uncommon.

Apples and oranges. There are different traffic laws governing bicycles and farming vehicles. While farming vehicles are provided special accommodations, bicycles are not.

A clump of bicyclists doesn't take up any more room than an eighteen wheeler.

Again, apples and oranges.

I know, you have places to go, and people to see, and things to do, so start early, take your time, and drive safely. Geez, I sound like a drivers ed teacher. Do I really have to say all this on a forum of adults? I certainly shouldn't have to.

Reading you choice of wording, this chiding seems directed to me, and is where respectfulness left the chat.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Thank you for being respectful. Yes posted speed limits are the maximum allowed. However, there are traffic laws concerning impeding traffic that cyclists are held to.


Apples and oranges. There are different traffic laws governing bicycles and farming vehicles. While farming vehicles are provided special accommodations, bicycles are not.


Again, apples and oranges.


Reading you choice of wording, this chiding seems directed to me, and is where respectfulness left the chat.

Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I spend a lot of my day talking to my kid, so I tend to be a bit patronizing in my speech. Difficult to make the shift at times.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I spend a lot of my day talking to my kid, so I tend to be a bit patronizing in my speech. Difficult to make the shift at times.

Fair enough. Bygones.

 

[fuyume]

Big cities no one cares whether you live or die.

Literally the biggest advantage of living in a big city. No "Mrs. Grundy" up your backside all the time. The thing about small towns is people start thinking they have a right to interfere with your life. In cities, no one gives flying fart about you, specifically.