SIOUX FALLS DRIVERS SUCK!

Well, not ALL of them...but, I got your attention!

The debate in Sioux Falls over bicyclists and their place in transportation rages on. There have been two cyclists killed in Sioux Falls in the last year, and a few others that have been struck and injured, by someone driving a car. The belief that a bicycle is a viable form of transportation just has not caught on here yet. All you have to do is read the comments on a story or two HERE to see what some of the nutjobs in this city really think.

My issue with some of the comments made is this.... Don't group everyone on bicycles together. Of course, there are some that ride on the wrong side of the street, dart through intersections, and generally cause confusion and disrupt the flow of traffic. There are also some that obey the traffic laws, signal turns, and try to ride predictably with the flow of traffic. I try to be that rider. I even took a Traffic Skills course from THIS GUY to learn the correct way to ride on the streets. (I recommend this course for anyone!)

Stop your whining! Anytime the subject of bicycles on the streets comes up in the news, the comments start showing up about all the bad things people on bikes do and how they just need to get out of the way. One today even demanded cyclists "share the road" by getting out of the way and moving over. It's the same bullshit over and over again.

I'll ride to the right. But, if the lane isn't wide enough to share I'm taking the lane. I'll be on the right, there won't be enough room for you to pass without going into the other lane. A driver may have to slow down for a few seconds for a clearing to pass, but they also won't be able to buzz me. I am not riding in the middle of the street. I would like to ask some of these idiots if they come up behind motorcycles and try to squeeze through like they do passing bikes. I bet they don't! One of the worst problems I have on the streets here is actually on the 4 lane streets. The left lane could be clear of traffic, I am riding in the right half of the right lane...and still get buzzed! What the hell!?! At that time I usually "point" to the open lane to let them know there is a lane open over there. (You could call it pointing, I am only using one finger.)

Most of the drivers in Sioux Falls are good about leaving space while passing. Others are not, maybe because they saw another cyclist doing something stupid, so they buzz me because I am just another guy on a bike and an easy target on the street. Well, let's turn that around and I'll just roll up behind a car at a stoplight and smash the back window with my frame pump! I could do that because someone else cut me off, right?

You just can't put all cyclists in one group, and all drivers in one group either.

Last part of this little rant is that some of the local cyclists need to think. As we rode the Ride of Silence a week and a half ago, I saw something that bugged me. As our group got split up, I tried to take the lead after a split. The first group was stopped at a red light, we were riding up behind a car that was behind them. As we approached the back of the car about 8 cyclists went around the car and got in front of the driver at the light. When the light turned green, a few more went past me and the car in front of me to the right. The driver had his right signal on and got a surprise when he started to turn and people on bikes were coming through. I wanted to yell, but didn't. Stupid moves like that that bug me. That guy might see me or someone else on a bike the next day, and think "I'll show them!"

End of online rant, I promise.... I'm not perfect and always right, neither are you. All cyclists are not the same. All drivers are not the same.... Be nice, and SHARE THE ROAD.