Cycling Gripes

If you are a motorist:
1) Please do not honk your horn to warn me that you are passing. You scare the heebie-jeebies out of me and all that's in my head is that you are about to hit me and just want to warn me. If this is indeed so, it is already too late to warn me and there is nothing I can do to avoid your hitting me. If you are not going to hit me and plan to go around, then do just that, go around. I know I am on a road. I know that I will be passed by vehicles. You are not the only one.

2) I cannot move farther over to the curb than I already am. My racing tires are oh-so-much thinner than yours and for some odd reason, when I hit that pothole, broken-up asphalt, manhole cover or sewer, I tend to get a flat tire. You don't.

3) You can honk all you want but I cannot magically jump the curb over the grassy section, past the sidewalk and suddenly find myself on the cycling path. There is a reason why I am not on the cycling path at all times and principally it is because I am trying to cycle at 30 km/h and I tend to go just a tad faster than the kids with training wheels and bike trailers holding babies.

If you are a roller blader:
1) That line in the middle of the bike path separates two lanes of traffic. It is not the yellow brick road. Please do not act as if it is as I cannot pass your flailing arms or legs on either side.

2) Please do not roller blade beside each other. Two sets of flailing arms and legs are even more difficult to pass. And yes, when you see oncoming traffic, please stay within one lane.

If you are a pedestrian:
1) Please look before you cross the cycling path. You would not cross a busy road without looking ... or perhaps in your particular case, you would.

2) Please do not loiter and hang out with your friends on the bike path. It is especially difficult to go around if you are a group taking up both lanes or even walking two or three abreast.

3) Please do not allow your children to play or run around by themselves on the cycling path. They may not know the danger involved but you should.

If you are a cyclist:
1) Please do not cycle beside someone unless you are prepared to move out of the way of oncoming traffic. I do not want to have to shout at you last minute to pay attention. I also do not want to have a nasty collision or have to stop so suddenly that I fly over my handle bars or wipe out and break my collar bone or get a concussion. One concussion was enough during my recent car accident and I'm still recuperating.

2) Please do not allow your children to stop horizontally across both lanes or loiter with their bike while you are stopped on the side to chat with your buddies. No one wants to run into a child accidentally, especially me.