Thread by @Pflax1

I have some questions I'd like to direct at motorists who like to complain about rule-breaking cyclists.

Today's catalyst: I was riding in Venice Beach & came to a stop at a four-way stop sign and a dude driving a white F150 rolled down his window & shouted "nice to see one of you guys actually stop at a stop sign." I restrained the urge to give him the finger and just smiled thinly

So as my ride progressed, taking in the perpetual shitshow of Los Angeles surface streets, I started formulating these questions—that maybe I can utilize the next time I'm cornered at a Manhattan Beach dinner party by someone complaining about naughty cyclists.

1. Have you ever gone to a restaurant or bar and had one or two drinks and then gotten in your car to drive home? Have you done so after more than one or two? Have you ever done so with kids in your car? Can you think of times where you actually drove drunk?

2. Have you looked at your phone as you drive on a highway or neighborhood streets? Have you texted your spouse or a coworker or friend as you were in motion in a 4,000 lb vehicle? Have you looked at social media as your drive? Have you violated hands' free statutes in your car?

3. Have you ever exceeded the speed limit on neighborhood streets because you either were in a hurry or determined on your own that it was safe? Have you ever changed lanes or turned without signaling? Have you ever done 75+ mph on the freeway?

4. Have you ever tried to turn right on red onto a busy street & wound up blocking the corner & crosswalk so pedestrians/cyclists can't pass safely? Have you ever hit the gas to take a left through a gap in a busy street & wound up terrifying a pedestrian/cyclist you didn't see?

5. Have you ever punched the gas as a light turned red? Have you ever made a left turn a second or two after a green arrow turned red because you were impatient to get to work/home? Have you ever rolled through a four-way stop at 5mph because the intersection looked empty?

6. Do you have illegal tinted glass that makes it hard for pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers to see what you're doing? Do you ever hit the "I'm not driving" button on your iPhone as you drive? Have you ever pulled over in a bike lane because you couldn't find a place to park?

7. Are you aware that a seven-passenger SUV weighs 5,000 lbs? That such a vehicle requires 120+ feet to come to a stop from 40mph? That such a vehicle hitting a pedestrian/cyclist at 30mph will bring 60+ tons of force to the collision?

You know that and still peek at your phone?

I know cyclists break the law. I see a few yahoos every day who blow through a light or salmon a one-way street. Inexcusable

But I see hundreds of motorists daily who do worse, in vehicles that weigh 250 times more & go way faster

Vehicles are weapons when driven irresponsibly

Seriously, if you primarily get around in a car, are you completely oblivious to the reality on our streets? How do you ignore all the speeding, distracted, impaired, aggressive people you share the roads with? How can you possibly see that and complain about naughty cyclists?

I have nothing more to say. Except that upon further reflection, I should have given the guy in the F150 the finger.

((end rant))