Interesting twist on people who get pissed at you for biking on the road

I've had the opposite experience - I find that motorcycle riders, particularly those on Harleys, are reasonably friendly when I encounter them while riding.  If I find myself beside one at a stoplight just saying "nice bike" is usually enough to get at least a  friendly nod.  I frequently get called "Lance" in a semi-friendly/sarcastic way.

It's the drunk rednecks in pickups trucks, the soccer-moms-talking-on-cell-phones driving huge SUV's, and the 90-year-olds who can't see past the hood ornaments on their old Cadillacs that scare me.

Mark

The other day a girl in my office asks me a question.  Goes like this:

Her:  "You ride your bike a lot, right?  Let me ask you, if there is a paved bike path next to a road aren't people on bikes legally supposed to be on the path and not in the road?"

Me:  No.  According to state law a bicycle is a legal vehicle on the road and has as much right to be on most roads as a car.  The existence of a path nearby is usually irrelevant.  Unless of course the path is there specifically for bikes to cross a road or something obvious like that.

Her:  What???!!!  No way!  You're lying.

Me:  I'm so glad you drive a Yukon.

I'm pretty sure that pond scum is at the bottom of the food chain, so she must have passed her anger on UP the food chain. 

I would have written the plate down and turned it in.  Bicycles are vehicles, too. 

If I remember correctly from driver's ed all those years ago, when two vehicles are approaching each other on a hill and there's not enough room for them to pass each other on the road, the downward-moving vehicle has the right of way. The one going up the hill is supposed to pull over and let the other one pass.

Of course, that point is moot if the other person doesn't acknowledge your legal right to be on the road...

The best way to deal with people like this is to ignore them.  The problem is when trying to educate them, you don't have the time nor the energy to drill it into their skulls what "our" rights are.

Best reply is "Have a nice day." 

+1, and blowing a kiss with a friendly wave is a nice touch.

If by some awful chance you ever do get hit by a motorist while you are cycling, do yourself a favor and consult an attorney.  Laws in many states say that while you are a legal vehicle on the road and subject to the same rules as motor vehicles, once you get hit, you are often considered to be a pedestrian.  That gives you a LOT more legal clout.