They're the evangelicals of the commuting world. They praise their lifestyle and transport as the greatest way to live and travel on the face of the earth yet they break every single rule and common courtesy of the road. They expect and often demand that all other road/sidewalk user give way to them, but they still whine, moan and complain that they are the ones being persecuted by society.
The woman in this photo is a prime example. She rode straight down a pedestrian walkway focussed completely on her phone. I wasn't in her path but 2 people had to dodge just before I snapped this shot. Yet she continued oblivious to the world.
About 2 years ago A cyclist ran herself into the back of my car in exactly the same manner. It was a small intersection in Shibukawa. I saw the cyclist approaching on the road perpendicular to me but thought nothing of it as her road had a stop sign and I had right of way. I kept going. I heard the sound, felt the impact and saw her going down in my side mirror. In truth, because I knew the rider I was worried that she may be injured but she was OK. Later on when filing the police report (as one needs to do) the cop didn't believe me till they saw the impact damage. Then he proceeded to grill the rider for being a moron.
Since moving to the city and becoming a pedestrian, cyclists have become even more dangerous as they use their speed to basically bully people on foot. Pick any reasonably busy intersection with traffic lights and I guarantee you you will see a cyclist skip red lights and cut across pedestrian streams as they cross the road. Arrogantly ringing their bells, forcing people to move out of their way even though they are in the wrong.
More times than I can remember, Ive been cut off by these scum and every time I have wished that I was walking a little faster or was just a little closer because while I will get hurt in the impact, they'd get hurt more and the legal hammer would come down on them too. (Thankfully?) The vast majority of cyclists on the roads do crap like this so It's only a matter of time before I get one.
They will still complain that there is nowhere for them to ride (because when there are cycling lanes, they ride on the pavements anyway). They whine about how cars don't respect them (while they don't respect anything on the roads and pavements they use) They talk about how everyone endangers them (while they ignore how they endanger themselves and everyone else on the road.)
If only we could persecute the bastards. They are dangerous, self righteous vermin. And the next time one of them tries to cut across me when I have the right of way, I'm going to give them the time to contemplate their the meaning of traffic lights as they pick their teeth up off the asphalt.
