I had an interesting interaction today that reminded me of this Washington Free Beacon article (and this one, and this one too). During my morning commute I cross Rhode Island Ave on R street ( which has a bike lane). Now, I tend to be pretty conservative when riding the bike, especially when I'm on roads / bike lanes; I don't pass anyone going slower unless the road itself is empty, at which point I'll swing wide into the road and pass. For the most part, I'll be content to follow the pack in front of me. I also tend to obey things like stop lights (a rarity among bicyclists I've found).
So this morning when crossing RI Ave the are a number of bikers just ahead of me. One, on a road bike (I'd like to think it was a super-douchy fixed gear job, but I'm probably projecting) is a good 3 or 4 feet right of the bike line, and going substantially slower. One of the nice things about pedal assist is its pretty damn torquey; you can get up to speed quickly. So I pass this guy (lets call him the Ginger Prick); again, he's a good 3 to 4 feet out of the lane. Next stop sign I stop (there are a couple of people in front of me) and pulls aside and proclaims "YOU KNOW THAT'S CONSIDERED BAD ETIQUETTE."
What is, staying in the bike lane and going past someone way outside of the bike lane who is creeping along?
He then cuts in front of me he proceeds to squeeze pass the next two people in front of him who were -- unlike he -- actually in the biking lane, while cars are passing on the left, and then promptly blows through two red lights.
Apparently biker etiquette is don't, under any circumstances, pass the Ginger Prick. Live and learn.
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