Godfather, read this:

[Godfather]

Brings up a lot of interesting points. Thought this was the most important: "but one group has become especially aggressive: cyclists"

Those bastards really do feel the right of way is theirs. I have a dent in my car from one of those pricks, and as they don't need to carry insurance, he simply drove off leaving me with a bump and nobody to pay for it. Sure, I can claim it, but I'd lose my claims free discount so it's not worth it What scares me is how careless they really are, quick to flip out when someone startles them, but not at all bothered when they veer into traffic and give drivers heart-attacks.

Running red lights, like it mentioned, is another serious peeve. Why do these assholes think they can just keep driving right through? They have a cute little habbit of slowing down, moving into the crosswalk, and jut riding right though... or even ACROSS intersections. They're anarchists. It makes me want to run one down when I see them act like pedestrians when those laws are convenient, and drives when that works out better. All while sucking up infrastructure at no increased cost to them, and slowing traffic.

Fuck them. Interesting article. Vancouver is a long way behind what it sounds like the Germans are going through, but Down-town isn't too far behind. One of the main bridges out of the downtown core gave up an entire precious lane to a bicycles. And now Long-boarding is becoming a real pain too Whole different rant though...

[JoeyB]

Fuck them. Interesting article. Vancouver is a long way behind what it sounds like the Germans are going through, but Down-town isn't too far behind. One of the main bridges out of the downtown core gave up an entire precious lane to a bicycles. And now Long-boarding is becoming a real pain too Whole different rant though...

I thought you'd enjoy it. Oh, and until now I had never heard of long boarding. I looked it up and it appears to be some sort of elongated skateboard? Is this a serious problem in your area?

[Noilly Pratt]

I thought you'd enjoy it. Oh, and until now I had never heard of long boarding. I looked it up and it appears to be some sort of elongated skateboard? Is this a serious problem in your area?

GF can answer for downtown, but I live in the 'burbs of Vancouver (where GF is from) and it can be a pain sometimes...if they'd only have expensive "trucks" (wheels) it wouldn't be so noisy. They love my townhouse complex because it's a nice gradual slope downhill and they can get some good speed around here. They usually wake me about 3am on Saturday night because drinking is usually involved and the smash of a bottle usually happens.

One got seriously injured around here last year and it brought it all to a head in the local media. They can be quite belligerent and sail through lights, etc. Many have that punk/goth look to them so they scare the old folks a bit, especially when riding on the sidewalk.

I had one ride up to me on the sidewalk and I didn't give way so he happened to bounce off my shoulder. Most of these guys are scrawny 16 year olds and I'm 6'2" and built kind of like a linebacker. He lost and went for a bit of a tumble.

[Godfather]

Ya longboards are longer, lower skateboards meant for going at great speeds and for carving down pavement like snowboarders do almost. It's a really great sport in some ways, and is huge around the world now. What some of these guys can do is mind-blowing.

But Vancouver is a hub for it because North and West Vancouver are so hilly, you can go on runs that last 10+ minutes or more with steep downhill and nice pavement. It's turning really negative as the sport is growing exponentially.

These roads are shared with drivers who are terrified to kill increasingly hostile and disrespectful kids. They bus up to the top of some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city, litter, swear and make a mess, then bomb down through intersections all damn day. It's getting really bad... and as stupid as they are, the thought of killing one of them accidentally is scary.

Younger and younger kids are doing it too and they're everywhere from busy streets to the steepest hills. I'm shocked there weren't more reports of dead kids this past summer.

[JoeyB]

GF can answer for downtown, but I live in the 'burbs of Vancouver (where GF is from) and it can be a pain sometimes...if they'd only have expensive "trucks" (wheels) it wouldn't be so noisy. They love my townhouse complex because it's a nice gradual slope downhill and they can get some good speed around here. They usually wake me about 3am on Saturday night because drinking is usually involved and the smash of a bottle usually happens.

One got seriously injured around here last year and it brought it all to a head in the local media. They can be quite belligerent and sail through lights, etc. Many have that punk/goth look to them so they scare the old folks a bit, especially when riding on the sidewalk.

I had one ride up to me on the sidewalk and I didn't give way so he happened to bounce off my shoulder. Most of these guys are scrawny 16 year olds and I'm 6'2" and built kind of like a linebacker. He lost and went for a bit of a tumble.

Ya longboards are longer, lower skateboards meant for going at great speeds and for carving down pavement like snowboarders do almost. It's a really great sport in some ways, and is huge around the world now. What some of these guys can do is mind-blowing.

But Vancouver is a hub for it because North and West Vancouver are so hilly, you can go on runs that last 10+ minutes or more with steep downhill and nice pavement. It's turning really negative as the sport is growing exponentially.

These roads are shared with drivers who are terrified to kill increasingly hostile and disrespectful kids. They bus up to the top of some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city, litter, swear and make a mess, then bomb down through intersections all damn day. It's getting really bad... and as stupid as they are, the thought of killing one of them accidentally is scary.

Younger and younger kids are doing it too and they're everywhere from busy streets to the steepest hills. I'm shocked there weren't more reports of dead kids this past summer.

Wow, sounds fairly bad. When I was a kid in the '70's I did a lot of stupid stuff on my bike, but I, and everyone I knew, were still mindful of traffic and never messed with anyone yards, nor did we make a mess. Suddenly I'm feeling pretty good.