This 1936 ‘Bicycle Etiquette’ Film Puts Bikers In Their Place

Show of hands... How many times have you been cruising down the road and had to exit a lane because some jack-wagon decided it would be a good idea to ride their bike down a very busy road? While I can't say I've ever seen a cyclist on Cache Road proper, there have been times we've all seen them on Quannah Parker or Rogers Lane. I get it. It's a healthy hobby, and the courts have decided it's their right to use the roadways. I stand with bikers on that too. You have a right to ride wherever you want... but that's not good enough.

Here's another question. How many times have you seen, heard, or read about a cyclist complaining about people in cars? And it's usually a very dramatic "look at me" type of inflated status update that leads into why people in cars suck. Believe me, I drive too. I know people suck at driving. That's why I chose to wrap myself in a self-propelled protective cocoon of steel - AKA - my vehicle. While I have and enjoy the right to ride my bicycle anywhere I please, I also understand that those rights don't protect me at all. They only ensure I can get creamed on any roadway. I also know that, like in most aspects of life, my personal safety is my own responsibility. I can't make people better, more attentive drivers... but I can choose less-traveled roads to enjoy myself on. Honestly, the highways are safer to bike on than most Lawton roads.

The Wichita Mountains Refuge is the perfect example of proper place and time. It's a very scenic area. The road is really good. There's ample shoulders, and the speed limit is conducive to this kind of activity. But then, there are the few that ruin it for everyone else.

Show of hands, who has been trapped behind a group of cyclists that insist on taking up the full lane while refusing to even remotely keep up with the posted speed limit? And then you're suddenly the jerk for having to pass them? It's just another example of people these days labeling themselves as a victim.

Does this mean you shouldn't ride your bicycle? No. I still think you should ride your wherever you want to. That's your right, and I'm big on individual rights all around... But please don't count on me for your safety. If I have to choose between hitting an animal with my car or you, odds are, you'll do less damage to me than an animal. Always make the best choice for yourself and your own well being.

Also, I'm tossing bearings at the next pretentious a-hole that yells at me for passing too close to them since they insist on using up my lane. Either grow a pair big enough to sustain yourself, or fake it like everyone else and by buy a Harley.