Bicycle bullies

• There are too many of them in this city, and most of them are men in their thirties and forties.
• They travel as fast as cars do in the middle of the city, but ignore traffic lights and do just as they please. They are traffic hazards. You never know where you have them.
• They are supposed to get off their bikes and walk them across the pedestrian crosswalks; this almost never happens.
• They travel too fast on footpaths that are designed for both pedestrians and cyclists. They act annoyed when you don’t move out of their way fast enough.
• That there haven’t been more serious accidents in Oslo involving them and pedestrians surprises me.
• Apropos my last post about the baby hedgehog; I’m sure the majority of the bicycle bullies would just drive right over one in their path, crush it and move on. Perhaps that’s mean of me to say, but I don’t get the impression that these people care too much about anyone or anything except themselves, and about getting to where they’re going as fast as possible, obstacles be damned.
• The most stupid thing I’ve seen so far is those of them who are steering the bike with one hand and talking on a cell phone with the other. Honestly, what is so important that you need the dangerous distraction of a cell phone? Who do you think you’re impressing? And if it’s really a serious matter, pull over to the roadside, stop and take the call.
• They act as though they are competing in the Tour de France, and they dress accordingly.
• In Amsterdam--bicycle city deluxe--the bicyclists know how to behave in traffic and don’t all look as though they are Tour de France competitors. They dress in ordinary clothing and are far more relaxed. The same is true for another bicycle city—Copenhagen. Why does Oslo have to stand out in this way? It impresses no one.
• Isn’t it possible to bike anymore without having to ‘dress the part’ from head to toe?
• Isn’t it possible to enjoy being out in nature, to stop along the way and admire a lake or a flower, without having to speed your way through all that is beautiful around you?
• Get over yourselves. The rest of us are not impressed.