"Are you coming or going?"

[sojourner]

and motorcyclists usually wear clothing designed to deal with exactly this sort of eventuality.

You wouldn't believe how many times here in florida I've seen someone on a crotch rocket ride by wearing shorts, a t-shirt, no helmet and flip-flops.

It always makes me mentally shake my head.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Give me a break, dude. Of course it's meant to be derogatory. It's not a big deal, but don't try and pretend there's no condescension behind the term.

No, there isn't. Why would I use the term when refering to myself if it we derogatory? Guess what, I drove my car today...I caged it to work. To me there's nothing negative about it.

Also, kudos to doubleohfive for mocking my support and service to our veterans. Classy.

He didn't mock your participation in Warrior's Watch, he mocked your self-aggrandizing title of "Civilian Patriot," which is frankly ridiculous. As is referring to your "service to our veterans," which is an odd choice of words in this context since it's borrowing from the description given to the veteran's own time in uniform. It's almost like you're placing yourself in the same category as them and their service because you hang out with them briefly and do a nice thing for them. It's like trying to be a wannabe veteran almost.

The word "service" can mean a great many things. I provide a service to my customers at work, a waiter provides service at a restaurant...and I have actually been thanked for my service BY the veterans we bring home. I've responded with, "Oh, no I've never served." and they tell me that they consider what we do to be a service in it's own right. So the word was not exactly my own and I would never consider myself on the same level as someone who actually made that commitment.

...I can use the HOV lane and I can split lanes to get through a traffic jam like no car can.

Isn't "splitting lanes" to get through traffic jams illegal to do or at the very least sort of dickish and dangerous?

Checking: It seems lane-splitting is legal in California but there seems to be a number of safety guidelines/laws regarding it. (Speed, conditions where it is okay to do so, etc.) Still strikes me as something dangerous, foolish and kind of ass-hatty to do.

It isn't "ass-hatty" or dangerous if you do it right. I only split when traffic has slowed to about 20 mph or less. Otherwise I tough it out or pass one car at a time if they fall under the 20 mph mark. The fastest I've gotten while splitting is about 30-35, giving myself enough time to react to a last second lane changer. People around her typically know that it's legal and will make way for bikes as they go by. It eases congestion and is actually safer than me sitting in traffic. Why take up space on the road that could otherwise be used by a car that doesn't have the option to split?

I do shake my head when I see sport bike riders split at full freeway speeds. That's not only illegal but incredibly dangerous. I'm sure cruiser riders do it too but 9 times out of 10 I have seen it being sport bikes or standards doing that stuff.

...I can use the HOV lane and I can split lanes to get through a traffic jam like no car can.

Isn't "splitting lanes" to get through traffic jams illegal to do or at the very least sort of dickish and dangerous?

Checking: It seems lane-splitting is legal in California but there seems to be a number of safety guidelines/laws regarding it. (Speed, conditions where it is okay to do so, etc.) Still strikes me as something dangerous, foolish and kind of ass-hatty to do.

It's OK when he's doing it. It's only the other folks who are assholes in cages.

This statement doesn't make any sense. For one thing, it IS okay for me to lane split. it's legal in California. And for another, a "cage" can't lane split...

Is it common to take up an entire parking space with a motorcycle?

It would be uncommon for me to actually put it in a parking space. Normally I just shove it somewhere near to the entrance to the shop, wherever it isn't going to be in the way.

I've thought about doing that, too but am not sure about the legality of it where I am. it also seems like it'd be difficult to get the bike on and off the curb if there were no opening or ramp near by.

For the record, the term "cage" was not meant in a derogatory sense. It's just a slang term for a car. If I'm in a group of fellow riders and I am letting them know I plan on driving instead of riding, I might say "I'm caging it." I don't know why everyone had to automatically take offense to it.

Most definitely was. And most of the blowback you were getting is because you're the definition of a novice with the bike, and you've gone right to pretending you've been doing it 40 years. 'badass biker' Profile pic, telling us all about it and your warrior ride thing, you just can't help but fall into biker slang, etc. Dude, you've been riding the bike what, like 5 months? Forget, but it was sometime late summer, wasn't it? You're barely at the point where you should be trusted out on the road, not quite at the point where you should be bemoaning the 'cagers' and their lifestyle. At least own the bike long enough to change the oil once before you start forcing that, k?

It would be kinda like me insisting there's nothing wrong with me forcing a British accent because I was there for a week on vacation. Live there for 20 years, you'll probably fall into it a bit. On day 3, you're a poser at best. And you know it. It's an image thing, for sure, and it comes off as desperate for people to think you're one of the cool kids.

There's plenty of us who ride here, and every one of us has been doing it a lot longer than you. We're able to converse without going all Sons of Anarchy. I'm sure they're both recruiting you heavy, but have you decided on whether you're going to pledge Hell's Angels or Diablos yet?

I may have just bought the bike back in May but I have been with the WWR for about 4 years now. So yeah, you pick some stuff up after that much time. Besides, the fact that I see nothing negative about the term is why I used it. I referred to myself as a cager long before I even touched a motorcycle, and I still drive a car so your theory that I have something against car drivers doesn't hold up. It's not my fault you people get all butthurt over a simple term. I've never seen Sons of Anarchy but if using that term is all it takes to sound like the characters they might want to hire some better consultants on that show.

I will go ahead and admit that yes, I overreacted about this particular situation and the guy was quit a bit nicer than he needed to be and nicer than others in the similar situation. It just reminded me of other times the same situation had happened and that IMO the general situation is an irritating one. I still hold the opinion that sitting there and waiting before someone is even done loading their cargo is a dick move, though and not something I would do myself. Does it send me into a blind rage if someone does it? No, I simply roll my eyes and go about my day. It's a minor issue but still something I thought that might be worth discussing <img id="ums_img_tooltip" class="UMSRatingIcon">

 

[Locutus of Bored]

It's not my fault you people get all butthurt over a simple term.

I don't think the guy who whines in nearly every thread he posts and takes offense at imagined slights about his escort service really gets to accuse others of getting "butthurt."

Also, the fact that people were mocking you for calling cars "cages" after you've spent all of five minutes on your bike and weren't getting offended by it kind of puts the lie to that assertion.

 

[Amaris]

My cage keeps me from hitting something at high speed and becoming something you spread on a Ritz cracker.

My common sense and riding ability does that

Oh sure, call on common sense. Now who's being elitist?

 

[doubleohfive]

"Common sense is not so common." -Voltaire

 

[Bisz]

Funny, I can't remember seeing that at ANY medium to major shopping center I have ever been to, in my area or in other states. They all have two-way lanes between the parking spots on either side. And those are the kinds of places where you'd most likely find huge crowds of shoppers and cars (sorry, "cages") waiting in line.

Are we talking tiny little strip malls and small business parking lots?

We fell into the common trap of generalizing. In Canada I have never seen any angled parking, so when I encountered it in Kentucky and Indiana I generalized it as being an overall "American" thing. Just like some Yanks I work with assume that milk in Canada comes in bags (yes, it comes in plastic bags) when in fact that's mostly an Ontario thing and completely absent from certain provinces.

To answer your question, these were not small plazas, these were main shopping centres, Home Depots, Walmarts, etc.

The parking lot at the Mississippi Toyota plant is also angled with one-way aisles... I got a "ticket" for parking the "wrong way", ie. I pulled through and was facing against the flow of traffic in the one way aisle.

 

[Bisz]

If I catch someone stalking behind me waiting for me to pull out, I shut the engine off and stare at them through the rearview mirror until they go away.

I think it's disgusting! I never lurk by people, waiting for them to pull out. I never ever let anyone do that to me. I will sit there all night til they move on before I let them pull in right after I pull out.

Sorry it just really irritates me.

So... you are a complete and utter prick?

If the parking lot is full and someone needs to park there is nothing, zero, zip, nada, nill, nic wrong with them waiting for you to pull out of your spot if you have completed your shopping and are about to drive off.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

I'm not a prick!

Now I feel bad and deleted my other post.

I just don't like when someone is behind me honking or something for me to pull out for them. I never do that to anyone.

If someone is waiting someplace near me but not right up my butt, then of course I pull out. I just don't like when they either honk or get SO CLOSE that I can barely pull out at all.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Yeah, I would say that if you're already in your car, engine on, ready to go...there's nothing wrong with someone waiting. That's the equivalent of you leaving your table at a restaurant, and it's being bussed and is just about ready for the next patron. It gets irritating when, to use the same analogy, you haven't even finished eating yet and someone is vying for your table. My wife and I had that happen to us a few weeks ago; two guys stood right by our table in the bar area discussing how they were going to take our table when we left, and we hadn't even paid the damn bill yet. It feels the same when someone sits and waits for your spot before you've even finished putting your stuff away.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

I feel bad... I am sorry I said that.

It's just happened to me so much and I never do it to anyone else. It's a pet peeve. Sorry~!

 

[doubleohfive]

Yeah, I would say that if you're already in your car, engine on, ready to go...there's nothing wrong with someone waiting. That's the equivalent of you leaving your table at a restaurant, and it's being bussed and is just about ready for the next patron. It gets irritating when, to use the same analogy, you haven't even finished eating yet and someone is vying for your table. My wife and I had that happen to us a few weeks ago; two guys stood right by our table in the bar area discussing how they were going to take our table when we left, and we hadn't even paid the damn bill yet. It feels the same when someone sits and waits for your spot before you've even finished putting your stuff away.

I don't think the two are comparable at all.

When I'm out and about, and I see someone waiting for me to leave so they can park in my spot, I sure as shit don't waste time just sitting there making them wait. Apart from starting my car and buckling my seatbelt, I fucking go. Why? Because there's nothing I could be doing in that moment that I can't also do pulled over on the side of the road once I exit the parking lot/structure and that's only if I really have to.

But that's just me. I try to be considerate of other people's time.

In a restaurant, I don't waste my time or energy worrying about what other patrons are doing.

Flux it strikes me that you really, REALLY spend a lot of time worried about what other people think, say, and do to the point of omitting any enjoyment for yourself in favor of just getting riled up about non-issues. This is all a perfect example of such.

 

[Kestra]

I feel bad... I am sorry I said that.

It's just happened to me so much and I never do it to anyone else. It's a pet peeve. Sorry~!

It's okay. I think the good thing about a forum like this is that you see a lot of different perspectives, and you can use them to inform your own future behavior. It's understandable that you feel rushed, but most people aren't actually trying to make you uncomfortable. I'd wager that many of the people waiting for a spot would rather not be doing that and it makes them uncomfortable too.

The best thing to do is probably just get ready to move out of the spot in a reasonable amount of time. They'll just have to wait for you, and that's okay. Don't make it unnecessarily long. Not a big deal.

 

[Bisz]

Well all right then. You seem like a stand-up lass, all wrought with guilt and all that. Clearly not a prick.

 

[sojourner]

If someone were obnoxiously standing over my table waiting to take it I'd order more food/drinks.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Yeah, I would say that if you're already in your car, engine on, ready to go...there's nothing wrong with someone waiting. That's the equivalent of you leaving your table at a restaurant, and it's being bussed and is just about ready for the next patron. It gets irritating when, to use the same analogy, you haven't even finished eating yet and someone is vying for your table. My wife and I had that happen to us a few weeks ago; two guys stood right by our table in the bar area discussing how they were going to take our table when we left, and we hadn't even paid the damn bill yet. It feels the same when someone sits and waits for your spot before you've even finished putting your stuff away.

I don't think the two are comparable at all.

When I'm out and about, and I see someone waiting for me to leave so they can park in my spot, I sure as shit don't waste time just sitting there making them wait. Apart from starting my car and buckling my seatbelt, I fucking go. Why? Because there's nothing I could be doing in that moment that I can't also do pulled over on the side of the road once I exit the parking lot/structure and that's only if I really have to.

But that's just me. I try to be considerate of other people's time.

In a restaurant, I don't waste my time or energy worrying about what other patrons are doing.

Flux it strikes me that you really, REALLY spend a lot of time worried about what other people think, say, and do to the point of omitting any enjoyment for yourself in favor of just getting riled up about non-issues. This is all a perfect example of such.

The parking spot and the table are totally comparable. They are both public spaces that we occupy for a certain amount of time, and when we vacate them, other people then take our place. How is that any different?

If I am in a spot and am opening my door and getting in, yeah, I will GTFO and let them have the spot. What people seem to be missing is it is only irritating to me when I am not even at my car yet (when people basically stalk you as you walk from the store to your car) or I am in the middle of loading my cargo and not close to getting into my car. That is when it is exactly like the scenario with the restaurant table. I am still using this spot. My car needs to remain in it so that I can finish loading my cargo. With the table...I am still occupying the table and using it to eat on. I need to remain at the table so I can finish my meal and pay my check. In both instances, it's irritating to have people hovering over you waiting for their turn.

If someone were obnoxiously standing over my table waiting to take it I'd order more food/drinks.

My wife and I definitely took our time. The guys then saw someone else getting up from their table and tried to swoop on them. Turns out the woman was just going to the bathroom.

But why is it okay to take your time when someone is hovering over you to finish your meal so that they can take your table...and why is it okay to be irritated by that....but not be irritated by someone doing the same thing regarding your parking spot? If I am loading up my stuff, I am just as finished using that spot as I am done using that table.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

If I catch someone stalking behind me waiting for me to pull out, I shut the engine off and stare at them through the rearview mirror until they go away.

I think it's disgusting! I never lurk by people, waiting for them to pull out. I never ever let anyone do that to me. I will sit there all night til they move on before I let them pull in right after I pull out.

Sorry it just really irritates me.

So... you are a complete and utter prick?

There's a flag on the play. Flaming. Out of line. Five yard penalty. Comments to PM.

 

[doubleohfive]

Yeah, I would say that if you're already in your car, engine on, ready to go...there's nothing wrong with someone waiting. That's the equivalent of you leaving your table at a restaurant, and it's being bussed and is just about ready for the next patron. It gets irritating when, to use the same analogy, you haven't even finished eating yet and someone is vying for your table. My wife and I had that happen to us a few weeks ago; two guys stood right by our table in the bar area discussing how they were going to take our table when we left, and we hadn't even paid the damn bill yet. It feels the same when someone sits and waits for your spot before you've even finished putting your stuff away.

I don't think the two are comparable at all.

When I'm out and about, and I see someone waiting for me to leave so they can park in my spot, I sure as shit don't waste time just sitting there making them wait. Apart from starting my car and buckling my seatbelt, I fucking go. Why? Because there's nothing I could be doing in that moment that I can't also do pulled over on the side of the road once I exit the parking lot/structure and that's only if I really have to.

But that's just me. I try to be considerate of other people's time.

In a restaurant, I don't waste my time or energy worrying about what other patrons are doing.

Flux it strikes me that you really, REALLY spend a lot of time worried about what other people think, say, and do to the point of omitting any enjoyment for yourself in favor of just getting riled up about non-issues. This is all a perfect example of such.

The parking spot and the table are totally comparable. They are both public spaces that we occupy for a certain amount of time, and when we vacate them, other people then take our place. How is that any different?

If I am in a spot and am opening my door and getting in, yeah, I will GTFO and let them have the spot. What people seem to be missing is it is only irritating to me when I am not even at my car yet (when people basically stalk you as you walk from the store to your car) or I am in the middle of loading my cargo and not close to getting into my car. That is when it is exactly like the scenario with the restaurant table. I am still using this spot. My car needs to remain in it so that I can finish loading my cargo. With the table...I am still occupying the table and using it to eat on. I need to remain at the table so I can finish my meal and pay my check. In both instances, it's irritating to have people hovering over you waiting for their turn.

Define "hovering."

If someone were obnoxiously standing over my table waiting to take it I'd order more food/drinks.

My wife and I definitely took our time. The guys then saw someone else getting up from their table and tried to swoop on them. Turns out the woman was just going to the bathroom.

But why is it okay to take your time when someone is hovering over you to finish your meal so that they can take your table...and why is it okay to be irritated by that....but not be irritated by someone doing the same thing regarding your parking spot? If I am loading up my stuff, I am just as finished using that spot as I am done using that table.[/QUOTE]

Are you at a fancy restaurant? Or a midscale place like Applebee's or Chile's, where you have to be seated by a host?

Or is this only happening at In-N-Out when school lets out? Because you know, In-N-Out at 3pm tends to be packed.

More importantly: How many times has this actually happened to you and your wife that it has become such a blight on your very existence? Why is it so annoying to you that people "creep" after you to get your parking spot if you are actually leaving? What's the harm?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

What people seem to be missing is it is only irritating to me when I am not even at my car yet (when people basically stalk you as you walk from the store to your car) or I am in the middle of loading my cargo and not close to getting into my car.

What you seem to be missing is that if you don't stake out the spot early on, and instead continue to circle around until it becomes available, then someone else who doesn't know that you've been circling around waiting for the spot to open might be able to take the spot before you swing around again. If you don't lock it down you lose it. Yeah, it might be slightly irritating to the person in the spot who feels rushed, but there really isn't an alternative unless you're willing to waste an hour futzing around circling the parking lot waiting to get lucky and hit the open spot at precisely the right time you circle around and aren't cut off by another driver.

 

[sojourner]

My wife and I definitely took our time. The guys then saw someone else getting up from their table and tried to swoop on them. Turns out the woman was just going to the bathroom.

But why is it okay to take your time when someone is hovering over you to finish your meal so that they can take your table...and why is it okay to be irritated by that....but not be irritated by someone doing the same thing regarding your parking spot? If I am loading up my stuff, I am just as finished using that spot as I am done using that table.

1. they have to be obnoxious about it. Patiently waiting at a polite distance is another matter.
2. you admitted you didn't act that way over the parking space. Instead you let the situation intimidate you.

 

[Trekker4747]

Guys, let's be fair on the "cage/cager" thing. I mean it's only implying that the vast majority of us who are in cars are really in confined spaces used to restrain animals against their will. Why be offended by that or take it as derogatory?

And, Flux, on the lane splitting thing... You say you do it at around 30mph, what I read on it said you should do it closer to 10. 30 is a pretty good clip to be going I a narrow space between stopped or slow-moving cars.