obligatory obscure reference

Some notes from today’s ride

1. Before you start cycling here, and especially before you move here or look for a place to live, go over to BikePGH and read up on the city. Get their fine cycling map and your riding will go much more smoothly.
2. There’s a popular belief that Pittsburgh drivers are some of the most polite in the US. While this may be true, they also get into dangerous, passive-aggressive games of “no, you first” that block traffic and cause other people to do stupid things.
3. The Pittsburgh Left is as real and as dangerous as it seems.
4. If you see a motorist doing something rude or dangerous don’t assume they’re a jerk. It’s quite likely that they’re probably just incompetent, elderly, or both. The state driver’s exam is a joke — you just drive a bit in a parking lot — and there’s also no mandatory retest as you get older.
5. If elderly, incompetent drivers annoy you then avoid Squirrel Hill.
6. There’s a reason there are sharrows on one side and a bike lane on the other. Trust me.
7. If you’re in Oakland and almost collide with an oblivious college student, thank Pitt.
8. If you’re in the South Side and almost collide with an oblivious hipster, thank PBR.
9. Negley is not nearly as fun as you think it will be.
10. Yes, you broke 35mph without trying. We all have.
11. Cycling here has improved several orders of magnitude in the four years I’ve lived here. There are bike lanes, sharrows, a pro-bike org, and city support for cycling.
12. Tuesday night is Bacon Night at the Harris Grill.