noisebeam

I don't go for ones that even appear to be trying to gain respect or a cyclist centric message. That to me is a given - as you are on a bike and obviously not using fuel. Message like "share the road" and "cyclist may take full lane" need to be put up by the city, the public.

I prefer ones that suggest a commonality with those others using the road. Something that lets them see you as no different than them, like:
-Commuting
-To Work and Back

Certainly kinda boring.

Even ones that say "share..." read to me like the whiny kid running to teacher everytime the big kids wont play with him and saying 'Tommy wont share the ball with me" or "Mommy said you need to share the swingset"

Al

budster

3 words or less?

How about

PASS
ME,
ALREADY!

Or perhaps...

JUST PASS ME

(maybe we could get a sponsorship deal)

More succinctly...

GO!

Or...

GIT!

Any of the above with a left-pointing arrow or left-pointing finger below the word(s). (or right-pointing for countries that drive funny ).

noisebeam

I still really like:

<--3 FEET

Al

Little Darwin

I like the idea of trying to emphasize commonality. My thought is to remind them that they are not alone...

TAX
PAYER

or

I
PAY
TAXES

or
I
PAY
TAXES
TOO!

Perhaps the middle one (since it can be done in a triangular shape) could work within a slow moving vehicle symbol for getting attention.

cooker

This thread reminds me about a pair of bumper stickers I saw on the back of a big transport truck once. The sticker on the left had an arrow pointing to the left side of the truck, and it said "El Paso". The one on the right had an arrow pointing right, and it said "El Crasho".

R

Redrom

I'm thinking about just three words because on a recumbent that's all they'll see across my sholders. I haven't decided for sure that this bike will be what I ride, if I commute the 21 miles each way to work.

Yesterday someone came right up on my tail (and this is on a 45 Mph road with 2 lanes each direction for easy passing), and must have been less than 1' away by the sound of things, and then I read the other post this morning where some motorist deliberately tapped their wheel! I polled my co-workers, and all but one (another cyclist) were amazed to learn that (at least in North Carolina):

1) bikes are entitled to the whole lane
2) cyclists are allowed to ride two abreast
3) cyclists are not required to pull over when honked at
4) allowed to ride on both the sidewalks and roads (sidewalks depends on town ordinance, in my town only on designated "greenway" sidewalks)
5) Automobiles are required to wait to pass when they would have any other vehicle (dotted line no traffic coming the other way)
6) One person was actually besides themself that bikes are even allowed on the roads at all because cyclists don't have to pay road taxes (from sales of gas, vehicle property tax, registration fees, etc.)

My point is that there is a long way to go in educating the public, and while it shouldn't have to be our responsibility to educate everyone it might be in our best preservation interest to do so.

skingry

I have "The revolution will not be motorized" scrawled on my messenger bag.

budster

Heh. There's no better way to ensure that I won't pull over than honking! ;D

They should teach that stuff in driver's ed.

BTW, greetings fellow Tar Heel! Your custom user title references one of my favorite b-sides.

"Once upon a pair of wheels, I hit the road and I'm gaw-aw-awn..."

super-douper

Got gas? I do.

STEER CLEAR!!!

biodiesel

Add some humor to typical road signs...

!!! WIDE LOAD !!!
STAY CLEAR 3 FEET

My other car is bigger than yours.

"Cause Ford ain't makin bicycles yet"

"If you can read this my 'girl' fell off"
"AND SOMEONE STOLE MY HARLEY!!!"

"Alternative Vehicle...
"100% ethanol engine "
"10% less emissions"

"DANGER"
"BLIND CYCLIST"
(sounds dumb but i bet people wouldn't think about it for a minute)

"Lost my license because of ROAD RAGE!!!"

"Give a drunk guy a brake!
"I can barely see as it is!"

MY A$$ HURTS
stop laughing its not funny

biodiesel

Or the Political

"Saving My Gas Money for (insert one here... college, kids, booze)"

"Reducing US dependance on Forign Oil"

"Why be Lazy?"

"Riding to work since the war started"

tokolosh

one of my top 5 so far. i want 'my other bike is a tardis' but on a fender-sticker.

Patriot

Nope got you all beat.

Best jersey I have ever seen, had said on the back in big bright letters....

"ROAD KILL"

I want one soooo bad. Everyone gave that guy plenty of room.

jur

I like

"HONK FOR FINGER"

Crankaddict

"Video taping in progress"

The Seldom Kill

CHEAP
FAST
EASY

Or do you think that this would be giving out the wrong message?

CaptainKurt99

LOL, thats a good one!

Praxis

"Don't drive angry."

giaspec

What about: pizza powered vehicle

or whatever your favorite meal is!

desertlove

Ok i can under stand letting a biker have the lane if there is another lane for me to pass them on so that everything is safe. I ride a mountain bike and to get to one of my favorite trails i have to go through a 15mile strech of blind turns, one lane both ways and it seems that every turn i almost hit a road biker because they are in the middle of the road doing less than half the speed limit and i cant pass them because there are always cars coming the other direction and sometimes it just gets really scary for both the biker and myself. Honestly i wish they would build a bike lane for these people. someones going to get hurt.

NoRacer

Someone needs to invent a strip of LEDs that you can hang on a safety vest that let's you create you own message on the fly. It can be static or a 'crawl'. The device will have a little QWERTY keyboard so you can quickly type a message at traffic lights or have preloaded ones that you've composed ahead of time and can be displayed by hitting the F1 or F2 or F3... key.

I need a patent or maybe sell the idea to these guys:

https://www.polycomp.co.uk/led-display-products.htm

.

balto charlie

While most are funny and witty I doubt that they'll help. In fact some will have the drivers aiming for ya'. If you seek respect(read:space) then I think the flag idea is good but I've heard of one rider that rode with a sign stating " My wife got the car in the divorce" He said cars cheered him, while giving him plenty of room. He instantly related to 50% of the drivers. Makes sense. Charlie

DCCommuter

If it's so scary, and you're so concerned about safety, why do you insist on passing when it's not safe to do so? You write: "Sometimes it just gets really scary for both the biker and myself" How about taking a little responsibility for your actions, dropping the passive voice, and saying it like it is: "Sometimes I get so impatient I do foolish and illegal things." Similarly, instead of passively saying "someones [sic] going to get hurt," write, "I'm going to hurt someone."

karmaboy

on my helmet:
$0.00/gallon

budster

I find it kind of refreshing to get a typical cager's view on this. Some phrases stand out:

• "...letting a biker have the lane..." Shows cager assumes a greater right to the road and that cagers believe they can decide when a cyclist can or can't have a lane.
• "...because they are in the middle of the road doing less than half the speed limit..." Assumes that motorists have a right to travel the speed limit at all times, that all traffic must move at, or above, the posted speed limit and that any vehicle not able to "cut it" shouldn't be on the road, or should at least be on the very edge of it.
• "Honestly i wish they would build a bike lane for these people. someones going to get hurt." Assumes that roads are for cars and that bikes belong in bike lanes. Implies it would be the cyclist's fault if "someone" got hurt.

Drivers assume these things because that's what they experience 95% of the time or better. The assumptions highlight real problems, both in the understanding of road rules, and in the shortcomings of most of our roads.

In a perfect world, drivers would know that the law gives a bicycle as much right to be on the road as it does a car (more, actually, as car driving is a privilege, contingent on proper behavior). Also, enough people would bike for bikes to be an ordinary part of the road experience. And all roads would be built wide enough to accomodate a bike and a car comfortably at the same time.

It's up to us to create that better world. I think most of us are doing our part.