Arkivalways

As noted earlier, each traveler is X-times more arrogant than a slower traveler, based on the speed ratio: “If you (slow person) valued your time as much as I (faster person) do mine, you’d have paid more so you could go faster.”

When both travelers share the same roadway…

“Delaying Traffic: Perception vs. Reality
Many non-cyclists believe that bicycles on the road “get in the way” and delay “real traffic”. Much if this is due to the attitude that cyclists are just playing in the road and that they do not deserve to use roadway space. There is also the “Be my guest” attitude that motorists have a right to drive at the speed limit, if not faster.

The reality is that ALL vehicles delay traffic. This is a consequence of the law of nature that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. While bikes sometimes delay traffic, so do cars. Think about this next time you are waiting for a car to make a left turn ahead of you. If that were a bike, you would probably have room to be on your way. Likewise, as shown at right, a courteous cyclist stopped at a traffic light will move up and to the left to allow following drivers to turn right on red — if it is safe and legal.

The actual delay to traffic from a bicycle is almost always trivial. Most traffic is able to pass with no impact other than slowing a bit and perhaps changing lanes. Occasionally, a passing driver must wait a few seconds in order to fit a gap for safe passing. Very rarely is the wait as much as 30 seconds.

Remember, the passing driver needs only to slow to the speed of the bicycle. Typically, the bicycle is traveling at half the speed limit, thus the delay is half what it seems. After passing, the motorist can go faster in the open space ahead of the bicycle. Most soon catch up to their earlier place in the traffic queue. This means the real delay is usually zero. The presence of a bicycle simply redistributes the delays already present due to other traffic.”

From: http://www.labreform.org/blunders/b7.html

Compared to cyclists and walkers, motorists are arrogant. In fact, We can quantify motorist arrogance.

Imagine a motorist at 30 miles an hour; a cyclist at ten miles an hour; a pedestrian at three miles an hour. As the motorist meets the cyclist or the pedestrian, the motorist is thinking, “I am more important than you are. My time is worth three to ten times more than your time. If you valued your time as much as I do mine, you would have expended the resources required to travel as fast as I am.”

Sure, the cyclist may be cycling for exercise. But that doesn’t change the motorist’s mental calculation. Perhaps the motorist is driving to the gym, to get on an exercise bike. The same calculation applies. If you, the non-motorist, ask that particular motorist why they don’t ditch the car and merge their exercise and their commuting… chances are they’ll tell you that they don’t have the time for that. That is, their time is more valuable than yours.

This mental calculation is a temptation, and cyclists are tempted to engage in the same calculation, when they meet a pedestrian.