Except… the same thing still applies when it’s safe to pass.
Besides, what is “safe to pass”? It’s a spectrum, and different people have different thresholds.
As a driver, my threshold might be “I can pass this cyclist without hitting him.” For the cyclist, it might be “the driver can pass me without making me nervous.”
Well, guess who gets to decide when it’s safe to pass? (It’s not the cyclist).
And when roads are long, flat, and straight, it’s pretty easy to determine. You can clearly see when there’s oncoming traffic anywhere close. But not all roads are like that. In many places, most aren’t.
So when you have hilly, curvy roads, it can be more dangerous to pass. You have to wait until you get a long enough straightaway when you can see far enough ahead. And when that comes, there still might be oncoming traffic. So when you get a decent straightaway with no oncoming traffic, you have to take the opportunity because you don’t know when the next one will come. And you can’t dawdle, so if the cyclist expects you to pass slowly, they’re kinda stupid.
Lastly, your argument is kinda weak as a counter to “cyclists and drivers should have separate lanes because they move at different speeds.”
Or you could just wait until it’s safe to pass.
Except… the same thing still applies when it’s safe to pass.
Besides, what is “safe to pass”? It’s a spectrum, and different people have different thresholds.
As a driver, my threshold might be “I can pass this cyclist without hitting him.” For the cyclist, it might be “the driver can pass me without making me nervous.”
Well, guess who gets to decide when it’s safe to pass? (It’s not the cyclist).
And when roads are long, flat, and straight, it’s pretty easy to determine. You can clearly see when there’s oncoming traffic anywhere close. But not all roads are like that. In many places, most aren’t.
So when you have hilly, curvy roads, it can be more dangerous to pass. You have to wait until you get a long enough straightaway when you can see far enough ahead. And when that comes, there still might be oncoming traffic. So when you get a decent straightaway with no oncoming traffic, you have to take the opportunity because you don’t know when the next one will come. And you can’t dawdle, so if the cyclist expects you to pass slowly, they’re kinda stupid.
Lastly, your argument is kinda weak as a counter to “cyclists and drivers should have separate lanes because they move at different speeds.”