"Why don't you drive a car like Normal People??!!" (Toronto Road Rage)
 

True story....happened today in Toronto.

We're at a stop light, facing north on Lascelles Blvd at Eglinton. There's no through street ahead, instead there's the driveway entrance to a local community centre, and that's where we're heading, since there's a bike path from the driveway through to the next street. I hear a cyclist pull up behind me, and glance back. He's a middle-aged, maybe professional dude, not too different from myself, except he has a cellphone mike and earpiece attached to the side of his head. He asks my kid if he's pushed the signal button and comments on how long it takes the light to change even with that. So, a well-wired, impatient fellow.

Finally the light changes and my kid speeds ahead. My new friend and I are a little slower off the mark. As we pull into the intersection we see a blue minivan coming south out of the community centre driveway and starting to turn left into our path. The driver hesitates as we approach, then blasts his horn.

I'm usually more passive-aggressive than aggressive in these kinds of situations...I like to ride 'real slow' and make 'em wait. Cellphone Guy pulls ahead of me and yells something about having the right of way as he passes the driver's window, then slams his fist against the rear passenger window.

We keep riding, but seconds later, when I'm 50 feet into the driveway. I hear the unmistakeable sound of a vehicle reversing fast. Blue van man backs up recklessly past me, bouncing over speed bumps, and coming within a couple of feet of Cellphone Guy's rear wheel. "Watch out", I yell, but Cellphone guy has already pulled over onto the path, and is waiting, with a bit of a smirk, to see what will happen next. The window comes down on the van revealing an ordinary looking guy in his forties, but what we hear is a stream of puerile abuse that could have come from a pre-teen. I can't remember everything he said but the one thing that sticks out is "Why don't you drive a car like normal people??!!" Of course the spew has been directed at the other cyclist, but the last comment offends me considerably since I'm standing right there astride my bike. "You're such a fool" I say in my mock sweetest voice. Van man throws his vehicle into gear and screeches away, and the last thing we hear is him repeatedly yelling "******! ******!".

Would love to hear your comments.
Robert

This isn't what he meant, but, if he thinks he's a good example of how "normal people drive", I'll stick to my abnormal style, thank you very much.

I got an Idea.....Y not somebody take pictures of all the people who abuse them when they are riding a bike. Then we could make webpages about what happened and what they did. Mebbe they'll stumble upon their pic one day, and feel remorse....not...

Ah well just an Idea.

Or it could be like America's Most Wanted and we could all go vigalante! I say it would be a great page.

Tell 'em you're better than normal!

And he was driving?...
A Minivan :D

Must have been a chuckle for you to watch him ruin his tires, suspension, transmission, engine, etc just to impotently fume at you.

Cell phone dude is going to get shot some day. OR a big dude is going to jump out and whoop his @ss into the ground.

Impatient for the light but had the time to start a confrontation?? don't make sense to me.

Agreed, always better to just blow it off, than to risk the one day you stumble across the one dude you can't handle

Canadians...

Good one...we're as cranky as people anywhere.
Robert

I don't know about that. Cyclists are some of the more fit people I've seen around T.O. I mean, we get a certain amount of exercise just by getting around, ya know?


To be fair, that is one seriously long light. True story: When I was in high school, waiting for that light to change actually made me late for my next class.

Fallback insult of a loser.

I think a good response is "What makes you think I'm normal people?"

On the down side, that'd make it one less bike rider. :(

On the up side, that'd make it one less cellphone dude. :)

exactly. that guy lost his temper and his true colors came out for a bit. and how disgusting they are.

what's normal about driving an automobile?

I am reading this while on a telecon that is simply degrading... I wonder what the other people think happened here to give me a belly laugh...

:)

I may start wearing pink just to use this one...

:rolleyes: Well let's think about that... If everyone had been driving cars, would the rager have been able to make his left turn, or would he have had to wait then, too? (rhetorical question) ;)

Hahahah...he's driving a minivan, I would have pointed that out to him and asked him why he doesn't get a life like normal people

Heh heh I'm a Canadian too eh. I always carry my Easton Synergy and some extra pucks when I'm biking, eh, in case I have to fire a few shots at some ragin' cager. But I'm always polite about it, eh.

You should've pulled out a gun and shot him. :p

That is so Toronto... the whole city revolves around work. If you're on a bike it means you're a drunken loser welfare junkie bum.

My neighbour was being plagued by a mean dog that would ambush cyclists- he talked to the owner who shrugged it off, thought it was funny. So Al took an old hockey stick handle, hopped on his bike and rode around the block. Next time the dog made a foray Al slammed him across the shoulders with the hockey stick.