Zan

I was riding back from my friend's house today. maybe a 12km journey; i wasn't paying attention to my computer. i bike through the subdivision roads as much as possible, but eventually i have to ride along the main roads which have lots of traffic and a high speed limit.

it's intimidating riding on these roads as i can't hit 70km/h, and only can manage 50km/h for a short break. drivers DO NOT share the road with you on these streets - too much traffic. they'll pass you so close you could reach out and hit their car.

today i was tired, and decided to ride the sidewalk. nice and slow, bumbling along at 20km/h. i don't ride fast on the sidewalks ever, for safety of myself and for others. i was riding along and approaching a set of red lights. the cars are slowing down, as expected, and then i hear the roar of a loud engine. i figured it was a gravel truck or something. then the horn blared and i could hear a distant shout over the engine. i looked back.

it was a school bus! the driver was honking at some honda civic which (as it would seem) was pulling up to the red light too slowly. gosh the bus driver looked pissed. tailgating a honda civic in a school bus and honking all for the sake of gaining 40ft in front of a red light? the civic driver was doing nothing wrong; just approaching the light slowly.

gosh i'm glad i took the sidewalk today. i'd hate to have been on the main road with this idiot at the wheel behind me. if she honks at a driver at the red light, i'm sure she would've mowed ME down!!!

a similar case like this happened to me the other day when i biked home from the store. i was on a 50km/h road, near a residential area, pulling up to a red light. there are two lanes; the right-turn lane and the left/straight lane. i'm doing 30 on this street, slowing down for the red light i was approaching. as i'm slowing down, this nazi woman behind me starts honking at me as if i'm riding too slowly to the red light.

i wasn't holding up traffic, as i was waiting at the light in the straight/left lane. i approached the car infront of me and put my foot down as i slowed to a stop. i slowly turn around and just look at the driver behind me to see if she'd give me a signal to show me what i was doing wrong. of course, after a second or two, i won the staring match and she looked away.

crazy drivers on the roads, fellow cyclists. this does not seem to be a bike-friendly country.

i find some drivers are VERY respectable on the road. you know, the ones who change into the left lane to pass you. i like those drivers. the drivers who almost smoosh you tick me off. you know who i'm talking about. it's worse with the trucks; they sometimes get so close that the air-wave nearly blows you off the road (i came close to eating gravel today biking along a country road on the paved shoulder. the air-wave knocked me a foot off to the right, and i came very close to falling into the gravel!).

just needed to unwind. thanks for listening .

AndrewP

But the school bus driver and lady behind you saw the traffic in front of them and displayed their frustration with life by making a noise - they didnt resort to hitting anybody.

bhop

Traffic whizzing by close enough to touch their car is pretty normal for my commute.. it's kinda scary...

I also hate it when you're on a two lane road riding in the right lane, nobody in the left lane, but a car behind you won't switch lanes to go around, just follows at bike speed.... happened to me yesterday. I guess it shouldn't worry me, but since it's not normal for someone to sit behind me like that, it makes me wonder what they heck they're doing.

Tom Stormcrowe

Last time I had that happen, it was a little old lady trying to "protect" me from the other traffic. Nice thought, but it was dangerous for her as well as me.

Sledbikes

i have truck horns mounted on the rear on my suv for those types im also gonna get a led sign of the bird that i will light up upon being beeped on and once they make it to my drivers window Mr .45 will be there to greet them

Zan

maybe it just rattles me 'cause i ride the trails more than the roads. i suppose i'm just not used to the horrors on Markham traffic whilst riding a bicycle. having said that, i don't seem to be bothered at all when i'm driving.

maybe they'll pick on the small vulnerable cyclist, but won't dare mess with the pirate in his land yacht . Would you???

tomg

take bus number, time, date, location and report to school district. keep them informed of behaviors seen!

Bikepacker67

Bahhh!

Just yesterday I had a rear-dualie truck on a 2 lane, one way street, NOT moving over to pass (traffic was very light)

I just kept pushing futher and further into the outside lane until the SOB got the message that he should take the extra effort and move left instead of trying to squeeze me into the curbing.

F them.
F them hard.

buzzman

Oh, wow. you sound like a real fun guy to be around.

Somewhere at a truck stop in America is a truck driver having a cup of joe with a bunch of other truckers telling the story of the cyclist he ran off the road saying, "I just kept pushing further and further into the inside lane until the SOB got the message he should take the extra effort and move right instead of trying to squeeze me into the other lane.

F them.
F them hard."

It's not what we ride but how we ride. The same crappy attitudes that drivers have are just as repugnant when expressed by a guy with a bike.