Having bottles thrown at you while you are cycling.
#126
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(Devil's advocate: and "open container of alcohol", well, it's not a crime for him to have an open container if it's empty. And he doesn't have it any more, does he? (Of course, littering and assault should still be crimes.))
Last edited by dougmc; 05-27-11 at 08:13 AM.
#127
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Maybe the person saying "Nice Bike!" is being sincere. A lot of the people on this forum really do have nice bikes.
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#130
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Do drivers (or thug-pedestrians) tend to make such provocations to high-speed riders?
(btw I once heard a drive behind me say "let's look at these cool lights!")
(btw I once heard a drive behind me say "let's look at these cool lights!")
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Was it a 1999 Blazer or a beat up 1997 Saturn sedan? Might have been me. I've been known to pull alongside and ask what blinky someone's using if it has a particularly good pattern that I don't recognize.
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I've tried to do that and found that it just works better if I am on foot when talking to a cyclist.
#133
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Ha, I didn't see the car, but if you were in NYC last spring, maybe! I think that kind of remarks were the most welcome for a bicyclist: friendly and likely a driver sympathetic to cyclists (probably himself one).
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Last night I had done exactly this. The guy drove across the intersection, stopped and came out saying "my *****" a bunch of times. Honestly, I don't think any cyclist should be afraid of these guys. Yeah they have a car and can ram your ass against a tree or a sign, but that's if you're strictly riding down the street. I think they would have no chance when chasing a cyclist through the neighborhood. This would be funny.
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First off I’d like to appologize for not being active for so long.
I vaguly remember reading about the above case a while back. And I’m sorry Doug, but I have to disagree with you. There is no such thing as taking these cases “too seriously.” As the end results COULD have been deadly.
That’s not to say that I agree with the punisment dished out. But we need the police to take all reports seriously.
#136
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Okay, what is a “thug-pedestrian?” Speaking from both sides of the saddle, I get sick and tired of motorists stopping not only over the stop line, but stopping IN the crosswalk. And then looking at pedestrians as if they’re “crazy” for not wanting to either walk behind said car or in front of it out of the crosswalk.
As a matter of fact just last week I had such an encounter with a motorist as I was walking to the neighborhood Walgreen’s. When I politely asked her to back up she rolls up her window so she doesn’t have to hear me. And no there wasn’t any car behind her she could have backed up safely.
#137
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Guys. THIS.
Last night I had done exactly this. The guy drove across the intersection, stopped and came out saying “my *****” a bunch of times. Honestly, I don’t think any cyclist should be afraid of these guys. Yeah they have a car and can ram your ass against a tree or a sign, but that’s if you’re strictly riding down the street. I think they would have no chance when chasing a cyclist through the neighborhood. This would be funny.
Last night I had done exactly this. The guy drove across the intersection, stopped and came out saying “my *****” a bunch of times. Honestly, I don’t think any cyclist should be afraid of these guys. Yeah they have a car and can ram your ass against a tree or a sign, but that’s if you’re strictly riding down the street. I think they would have no chance when chasing a cyclist through the neighborhood. This would be funny.
The sad thing with how you handled the situation could have gotten you arrested. See the post from Doug for proof of that.
I do agree with you though that in theory that we shouldn’t have to be afriad of them. But as you’ve said they do have a car, and they can do things to us to make our lives very mesierable. So a little discretion is a good thing.
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Doug and everyone else,
First off I’d like to appologize for not being active for so long.
I vaguly remember reading about the above case a while back. And I’m sorry Doug, but I have to disagree with you. There is no such thing as taking these cases “too seriously.” As the end results COULD have been deadly.
That’s not to say that I agree with the punisment dished out. But we need the police to take all reports seriously.
First off I’d like to appologize for not being active for so long.
I vaguly remember reading about the above case a while back. And I’m sorry Doug, but I have to disagree with you. There is no such thing as taking these cases “too seriously.” As the end results COULD have been deadly.
That’s not to say that I agree with the punisment dished out. But we need the police to take all reports seriously.
Hall's next move was wrong, she said, but she felt provoked.
#139
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Regardless, though I think that it is safe to say that this individual will hopefully think before she acts the next time she finds herself in this or a similar situation.
#140
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#141
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A bullet thrown by rapid explosion from the barrel of a weapon in the right hand of a passenger in a blue 10 yard dump truck with muddy plates.
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Make ******* Grate Cheese Again
Last edited by Jseis; 09-29-14 at 08:24 PM.
#142
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I'm not proud of the following, but it's a story from the other side of the throwing.
A couple of years ago, I was riding in Chicago on a Saturday in May in the area of Lincoln Park, close to Lake Michigan. I was approaching an intersection with a green light when a car passed me and turned right immediately in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and the quick stop sent to me the ground. I came away with torn pants and a large bloody abrasion on my right knee. I remember the grinning faces of the passenger and driver as they cut me off, but most of all I remember the car, which was either an original or replica of the Batman car from the 1960s television show, "Batman," complete with an open top.
I was furious, because it was obvious that their maneuver was intentional and because I could have been seriously injured if I hadn't reacted as quickly as I did. I got back on my bike, my knee throbbing and dripping blood, and headed west on Armitage in order to catch a Metra train at the Clybourn stop. The traffic was really backed up on Armitage, which has many stop signs, and I was able to advance faster on my bike than any car. About half way to the Metra, a coffee shop was handing out samples. I was at a stop light, and the lady said I looked like I needed something soothing and offered me a small paper cup of hot tea. I received it gratefully, then continued on, sipping tea and passing long lines of cars stalled in heavy traffic. To my amazement, I spotted the Batman car ahead of me, surrounded by a sea of traffic. I pulled up to the car, tossed the tea at the driver and said, "Payback's a *****." Then I accelerated away, filtering through traffic as the soaked driver cursed at me impotently. The traffic was such that they were stuck in the middle of the block, unable to advance or turn around.
By the time I got on the train, I was regretting what I had done, and I still feel bad about letting my anger lead my actions, but in the moment, I relished giving those jerks a bit of their own medicine.
A couple of years ago, I was riding in Chicago on a Saturday in May in the area of Lincoln Park, close to Lake Michigan. I was approaching an intersection with a green light when a car passed me and turned right immediately in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and the quick stop sent to me the ground. I came away with torn pants and a large bloody abrasion on my right knee. I remember the grinning faces of the passenger and driver as they cut me off, but most of all I remember the car, which was either an original or replica of the Batman car from the 1960s television show, "Batman," complete with an open top.
I was furious, because it was obvious that their maneuver was intentional and because I could have been seriously injured if I hadn't reacted as quickly as I did. I got back on my bike, my knee throbbing and dripping blood, and headed west on Armitage in order to catch a Metra train at the Clybourn stop. The traffic was really backed up on Armitage, which has many stop signs, and I was able to advance faster on my bike than any car. About half way to the Metra, a coffee shop was handing out samples. I was at a stop light, and the lady said I looked like I needed something soothing and offered me a small paper cup of hot tea. I received it gratefully, then continued on, sipping tea and passing long lines of cars stalled in heavy traffic. To my amazement, I spotted the Batman car ahead of me, surrounded by a sea of traffic. I pulled up to the car, tossed the tea at the driver and said, "Payback's a *****." Then I accelerated away, filtering through traffic as the soaked driver cursed at me impotently. The traffic was such that they were stuck in the middle of the block, unable to advance or turn around.
By the time I got on the train, I was regretting what I had done, and I still feel bad about letting my anger lead my actions, but in the moment, I relished giving those jerks a bit of their own medicine.
#144
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i had a group of misguided youths buzz me in a vw passat.... turn around and come back to throw something at me. quick reaction times resulted in a catch, a quick turn and a good license plate number and vehicle description.
local PD was literally sitting on a side street and saw whole thing, and immediately responded. youths received misdemeanor reckless endangerment and 1 year probation each.
it's the one and only time i've had something thrown at me.
yelled at, buzzed on many occasions
local PD was literally sitting on a side street and saw whole thing, and immediately responded. youths received misdemeanor reckless endangerment and 1 year probation each.
it's the one and only time i've had something thrown at me.
yelled at, buzzed on many occasions
#145
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The thing that I don’t get with some of these yellers is that even when they’re traveling in the opposite direction or we’re in the bike lane that they feel the need to yell at us. Likewise why do some of these yellers feel the need to tell us to use the bike lane when one does not exist?
#146
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The thing that I don’t get with some of these yellers is that even when they’re traveling in the opposite direction or we’re in the bike lane that they feel the need to yell at us. Likewise why do some of these yellers feel the need to tell us to use the bike lane when one does not exist?
Though one time I remember getting screamed at by some people in a pickup to get in a bike lane blocked by parked cars. Those people received an earful back from me....
#147
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I had this happen to me while riding the Seagull Century. Some kid (probably 8yo) and his friends all pelted me with rocks. I saw the rock travel from the hand one one kid all the way until it struck me in the leg. He took off running back inside his apartment after I yelled at him. If I wasn't on the ride, I'd have followed the kid back to his place to complain to his parents.
#148
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A young woman threw a tray of fast-food french fries at me once; she yelled, 'get that %^*&ing thing off the road'.
A friend told a story of a car coming up from behind, deliberately knocking him over, yelling at him; a cop just behind the motorist saw it all. When my friend complained to the cop he stopped the motorist, then came back to my friend and told him the motorist had apologized.
A friend told a story of a car coming up from behind, deliberately knocking him over, yelling at him; a cop just behind the motorist saw it all. When my friend complained to the cop he stopped the motorist, then came back to my friend and told him the motorist had apologized.
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Nothing yet, but a few of the guys from my local bike club pissed off an ex-convict on the road, who then proceeded to pull a gun on them from his car and threaten to shoot them. Good thing they kept their wits, pulled over, and reported his plate to the cops. He was arrested for it. Here's the NBC article
Driver Points Gun at Bicyclists in Bucks County Road Rage Incident | NBC 10 Philadelphia
Driver Points Gun at Bicyclists in Bucks County Road Rage Incident | NBC 10 Philadelphia
#150
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So, I'm not at all victim-blaming here, just speculating whether there's a correlation between having things thrown at you and wearing kit. ****ty drivers who would do this sort of thing could very easily be the sort of rednecks that think men wearing Lycra deserve to have things thrown at them.
I'm a hippy who wears flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt/shirtless and I've never had anything thrown at me in at more than a decade of biking. Though I'm also 6'2", solidly built, and carry a 4" fixed blade on my belt at the small of my back (clearly visible when biking). That could help. I also do most of my biking while commuting where, presumably, even a non-Mensa member who would throw something would be aware that I could easily pull up beside them at the next light.
I'm a hippy who wears flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt/shirtless and I've never had anything thrown at me in at more than a decade of biking. Though I'm also 6'2", solidly built, and carry a 4" fixed blade on my belt at the small of my back (clearly visible when biking). That could help. I also do most of my biking while commuting where, presumably, even a non-Mensa member who would throw something would be aware that I could easily pull up beside them at the next light.