Advocacy & Safety - Cowcatching cager

Today I was on my usual ride, which is on a causeway where hundreds of people ride in the morning. Its two lanes in each direction, spd limit 40 mph. On one section there is a bike lane that is about 5-6 ft wide. There are groups of riders spaced out about every 500 meters or so, some groups bigger than others so sometimes they take part of the first lane of traffic.

There was this idiot woman in an SUV driving in the right hand lane, going at least 50mph, and honking at every cyclist she came up to and buzzing them within a foot or two, even though car traffic was almost non-existent and the left lane was completely open and free! I don't get it. Why do cars try to kill us?

Whatever you do don't yell or curse at her...simply wave and smile. That way she will learn to love cyclists and never put their lives at risk again. That's what I call being a good Steward for cycling.

Indeed. She will feel bad enough when she finally does kill a cyclist. No need to hurt her feelings by yelling at her too.

Must be a Floridiot thing.....
I just got back from an A1A ride along the beach and saw some
incredibly stupid stuff. Way moreso than usual. Im always ready
for it, but today did test all my Fool-Fu skillz :eek:

What street, Aldo?

Only street in the Gables that I know of that has a BL is Alhambra, but it has a 20' grass median...

-Kurt

Get the license plate number?

(org. post deleted by mods)

<Groucho> Skip it. </Groucho>

-Kurt

A full water bottle makes a very satisfying thump when it's thrown hard and accurately into the side of a JAM's SUV.

That driver must be a miserable person with a miserable life to feel the need to bully some cyclists from her SUV.

/at least I tend to comfort myself with such thoughts when confronted by this sort of situation.

Why do cars try to kill us?

Cars never try to kill us. Drivers do, though.

Call police. Follow up.

Inadequate response? Deal with your local cycling advocacy organization to meet with the police to sort it out. Go prepared with rationales.

Inadequate response? Media.

And never underestimate the power of a civil lawsuit.

I, myself, don't hand things over to the police anymore and expect that it'll be handled.

When I was younger, while working with the Canadian federal department of Fisheries and Oceans, I was literally held captive by a drunk skipper of a fishing boat. (Warning--long post ahead)

After I requested to be let off on the shore, he physically threatened me ("stay on the boat or I'll kill you"). The reason? He'd objected to being held to the terms of his contract, which included having personal flotation devices for each person aboard the boat (i.e., none for me), and following scientific protocol for taking biological samples (the whole purpose of our being out there). Oh, did I mention the kerosene-soaked cabin floor from the heating stove?

He ended up running the boat aground. He finally backed it off the shore, then headed for the open water off the west coast of British Columbia.

He headed it out for the open water, after putting down the stabilizers and nearly going overboard in the process. After a while, he went below decks, where he passed out. I piloted the 38' troller for several hours, bringing it back to shore in gale force winds, having called the Coast Guard.

I had taken photos of the cabin, strewn with debris from the collision, with him still lolling in the pilot's seat.

Hours later, the Coast Guard and RCMP boarded and found him and the deckhand passed out, clearly inebriated.

I'd had seven years of experience in the field at that point and had never had anything like this happen to me. I asked to press charges against the skipper (unlawful confinement, threatening assault, etc.), but the RCMP officer said it would all be taken care of. I submitted the film of the occurrence to the officer

The skipper got a 24-hour dockside suspension and his vessel's license (a very costly item) was revoked...from the end of that year's season until the beginning of the next.

In other words, he got to sleep it off.

Civil suits are underrated and often overlooked.

Allan

P.S. I have a raft of examples from my and others' experience with traffic incidents where allowing the authorities to 'deal with the situation' led to nothing (if one calls a perpetrator laughing at having been called on their transgressions, with no repercussions, 'nothing').

Whatever you do don't yell or curse at her...simply wave and smile. That way she will learn to love cyclists and never put their lives at risk again. That's what I call being a good Steward for cycling.

Also, take down a mental note, or a physical note of her license plate, and have you and your cyclist buddies talk to a police officer that she's endangering your lives. Get that slime off the road.

However I think it's the "I'll show them whats right, how they shouldn't be riding here" mentality. They THINK they're teaching you a lesson or something, that they're in the right.

A full water bottle makes a very satisfying thump when it's thrown hard and accurately into the side of a JAM's SUV.

SSP, can you orate to the forum in a step-by-step manner how this will improve the situation at hand? ;) :p

My two cents: Use intellectual force with other human beings (no matter how bullheaded they may be) - leave the brute force for the cager's loose dog. :eek:

-Kurt

handle bar mounted 50cal. Just kidding. everytime I have had a problem with women acting stupid yelling at me or cutting me off it is a great big fat woman who just got off the couch. This also has applied to jogging. My theory is they hate themselves becasue they are fat and know they should workout and loose weight but have a list of excuses why they cant. They see us out there it makes them angry we are doing it and they "cant" or wont.

SSP, can you orate to the forum in a step-by-step manner how this will improve the situation at hand? ;) :p

My two cents: Use intellectual force with other human beings (no matter how bullheaded they may be) - leave the brute force for the cager's loose dog. :eek:

-Kurt

"Wave and smile" is not my style (although I do both often enough when I ride...but, only with those who treat me with respect).

But if someone's going to intentionally f*ck with me (like the woman driver in the OP) it's Game On and I'll return the favor. If they want to stop and discuss the matter, I'll do that too.

Someone intentionally giving "close shaves" to numerous cyclists at 50 mph is engaged in a crime. They don't deserve my respect, and "smiling and waving" has zero "intellectual force" in that scenario.

You guys don't carry a pocket full of steel bearings for people that like to threaten you with their car while driving right behind you?

You guys don't carry a pocket full of steel bearings for people that like to threaten you with their car while driving right behind you?

Nope - but I carry rear-mount flamethrowers ;)

-Kurt

P.S.: I wouldn't try it. No sense in giving them an excuse to ram you over, eh?

You guys don't carry a pocket full of steel bearings for people that like to threaten you with their car while driving right behind you?

no. but a .45 in a shoulder holster does nicely.

Just kidding.

When someone buzzes me, I just take a deep breath and remember that they are probably late to their anger management class. :D

There was this idiot woman in an SUV driving in the right hand lane, going at least 50mph, and honking at every cyclist she came up to and buzzing them within a foot or two...Why do cars try to kill us?
She's trying to kill herself, but she doesn't know it. Her blood pressure is probably shot to hel.