Commuting - Delivered some justice on Friday.

I forgot to post this so it is coming a few days late.
On Friday my buddy and I were wrapping up our 15 mile ride home at over 25 mph riding single file on the far right side of the road. An SUV drove by a little too closely and someone BARKED loudly at us. You know the type; I can't tell you how many idiots feel like they need to try to scare us for some reason.

Anyway, he got caught in traffic about 400 yards up the road. As I rolled closer I was amazed to see that his window was still down (like most barkers; not very bright). I was even more amazed that he was getting ready to unleash some more verbal abuse even though he was clearly at a disadvantage.

I slowly rolled by his passenger window and he was able to scream "DAMN YOU" just before the contents of my water bottle hit him in the face. I could not hear anything else because we filtered for another 20 or so cars and then turned left at the 4 way stop sign to cut through some neighborhoods. He was a big boy but that did him no good sitting there in traffic.

I am still laughing a little about it but I am sure he already punished some other cyclist for my sins.

Needless to say, I have changed my route for a while :)

I forgot to post this so it is coming a few days late.
On Friday my buddy and I were wrapping up our 15 mile ride home at over 25 mph riding single file on the far left of the road. An SUV drove by a little too closely and someone BARKED loudly at us. You know the type; I can't tell you how many idiots feel like they need to try to scare us for some reason.

Anyway, he got caught in traffic about 400 yards up the road. As I rolled closer I was amazed to see that his window was still down (not very bright). I was even more amazed that he was getting ready to unleash some more verbal abuse even though he was clearly at a disadvantage.

I slowly rolled by his passenger window and he was able to scream "DAMN YOU" just before the contents of my water bottle hit him in the face. I could not hear anything else because we filtered for another 20 or so cars and then turned left at the 4 way stop sign. He was a big boy but that did him no good sitting there in traffic.

I am still laughing a little about it but I am sure he already punished some other cyclist for my sins.

Needless to say, I have changed my route for a while :)


This is the part that worries me. The guy is clearly already an idiot, an now he's a pissed off idiot in an SUV.

Ahh... I had so many moments like this on a bike tour where I DREAMED about catching up to some car that had honked or yelled or barked or threw something. Like, I fantasized for the next hour. Sadly this was always on the highway and they were gone in an instant. It's probably a good thing I never caught up to anyone.

WOOT!
You are probably wise to keep your route different for a while, but the moron hopefully got a taste of humble pie (which probably pissed him off even more if he's insecure). LOL!!!!!!!!!

Of course the stealthy way to get back at him is to call in his plate number and report an aggressive driving incident. They are being taken more seriously these days.

I don't know.
Was throwing water on the guy a good idea? Prob'ly not.
Was it immensly satisfying? I'm sure it was!
There's just something about a cyclist being required to model appropriate behavior at all times for the benefit of other cyclists that just pushes the logic envelope.
I don't really think the behavior of the lugnut in the SUV will be any worse due to the OP's - no permanent damage - retribution. When the sun rises tomorrow, he will continue to be an AH.
Yet, the more effective -but least satisfying- action continues to be reporting.

This is the part that worries me. The guy is clearly already an idiot, an now he's a pissed off idiot in an SUV.

Agreed. I often wonder how many of my bad-experiences are the result of the behavior of another cyclist. That said, I am usually the nicest guy, but when I swing a leg over that top tube, I am all too often going to war. I am always amazed at how many motorists feel like they have a right to comment on my behavior that does not affect them in the least; or try to bully or intimidate. So I get a little jaded about how they might feel, assume they are mostly hostile and just try to obey the golden rule out there to avoid starting anything.

My job is to get my tail home safely.

[QUOTE=MNBikeguy;9601657]- When the sun rises tomorrow, he will continue to be an AH.
QUOTE]

+1

Weird. Barkers eh? I've been commuting for quite a while and never had anyone bark at me. You mean arf arf arf right?

On Friday my buddy and I were wrapping up our 15 mile ride home at over 25 mph riding single file on the far left of the road.

Can you explain this? were you going for a left hand turn or ???

Can you explain this? were you going for a left hand turn or ???

Good catch, fixed.
Far right. DOH

I slowly rolled by his passenger window and he was able to scream "DAMN YOU" just before the contents of my water bottle hit him in the face. I could not hear anything else because we filtered for another 20 or so cars and then turned left at the 4 way stop sign to cut through some neighborhoods. He was a big boy but that did him no good sitting there in traffic.

I am still laughing a little about it but I am sure he already punished some other cyclist for my sins.Good for you. I love it! :roflmao2:


Needless to say, I have changed my route for a while :)Good idea, you know that guy was pissed.

Weird. Barkers eh? I've been commuting for quite a while and never had anyone bark at me. You mean arf arf arf right?

Yeah, get that a lot out here for some reason. Always guys in trucks or kids in beaters.

I'm gonna say, that was a dumb move on your part.

Sure it felt good, but couldn't you have just, I don't know, yelled some obscenity at him and been on your merry way?

IMO, the best reaction would have been to just ignore him and be on your merry way.


I don't really think the behavior of the lugnut in the SUV will be any worse due to the OP's - no permanent damage - retribution. When the sun rises tomorrow, he will continue to be an AH.
I'm not so sure. Maybe he will next time decide its okay to throw something instead of yelling out his window. You know, its okay cuz this a-hole bicyclist threw water in my face, so its okay for me to throw my big mac at them.

Or, maybe he ate that humble pie and no longer yells.

Or, maybe he ate that humble pie and no longer yells.

Any bets on the odds of that?

Next time use cat pee.

I'm not so sure. Maybe he will next time decide its okay to throw something instead of yelling out his window. You know, its okay cuz this a-hole bicyclist threw water in my face, so its okay for me to throw my big mac at them.

Considering how much stuff I've had thrown at me this year (hasn't been a problem until this year, don't know why) I've theorized the justification of the thrower's actions:

They yell, bark, etc. and you ignore them... so they feel that a further escalation (throwing stuff) is required to get a reaction.
They yell, bark, etc. and you yell back... so now they have to prove to their friends they're not going to take that crap, and resort to throwing stuff.

It's really a no-win situation as I see it. May as well dump a bottle of Accelerade in their open window, because they're going to be jackasses either way.

Was throwing water on the guy a good idea? Prob'ly not.
Was it immensly satisfying? I'm sure it was!

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking when I read it.

It's escalation. Results could go either way, but that particular type of jerkery is not doused with a bike bottle of water. It may become somewhat more cowardly in its expression, but it won't be improved.

Was throwing water on the guy a good idea? Prob'ly not.


Not only a bad idea, but also extremely illegal.

Or you could get pissed and jump on the side of his convertible until he runs along mailboxes and hydrants trying to dislodge you from his vehicle. Hrmmm...deja vu.

The fact is that he was an idiot and could conceivably have caused some damage. You confessed to assault & battery. If a cop had observed the whole interaction, you would likely be the one in cuffs in the back of the cruiser.

lol

I slowly rolled by his passenger window and he was able to scream "DAMN YOU" just before the contents of my water bottle hit him in the face. I could not hear anything else because we filtered for another 20 or so cars and then turned left at the 4 way stop sign to cut through some neighborhoods. He was a big boy but that did him no good sitting there in traffic.

I am still laughing a little about it but I am sure he already punished some other cyclist for my sins.

Needless to say, I have changed my route for a while :)

I almost sprayed Dr. Pepper all over the compy screen, that was funny! :roflmao2:

Not only a bad idea, but also extremely illegal.

"It just slipped officer! Really! One second, I was holding the water bottle, then he was yelling and got me so distracted my arm instinctively jerked to the left depositing the contents in the motorists face! I had no idea what happened!"

Seriously, to the letter of the law you are correct.
Yet there are many cities that have passed bicycle harassment ordinances that make the SUV drivers actions clearly a misdemeanor.

WOOT!
You are probably wise to keep your route different for a while, but the moron hopefully got a taste of humble pie (which probably pissed him off even more if he's insecure). LOL!!!!!!!!!

Of course the stealthy way to get back at him is to call in his plate number and report an aggressive driving incident. They are being taken more seriously these days.

Call in drunk driving... that is taken even more seriously.

Try this next time:
Stop behind them
Whip out the cell phone w/ camera
Take a picture of their license tag
Roll up & take a picture of the offending AH
Ride off laughing audibly.

Works for me....

:thumb:

Make somebody who doesn't like cyclists HATE cyclists. STUPID MOVE pal. S T U P I D

Try this next time:
Stop behind them
Whip out the cell phone w/ camera
Take a picture of their license tag
Roll up & take a picture of the offending AH
Ride off laughing audibly.

Works for me....

:thumb:

That is a great idea. I had an angry driver do basically the same to me the other day when I was on my bike...but I felt more creeped out than threatened. I think she was actually trying to get the sponsors name off my kit. Luckily, I was wearing a kit from 4 years ago. Still, it certainly made me uncomfortable enough that I rethought my last move (felt like a bit of a jerk). So maybe it is perfect.

I feel much safer now,THANKS!!!!

Make somebody who doesn't like cyclists HATE cyclists. STUPID MOVE pal. S T U P I D

I don't ride to make friends and I won't bow down to bullying just to avoid conflict. Our community has seen 3 cyclist deaths this summer and I have little tolerance left. He chose to act like a turd and he got some turd medicine.

I sometimes think this forum has a lot of really wimpy people in it who probably were on the receiving end of more than a few wedgies in high school (had a few myself). Maybe they even counted themselves lucky to have such special attention paid to them by the popular kids. LOL Flame on ;)

That said, I do agree that the best approach is almost always just to let it go (for personal peace if nothing else; and that is usually what I do). I once chased a guy to his house and had it out with him on his driveway. The whole experience was negative in almost every way. I still get pissed when I think about that guy. Would have been much better just to let that one go and not escalate.

On the other hand, I chased a school bus driver to his school once and he ended up recognizing his unsafe act and apologizing. I actually think I made the world a safer place for cyclists that day by not letting it go. So, I guess we are even Booger1. :)

...he was able to scream "DAMN YOU" just before the contents of my water bottle hit him in the face.

Not that I am sorry Barking Boy got some justice served up his way, but your "idiot wash" could be considered assault. Just sayin' so you know. I'm OK with you doin' it and happy you were in a situation where escape was certain.

What I would have done, and have done so many times I can't even guess at the number, is wave and say "Bye bye" as I roll past. Pisses them off just as much (well...almost) and gives them no legal recourse against me should a cop be nearby.

I am afraid that if I got my water bottle in hand in time, I would just slam them in the face with the whole thing. I have thrown a bottle at a car more than once. Then...there's the whole fingerprint thing I guess, but I often wear full fingered cycling gloves anyway.

[QUOTE=JoeyBike;9603004]Not that I am sorry Barking Boy got some justice served up his way, but your "idiot wash" could be considered assault. Just sayin' so you know. I'm OK with you doin' it and happy you were in a situation where escape was certain.
QUOTE]

Escape is rarely certain here as most of my routes include mile after mile where a vehichle has a full mile to catch me before the next light. So although we may leap frog for 3-5 miles, them catching me from behind is almost always a given.

For that fact alone, I usually play nice.

good times, good times


why everyone gettin' so serious?




that mofo needed his face washed, it's cool

Not that I am sorry Barking Boy got some justice served up his way, but your "idiot wash" could be considered assault. Just sayin' so you know.

Agreed.

I feel you were in the right, but it would be a damn shame to be convicted of felony assault just because of this moron. It happens.

In retrospect you should have used the opportunity to get his license number and a description of him and his vehicle and then called 911. I've found the authorities are usually quite responsive, and if nothing else they almost certainly would have done some kind of investigation.

Why is everyone getting so serious? Because he broke the law. Just as much as someone parking in a bike lane, violating the 3' bubble, turning right from the left lane or running a red light. Without a doubt, he assaulted the driver.

Disregard the vehicles and imagine this transpired between two pedestrians. One person growls, the other person throws something in their face. There's nothing illegal about growling, barking, or howling at the moon. There is something illegal however about physically accosting someone who does not present an immediate threat.

In this case, the OP admitted to following the driver nearly a quarter of a mile to continue this. If I were a cop, I would arrest the OP. I would laugh at the karmic justice, but the driver would be going home and the cyclist would be under arrest.

if you change your route, he wins.

i was run up a curb against the side of a infiniti fxsuvthingy once at about 25kmh. i caught him at the next light. was turning left there so i rode in front of his suv while stopped and hocked a loog on the hood. he lurched forward but missed me. i hopped of my bike, letting it fall to the ground and walked towards the car with the intent to smash the side mirror but he started to open the door. i kicked it as hard as i could and yelled for him to 'stay in the car.' he stayed in the car and i rode away.

i never changed my route and i have seen him a couple times. he makes no eye contact. last time i seen him the dent on the door was fixed.

imagine this transpired between two pedestrians.

except one of the 'peds' can kill the other easily and the other is safe from harm...

Try this next time:
Stop behind them
Whip out the cell phone w/ camera
Take a picture of their license tag
Roll up & take a picture of the offending AH
Ride off laughing audibly.

Works for me....

Really? With someone who did no more than bark at you? They must be easily cowed, is all I can say -- to be worried that you're going to call the cops and complain that they barked at you. Or maybe they're afraid that you'd track them down and stomp them?

I'm gonna say, that was a dumb move on your part.

Sure it felt good, but couldn't you have just, I don't know, yelled some obscenity at him and been on your merry way?

IMO, the best reaction would have been to just ignore him and be on your merry way.


I'm not so sure. Maybe he will next time decide its okay to throw something instead of yelling out his window. You know, its okay cuz this a-hole bicyclist threw water in my face, so its okay for me to throw my big mac at them.

Or, maybe he ate that humble pie and no longer yells.


True story...several years ago I did something equally stupid and a guy got out and shot at me. The guy was in a 'old dad' Pontiac with his wife and didn't appear psycho. Guy didn't hesitate...just got out and started shooting after I had already passed and got about a quarter mile down the road. It was right at dusk and fortunately, the guy was a bad shot.

I've taken to spitting on cars. Lots of BMWs and Mercedes around here driven by old money A-holes and I get my bit of (mostly passive) retribution by hacking on the back of cars. 'Spose that's less severe than hitting someone in the face, but sometimes you do what you do.

Now the OP has to deal with possibly seeing the guy again, so he's made his own bed.

except one of the 'peds' can kill the other easily and the other is safe from harm...

Not in this story. In this case, the vehicles are completely irrelevant. The idiot-victim didn't use the vehicle to endanger the cyclist. The idiot-attacker didn't use his cycle to endanger the driver.

Wow! All the nay-saying here is kinda disturbing when I think about all the drivers who act like idiots and fully deserve a lot worse than a splash of water in the face. The OP deserves congratulations.

I don't buy the argument that this makes it more dangerous for the rest of us. It's already more dangerous than it ought to be by far. This is a drop in the bucket.

I don't think we should go to war with them. But every now and then one of them is even dumber than the rest and gives us an opportunity to slap 'em down. I hope I don't miss the opportunity when it's given to me.

The argument that he could've gotten in legal trouble for throwing just plain old water at the guy is laughable.

The OP did right.

Try this next time:
Stop behind them
Whip out the cell phone w/ camera
Take a picture of their license tag
Roll up & take a picture of the offending AH
Ride off laughing audibly.

Works for me....

:thumb:

Best idea I've read!

I have a hard time thinking you could be charged with a felony. Besides, the cager was guilty of starting it. I doubt he'll be looking for you--I suspect he feels he caused it and that's that.

The dumb thing is that people act out more when there's a second person around. At least you didn't do anything dangerous. I bet you wouldn't do that if you were alone.

Wow! All the nay-saying here is kinda disturbing when I think about all the drivers who act like idiots and fully deserve a lot worse than a splash of water in the face. The OP deserves congratulations.

I'm not following your reasoning, so maybe you could explain it to me. Some other driver, in some other city, some other state, maybe some other country, maybe some other continent, acts like an idiot towards a cyclist. Let's say they do something that's both harmful and criminal -- failing to yield right of way on a left turn and left-hooking a cyclist, for example. Now. This makes it okay for some other cyclist, in some other city/state/country/continent, to respond to a driver barking at him by dousing said driver with water?

Well, maybe you do think it's ok. I'm not going to argue morals with you; if you can justify that to yourself, I'm not going to change your mind. I'm also not going to argue with you about how safe it is, and whether you may get your narrow behind kicked up around your ears by the driver in question. Evidently you don't believe that's a possibility, either. According to the story you've made up in your mind, this action is both ok and safe. What it isn't is legal -- not anywhere that I've ever been. So you suit yourself, son. Go ahead and throw things at people who yell at you. Laugh while you're doing it, since you believe the idea that you'd ever get into legal trouble for it is "laughable". People have been busted for less, but you go on ahead and laugh, especially when you get the letter from the lawyer or the visit from the cops. Make sure you let them in on the joke while you're at it.
And definitely don't miss the chance to laugh at the judge. Who knows when you might get a chance like that again?

I have a hard time thinking you could be charged with a felony. Besides, the cager was guilty of starting it.

When I said, "But he started it!" to my mother, it didn't do me any good. Why would you think it's going to go over any better with a cop or a judge? Provocation can be a mitigating factor, but it doesn't get you a free dope-slap on the cager of your choice.

This reminds me of a lesson a coworker taught me at my first office job when I was thinking of confronting my boss. The coworker told me "If it feels good, don't do it." That spared me from making a scene with my boss and was a smart move in the long run but obviously that lesson does not apply to all facets of life, just office personnel situations and bike confrontations.

I think the same lesson applies to confronting motorists. Now you have to live in fear, change your route, worry about possible criminal or civil liability for what . . . 5 seconds of instant gratification.

It's far more tough and difficult controlling your anger and acting cool and rationale than it is throwing water on someone.

In this case, the OP admitted to following the driver nearly a quarter of a mile to continue this. .

Untrue. Driver was headed in same direction as cyclist. He got caught in traffic and I passed him on my normal route.

I would've meowed and hissed at him. No harm done, and I still have my water. He gets to sit at a light and ponder the fact that there's cyclist out there who's more weird than he is. I do like the story- all dogs, either real or human, need fresh water at all times in their bowl.

Provocation can be a mitigating factor, but it doesn't get you a free dope-slap on the cager of your choice.

"Dope-Slap"! I Love It!:roflmao2: