Advocacy & Safety - Bus Stop Rage?

Any of you having this issue? Especially when it's cold & the sun's already down, but man I've been having some nerve racking instances. Here's just a couple.

1. The occasional yelling of something. Usually indecipherable, but still, directed at me. Tends to make me nervous when I happen to catch a stop light immediately after it.

2. Two teenagers playing at the stop in the middle of downtown, one pushes the other into the street, in my line, I swear, he pops up and yells at me? That I should be on the sidewalk (which was packed with other pedestrians??? Huh?

3. Cruising along, again, downtown, same bus stop as the teens, just a different evening. I'm about 4 maybe 5 feet from the curb (no cars in my lane, so I took more of it). Suddenly, as I pass the bus stop, a fist flies out in front of my face and is immediately pulled back within an inch of hitting me. Just a scare thing, don't think he was actually trying to hit me, but it was like, WTF???

:twitchy:

There's been a couple other instances, but it's all been this winter. Last year I had no issues that I can remember and it's the same 20 mile route through rich & significantly not-rich, downtown & suburban, heavy traffic & quiet streets, as it's always been.

I'm just a guy, in tight funny-looking clothes, physically attached to an expensive bright white & orange bike, so I'm not going to grab a handful, U-turn in the middle of the street and go confront some aggressive ass, I just ignore and fly by, don't show that it gets to me, and just keep on cruising while they sit there miserable waiting for the bus.


Anyone else have this problem? Ugh. Vented... feel better.

Sounds more like a general people are jerks problem than a bus stop problem. Bus stops just happen to be full of people.

Sounds more like a general people are jerks problem than a bus stop problem. Bus stops just happen to be full of people.
yeah, full of cold, bored people, idle hands & what not. Just, anti-cycling sentiments seem higher than last year for some reason?

they hate us 'cause we are having more fun than they are

I've never had that experience. If I see people at a bus stop, they are usually inert. Sometimes I ring my bell/wave/say hi and they will usually wave back.


I'm just a guy, in tight funny-looking clothes, physically attached to an expensive bright white & orange bike, so I'm not going to grab a handful, U-turn in the middle of the street and go confront some aggressive ass, I just ignore and fly by, don't show that it gets to me, and just keep on cruising while they sit there miserable waiting for the bus.
I'm just a guy riding a plain-looking hybrid, in jeans (winter time) or cargo shorts (summer) and a bright yellow jacket. I think, except for the jacket, I just blend in as just another guy just trying to get to and from work, and don't stand out to them.

yeah, full of cold, bored people, idle hands & what not. Just, anti-cycling sentiments seem higher than last year for some reason?

Cyclists been in the news in your area of late? High profile accident, legislation, or lawsuit?


they hate us 'cause we are having more fun than they are

I ride the bus only when the snow is too deep on the trail for my bike, and the city plows haven't cleared the roads enough to let me feel comfortable sharing it with cars (you live in a winter city long enough, you'll get rear-ended). When I'm at my stop and a fatbiker goes by, spinning away on his/her Pugsley, you're damn right I'm jealous. Except that I usually give 'em a grin and a thumbs up, not abuse. No need to be mean just because they have different investment priorities.

@doohickie - yeah, I def. stand out more than your avg guy on a regular bike in regular clothes.

@griddlecakes - we've had incidents, like JT's jumping, beating, & bike stealing in the other A&S thread, and Steve Barbour getting killed, but unless you are looking for cycling news like that, you probably would never know.

Hopefully, with Spring around the corner & the sun staying out a little later, people will start to cheer up a bit???

If you don't have pepper spray for situations like this, some people use wasp spray for chasing dogs....

It sounds like the same kids are trying to intimidate you. Let the police know about interactions and maybe they will look into it. Get mace just in case they get more agressive you don't want to get physical. I hate to say it but I am the guy who turns around...and nearly got arrested last time.

It sounds like the same kids are trying to intimidate you. Let the police know about interactions and maybe they will look into it. Get mace just in case they get more agressive you don't want to get physical. I hate to say it but I am the guy who turns around...and nearly got arrested last time.
#1 Probably yelling " go lance" :p

#2 Stupid kids, i always give stupid kids space.

#3 More serious... If it keeps happening in the same spot/time let the police know, don't let your machismo prevent a resolving of the situation. This ain't grade school, these people/kids may just be testing the waters to see what they can get away with before moving onto something a little more serious than simple intimidation.

A camera phone and pictures of the person making the threat will help your case.

If somebody or a group walks out into the street deliberately for no obvious reason, please stop and turn around or take a side street.

Get ready for spring!

True about the stupid kids.... if I see a knot of them near the road, I either give them a lot of room or slow down a lot. Again... I think it helps to say hi if there is any contact. Even if they were thinking about prankin' ya, when you initiate the conversation they sometimes think twice.

With #3, I always kinda wonder what the kids would do if you actually fell off your bike as a result.

FWIW I have had stuff like that happen but only like once a year. Personally I think there are several times a year when societies angst gets rather high, hopefully it will pass.

One snowy evening a few years back I had a guy waiting for the bus try to convince me to ride on the sidewalk rather than the road, going so far as to block the curb lane with his person.

It sounds riskier than it was, given the road was totally free of cars (none of them could get up an icy hill a half mile back... I hope he didn't eventually freeze to death waiting for that bus).

Otherwise, they usually just stand there and look bored/cold/wet.

they hate us 'cause of our freedoms

fify


....but really, if you had to take public transport instead of going somewhere comfortably ensconced in your own car, wouldn't you be pissed as well, and want to punch someone in the head?
Wait, wut!?

I've have seen a couple of incidents in Chicago (guy got hammered riding past a bus stop and blacked out for while) and New York (Another group attacked the biker for no apparent reason (I think there is video on this one)). I would be careful riding past any pedestrians especially kids.

it's got to be a case of boredom meets crappy conditions.... also, I should mention & clarify, incidents 2 and 3 are not the same people.

it could escalate. meaning they get away with it, are bored, and dare each other do something more extreme. you should report each incident them so there is something on record because when something more serious happens there is a paper trail. you might consider strapping a can of pepper spray to yourself just in case it gets ugly - it could buy you a few seconds to get away. you might also tell them that you've reported them to the authorities. just ignoring a bully does nothing to diminish them.

Urban bus stops with big crowds seem to be centers of rowdy behavior. I would be wary around them, but the people at bus stops really are just bored.

<humor>
Sign on handlebars: "Mace on board"
</humor>

:p

-Kurt

lol!

hey... just had a thought on mace. There's no way I could access it quick enough in these situations. I guess, for commutes, I could go from a saddle bag to one of those little top tube bags that sits behind the stem?

or just have it in-hand when you are approaching. you know... just in case. lol. i do say though, if i was swung on (landed or not) i'd have to stop the bike and see what his deal was. i don't take too kindly to crap like that. yell all day long, i don't care.

http://www.sabrered.com/servlet/the-111/CYCLIST-Self-dsh-Defense-Pepper-Spray/Detail

No bus stop rage, but some years back, I would meet up with the same group of early-teen males on the Prospect street bridge in Waltham (MA), during my afternoon commute. Five or six of them, mostly overweight, ambling along the sidewalk. I had a few of them jump in front of me, reach for me in a mocking fashion, and do the clenched fist thing you mention. Had a few yelled insults tossed my way too, mostly regarding my masculinity. I took no action myself, but I did tell a bike patrol cop about it. He said to just call the PD, if they are making you uncomfortable. I mentioned the fists and mock reaches, and he said that if they actually touch you, it could be construed as attempted assault.

Time solved the problem for me, as one day, they were just gone, never to be seen again. Other pursuits, no doubt. Hopefully, that will be your solution as well.

So, why to they do this? I'm no psychologist, but I have come to the conclusion that there is no why involved at all. It's just something they do. Maybe your bus stop bullies are cheesed off because they have to take the bus, and you don't.