The Human Car

Today I must have gotten at least 7 cars honking at me when I road home. Generally on the Friday commute home I might get 3 car honks but that’s about max, but generally it’s not more then one.

I’m cruising down a city street, keeping up with traffic and the two cars ahead of me turn right leaving a nice gap ahead of me so I try and close the gap but I am maxed out at ~2mph faster then traffic. This obviously this is not fast enough for the guy behind me as he kept laying on the horn, after his third horn blast I motioned for him to change lanes and go around (but he can’t do that as that lane is full of cars that I am slowly passing.) I hope he got the message that I was not the problem but all those other cars, but I doubt it. (And FWIW I had no road margin to pull over on to let him pass.)

Other times I was going up hill (slower then traffic now) on a two lane one way street and it seemed that after the main pack of cars passed me the lone car who is trying to catch up has to blare their horn and swerve into me as they pass to intimidate me off the road when the other lane is totally empty. This got real annoying after the third time in a 5 mile stretch (all different cars.)

Other times I’m riding in a “multi use” lane that is soon to be just a parking lane so all traffic has to go single file anyway and I’m just making them merge a few hundred feet sooner and for that they have to get their knickers all in a knot. The best one was when one motorIST did the “teach that cyclists swerve” and almost rear ended the parked car up ahead as he came back into my lane. (I got to pass him as he waited at the light in all that traffic and he never was able to catch back up with me.)

Anyway thanks for letting me vent.

derath

Oh that was me. Just trying to introduce myself.

Seriously though, with the level of congestion and driver frustration (due to congestion) I am surprised you don't get honked at more often.

-D

Snow_canuck

Wow, you have some ****ty cagers in your city. Where I live they dont' honk. Just pass me with 16" clearance.

NoRacer

I've had an increase in honks this week during my bike commute. Don't know what has sparked this spree.

Itsjustb

I have to laugh, because if the OP hadn't started this thread, I would/could have. I too had a bunch of honks today, more than usual.

Ed Holland

I got honked this morning by a Range Rover. In the way apparently, even though there was another queue of traffic at the next stop sign. I'd have let it pass except the driver was enjoying a telephone conversation. This combination of circumstances happened to draw my thunder

Ed

Frankenbiker

Perhaps it has something to do with today's full moon.

NoRacer

I wished I had my Delta Air Horn (formerly known as the AirZound) installed. There was an older gentleman in front of me at a light. There's 2 lanes going the same way each way. Light turns green--with a stiff tailwind, I motor-paced him at around 30+ MPH for about 1/2 a mile. He finally pulled out of the right lane and into the left as if he thought he was impeding my progress. I could have given him a shot of the air horn. LOL! <just kidding>

The Human Car

It turns out there was a convention in town, 15,000 people, ether a lot of them have never seen a cyclist before or the locals are just a bit more on edge because of the increase in traffic.