Originally Posted by steel_is_real
Yesterday on my way home I had my first experience of this (I've done about 50 commutes so far) and wanted to see what other people would do in this situation. Sorry in advance for any offending language.
I'm riding along this two lane arterial road. It's fairly busy with traffic taking up both lanes. At the same place every day there is a line of parked cars going for about 300m so I have to ride wide in the lane to avoid getting doored. While I am going pretty much as fast as I can I'm probably about 10mph slower than the flow of traffic in the outside lane.
With about 50m to go before the end of the line I hear a honking right behind me. This angers me so I throw up my arm as if to say "bugger off". There is a pause and the honking continues. By this time I've passed the line of parked cars and I'm able to go to the side to let the traffic pass. As she passes she gives me a talking to through the open passenger window. Me still being angry shout her down with a F*** you. She drives off and I start to regret my response (Chances are if she is a commuter we'll be meeting again).
I think what I should have done is to ride exactly as I did but without the reaction. Just let her honk and let her say her thing. My other alternative is to use the sidewalk at that location which is possible albeit a bit more inconvenient.
If this is the first time you've been honked at in 50 commutes, I'd say you're doing pretty damn good! It seems like I get honked at at least a couple of times a week and half the time I don't even know what the hell the driver is honking at me for. Just because I have the audacity to ride a bike on the street I guess. I used to be partial to obscene gestures and yelling obscenities at the offending motorists (that was in my younger days). But I realized that it was just a waste of energy and it usually only serves to piss-off the motorist (and frankly myself too) even further. I just completely ignore it now. Unless I really did do something stupid or I screwed-up in some othe manner, in which case I'll give an apologetic wave. If a motorist persistantly honks when I ignore them I'll sometimes turn and give them a shrug along with a WTF? look as if to say "I don't know what you want me to do" but that's about it.