Maybe I'm missing it, but I think it'd be great if we had a catch all "need to vent" thread. I see a lot of one offs. Sometimes griping anonymously is very cathartic. Anyways, here is mine from this AM.

Here is the set up. Residential side street in DC with no bike lane. Cars parked on both sides of a pretty narrow road. Stops signs every block and two day care centers facing each other. Because of the day care centers, cars are constantly stopping and letting off passengers. Doors of the parked cars are also constantly being opened by people who fail to check the lane. Taking all of these factors into consideration, I almost always take the lane completely. I have no interest in being doored. I'm also not impeding traffic, as cars generally need to move slowly through this congested area.

Passing the day care center, I get buzzed by mere inches by a Corolla. It was not a safe passing distance. I partly blamed myself as I had failed to take the whole lane. Of course the Corolla only zooms up to a stop sign and traffic and I quickly pass. (I stopped at the stop sign BTW) Not wanting to repeat this a second time, I take the lane. Of course the Corolla views this as some sort of aggressive move on my part and buzzes me again. This time she lays on the horn while passing. Needless to say we have words at the next stop sign. I completely lost my cool and started shouting way too soon, but I was HOT. She kept saying that I needed to get over and I kept yelling that I didn't. It was getting nowhere fast, so I just pedaled off. Of course I felt like an idiot for going off the handle, but it is hard to keep human emotion in check when one person in an inherently vulnerable position (a bike) is threatened by someone in a steel padded wrecking ball (car) who shows no remorse or concern for the vulnerable. Somewhat appropriately, she had an infant in the back seat.

Ok, I feel better. Sorry internet. Society is going to hell.