My final commute was more interesting than I expected. This lady that has been harassing me for years was waiting for me by the side of the road when I had about 5 miles to go. As I approached, she said "I have a bone to pick with you....." and tried to flag me down. I had some issues with her too. Since she didn't look like she was going to blow my head off, so I stopped.

An unproductive but reasonably civil discussion ensued. She felt I belonged on the MUP. I described how the presence of dogs, peds, roots, debris, holes, etc made that unwise and that I was operating my bicycle legally. We were getting nowhere. I pointed at my jacket and told her she wouldn't see me on this stretch of road again because I'm getting a new job.

Being a smart aleck, I told her about the longer route with no MUP that I would take instead. However, I started getting the sense that she wasn't anticyclist per se, but was upset because she thought I was a wacko with a bad attitude who would certainly get killed and at the same time get a motorist in real trouble for pulping me. She told me she'd almost hit me several times herself.

I then explained that I know many drivers don't see me and I don't expect them to. I told her that I purposely ride close to the traffic because I can use my mirrors to tell who knows I'm out there and who doesn't (i.e. who I really need to watch out for). I also explained that if you're on a MUP and cross an intersection or a driveway, cars don't see you and will turn right in on you. I described a right hook that once sent me flying over the rear of someone's car and summed up "I hear what you're saying, but what I'm doing is not as crazy as it looks. I've been doing this a long time and experience has taught me that it really is safer."

I don't know if I convinced her. I suspect I didn't, but I could tell she was thinking about what I said. At the very least, it was clear that she realized I'd given the matter a lot of thought and knew what I was doing than she thought. I no longer harbor any ill will towards her, and my sense is that even if she still thinks I'm nuts, she seems OK with me.

Ending the day with one less enemy is a good thing.

BTW, traffic and weather were uncooperative so my last commute was not completed in a blaze of glory. I totally burned my legs out and despite the fact I turned off the stopwatch to argue with the lady, average speed home was only 19.4. Had the traffic lights not been so bad or if the wind could have been taken away, I could have broken 20, but it wasn't meant to be.