Yeah, it has been kinda crappy for me lately too, I know how you feel.

A couple of weeks ago a very aggresive cabbie was crowding me along Queen West. He was trying to get past the streetcar but wasn't giving me any room so I sat in the center of the right-hand lane, making it impossible for him to pass the streetcar. My logic was that this guy didn't care about my space, so why should I care about his, especially when he will squash me if he tries to pass the streetcar? Eventually, when it was safe, I gave him the lane at a red light and he passed the streetcar. He didn't seem to be very pissed at me, he probably just figured I was a crappy cyclist and didn't know what I was doing, blocking him like that.

Another cabbie, another day, same street, Queen, just before Spadina, a person flags down the cabbie and then for some reason, they don't get in, so he starts to slowly come back into my lane, nearly cutting me off. I slapped the rear window of the driver's side and yelled "Where's your signal?!" and he stopped the car, flipped open the door and started screaming at me about how I shouldn't touch his car. I was pretty surprised because it was a gentle slap, I just wanted him to know I was there. The funny thing is that he claimed that he had signalled and that I just didn't see it. I usually just ride on because there was no harm done, no laws were broken, the guy was being a jerk but what do I care? But this day I felt like yelling so I yelled back at him about how he should be more aware of his surroundings and that he is in control of a large piece of metal, he should be a lot more responsible because a less aware cyclist could have been hit. During this fracas, a construction guy comes over and starts yelling at the cabbie also, saying that he saw the whole thing and that he didn't signal and then a woman who was in a car stopped, got out and said that the cabbie didn't signal and that he was a dangerous driver.

It was pretty great really, three of us yelling at this cabbie, telling him what a bad driver he was. His cab was in the middle of the street too and the streetcar couldn't get by and the driver had also seen that the cabbie didn't signal, he yelled out of his window that he was calling his supervisor to report the cabbie. Like I said, this crap doesn't usually phase me but that day I just felt like yelling. The whole situation was going on into the 5 minute territory and I was going to be late for work so I told the lady and the construction guy that there really was no point to this as no laws were broken as it isn't illegal for being a jerk. We all three quieted down and we were going to leave but the cabbie then said:

"Where is your signal then? Cyclists should signal too!" and I said:
"Didn't you see my signal?" and he said:
"What? No!" and then I said:
"Here is my signal!" and I gave him the finger.

It was a good moment and the construction guy started swearing at the cabbie and the woman left as I think she felt uncomfortable about the swearing but I thanked her for stopping and I shook the construction guy's hand and thanked him for coming to my defense and I continued on my way to work. I was in a great mood after because sometimes you really think you are alone out there but those 2 people who helped me out made me think that not everyone in this city sucks.

Oh, yeah, the cabbie was on his phone the entire time, from when he went over to the curb lane for the fare to when he jumped out to yell at me to when the other people joined in to yell at him, he never got off the phone. It was a weird experience, all around.