RR3

You forgot response 3 from the Weenie crowd

3. Your language offended me. How dare you use the Lord's name in vain when describing your encounter with a Russian driver who broke several laws while almost killing you. How dare you.

1983

True, that.

Saving Hawaii

Maybe he was late for his job at the wastewater treatment plant? It's the only place open in that direction by that hour.

rydabent

Thinking logically about this situation, why was that fool on such a narrow street if he was in that big of a hurry?

bakes1

The cyclist or the driver?
Driver should have simply chilled out and slowed down.
Cyclist, when dealing with a supposed crazy person should have simply chilled out, pulled over, and let the driver pass.
And exactly how narrow was the street?
Did cyclist have to take the lane or just felt it was his right to take the lane?

howsteepisit

So now you want to judge when a person can use a road or not?

BikingZombie

I want to at least make the point here that on most streets there is no minimum speed limit, only a max. You could be going 5 MPH and be well within the law. It may be that some cop would still ticket you for holding up traffic if you weren't "biking as close to the curb as possible", but it's your perogative to protect your life . The fact that you were actually pushing 30 is a testament to your ability and the dickishness of the driver's actions.

I have had family members and co-workers talk to me about bikers and whether they're allowed on the road. When I explain minimum speed limits and "If a biker feels that you cannot pass them with at least 3 feet of safe space they're allowed to take the whole lane" (MN & MPls laws) they actually understand and drop the attack mode crap. But I'm also that biker that yells at other bikers for blowing through stop signs and lights, so that helps them drop that attack mode.

Good luck out there.

Ajenkins

Oddly enough, I've noticed somewhat of a drop in general motoronity in my neck of the woods over the past two years. It's not that there are more cyclists on the road -- this isn't one of those areas experiencing a cycling bloom -- but I wonder if perhaps the increased media coverage of urban cycling has had an effect on people.

Or, maybe there was a putz virus and they all died. I can dream, I guess.

Dsprok

I notice this most often when an aggressive driver has blared their horn at another vehicle for daring to delay them a few seconds. Then stops and rants out the window as if they have all day.

eff-J

The interesting thing is that this guy has to go through life being him: Frustrated, angry, and impatient (not to mention ignorant and unsympathetic).

Really, what sort of punishment would want to mete out on a guy like that, even if you could? His entire life is a punishment already.

mtnroads

It's an ego problem. I'm here in the Philippines. A third world country. Despite horrible traffic congestion, crazy driver techniques, motorbikes passing on all sides, drivers blocking intersections, all sorts of obstacles including people in the roadways.. NO ONE EVER HAS ROAD RAGE. It's simply amazing. I have yet to see one case, except from myself once, haha, while in the car and the idiots had blocked up an intersection like a Chinese puzzle.

But seriously. There are places in the world where people simply don't have ego's that get so offended and frustrated that they lose control of themselves. It's one of the first things I noticed here..

cale

I'd have let him pass. He being bigger and all that.

Cykilist2

You should report this, his license on closecalldatabase.com. It works in conjunction with strava.com.

There's no room for that type of attitude. You have as much right to the road, as motorist does, if it's the safest place to be. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the sidewalk, downhill at 30+ You're just asking for it. What he did put you in peril.

Juan Foote

The problem with this argument is that, it's ok for us to assume OP was being inconsiderate to the drivers issue, but nevermind that they were being an asshat in that regard....

Chris0516

Hermes1

Good idea, I was unaware of the database. This whole road rage thing is a troubling and dangerous trend, keep your cool out there.

loky1179

I laughed the first time I read this, and now with Christmas only a week away . . .


No doubt driver behavior will change after Dec. 25th, but just to be on the safe side, I wait till Jan 3rd.

Dave Cutter

Your probably psychic.... so you knew the motorist wasn't struggling to get by and seek medical attention for very sick child in the back seat. Not being psychic myself.... I would have shared the road... in this case meaning letting the car pass.

Or maybe... the motorist was a complete ass. But that still didn't justify your behavior.

PatrickGSR94

None of you know the exact conditions of where this happened. In many cases on a narrow 2-lane road, there are NO SAFE PLACES to let someone pass. The worst part of my commute going home is a 2-lane 45 MPH section with a short, steep hill and then a very slight downhill. There are no shoulders. Each side of the pavement has a bit of gravel and then a ditch. There are no turnouts, no driveways, no street, no nothing for several hundred yards on either side of the hill. Up ahead after the slight downhill there's a side road where I pull off for a break and to let cars pass. But until I can get there, motorists have to wait. Sometimes they do stupid stuff, trying to sneak by with oncoming traffic. I have tried riding on the gravel part on my bike with larger tires, but it's just not possible.

PatrickGSR94

OP was this on Chico River Road by chance?

genec

I'd like to think that anyone in an actual emergency driving situation would be smart enough to turn on emergency flashers and maybe flash the headlights a few times... but otherwise, I notice folks tend to act as if it is an emergency while they are on the way to the starbucks in the morning...

cale

I'd have stopped in the road to let him pass. You have no imagination if you see your choice as the only choice. I'm glad you weren't hurt.

PatrickGSR94

Really, you would stop in the middle of a narrow road with plenty of oncoming traffic? That sounds moronic.

Dave Cutter

By God man you are psychic! That or you stalk people to Starbucks. Ether way... you're at least psychic enough to reply for Saving Hawaii.

genec

One doesn't have to be psychic to observe that the motorist that just gave you an aggressive "nudge" then pulls into the starbucks a 1/2 a block away.

Not just starbucks... people seem to get excited about other stores that they feel they just must get to right now... and the cyclist right in front of them apparently just doesn't matter... this too I have observed.

Keep your eyes open long enough and you too might observe all sorts of things.

The one that really still rings strongest with me is the motorist that pulled up right behind me on a very quiet Sunday morning, while I was headed west occupying the right most lane of a 3 lane (both ways) roadway, with NO OTHER traffic in sight for at least a 1/2 mile... and he just had to honk to either tell me to get out of the way or let me know he was there. Now mind you, there were two empty lanes going the same direction, just to my left... and there were cars parked along the side of the road in intermittent clusters that made "hugging the curb" impossible... the motorist honked and followed closely for about 3/4s of a long block, before turning right into a chain restaurant. If I could read minds, I would know why that idiot didn't bother passing me using either of the other empty lanes to my left. But hey, I am NOT psychic. But he might have been psychotic.