I heard some amazing stuff said today, and now I realize, I was the one who said it. I can scarcely believe what I heard and what happened.

I was riding my bike home on W 11 St. I was listening to audio in ONE earbud which is both legal in NY State and reasonable in my view. A taxi drove right by my elbow and could have shaved hair off my arm. I yelled HEY, and he did turn his face towards me, but he proceeded ahead of me. He got caught in traffic at the next block because a car was backing into a parking space. I yelled in his window, and he opened it. I said, "I'm a human being."

The taxi driver said, "You have to take the plugs out. I beep you."

I told him, "I can hear you fine," and pointed to my unobstructed ear. I guess he thought that beeping means I must move over for him and if I don't, he can endanger me.

I said, "I depend on you for my life. I'm a human being." He smiled and nodded. I think he understood. When I passed him at the next block, I waved thanks to him.

Thank your lucky stars that the taxi wasn't being driven by Dr. Wayne Dyer. He would have inevitably said something really silly like:

“I am a human being, not a human doing. Don't equate your self-worth with how well you do things in life. You aren't what you do. If you are what you do, then when you don't…you aren't.”

Then he'd have bored you to tears talking about "Erroneous Zones", and the like. You got off easy.

I'm not sure a New Yorker counts.

Everyone beeps, and expects the red sea to part in front of them.

Yet, it rarely does.

Outstanding!

When I get honked, if I care, I turn around to look. Then I turn my head back ahead.


"I am a human being. I am a human being. I am not an animal." Joseph Merrick

Are you saying I have to move over for him when he beeps? Because I don't. Moving over would not have been safe. There wasn't enough room for me and a moving car and the doors of parked cars. A honk doesn't give him a right to more space.

An ear bud, seriously, is music that important?

Is this a troll thread?

The ear bud is relevant only in that the taxi driver thought that even though he nearly grazed my arm, he blamed me for his wrongdoing. I did nothing wrong.

Wearing any sound-reducing implement is very poor form for urban cycling.

I expected more from you as you're usually level-headed.

This smacks of a strange combination of indulgence and laziness.

No, you're not seeing my scenario properly. Thanks but never mind.

It's proper form in forums to flagellate the victim. I find that Somafm helps me chill in traffic, what is your go-to?

Like I said.

Usually, it's spoken word podcasts so I can hear traffic.

Same. I find music does put me at risk of distraction, but audio books and podcasts are usually plenty chill enough to hear what's going on around me. Also, and a counterintuitive benefit, it probably save my life at least once when a ******bag in a pickup thought it'd be funny to buzz me while laying on his horn. I still think if I'd heard the full blast of that horn I'd have made some ill-advised move that would've hurt me.

Seriously. You're on a bicycle. If that doesn't chill you, then you have problems. Also, Boston isn't even that busy like here.

Is the one of the few times that someone is claiming to have a loose sphincter?

Public discourse usually doesn't travel down that road, at least on BF, but continue as you are.

The only relevance of the ear bud is that that taxi driver latched onto OP's ear bud to excuse his aggressive driving. Those who are unsafe when wearing earbuds shouldn't wear them, but don't project that onto everyone else.

Agreed. The cab driver would have done the exact same thing if OP wasn't wearing ear buds. Having said that, however, I don't, and wouldn't, wear earbuds riding a bike. Even if the actual decibel level of the broadcast doesn't keep you from hearing your surroundings the content of the broadcast may draw my attention away from cars around me. A moment's inattention may be all it takes to get into trouble.