Is The Heat Making People Nuts ?
 

So I am coming back from the bank this morning and am on a 4 lane road and waiting for the light to change and am waiting in the middle of the right hand lane so no-one right hooks me when the light turns green.

A small car comes up behind me with his signal light on to turn right so I hop over a few feet and move a little forward so he can turn cause it is the considerate thing to do. Many people have thanked me for this little courtesy although I am not bound to do this by any traffic law.

And if I was a car, they'd have to wait.

Anyways...

When he comes alongside he lets loose with a stream of epithets and tells me to get my f'ing bike on the sidewalk where it belongs.

I guess the heat has been making me cranky because I told him to get his ass into a gym.

He just kept going which is good because the last time I told someone to get into a gym there was a bit of a violent altercation.

A little later...

Coming down to the shop I am again waiting at an intersection and have car behind me (that is not turning) and when I pull away the fool tries to pass me on the right and then comes around my left to tell me to get off the f'ing road.

This was on a 6 lane... we have some big roads here and yuo'd think there'd be enough room for us all.

He looked like the first guy's brother.

And it was only 80F... if it hits 100F I am going to stop riding.

Not necessarily the weather, more like the people.

Well... I mostly get nothing but extreme courtesy, especially here. If all the lanes go thru then my foot is on the curb ,100%.
If the right lane turns, then i will be to the left and partly in the crosswalk. I always take a peek at the car to see what they want to do. Usually they are reluctant to turn across me on the red light, i often wave them on anyway.

90 % of my grief from cars is around 4 way stops, especially when a car crosses from the right, then me and the second car are technically arriving at the same time, whereapon i perform my usual rolling stop. haha

I would only take the lane if i am going the speed limit, down hill, say.

I saw 2 accident scenes in a mile ride to the DQ for lunch. One poor guy on a Harley got T-boned ,by a big pickup Ford, and his foot got ripped off. :cry:

The sun is shining, it's Friday afternoon on a long weekend here, so I know my ride home this arvo is going to be seven flavours of crazy.

"It is the bright day that brings forth the adder;
And that craves wary walking".

You know what they say: "It's not the heat, it's the stupidity."

I am usually pleased with the courtesy our drivers show but lately I have been running into a lot of total asshats... am quite sure the heat and skeeters are making folks a little crankier.

Sixtyfiver : Were you on your Twenty ?

Yep.

Was thinking tonight that these guys saw the small wheels and these sexy legs and either thought I was a kid riding on the road or had a homophobic episode... lol

My Twenty gets no respect.

:lol:Right

I wouldn't ever do that in the Front.
Unless with a trailer, of course.
2 cars back they wouldn't care.

I stay off the curb... if it is a through lane I am in the lane to the right and if there's a right turn I move up and left like you do.

If I am riding down the road I am going to be 4 feet away from any parked cars and will let cars pass when I feel it is safe for them to do so.

Mebbe I should take to pulling my trailer all the time... that seems to make drivers give me oodles of space and it has gotten more reflective and lit up since I picked it up.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/mectrailer2.JPG

Meh, some drivers are just generally nuts (looking at it from the whole perspective), nothing to do with heat or weather mostly. But, I'm curious - what kind of trailer is that and how much does it cost? It looks nice - I often haul tools and stuff for work around town, and it would probably be easier in the trailer then in the backpack and panniers.

If you're watching the right wing news media, the conservative movement is driving itself nuts. A week ago, some loonjob was arrested for weaving on the freeway; turns out he was headed to the local ACLU to murder as many of them as he could kill. We're lucky the California Highway Patrol was paying attention.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/38335209

Anyways, there's a lot of unhinged fury wandering around, and anyone who doesn't look like a fat white slob in a car is a target.

Unless you're a cyclist, in which case the unhinged fury is aimed at the fat slobs in cars...

Life's too short. C'es la vie.

Hot town summer in the city=night rides! :)

Yeah I get those days, too, in Los Angeles. Thankfully this summer heat is moderate compared to last year...

Miss Strong... we are going to exactly that this evening.

Will start by catching the nightly fireworks and then see where the road takes us... it is looking to be another hot one.

Keep watching msnbc. They, like you, consider one lone nut "a movement".


Let's keep the politics off here, eh?

MSNBC ?

Is that television ?

:D