Keeping up with traffic, narrow roadway with parked cars on the side, the OP did what I regularly do in taking the lane.

If there was any safe distance between any of the parked cars, I probably would have pulled into it in order to get the motorist in front of me, done that a few times, and it really takes the motorist's thunder away from them, plus it gets a better shot of the motorist's personal/vehicle description and rear license plate.

They are inversely proportional, are they?

Yeah, but he PERCEIVED that you were blocking him and you knew it the instant he moved up close to you and gunned his engine. You could have de-escalated the situation by simply moving over and letting him go by.

I used to always pull up on the far right at intersections until I realized that:

1) I am blocking any vehicle that wants to turn right
2) I may get cut off by a vehicle turning right if I go straight.

What I do now is go to the very far left of the rightmost lane and wait for the light to change. That way I am not in anybody's way. After the light changes I move forward and merge back to the right when safe.

Some motorists understand this maneuver, and some don't. When I'm first in line, I always check to see if the motorist behind me has their right turn signal on, and wave them through if it they're wanting to make a right turn, but just sitting there. Just last night, I had to wave a right turning motorist through.

Consider the possibility that he was gay and he just thought you were cute?

The nice thing about firearms is, they equalize. Big bad car vs. lone bicyclist isn't a fair match. If you're armed and able to protect yourself, suddenly you get respect.

Now, if you were driving a car and some jerk tailgated you, your options might include what you see in this movie clip:

https://www.bitoffun.com/video_vault/do-not-tailgate.htm

This type of action sounds really cool in one's imagination or at the movies, that is until someone tries to replicate it in real life, with the aggressor usually ending up in a legal quagmire.

I used to do this as a habit, but now only when there's only three or four cars or I see a big gap behind them. I've several times gotten to the far side and had drivers refusing to allow me back in traffic, with the honking threat to back it up. So unless I see a way ahead of time to cleanly merge back in they stay behind me at the intersections now.

The guy in the Charger in OP's post was just displaying his ignorance, probably believing that bicycles are prohibited from the roads. I wonder if he'll have the decency to feel embarrassed when he eventually learns better.

The aggressor being the guy who's threatening your life or limb, or is assaulting you. Survival of a life threatening situation may trump the assailant's claims as he sits at the defendant's table in court.

Tell that to one of our local motorists who blew out his rear window with several gun shot rounds, and into the following motorist's vehicle, wounding them severely.

He's in jail, and looking at staying there for quite some time.

Yeah, that's why I said 15 seconds and not 2 minutes.

So let's get this fantasy straight. Some dude tailgates you, you're pulling out a gun?

Some dude wants to hit you with a car from behind, in an attempt to kill you or cripple you for life, he's going to give you a warning so that you have time to draw on him?

Seems to me if a person in a car "tries to take you out", he aint giving you a warning and you have no chance of going all Clint Eastwood on him.

Have lived and cycled extensively in Tucson area since 1978.
There may be a few inconsiderate drivers, but you will find them anywhere.
Knew 2 ladies that rode tandem in Tucson. They got tired of close calls and yelling and even once getting patted on the butt while pedaling on Speedway.
Rear rider now wears pistol on left hip; very visible and very legal. No more pats, no more yells.
You do not need to buy a real pistol . . .

I got tired of riding on Speedway very quickly. Not that's dangerous.

To those suggesting that I should have pulled off and let the driver pass, would you recommend I have done the same thing if I was being tailgated while driving a car?

If you can't see the difference between the two, then I feel sorry for you.

yes,i have done that before.

Sure ... why not?


I don't like people getting in my way ... and I don't like getting in other people's way. This goes for when I'm driving, cycling, pushing a grocery cart through a store, or walking through the hallways at school or work.

If you're the slower person ... step aside.

I step aside when I see some fool flying up in a hurry because they weren't smart enough to head out 5 minutes earlier. No, I've never had a speeding ticket in 32 years of driving.

In the case of the bike in front of an idiot behind the wheel, like said a million times before, doesn't matter who had the right " when you're in a wheel chair or dead.

No, and screw you for thinking that your time is more important than mine. If there's room, then I'll make room; if not then your gonna have to wait. Welcome to society.

OP, it sounds to me like you were traffic, not blocking traffic.

Only if you can do it safely, would I pull over and let a tailgater pass. If a similar incident like yours happen to me, depending on the amount of info I gathered, the local law enforcement would be getting a call from me, and the motorist's description/ vehicile license number, and driving practices would be documented.

Please read my post again. Here, I'll help you ...
And if I am the slower person ... I will usually happily get out of the way because I'm not that self-centred and selfish and rude that I feel I have to get in other people's way. [un]Common courtesy.

The OP did nothing wrong and handled the situation perfectly.

Moving aside for operators acting in a civil manner when it is safe and reasonable to do so is one thing, but rewarding bully behavior is quite another. If you want the bully to continue to push cyclists around, then be sure to continue to give in to their tactics.

Dude, that was waaaay too funny!...Funny, but somehow sick too!

- Slim

Attributed to George Carlin..

"Think of how Stupid the Average
person is, and realize,
Half of them are Stupider than that".

Machka, I read your post just fine the first time, and I still disagree with it just as much the second time around.

I don't like people getting in my way either, it's a basic human trait. But in a modern urban environment, we are all in each other's way. We're all moving at different speeds and cross directions, using different time budgets, and all for different purposes with varying degrees of necessity. When I have both the time and the ability, I might let someone faster than me go by, but definitely not if they're gonna be an ass about it.

Between two of my classes I've 15 minutes to cross campus, which I can do in about 14, allowing for traffic. I probably could do it in twelve if people would just see me speed walking and step aside, but they're trying to get to class too. Why should I have any expectation that they would stop their travels to let me by? Doesn't that imply that I think that my time is more important than theirs? It is to me, but should I expect everyone else to feel the same way?

When I'm riding my bike and you're behind me in your car, don't expect me to pull over. I know that you're trying to get somewhere. So am I, so is everyone. If I pulled over for every faster vehicle, then it would take me a heck of a lot longer to get where I'm going; in essence I would be giving up my time to everyone who chose to drive, which is pretty much everyone.

I don't feel that by choosing to bike instead of drive I'm in any way being "self-centered and selfish and rude", even though I get in the way of cars. Your "uncommon courtesy" equates to having to choose between driving my car or being a prick, which I don't see at all. What I would consider courteous would be respecting the space of slower users and acknowledging their right to get where they're going at the pace that they move, and treating them as I would want to be treated in the same situation. I don't expect cyclists or horse buggies to get out of my way when I drive, I don't expect walkers and runners to get out of my way when I bike, and I don't expect senior citizens and pregnant women to get out of my way when I walk. If they choose to, fine, but in no way should there be a cultural expectation for them to do so.