it was what - 12 hrs ago i was posting about how its been kinda bland and boring and appologizing that i didn t have much to say??
well after almost getting hit on the ride in this AM - i do..this post is gonna go Brad Davis style..
Now the city of Chicago is a dangerous place to be on a bike, its high alert at ALL times, helmet snugged down tight and Spidey senses working on HI..
but this incident happened in the suburbs.. not that the burbs are any safer, but this incident - WTF?
I have discovered that Ford has a new money saving tactic to help their profits, they do not equip their cars sold in lower class neighborhoods with turn signals.
I am heading eastbound on washington in River Forest - a pretty quiet street at this time of the morning. Some chick is heading westbound and about to hang a left to go south right in front of me. now i know she sees me cause we make eye contact and she pauses, but then the fucking 'Can starts to go again, and not in a big hurry to get out of my way, but just going along, so i yell something like HEY, YO YO, she looks at me and kinda flips her arm up like she was gonna flip me off or somethin and she pauses again; so now that she almost hit me, i am forced to put a foot down cause she wont clear the freakin intersection!
Now fortunately The Enmark is the Prince of Personal Protection ( yeah i though that one up after the fact) and has showed me how handy and how easy it is to use a collapsing baton.
I always have mine strapped to my bag, so this 'Can was lucky enough to have me plant it square in her back quarterpanel, and i think that finally got her attention properly, and at that point she proceeded to take off.
Now i was a bit nervous about the situation because there were 2 or 3 other cars around and i didn't want to seem like a vigilante, but the guy in the car that was behind this lady yells out - 'You OK? crazy lady! good for you for yelling at her' I think he missed the baton part.
Other than that, todays ride in was good. Nice and almost cool in the AM's, but beautiful on the ride home.
Old Skool
Downers Grove - 1990
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Sounds like assault with a deadly weapon. That car will win over a bike most days. The baton smack was the least you could do. Some people have no common sense, awareness of what their actions may do, or patience. Also known as stupidity. Glad to hear you escaped unscathed man. Be careful out there!
its no secret that i have years and years and tens of thousands of hours and miles of riding in traffic and draling with the silliness. As a young punk kid i was fast to fip the bird and yell dumb stuff, as we get older, wiser, and have our priorities change, i have been pretty mellow. This incident was probably the closest i have come to getting hit in several years. The baton smack was probably overkill and unnecessary, but perhaps the dent in her quarterpanel will remind her to pay attention. The next time it may not be a rider like myself that is very used to predicting traffic. It may be a newbie out for some exercise, it may be a child oblivious to the dangers of cars.
I don't think it was overkill. If she honestly didn't see you, maybe. But to look right at you and still almost hit you...
Any time you're close enough to hit a car with your hand is too close. We've all been there, unfortunately. You likely helped someone in the future with that baton hit. It's a shame it has to be that way, but some people just can't process what consequences their actions may have. You're right, you can process and read drivers. Most people don't look at driver's eyes like we do. Eyes tell a lot.
I think you are not helping cycling in any way by those actions. I am not sure how your actions are justified. Two wrongs don't make a... You represent every cyclist on the road, whether you like it or not. I wonder why you would document this event on the internet.
The theory of it may help someone next time, is flawed. Example: How long does it take for you to start speeding again after a speeding ticket? I guess this theory would work if you hit her car with a baton every week.
Yes I commmute
Yes I have ridden my bike thousands of miles
Yes I run into many dumb car drivers
Thanks for your anonymous post.
As I stated above, I agree it was unnecessary.
I do represent every cyclist on the road, just as every other cyclist represents me. I can attest to being a victim of an incident cause by another cyclist actions or lack of actions in motorist’s eyes. I constantly criticize others that ride carelessly and say the reason people like me get hit is because of people like them.
Perhaps a poor reaction to a situation fueled by ignorance. Perhaps I was in a bad mood already and reached my breaking point from all the negativity and danger I am subjected to by riding my bicycle regularly. I agree - two wrongs do not make a right. Ignorance is not an excuse for responsibility.
I choose to ride - or I could just drive my Excursion everywhere I go carelessly.
I choose to blog - or I could just keep my comments to myself.
My goal is not to be a blog others go to for insight or guidance, if I can help others I will. If you truly need guidance, my coaching services are always available. I blog, I rant and I bitch much like all the others out there, to get it off my chest and to document some of the silly things we as grown men riding bicycles in spandex - AKA 'cyclists' do in the name of our hobby.
Thanx
Dammit. What has life come to? I had come to rely on The SMOOOOT Training center as my source of direction to get through daily life. I had no longer found it necessary to go to church as my spirtual needs were being fulfilled here. Is STC Captain not the Dalai Lama?
Thanks to STC Captain, I have learned to deal with the things life throws at me. Why, just other day I had a chucklehead sitting at a green light because he wasn't paying attention. I put the SUV in 4-wheel drive and "nudged" the ass munch into the middle of the intersection.
I'll bet he won't stop up traffic again which means he learned from the situation and we have STC Captain to thank for it.
I just wonder when he will run for office because I'll vote, even if I am an illegal alien... or something.
Yo doooosh-nozzle, why don't you grow a pair (or take the pair out of your mouth) Anonymous?
You could always right your own Blog... well, maybe since you'll have to actually show your username.
Trent!! Glad to see you're still out there! I was thinking like this, but couldn't get it into words fast enough. You got it dude!
Post a Comment