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Bangor was lovely, though we really didn't spend enough time hanging out up there. Zipped up on Wednesday night after work, all-day workshop on Thursday, and careened back down to Boston immediately afterwards. I am now certified as having passed the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's bike safety instruction course, which at the moment is "close enough" as far as the state of Massachusetts is concerned, at least until MassBike develops a full Massachusetts-specific curriculum.
This morning on my commute I had a hysterical encounter with a truck driver. At one point on my route I have to turn left from Massachusetts Avenue, which usually requires waiting for a green arrow while other cars go straight through. (This is Porter Square for you locals.) I usually position myself on the left-hand side of the middle lane, so that I'm not holding up traffic that's moving straight through the intersection but can still turn left safely when the light changes.
Apparently that's not good enough! This morning, while I was waiting for the light, a truck driver pulled up next to me, stuck his head out of the window and yelled, "Come on! You're riding a BIKE! Why aren't you just going through?"
Feeling a little bit like I might be on Candid Camera, or possibly the Daily Show, I pointed out that the light was red. My friend shook his head angrily and waved in front of him, apparently to indicate that he would prefer I just ran the red light. I started to point out that I was still subject to the same traffic laws that govern cars, but just then the light turned green and we both were off and running. I got a picture of his truck but I think it's too grainy to make out the license plate.
So there you have it, folks. Why are bicyclists constantly flouting traffic laws? Apparently because PEOPLE WANT THEM TO. Or something. Sheesh.
This morning on my commute I had a hysterical encounter with a truck driver. At one point on my route I have to turn left from Massachusetts Avenue, which usually requires waiting for a green arrow while other cars go straight through. (This is Porter Square for you locals.) I usually position myself on the left-hand side of the middle lane, so that I'm not holding up traffic that's moving straight through the intersection but can still turn left safely when the light changes.
Apparently that's not good enough! This morning, while I was waiting for the light, a truck driver pulled up next to me, stuck his head out of the window and yelled, "Come on! You're riding a BIKE! Why aren't you just going through?"
Feeling a little bit like I might be on Candid Camera, or possibly the Daily Show, I pointed out that the light was red. My friend shook his head angrily and waved in front of him, apparently to indicate that he would prefer I just ran the red light. I started to point out that I was still subject to the same traffic laws that govern cars, but just then the light turned green and we both were off and running. I got a picture of his truck but I think it's too grainy to make out the license plate.
So there you have it, folks. Why are bicyclists constantly flouting traffic laws? Apparently because PEOPLE WANT THEM TO. Or something. Sheesh.
