hey ma! I caught another one!

[topaz]

This morning at about 10:25am, eastbound on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge approaching Porter Square.  Guy behind me honks and yells, then roars past me on the left, waving and screaming at me to get out of the road.  Of course, we're approaching a red light, so he swerves in front of me and comes to a stop anyway, but he's still yelling out his window at me.  The conversation went something like this, though I regret that I can't recall his exact words due to his near-total incoherency:

Him: "Are you crazy?  What the hell are you doing riding in the road?"
Me: "Sir, cyclists are permitted to use the roads."
Him: "What are you talking about?  Everyone knows bikes don't belong in the road!"
Me: "I'm sorry, sir, but the law disagrees with you."
Him: "Bikes don't belong in the middle of the road!  Whaddya think, you can go faster than me?"
Me: "Look, man---"
Him: "Oh, no, I'm not your man, okay?  I'm not your buddy, get it?"
Me: "Okay, sir.  I apologize for upsetting you.  But Massachusetts state law does permit me to take the travel lane."
Him: "Massachusetts state law?!?  What are you talking about?  Everybody knows you shouldn't ride in the street!"
Me: "I am sorry, sir, but if it upsets you then you should take it up with your congressman."

He could not seem to figure out a response to this.  As the light turned green I called at him that I hoped he had a more pleasant day.  About a block further on he pulled into a parking space, and yelled as I passed, "Someone's gonna hit you!"

Oh well.  It's been a while since I've been to the RMV, I guess it was about time.

Comments

[lhn.livejournal.com]

Me: "I am sorry, sir, but if it upsets you then you should take it up with your congressman."

Nit: shouldn't that be "legislator"?

(Not that I'm generally that coherent in tense public confrontations, let alone exact in my word choices.)

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have a lot of trouble making sense in these cases. Most of the sense I do make is the result of memorizing talking points that I can give back to other people. :-)

And yes, "legislator" is a good suggestion. I'll try to remember it for the next time. :-)

[d3l1r1um.livejournal.com]

Congress-critter!

[docstrange.livejournal.com]

+1 Everyone always wants to make a federal case outta everything! *wink*

Tim, I think you handled that very well. Not sure the driver sounds like he earned a complaint, though the tone might not be coming through the text.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

That's good to know - I'll emphasize just how unhinged and deranged the guy was acting when and if I get a hearing. :-)

[mizarchivist]

If this guy drives down Mass. Ave in Cambridge every day, he must yell a lot (in this context/to bikers).

Good job on keeping your calm.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

The really ironic part? He had a mountain bike strapped to the roof of his truck. I guess he thinks that means he knows what he's talking about.

[nooks.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the only time I confronted a driver, she had a bike in the back of her SUV and was telling me all about how she rode her bike hither and yon.

As I recall, I was in the left lane, merging into the turning lane at the nearby light and she passed me on the right and nearly merged straight into me. Brrr.

[khedron.livejournal.com]

He's just looking back at all those years he could've been bicycling his one mile commute to work instead of driving...

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

WOW. I'm amazed that you kept your cool. I'm also impressed that you didn't actually laugh in his face.


Go you.

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

It seems like there's a whole butt load of ignorance about the rules of the road out there. Why, I couldn't tell you.

Chicago is trying bicycle ambassadors (http://www.bicyclingambassadors.org/) to educate bike riders. They sound very polite, like handing out free headlamps to the blankety-blanks who ride without them instead of giving them a lecture like I'd like to do.

There should probably be something like this for the car drivers as well.

[harimad.livejournal.com]

How do you hand out a clue?

I regularly drive what is, in effect, an in-city highway. Right next to it is a pedestrian/non-motorized-wheeled path. Both road and path are quite popular. I understand the fast, serious bikers choosing to take the road[1]. I don't understand why so many podunk slow bikers take it as well. That road is *dangerous*, man. I also don't understand why so many of the serious bikers don't have bells or lights, as required by law.

(As a runner on this path, the lack of bell is a problem for me. I've taken to moving to the middle of the path if I discern a biker behind me who hasn't announced his presence. I'm this close to carrying my law enforcement credentials with me as well, to back me up in the usual post-encounter argument about using a bell. I'm almost as close to carrying a stick that I "just happen" to poke sideways when an unannounced biker passes me. It's not that hard to yell or ring a bell, people. Don't work so hard to justify the negative opinion of bikers that so many folk have.)


[1] In my jurisdiction bikers can legally take either the sidewalk or the road.