hey ma! I caught another one!
Aug. 26th, 2008 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
topazThis 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.
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.
