How one bicyclist didn't smack a driver upside the head with a U-lock

Boston Biker recounts a near run-in with a Masshole on Sunday.

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Submitted by adamg on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 8:03am.

Part I found the most true

In essence I had slowed him down only by stopping to talk to him, had he not honked at all he wouldn’t have lost a single moment of his day to "my slowness."

This is even more true on my scooter. I love to prove a person as stupid when they do something crazy like pass me on the left across a double yellow line or cut me off or lay on their horn before passing me...and then I catch up to them (or even overtake them on the right) in traffic and at the next few red lights.

People, if you're not on a road doing 45 mph or more, I can keep up with you and the laws let me pass you stopped at the next red light on your right when it's safe to do so. You're not going to win in this city and even if you did, it's only going to be by a minute here or there. My safety (and others') is worth more than those few minutes of your time. I assure you.

Kaz | Tue, 09/15/2009 - 9:00am

What bewilders me is that I

What bewilders me is that I am sometimes honked at even when there is a car directly in front of me. For example, I often take a lane when going through Harvard Square because I am capable of going faster than the cars. A couple times now someone behind me has started honking because I am front of them, despite the fact that there is another car's bumper right in front of me.

It is as if some drivers see a bicycle in front of them and immediately feel the need to pass it, regardless of what is going on further down the road. I am usually able to control my urge to flip them off, and the approach I generally take is to just pretend I cannot hear the honking.

alex | Tue, 09/15/2009 - 9:32am

This is not a bicycles-only problem

People will do this to cars in front of them -- even when it ought to be obvious that such car is not going anywhere because it can't (things are clearly blocked -- in a way that honking can't possibly help). ;~}

Michael Kerpan | Tue, 09/15/2009 - 9:56am

I decided to stop at the red

I decided to stop at the red light and then work my way over to the right after we got moving again, while I was stopping for the red I was honked at. This happens a lot as cars often will look right in front of them instead of down the street and are often embarrassed when they have to stop several feet after they honked at you for “slowing them down.”

I get this while driving in my car because I don't feel the need to rocket down the street only to have to slam on the brakes at the next intersection. Everyone is in a rush to get nowhere.

anon (not verified) | Tue, 09/15/2009 - 9:44am

Think of the children!

The "do you have kids?" angle is a good one. A friend has used that when catching drivers going the wrong way on his one-way street.

Eighthman | Tue, 09/15/2009 - 9:33pm

Yellow plastic kids, perhaps?

[img]http://www.phinneywood.com/images/safety%20flags%20closeup.jpg[/img]

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[img]http://eeka.net/2inchgoodbetter.jpg[/img] http://1smootshort.blogspot.com

eeka | Tue, 09/15/2009 - 9:40pm