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If one drives a car politely and generally obeying laws, one will typically not draw the ire of a road rager down upon oneself. Maybe sometimes, but it's genera

If one drives a car politely and generally obeying laws, one will typically not draw the ire of a road rager down upon oneself. Maybe sometimes, but it's generally infighting among assholes. If you ride a bicycle or some other alternative transportation, the act of existing and using the road will draw road ragers from all sides. I've had several problems. Once I was riding a bicycle down a busy college road and I happened to not be wearing my glasses. So, my fault, right? There was heavy auto traffic and it was all stopped, so I carefully turned left in front of a car, and I got absolutely boned by this amazingly horrible University-owned golf cart doing 25 in the oncoming bicycle lane. I had to basically hold him hostage until the police came to take a report on us. Another time, same bicycle, same college town, I decided to take the left lane, a block ahead, in anticipation of turning left. This was a 35mph 4-lane road. So of course, autos immediately piled up behind me, screeching and honking and vrooming and all kinds of pissed, just because, I guess, they had to make a lane change to go around me, or they could stay there and stay enraged. I escaped with my person and bicycle intact. Very recently, I was trying out the new e-Scooter shares. It is explicitly prohibited to ride them on the sidewalk. So I tootled around the back roads, all 25mph residential, and I was having a lot of fun ringing the little bell. So this chad swoops in front of me on a moped or rice rocket or something. And he slows down and swivels his head and in a kindly condescending tone he said, "you know you're not supposed to ride those in the street?" and so I just rang my bell and smiled. And he turned into the Incredible Hulk. He harried me and spat on my face and screamed at me and honked and stopped short and cut me off and raged for blocks, and I thought I'd never get out alive; it was very upsetting and it is not easy to continue riding when you are so triggered like that. I stayed calm, I didn't do anything against the guy, I sailed to the sidewalk and put the thing down and just walked away. But that put the fear of God into me.

PrimeMcFly 3y ago
The golf cart thing sounds like negligence, and I'm glad you were able to file a report. > So of course, autos immediately piled up behind me, screeching and honking and vrooming and all kinds of pissed, just because, I guess, they had to make a lane change to go around me, or they could stay there and stay enraged. To what extent were you impeding the normal flow of traffic? > And he slows down and swivels his head and in a kindly condescending tone he said, "you know you're not supposed to ride those in the street?" and so I just rang my bell and smiled. In no way was the guys reaction justified, but that does sounds like an antagonizing response.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  > To what extent were you impeding the normal flow of traffic? Well, as I said, I was in the left lane for about a block; it was a 4-lane 35mph road, so everyone had a clear right-hand lane to pass me. Traffic was, I suppose, medium. The lanes were completely clear as I moved over to the left; it's not like I weaved through a clump of vehicles to get there. The road feeds a freeway, so it was a common thoroughfare for college students and townies alike to GTFO. > In no way was the guys reaction justified, but that does sounds like an antagonizing response. Shrug. I was in a happy-go-lucky mood and I was already smiling and ringing the bell. What else could I do? Scowl and lean on my horn instead? Pull over and illegally ride on the sidewalk like he wanted? Argue with him, Facebook-comment-style, about who knows the law better? It didn't occur to me that there are people who may be antagonized by a bike bell.
  - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
    > Shrug. I was in a happy-go-lucky mood and I was already smiling and ringing the bell. What else could I do? Scowl and lean on my horn instead? Pull over and illegally ride on the sidewalk like he wanted? Argue with him, Facebook-comment-style, about who knows the law better? It didn't occur to me that there are people who may be antagonized by a bike bell. True
    - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
      I'm frequently disappointed by broken bells on those scooters, because I love to use it. It's essential to safety. Those things are silent but deadly: they go up to 17mph, and I am confident that 95% of the people on the road are thankful that they can hear me coming because of that bell. Let me tell you, as a pedestrian, I am eternally thankful to every cyclist who announces his presence behind me with something like "passing on your left", although a bell is much easier to use :-)

PrimeMcFly 3y ago

The golf cart thing sounds like negligence, and I'm glad you were able to file a report. > So of course, autos immediately piled up behind me, screeching and honking and vrooming and all kinds of pissed, just because, I guess, they had to make a lane change to go around me, or they could stay there and stay enraged. To what extent were you impeding the normal flow of traffic? > And he slows down and swivels his head and in a kindly condescending tone he said, "you know you're not supposed to ride those in the street?" and so I just rang my bell and smiled. In no way was the guys reaction justified, but that does sounds like an antagonizing response.

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
> To what extent were you impeding the normal flow of traffic? Well, as I said, I was in the left lane for about a block; it was a 4-lane 35mph road, so everyone had a clear right-hand lane to pass me. Traffic was, I suppose, medium. The lanes were completely clear as I moved over to the left; it's not like I weaved through a clump of vehicles to get there. The road feeds a freeway, so it was a common thoroughfare for college students and townies alike to GTFO. > In no way was the guys reaction justified, but that does sounds like an antagonizing response. Shrug. I was in a happy-go-lucky mood and I was already smiling and ringing the bell. What else could I do? Scowl and lean on my horn instead? Pull over and illegally ride on the sidewalk like he wanted? Argue with him, Facebook-comment-style, about who knows the law better? It didn't occur to me that there are people who may be antagonized by a bike bell.
- PrimeMcFly 3y ago
  > Shrug. I was in a happy-go-lucky mood and I was already smiling and ringing the bell. What else could I do? Scowl and lean on my horn instead? Pull over and illegally ride on the sidewalk like he wanted? Argue with him, Facebook-comment-style, about who knows the law better? It didn't occur to me that there are people who may be antagonized by a bike bell. True
  - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
    I'm frequently disappointed by broken bells on those scooters, because I love to use it. It's essential to safety. Those things are silent but deadly: they go up to 17mph, and I am confident that 95% of the people on the road are thankful that they can hear me coming because of that bell. Let me tell you, as a pedestrian, I am eternally thankful to every cyclist who announces his presence behind me with something like "passing on your left", although a bell is much easier to use :-)