it goes both ways
I got into a screaming match with a dude on a bike yesterday.
Usually not my M.O., but this guy was a jerk. The funniest thing is that, as far as bikes and cars go, neither of us did anything wrong. I was actually trying to be courteous — I was in the process of edging to the left side of the lane and slowing down to give him more room when he turned at me to scream “Back off!” and “Fuck you!”
I like cyclists. I wish I could be one sometimes. Maybe I’ll get back into riding enough that I will. But for now I just admire them as I walk down the sidewalk, or as I drive down the street when I’m stuck behind a wheel. At the core of things, I think they are making a smarter choice than me when I’m driving. I know they can’t all sense this in me, but they should.
Anyway, looking back at yesterday, I remember that the two cars in front of me are why the asshole on the bike was sandwiched between moving cars and non-moving cars. They were being dicks and he assumed I was about to be one, too. BUT I WASN’T. And I’ve ridden bikes in the city, man — if you’re stressing that hard about the traffic, get on the damn sidewalk. (I double-checked. It’s not illegal.) But this guy? No, this guy even pulled the “share the road” card — which would be fair IF I HADN’T ALREADY BEEN TRYING TO DO THAT. I told him it goes both ways.
He actually threatened to kill me at one point in his madness, so I thought about going for a walk today and seeing if he’s riding around so I can get his name (or at least a better description) and file a report. Just to be a bitch. I probably won’t.
And I’m still not smoking.
