I took the lane, but it scared people

[tctrek]

Sounds much more civilized than the response I commonly hear, "Get on the f...ing sidewalk!"

DH and I frequently take the lane at big intersections (as a means of survival!).. last weekend a pickup truck full of bubbas behind us screaming out the windows "That's what sidewalks are for!".

But I'm out there in my neon green jersey, with lights flashing on my seatpost, reflective tape everywhere.. if they hit me, they better have a really good story for why they didn't see me

[cylegoddess]

What scared me, is reclining bike in bus lane/cycle lane. The guy had two blinky lights and a small flag but was so low that any bus could have squashed him literally , flat.

[OakLeaf]

You know, I've been riding a lot lately with one or two people on recumbents, and they're not as low as they look. When I'm in my shallow drops, my head is pretty much at the exact same level as theirs.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Doesn't matter what you do on a bike- it's going to either 'scare' or p*ss off somebody somewhere. Don't pay any attention to people who don't even ride bikes and have no clue- just do what's safe.

[Biciclista]

all recumbents aren't the same level! i know what she means! scares me too.
But I agree with Lisa. Do what's safe. if people around you are frightened, smile and wave at them.

[OnTerryOh]

Doesn't matter what you do on a bike- it's going to either 'scare' or p*ss off somebody somewhere. Don't pay any attention to people who don't even ride bikes and have no clue- just do what's safe.

This is good advice and will avoid angry exchanges that might turn dangerous.

I'm curious -- what do you do or say in your mind to stop from responding to a hostile driver/pedestrian?

Thank you.

[PamNY]

Um, I posted about this incident because I thought it was funny. It never crossed my mind that it would be viewed otherwise. If you will note in my original post I said, "I have been chuckling all afternoon."

Pam

[Biciclista]

heh, you post here and the thread takes on a life of its own!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Um, I posted about this incident because I thought it was funny. It never crossed my mind that it would be viewed otherwise. If you will note in my original post I said, "I have been chuckling all afternoon."

Well it is funny! Especially to seasoned riders. But it's a subject worthy of discussion too, it's something that can make new riders hesitant. Well worth talking about.

[PamNY]

I'm curious -- what do you do or say in your mind to stop from responding to a hostile driver/pedestrian?

Honestly, fear would keep me quiet in case of true road rage in a suburban or rural setting. What would happen in my mind after that I don't know.

The stuff I deal with is just New Yorkers being mouthy. A few drivers sound nasty, but in NYC they are used to cyclists and aren't likely to actually do anything.

Pam

[OnTerryOh]

Honestly, fear would keep me quiet in case of true road rage in a suburban or rural setting. What would happen in my mind after that I don't know.

The stuff I deal with is just New Yorkers being mouthy. A few drivers sound nasty, but in NYC they are used to cyclists and aren't likely to actually do anything.

Pam

I was thinking of a time recently when a passenger in a car yelled at me "Get up on the sidewalk!" I was riding in a safe, legal part of the street and had as much right to be where I was as the people in the car. In fact, it's illegal for bicyclists over age 12 to ride on the sidewalk in my city.

I shouted "No!" as the car was driving off, and someone in the car shouted back at me. The incident and others like it leave me feeling a bit shaken and annoyed.

So when Lisa said "Don't pay any attention to people who don't even ride bikes and have no clue- just do what's safe," that got me wondering what techniques people use to feel less negative about these encounters.

Maybe it would be helpful for me to say to myself, "They're clueless. They don't even ride bikes."
.

[Loraura]

I'm curious -- what do you do or say in your mind to stop from responding to a hostile driver/pedestrian?

I just remind myself that half the people on the planet are below average intelligence!

[OnTerryOh]

I just remind myself that half the people on the planet are below average intelligence!

Good point. I'll remember to tell myself that in unfriendly encounters.