frustrating two-wheeled drivers
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this is a bit of rant and a bit of an 'anyone else?'-type question. it's about traffic, so hopefully i don't lose anyone --- explaining traffic on-line is so confusing. i'll do my best though!
although i am one of those people who lets little things bug me (destined fora heart attack one day ), i have learned not to fume everytime a vehicle passes me then turns right in front of me, or everytime a driver tries to intimidate me into letting him/her cut me off, or a driver rolling through a stop sign without even looking, etc.
that being said, cyclists who are rather, um, 'lax' about traffic rules still make me soooo angry. my personal pet peeve is cyclists (usually male) who pass me even when we're going the same speed, and don't warn when they do pass (i.e. ding a bell, or call out). i rarely pass a cyclist unless they are going a lot slower than me, and/or look like they are completely clueless. (for example, i once trailed a cyclist for a couple kilometres, then realized that a, i would be going much faster than him; b, he was in utterly the wrong gear, spinning like a whirlygig; and c, he was probably going to get himself killed, as he was riding about 5 inches from the curb. yes, 5 inches! so i passed him, for good reason.)
in my experience, male cyclists pass me simply because they like to think they're faster/stronger/better than a woman (any woman), and they like just like to be in front. and yes, that bugs me. especially when we end up going the same speed.
so today, i'm at an intersection. i pull up to wait beside the first car waiting for the light to change. a cyclist (female) pulls up beside me, as there happens to be room (it's an industrial area in the north end of the city, so the streets are a little wider in spots). however, just because there's room doesn't mean it's a good idea: there's now a car and two cyclists aiming to squeeze into the lane on the opposite side of the intersection. so the light changes and the cyclist waits for me to go ahead so she can pull in behind me. i shot ahead like a bat out of hell, as i was annoyed because she really shouldn't have pulled up beside me in the first place (unless she wanted to chat while we were waiting, which she didn't.)
so i continue biking down a long stretch, and then slow to turn at an intersection with a light that's always busy enough that i have to take a moment and check. in the meantime she catches up with me, and as soon as we've turned she passes me, without a ding of her bell or an 'on your left' or anything. i spend the next two minutes following her, forcing myself to slow in order to not run her over. however it wasn't really worth passing her, as i was turning shortly anyway and i didn't feel like starting a p---ing contest that early in the day. but i was really really annoyed, and obviously still am.
does anyone else get aggravated like this? more at cars or cyclists, who should know better? what do you do-- mumble or say something? does anyone tell cyclists to get off the sidewalk, like some bloggers have said they do? do the rest of you hold female cyclists to a higher standard than men, as i obviously do, expecting women to be less prone to acts of ego-based stupidity? comments or rants, anyone?
I used to dream about ice cream, Antonio Banderas, and daquiris on the beach. Now, i dream about fresh pavement...