Behavior
Has anyone noticed that things are off in the world of bike commuting? I'm having an increase in near misses with cars/pedestrians/squirrels/etc. Just a lot of wackiness, enough to notice. People seem, I don't know, b*tchier than normal toward cyclists? Turning in front of me, even after obviously seeing me and making eye contact. I almost got sideswiped by a boxtruck today, but he probably just didn't see me even though I was in the bike lane and wearing a nuclear yellow rainjacket. I decided to use the sidewalk over the chicago river today because in the rain the grated bridges get really slick and there was this swirling wind today. Just not feeling like wiping out in front of a bus or something. So this pedestrian had to raise up his umbrella a little to get by. I hear a "get off the f-ing sidewalk." Which is the opposite of what I sometimes hear, "get off the f-ing road and onto the sidewalk!"
Maybe it's just me, but it's gotten a little more nerve racking and I normally really like riding in traffic. I get cranky when people are overtly aggressive with me, which seems to be happening more. Maybe it's the change of seasons. People are getting cranky that summer is winding down
Anyone else notice this or am I just lucky?
"Only the meek get pinched, the bold survive"