Karma and Commuting: Your Favorite Incident

[JeffC]

What is a moment where some person encountered on your commute got the consequence of their natural actions, either good or bad? Here is an example of something I encountered this evening (2/27/12) shortly after 6 pm. The actor’s actions and the consequence followed so closely that it was impossible not to think karma when it happened. So here is how it transpired.

It is dusk and I am riding on the W&OD, headed west and I just crossed the intersection near Lee Hwy and am on that small stretch before Little Falls Street. Shortly before the wooden bridge crossing the creek near the Falls Church Fire Department, I spot a rider coming my way (so headed east) with an extremely bright light but moving very slow. I had it in my mind to say something. On my right is a pedestrian headed west and dressed mostly in black. It was not completely dark at the time and most cyclists had on flashing dim, “be seen” lights except for the rider headed my way with an incredibly over powered light. I was slowing down watching the ped on my right and the blinding light headed my way.

The pedestrian, the oncoming rider, and your intrepid author all reached a spot shortly before the bridge at the same time. Shortly before I got to the pedestrian he screams very loudly at the rider “What the F*%K are you doing!!!” Just then I realize the rider is a police officer on a motorcycle doing a trail patrol. I rode on home the remaining mile laughing to myself the whole way.

Topic

[SpokeGrenadeSR]

the best i’ve got in recent memory is after a day of delivering jerseys to friends all over boston on a cold, slushy, snowy day my gps dies while im on my way to my last stop. i pull over to ask for directions from a ped and they don’t know where i’m heading, but as soon as i say “ok, no worries, thanks though” i hear the *woop woop* of a siren, and a police F-150 pulls over with their window down and without me saying a thing asks, “where you trying to go?” he looks up the directions on his police comp and sends me on my way with both of us smiling. pretty great interaction, and rare for boston if i may say so.

[baiskeli]

Not a commuting thing, but I have one of these.

Many years ago I was on a street somewhere near Adams Morgan. A guy on a bike was weaving dangerously through traffic, getting honked at and being really unsafe and annoying and show-offy. He passed me and headed down the road. A minute later, I heard squealing tires up ahead. I soon passed the guy, walking, carrying his bike with a severely taco’d front wheel that looked like it had been in a dispute with the front wheel of a car. He wasn’t hurt, but maybe he learned a lesson.

[creadinger]

@SpokeGrenadeSR 15399 wrote:

pretty great interaction, and rare for boston if i may say so.

Much better interaction than we had last night when our Logan Express bus from Woo-bun got pulled over by a crazy cop on I-93. The guy had his lights on and suddenly stopped in the 3rd lane from the right to yell at our driver to pull over. He didn’t like how he was going 72 in a 55 (even though the rest of the traffic was going 75) and that he was driving in the left lane, which I think was so he could use the carpool lane, which was ahead. The cop was acting like an absolute crazy person during all of this. Fortunately he seemed to cool his temper a bit while talking to the driver. Seriously though, 55? Who goes 55 on those highways? The DC beltway is technically 55, but in reality the speed limit is whatever the traffic will let you go.

[PrintError]

After a few years of commuting 365, I’ve got TONS. I’ll throw in a few short ones:

Got a honk and a “GET OFF THE F*&%^ ROAD, A8(*^#%(@” one time. Dude sped off, to be immediately caught by the next light. I pulled up to his window and politely explained that I was legally supposed to ride in the road. Turned into a brief but honest conversation, and he apologized.

Had another lady clip my elbow with her SUV’s mirror on her way to a light. In return, as I passed her stopped SUV, I hit the mirror back and carried on. She cut off a few people and caught up a couple blocks later, cussing at me (while I ignored her) from the right lane. Then she cut me off, and the car that was to my left… The car to my left flipped on his blue flashing lights, and I smiled as I rode past her now-stopped SUV.

Riding down Lewinsville one morning, a driver gave a long blare of the horn as he RACED past (in a 35mph section with huge lanes). I wrote it off until I got to the 495 bridge, where I found a half-mile-or-longer traffic backup. Guess who was right there at the tail of it. I rode past the entire jam and turned onto the logjammed 123, and proceeded to pass all of them too and arrive at work in a great mood.

Twice last year, I was no-signal passed by spandexed road warriors on the W&OD, only to find them pumping flat tires within a mile or so.

And my favorite was a gentleman who deliberately ran me into the grass leaving my workplace one evening, twice. I returned the next morning and swung by the security office (real police, not rent-a-cops), where they were able to pull up the tape and later “have a conversation” with the driver. LOVE it.

[jpaulwhite]

@JeffC 15388 wrote:

What is a moment where some person encountered on your commute got the consequence of their natural actions, either good or bad? Here is an example of something I encountered this evening (2/27/12) shortly after 6 pm. The actor’s actions and the consequence followed so closely that it was impossible not to think karma when it happened. So here is how it transpired.

It is dusk and I am riding on the W&OD, headed west and I just crossed the intersection near Lee Hwy and am on that small stretch before Little Falls Street. Shortly before the wooden bridge crossing the creek near the Falls Church Fire Department, I spot a rider coming my way (so headed east) with an extremely bright light but moving very slow. I had it in my mind to say something. On my right is a pedestrian headed west and dressed mostly in black. It was not completely dark at the time and most cyclists had on flashing dim, “be seen” lights except for the rider headed my way with an incredibly over powered light. I was slowing down watching the ped on my right and the blinding light headed my way.

The pedestrian, the oncoming rider, and your intrepid author all reached a spot shortly before the bridge at the same time. Shortly before I got to the pedestrian he screams very loudly at the rider “What the F*%K are you doing!!!” Just then I realize the rider is a police officer on a motorcycle doing a trail patrol. I rode on home the remaining mile laughing to myself the whole way.

LMAO!!! I know that exact spot. But here’s another one. When I used to ride on the W&OD daily I used to see some county workers driving a pickup truck from Glen Carlin Park to Bluemont Park after dark. Right after it got dark. After I followed them one day I saw they were emptying trash cans.

Then one day I saw a county truck had tried to cross the wooden bridge right before the trail crossed under Patrick Henry Drive and fallen through part of the way. One of the tires had went through the wood and they were waiting on someone to come help them.

Too funny. Man I have had a LOT of adventures on the W&OD

[JeffC]

@PrintError 15467 wrote:

And my favorite was a gentleman who deliberately ran me into the grass leaving my workplace one evening, twice. I returned the next morning and swung by the security office (real police, not rent-a-cops), where they were able to pull up the tape and later “have a conversation” with the driver. LOVE it.

What a jerk. I bet that guy got fired for that.

[SpokeGrenadeSR]

what a night. get out of work, park my car in rosslyn and hop on my bike to go over to rugby. everything’s going smooth, people are being considerate.
waitin at a light at Q and New Hampshire and a series of 6 cyclists roll by and then two topple over in the middle of the street. apparently one didnt check before she tried to make her left turn and went right into the other cyclist. me and two other folks rolled over and helped them up, gathered their stuff and moved to the sidewalk. i helped fix her brake and everyone was being civil; the offender was apologetic and offered her number in case something needed to be fixed. so, im humming along all happy and smiley thinking of what a good samaritan i am, then i get to rugby practice. joggin around, and we start the touch rugby warm-up. i big guy falls into me while my hands are up about to catch a kick and my left shoulder dislocates. welllllll crud. there goes my season. (the ligaments are loose in both shoulders, so it wasn’t tooo big of a surprise) oddly enough, the bike ride home wasn’t painful, but i can’t lift my arm up past my shoulder height.
i thought karma was gonna be on my side tonight guesss not

[Riley Casey]

I thought the whole point of rugby was to sustain serious injuries? Not so I guess.:rolleyes:
Hope you recover soon.

[KLizotte]

Maybe the kharma was that you didn’t locate *both* shoulders?

Get well soon.

[Dirt]

It isn’t a commuting story… and it isn’t good karma… and it wasn’t my karma… but it was pretty funny. Mr. Tim Kelley and I were riding through Montgomery County on a long road ride and 2 guys in hopped up Honda Civics came buzzed us pretty close and at full throttle. At the bottom of the hill, the front suspension on one of the cars had broken and the guy’s pride and joy had plowed into the ditch riding on 3 wheels and what was left of his oil pan.

[Tim Kelley]

@Dirt 15562 wrote:

It isn’t a commuting story… and it isn’t good karma… and it wasn’t my karma… but it was pretty funny. Mr. Tim Kelley and I were riding through Montgomery County on a long road ride and 2 guys in hopped up Honda Civics came buzzed us pretty close and at full throttle. At the bottom of the hill, the front suspension on one of the cars had broken and the guy’s pride and joy had plowed into the ditch riding on 3 wheels and what was left of his oil pan.

The one kid’s girlfriend didn’t look too happy that she was going to have to walk home. Talk about CARma. ahahahahhahahahah! Amirite???

[pfunkallstar]

@Riley Casey 15558 wrote:

I thought the whole point of rugby was to sustain serious injuries? Not so I guess.:rolleyes:
Hope you recover soon.

My herniated disc confirms your assertion. Seriously though, PAC summer touch 7’s is fun as hell and not too hard on the body. Probably never going to be able to play 15’s again though – sad.

[jrenaut]

I’m looking for some karma – I stopped to help a woman who’s hoping to do the triathlon tomorrow, but had a flat in front of the White House that she didn’t know what to do with. I had a bit of trouble, but eventually got everything back in order and sent her on her way. Then I got home and realized that my nose, which took an elbow in our flag football game this morning, looked even worse than I realized. To her credit, she didn’t mention anything.

Anyway, I’m waiting for karma to come back around.

[Author]

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