Missed connection

[wheelswings]

To the 40-something lady in dark-hued religious head-gear who was leaning on her horn behind me driving down Jefferson to Columbia Pike this afternoon at 4:20 pm….
If you had looked further down the road, you too would have seen that we had a solid red light in front of us — you would not have gotten to your destination any faster if I hadn’t been in the lane in front of you. You will recall we were going downhill and I was moving fast, standing on my pedals as usual. I had no reason to be in the right-turn lane…. though clearly that is where you should have been, thus your awkward last-minute lane-switch when the light finally turned green. You weren’t paying attention to such details; rather you were too busy unleashing your anger at me for riding in the lane.

I respect your faith, but I don’t think the F.U.’s and middle fingers are a part of it, and they did not become you.

Perhaps you might try two wheels instead of four, and experience the joy and freedom of riding a bicycle. It might just change your life.

[Steve O]

Me: Riding down the Rosslyn hill, just about at Oak St. I had the green bike signal, but given the poor sight lines, I slowed as usual.
You: Big, brown UPS truck pulling right across the crosswalk in front of me, looking left with your cigarette hanging out of your mouth and turning right without stopping. Oh, by the way, No Right on Red at this location.
Me: Yelling, “No! No! No! NO RIGHT ON RED!” Not sure if you heard me as you sped off.
[HR][/HR]
One minute later at the intersection of e-bound Lee Highway and Ft. Myer

Me: On the sidewalk NW corner after traversing the park about to cross Lee Hwy on the walk signal to await the e-bound green.
You: Turning RIGHT (west) onto Lee Hwy (eastbound) from Ft. Myer.
Me: Totally not expecting a car to turn the wrong way onto my crosswalk. Yelling: “No! No! No! No!”

Was it the rain or what?

[Starduster]

Sorry you had an “eventful” ride!

Other than the rain, I know of no other reason drivers were taking their *stupid* pills.

“Guardian angel. Workin’ hard for you!” (said using Root Boy Slim’s voice…)

[wheelswings]

Yikes. Good you had all your antennae up. It would have been satisfying to get the UPS truck plate number, but that is so tough in these circumstances.

What stood out on my night-time commute was a car driving north on Glebe with no lights at all. It was after 7 p.m. and thus completely dark out. I yelled “LIGHTS” with all my might, but to no avail. Ninja cars terrify me.

On the bright side, I was really touched by the large number of kind and conscientious drivers on the road today.

[dbb]

@Steve O 99904 wrote:

Was it the rain or what?

Moisture induced stupidity is a well known problem that affects motorists. I wonder if they have found a cure in in Portland?

[baiskeli]

@Steve O 99904 wrote:

Me: Riding down the Rosslyn hill, just about at Oak St. I had the green bike signal, but given the poor sight lines, I slowed as usual.
You: Big, brown UPS truck pulling right across the crosswalk in front of me, looking left with your cigarette hanging out of your mouth and turning right without stopping. Oh, by the way, No Right on Red at this location.
Me: Yelling, “No! No! No! NO RIGHT ON RED!” Not sure if you heard me as you sped off.

This is a good example of how drivers think (setting aside the illegal right on red issue). Unless they know an intersection well, drivers just aren’t conditioned to look for cyclists on sidewalks. They look for pedestrians, but those are slow, so if they don’t see one about to cross in their path, that’s that. They don’t anticipate a fast-moving bike coming through a crosswalk. When they are turning into one-way traffic, that’s even worse, since the driver will only look one way for cars. You were going downhill fast the opposite direction of traffic on the road. You were smart to slow down despite having the green.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@dbb 99918 wrote:

Moisture induced stupidity is a well known problem that affects motorists. I wonder if they have found a cure in in Portland?

According to this documentary series I saw, they’re always kind of stupid in Portland, so I don’t think they’ve found any cure.

[dasgeh]

@Steve O 99904 wrote:

Me: Riding down the Rosslyn hill, just about at Oak St. I had the green bike signal, but given the poor sight lines, I slowed as usual.
You: Big, brown UPS truck pulling right across the crosswalk in front of me, looking left with your cigarette hanging out of your mouth and turning right without stopping. Oh, by the way, No Right on Red at this location.
Me: Yelling, “No! No! No! NO RIGHT ON RED!” Not sure if you heard me as you sped off.

Ugh. Glad you’re ok. Please consider reporting the incidents, both to ACPD and UPS, if you have enough info. ACPD keeps saying they will target enforcement to where they hear about problems.

[cyclingfool]

@ShawnoftheDread 99945 wrote:

According to this documentary series I saw, they’re always kind of stupid in Portland, so I don’t think they’ve found any cure.

I saw that documentary series, too. It was very insightful.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7029[/ATTACH]

[ShawnoftheDread]

That’s the one! Those Portland people are strange.

[cyclingfool]

@ShawnoftheDread 99966 wrote:

That’s the one! Those Portland people are strange.

Keep Portland Weird™.

[baiskeli]

Is this guy a forum member?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3nMnr8ZirI

[jrenaut]

You: Southbound on 9th NW in the right lane
Me: The cyclist you honked at, then glared at as you passed after I moved right to hook turn at Q

Look, I understand traffic was bad this morning, but the reason you couldn’t pass me was because of the OTHER CARS, not because I was doing anything wrong. There are two lanes there – honk at the cars filling the left lane, not the bike KEEPING UP WITH TRAFFIC in the right lane. Not to mention it was the wife’s day to take the kids, so directly in front of me were my wife and kids on the longtail.

[OneEighth]

@baiskeli 99997 wrote:

Is this guy a forum member?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3nMnr8ZirI

I actually caught myself yelling ‘bike lane!’ this morning. Have also been known to occasionally ride my bike in a loop around my floor at work. No tribal look, though.

[baiskeli]

@OneEighth 100172 wrote:

No tribal look, though.

I have seen you in public in a kilt! Don’t try to deny your tribal look.

[Author]

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