Dealing with traffic while commuting

Quoted message said:

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or making
any gestures one way or the other.

I think you did the right thing. Ignore the shouts. If they
do something like she did, don't go near them. The lady was
obviously temporily or even permanently deranged. You never
know when one of these people has a firearm or something.

Here in Orlando, a guy was shot and killed on a toll road
because he took too long to get the exact change for the
exact change bin. That was a bizarre thing to do. Did they
think shooting him was going to make him find the exact
change faster?

Pbwalther said:

Quoted message said:

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or
making any gestures one way or the other.

I think you did the right thing. Ignore the shouts. If
they do something like she did, don't go near them. The
lady was obviously temporily or even permanently deranged.
You never know when one of these people has a firearm or
something.

Here in Orlando, a guy was shot and killed on a toll road
because he took too long to get the exact change for the
exact change bin. That was a bizarre thing to do. Did they
think shooting him was going to make him find the exact
change faster?

It's to encourage the others.

.o0 0o. said:

I ride to work two or three days a week. Lately it seems
that the car drivers are becoming more obnoxious.

Yesterday I took off from a green light after waiting
patiently. I was actually the #1 vehicle at the light and
I stayed to the right side of the lane while waiting.
Apparently some people were annoyed that I was on the road
and began honking at me. One irate lady took the time to
roll down her window and yell something at me. I couldn't
understand what she was saying. Usually I just go on with
my ride but yesterday I lost it. I yelled back. She then
came to nearly a full stop in the road and turned her car
to the right in an attempt to cut me off. I held back and
did not approach her. I figure someone who purposely is
trying to impede my progress may also purposely run me off
the road. The car behind her almost hit her.

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or
making any gestures one way or the other.

Ignore it and keep on pedaling. She was not about to engage
in rational debate, and you have better things to do than
argue, right? If someone yells at me, I usually give them a
puzzled look. Or I wave.

scott

Scott said:

.o0 0o. said:

I ride to work two or three days a week. Lately it seems
that the car drivers are becoming more obnoxious.

Yesterday I took off from a green light after waiting
patiently. I was actually the #1 vehicle at the light and
I stayed to the right side of the lane while waiting.
Apparently some people were annoyed that I was on the
road and began honking at me. One irate lady took the
time to roll down her window and yell something at me. I
couldn't understand what she was saying. Usually I just
go on with my ride but yesterday I lost it. I yelled
back. She then came to nearly a full stop in the road and
turned her car to the right in an attempt to cut me off.
I held back and did not approach her. I figure someone
who purposely is trying to impede my progress may also
purposely run me off the road. The car behind her almost
hit her.

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or
making any gestures one way or the other.

Ignore it and keep on pedaling. She was not about to engage
in rational debate, and you have better things to do than
argue, right? If someone yells at me, I usually give them a
puzzled look. Or I wave.

Smile and wave. Breathe mindfully.

Much easier said than done.

--
Steven O'Neill [email hidden]

Steven M. O'Neill said:

Scott said:

.o0 0o. said:

I ride to work two or three days a week. Lately it seems
that the car drivers are becoming more obnoxious.

Yesterday I took off from a green light after waiting
patiently. I was actually the #1 vehicle at the light and
I stayed to the right side of the lane while waiting.
Apparently some people were annoyed that I was on the
road and began honking at me. One irate lady took the
time to roll down her window and yell something at me. I
couldn't understand what she was saying. Usually I just
go on with my ride but yesterday I lost it. I yelled
back. She then came to nearly a full stop in the road and
turned her car to the right in an attempt to cut me off.
I held back and did not approach her. I figure someone
who purposely is trying to impede my progress may also
purposely run me off the road. The car behind her almost
hit her.

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or
making any gestures one way or the other.

Ignore it and keep on pedaling. She was not about to
engage in rational debate, and you have better things to
do than argue, right? If someone yells at me, I usually
give them a puzzled look. Or I wave.

Smile and wave. Breathe mindfully.

Much easier said than done.

Depends on your personality, of course. I have zero interest
in what a motorist thinks of me, nor do I care to enlighten
them on the rules of the road while I'm biking. That's not
to say I don't envision my u-lock catapulting through their
windshield at some point. There's a reason I keep it
dangling off the handlebars 🙂

Scott

".o0 0o." <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I ride to work two or three days a week. Lately it seems
that the car drivers are becoming more obnoxious.

Yesterday I took off from a green light after waiting
patiently. I was actually the #1 vehicle at the light and
I stayed to the right side of the lane while waiting.
Apparently some people were annoyed that I was on the road
and began honking at me. One irate lady took the time to
roll down her window and yell something at
me. I couldn't understand what she was saying. Usually I
just go on with my ride but yesterday I lost it. I
yelled back. She then came to nearly a full stop in
the road and turned her car to the right in an
attempt to cut me off. I held back and did not
approach her. I figure someone who purposely is
trying to impede my progress may also purposely run
me off the road. The car behind her almost hit her.

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or
making any gestures one way or the other.

Thanks for the vent and thanks also for any comments
or advise.

When someone yells at you, just give them a big, cheesy
smile, and wave like you know them!

This may help you: I used to get yelled at about once a
week. Just after the 9-11 attack, I put a little American
flag on the back of my bike. I've only been yelled at
(actually, screamed at) once since then, and it was by a
couple punks in a truck, just trying to scare me, as they
raced by. It really helped me. YMMV.

--
Smile!!

__O _-\ <,_ Eric Babula (_) / (_) Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, USA

Quoted message said:

<snip>Yesterday I took off from a green light after waiting
patiently. I was actually the #1 vehicle at the light and I
stayed to the right side of the lane while waiting. <snip>

When I stop at a light I always try to get into the _middle_
of the lane. This prevents a motor vehicle from squeezing up
on my left shoulder and cutting me off by turning right at
the light change. Generally I remain in the middle of the
lane until I'm across the intersection.

Well, maybe I should say right-center of the lane. Afterall,
I was doing a track stand while waiting so my front wheel
was turned to the center of the lane.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:14175-4069C399-690@storefull-
3235.bay.webtv.net...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<snip>Yesterday I took off from a green light after
waiting patiently. I was actually the #1 vehicle at the
light and I stayed to the right side of the lane while
waiting. <snip>

When I stop at a light I always try to get into the
_middle_ of the lane. This prevents a motor vehicle from
squeezing up on my left shoulder and cutting me off by
turning right at the light change. Generally I remain in
the middle of the lane until I'm across the intersection.

I am sure to them it may appear that way. For me, I would
rather do a stand than clip in and out of my pedals at
each light.

"R15757" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:20040330142837.19038.00000360@mb-
m07.aol.com...

Quoted message said:

<< Well, maybe I should say right-center of the lane.
Afterall, I was

doing a

Quoted message said:

track stand while waiting so my front wheel was turned to
the center of

the

Quoted message said:

lane. >>

Track stands, unfortunately, are quite annoying to the
general public. It appears to be little more than a cry
for attention.

Robert

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

(R15757) said:

<< Well, maybe I should say right-center of the lane.
Afterall, I was doing a track stand while waiting so my
front wheel was turned to the center of the lane. >>

Track stands, unfortunately, are quite annoying to the
general public. It appears to be little more than a cry
for attention.

Same with blaring car horns and overly vocal drivers. So
tuff titty for the general public.

Perhaps, but a track-standing bicyclist is a little more
vulnerable than a horn-leaning motorist.

If you want to keep annoying some portions of the general
public, keep on track-standing. Or horn-leaning 😉

Pragmatically yours, Scott

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 12:26:11 -0800, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A track stand is such an innocent thing; it's neither
reasonable nor rational to make a fuss about it.

Before there's any misunderstanding, I mean for drivers to
get upset over track standing cyclists.

Probably not all that rational for pedestrians or cyclists
to make a fuss either.

Learning to stand a bike up, using a pedal and a curb, now
that's worth fussing about. Do it with someone elses new
carbon bike and you might see a person getting perturbed.

Not much to do with commuting, though, unless you really
aren't in any hurry to get there.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:41:51 -0500,
<[email hidden]>,

Curtis L. Russell said:

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 12:26:11 -0800, [email hidden]

(Tom Keats) said:

Quoted message said:

A track stand is such an innocent thing; it's neither
reasonable nor rational to make a fuss about it.

Before there's any misunderstanding, I mean for drivers to
get upset over track standing cyclists.

Probably not all that rational for pedestrians or cyclists
to make a fuss either.

My observations of 'track standing' at stop lights reveals
most cyclists appear really wobbly as they're bobbin' and
weaving unpredictably in the lane. They look stupid.

Approaching drivers don't know they're not going to 'dart
out in front of them' like a squirrel or something.

A dabbed cyclist is easier for them to read.
--
zk

".o0 0o." <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I ride to work two or three days a week. Lately it seems
that the car drivers are becoming more obnoxious.

Must be springtime.

Quoted message said:

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or
making any gestures one way or the other.

Unfortunately the answer seems to be keep pedalling. You
aren't going to be able to enlighten these types. Keep
smiling, don't let them sense they've disturbed you. And
also don't let the honker win by moving over and ceding
space. Keep where you are, in general these types don't want
to muck up their paint job by hitting you. A caveat to this
though is you'll have to make a quick decision on how crazy
they seem to be, in some cases moving over to let them pass
you easier is necessary for self-preservation.

"R15757" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<< Well, maybe I should say right-center of the lane.
Afterall, I was

doing a

Quoted message said:

track stand while waiting so my front wheel was turned to
the center of

the

Quoted message said:

lane. >>

Track stands, unfortunately, are quite annoying to the
general public. It appears to be little more than a cry
for attention.

When I'm driving, I enjoy watching someone hold a track
stand through a light cycle.

I also secretly hope to see them fall over.

a.

"trg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Pbwalther said:

Quoted message said:

What is the best way to handle these situations? Like I
said, I usually just keep on pedaling not yelling or
making any gestures one way or the other.

I think you did the right thing. Ignore the shouts. If
they do something like she did, don't go near them. The
lady was obviously temporily or even permanently
deranged. You never know when one of these people has a
firearm or something.

Here in Orlando, a guy was shot and killed on a toll
road because he took too long to get the exact change
for the exact change bin. That was a bizarre thing to
do. Did they think shooting him was going to make him
find the exact change faster?

It's to encourage the others.

This made me laugh.

...a lot.

a.

Tue, 30 Mar 2004 17:56:56 -0800,
<[email hidden]>,

Erik Freitag said:

Anyway, if you're stopped at the front of the line in the
rightmost lane, I personally think it is more polite to get
to the left of the center of the lane so anyone who wants
to turn right can do so.

It's generally appreciated by polite drivers.

Twice in four years I've had drivers not turning right, try
passing going through the intersection.

It could be more of a problem in areas where there's not as
many cyclists on the roads.
--
zk

I had no idea I would start a track stand debate. I do not
always do a track stand at lights. My situation was one
where I was the first vehicle to the light. There were no
other cars near me and I had plenty of time to get a darn
good stand. No wobbling, no movement.

Sometimes, if I am on the downslope of a light I will dab
simply because it is hard to stand on a downslope.

My $0.02

"Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Zoot

Katz said:

Approaching drivers don't know they're not going to
'dart out in front of them' like a squirrel or
something.

So it makes the drivers more cautious, and the cyclist
more visible.

My own track stand skills aren't so highly developed (I
dab at traffic lights), but I've seen some really
competent track stands -- with a backward movement
component, just a couple of inches forward and back, and
none of that histrionic oversteering one sees in those half-
assed efforts, which are really just rolling forward as
slowly as possible. I really don't see how real track
stands could be unnerving to drivers, except maybe for the
rider often being out of the saddle while doing so.

I wonder about the usefulness of track stands in the
/middle/ of traffic light line-ups. Y'know how
sometimes the lead driver in the line-up overshoots the
stop line and then reverses behind it to wait out the
red light, and sometimes they forget they're in reverse
gear? Maybe there'd be an advantage to being ready to
stomp outa there.

Maybe later I'll go find an empty parking lot somewhere,
and practice. In the meantime, I'm stuck here doing a
brakes & cables maintenance overhaul.

BTW: earlier I rode down to MEC (for brake pads & inner
cables) and noticed they have these newfangled Filzer[tm]
cyclocomputers. The price is right, if they're durable.
Even the wireless version.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

In my early days, I did fall once at a light.

"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"R15757" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:20040330142837.19038.00000360@mb-
m07.aol.com...

Quoted message said:

<< Well, maybe I should say right-center of the lane.
Afterall, I was

doing a

Quoted message said:

track stand while waiting so my front wheel was turned
to the center of

the

Quoted message said:

lane. >>

Track stands, unfortunately, are quite annoying to the
general public.

It

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

appears to be little more than a cry for attention.

When I'm driving, I enjoy watching someone hold a track
stand through a light cycle.

I also secretly hope to see them fall over.

a.

andrew smith wrote

Quoted message said:

When I'm driving, I enjoy watching someone hold a track
stand through a light cycle.

I also secretly hope to see them fall over.

a.

It's not a secret any more 😉

Austin