Intro + Q about friendly interaction with drivers

Paul Hobson said:

Hey everyone. I'm the n00b. All the threads I've read so far have been
informative, if not entertaining.

I've been riding my new road bike around downtown Atlanta for several
months now and I'm just getting comfortable with my skills and fitness
level to ride just about anywhere (so long as the roads are /decent/).

A couple of times lately, drivers have pulled up to me, or even honked,
not out of anger or frustration, but to ask for directions. It's always
at really awkward moments like when I'm about to turn left at a
semi-busy intersection or as they're waiting to pull out of a drive way.

Against my better judgment at the time, I tried to help them but
maintain focus on the road too. What would y'all advise? Ignore them
and keep going, or should I be comfortable enough to ride and give them
quick directions? It seems like a silly question, but my parents raised
me with a lot of southern hospitality and I hate to just ignore people
who need help.

thanks y'all

\\paul

I try to stop and help where and when I can. Bikers often know the
streets better than a lot of other folks, so I don't mind giving
directions.

catzz66 wrote in message <[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Paul Hobson wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Against my better judgment at the time, I tried to help them but
maintain focus on the road too. What would y'all advise? Ignore them
and keep going, or should I be comfortable enough to ride and give them
quick directions? It seems like a silly question, but my parents raised
me with a lot of southern hospitality and I hate to just ignore people
who need help.

I try to stop and help where and when I can. Bikers often know the
streets better than a lot of other folks, so I don't mind giving
directions.

Me too. Paul, you want to keep that tradition of Southern hospitality going,
don't you? And also, you are a bit of an ambassador for all of us cyclists,
showing Joe Motorist that not all people on bikes are brain-dead, DWI-cited
pimples on the ass of society.

However, sometimes the way you know on a bike is not the best way for a car.
I remember getting stopped near Bellevue Way and I-90 for directions, and
realized that the way I knew best to get where the motorist wanted to go was
the I-90 trail, which wasn't going to work for her :-). I had to rejigger my
thinking a bit to remember where the on-ramp was, and then what exit she
wanted on the freeway. As it is, sometimes we're all in the car, and I ask
my kids, "should I drive the car way or the bike way?" The kids know that
the bike way will go down a series of crazy side streets that they'd
otherwise not be on, so it might be more interesting, but certainly take
longer in the car.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referr­al/Cpetersky

"Paul Hobson" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

Hey everyone. I'm the n00b. All the threads I've read so far have been
informative, if not entertaining.

I've been riding my new road bike around downtown Atlanta for several
months now and I'm just getting comfortable with my skills and fitness
level to ride just about anywhere (so long as the roads are /decent/).

A couple of times lately, drivers have pulled up to me, or even honked,
not out of anger or frustration, but to ask for directions. It's always
at really awkward moments like when I'm about to turn left at a
semi-busy intersection or as they're waiting to pull out of a drive way.

Against my better judgment at the time, I tried to help them but
maintain focus on the road too. What would y'all advise? Ignore them
and keep going, or should I be comfortable enough to ride and give them
quick directions? It seems like a silly question, but my parents raised
me with a lot of southern hospitality and I hate to just ignore people
who need help.

thanks y'all

\\paul

Finish the maneuver in question (left turn, crossing driveway in front of
them, etc.), pull over in a safe spot, and wave them over to you so they can
ask their question. You can do a better job of giving directions that way,
and you won't get run over or cause an accident or tie up traffic in the
process.
--
mark

Thanks Mark!
I've been wondering how to treat the folks who ask for directions
while the light is changing. For some reason the motorists behind are
more liable to take offense at a cyclist than a motorist holding up
traffic to impart directions -- in part because they don't know the
motorist initiated the exchange (most of the time). The best part, of
course, is when I get asked "where's the Eight north?" as not only
would I not ride a bike on I-8 (it's illegal, for one thing) but I-8 is
an east-west road. But enough of the ranting and raving.

catzz66 said:

Paul Hobson said:

Hey everyone. I'm the n00b. All the threads I've read so far have
been informative, if not entertaining.

I've been riding my new road bike around downtown Atlanta for several
months now and I'm just getting comfortable with my skills and
fitness level to ride just about anywhere (so long as the roads are
/decent/). A couple of times lately, drivers have pulled up to me, or
even
honked, not out of anger or frustration, but to ask for directions. It's
always at really awkward moments like when I'm about to turn
left at a semi-busy intersection or as they're waiting to pull out
of a drive way. Against my better judgment at the time, I tried to help
them but
maintain focus on the road too. What would y'all advise? Ignore
them and keep going, or should I be comfortable enough to ride and
give them quick directions? It seems like a silly question, but my
parents raised me with a lot of southern hospitality and I hate to
just ignore people who need help.

Quoted message said:

I try to stop and help where and when I can. Bikers often know the
streets better than a lot of other folks, so I don't mind giving
directions.

True...BUT only if there's a safe place to stop and talk. Sounded to me
like the OP has people who want him to give directions /while they're
rolling along/, which would almost always be pretty dangerous. (Or is
"unsafe" a better word?)

Gotta pick your spots.

Measley Bill

Hi Measley Bill:
It's one thing to have a safe spot -- it's another to articulate
more than "Thataway" becaise the light just changed. Added to which,
the person you're giving the directions to might not be the driver. Or
the person with the map. Then there's the matter of wrong directions
(sometimes I'm half a mile away before I realise "Oh my gosh, they
meant the REAL Mission San Diego"😉. Then there are the folks to whom
you volunteer directions, as in "YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY ON A ONE
WAY STREET."

Then there are shots where you don't have a choice -- there I was
coasting to the intersection in the right-most left-turn lane when a
Rolls-Royce, vanity license plate UK GENT, stopped at an angle right
across the road, blocking me. The UK Gent, who may STILL not understand
why I was so mad at him, wanted to know where Broadway was. Wouldn't
you know it, Broadway was the cross street at the intersection.....

This was about fifteen years ago. I'm still mad about it.

Robert Leone

Paul Hobson said:

A couple of times lately, drivers have pulled up to me, or even honked,
not out of anger or frustration, but to ask for directions. It's always
at really awkward moments like when I'm about to turn left at a
semi-busy intersection or as they're waiting to pull out of a drive way.

Against my better judgment at the time, I tried to help them but
maintain focus on the road too. What would y'all advise?

I just yell that I'm not from around here while silently cursing them
for being so rude and dangerous.

Paul Hobson <[email hidden]> wrote:

:>
:> A couple of times lately, drivers have pulled up to me, or even
:> honked, not out of anger or frustration, but to ask for directions.
:> It's always at really awkward moments like when I'm about to turn
:> left at a semi-busy intersection or as they're waiting to pull out
:> of a drive way.
:>
:> Against my better judgment at the time, I tried to help them but
:> maintain focus on the road too. What would y'all advise? Ignore
:> them and keep going, or should I be comfortable enough to ride and
:> give them quick directions? It seems like a silly question, but my
:> parents raised me with a lot of southern hospitality and I hate to
:> just ignore people who need help.

Last Saturday I was riding for the first time in the city that my gf lives
in. Just as I got started, not 5 min into the ride (at about 6:15 am), some
lady stops her SUV in the middle of the street and starts talking at me. I
just said hi and kept going. She sat there in the middle of the road for
about 3 minutes - the time it took me to turn off that road.

If I'm stopped I'd help, but I'm not going to interrupt my ride to give
directions. Also, on this ride, I only knew the route I was going, and
didn't really know that well.

Bill Sornson said:

catzz66 said:

I try to stop and help where and when I can. Bikers often know the
streets better than a lot of other folks, so I don't mind giving
directions.

True...BUT only if there's a safe place to stop and talk. Sounded to me
like the OP has people who want him to give directions /while they're
rolling along/, which would almost always be pretty dangerous. (Or is
"unsafe" a better word?)

The operative word for me is "stop" of course.

catzz66 said:

Bill Sornson said:

catzz66 said:

I try to stop and help where and when I can. Bikers often know the
streets better than a lot of other folks, so I don't mind giving
directions.

True...BUT only if there's a safe place to stop and talk. Sounded
to me like the OP has people who want him to give directions /while
they're rolling along/, which would almost always be pretty
dangerous. (Or is "unsafe" a better word?)

The operative word for me is "stop" of course.

D'oh. Missed it. Thanks.

Bill Sornson said:

catzz66 said:

Bill Sornson said:

catzz66 wrote:

>I try to stop and help where and when I can. Bikers often know the
>streets better than a lot of other folks, so I don't mind giving
>directions.

True...BUT only if there's a safe place to stop and talk. Sounded
to me like the OP has people who want him to give directions /while
they're rolling along/, which would almost always be pretty
dangerous. (Or is "unsafe" a better word?)

The operative word for me is "stop" of course.

D'oh. Missed it. Thanks.

Definitely worth pointing out, though. I get asked directions pretty
often since I ride through a big commercial/residential area most of the
time.

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

Quoted message said:

Hey everyone. I'm the n00b. All the threads I've read so far have been
informative, if not entertaining.

I've been riding my new road bike around downtown Atlanta for several
months now and I'm just getting comfortable with my skills and fitness
level to ride just about anywhere (so long as the roads are /decent/).

A couple of times lately, drivers have pulled up to me, or even honked,
not out of anger or frustration, but to ask for directions. It's always
at really awkward moments like when I'm about to turn left at a semi-busy
intersection or as they're waiting to pull out of a drive way.

Against my better judgment at the time, I tried to help them but maintain
focus on the road too. What would y'all advise? Ignore them and keep
going, or should I be comfortable enough to ride and give them quick
directions? It seems like a silly question, but my parents raised me with
a lot of southern hospitality and I hate to just ignore people who need
help.

thanks y'all

I try to help but it does annoy. I've always been good with maps and
directions. I can't imagine anyone needing to ask for directions. If you're
going somewhere you aren't familiar with why wouldn't you bring a map
instead of the humiliation of asking someone [OK. that's the 'Y' chromosome
expressing]

Funny story. I once visited a city I hadn't been to in years with a friend
who is self-admittedly horrible at directions. He once said he needs a GPS
to get from the bedroom to the kitchen. Anyways he was often in the is area
and I had to keep him from going the wrong way.

I suspect cycling, especially off road trail riding has honed orienteering
abilities.

--
'Well it's all right, everything'll work out fine
Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line'
-travelling willburys

Paul Hobson said:

Hey everyone. I'm the n00b. All the threads I've read so far have been
informative, if not entertaining.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

thanks y'all

\\paul

Thanks for all of the input guys + gals. This is a pretty sweet NG.

--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
http://www.underthecouch.org
..:you may want to fix my email
address before you send anything:.

Paul Hobson said:

Thanks for all of the input guys + gals. This is a pretty sweet NG.

Wow, you ARE new!

:-D