Bicycle Austin forum

On an off over the last twenty-five years I have been a cyclist, so am sympathetic to creating a safe environment for cyclist.   

Recently my wife was in a crowded parking lot, backing out of her parking space.  After she completed backing up, but before she put the car in drive, a cyclist pulled up to her window calling her a “stupid cu**” and “fu**ing bit**” and told her that she nearly hit him.  My wife is a very cautious driver and has not had an accident in over 20 years and I’m sure she was not acting recklessly.    Backing out of a parking space in a crowded parking lot is as close to “slow-motion” driving as you can get so I find it unlikely that the cyclist was ever in danger.  The reality is that a cyclist has far more visibility of a car backing up than the driver of the car; this is something I think most parents teach their kids when even walking through a busy parking lot so I’m not sure why a cyclist would not get this.   It was as if this cyclist was so arrogant as to think that he bears no responsibility for his safety and that it was entirely on everyone else.     

I have heard increasingly negative feedback over the last few years about cyclist that choose to put themselves in situations that simply are not safe, and putting all of the onus on drivers to keep them out of harms way.   I think the vast majority of motorist are conscientious but I think there is an increasing level of antagonism because of the recklessness and arrogance of a minority of cyclist.  I’m sure my wife will tell at least a dozen of her friends and they will each pass it on to a few others.  It’s unfortunate that the hostile and arrogant actions of a few reflects on the community as a whole.