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<In the off-chance that I can't locate your vehicle in the parking garage in order to deliver this message personally>
Sir:
We didn't get a chance to finish our conversation this morning. You seem to have a lot of anger inside, so I wanted to offer you the opportunity to get it all out, so that we can reach a better understanding of each other, and perhaps avoid dangerous and unsightly confrontations in the future.
I wanted to point out that I was following all of the applicable laws regarding cyclists in our fair city. If you feel that I was in error with regards to our right-of-way laws, or of our traffic laws that apply to cyclists, please let me know, and I will try to fix my error. Please consult the following website for reference:
Safe passage around vulnerable road users:
http://www.amlegal.com/austin_nxt/gatew … JD_12-1-35
In particular, please note § 12-1-35, relevant sections copied below for your convenience:
§ 12-1-35 VULNERABLE ROAD USERS.
(a) In this section, a Vulnerable Road User means:
(3) a person operating equipment other than a motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, a bicycle, handcycle, horse-driven conveyance, or unprotected farm equipment; or
(b) An operator of a motor vehicle passing a vulnerable road user operating on a highway or street shall:
(1) vacate the lane in which the vulnerable road user is located if the highway has two or more marked lanes running in the same direction; or
(2) pass the vulnerable road user at a safe distance.
(c) For the purpose of Subsection (b)(2), when road conditions allow, safe distance is at least:
(1) three feet if the operator's vehicle is a passenger car or light truck; or
(f) An operator of a motor vehicle may not maneuver the vehicle in a manner that:
(1) is intended to cause intimidation or harassment to a vulnerable road user; or
(2) threatens a vulnerable road user.
Bicycle regulations:
http://www.amlegal.com/austin_nxt/gatew … hapter12-2
If, however, you prefer to continue to yell at me from your car, and perhaps endanger my life and the livelihood of my family, I will be riding my bike to work again tomorrow morning. I make an easy target, what with the reflective clothing and lights, riding in the correct lane of traffic, stopping at all stop signs and lights, and signaling all stops and turns...
Please be careful out there. There are a lot of crazy drivers in Austin.
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riding in the correct lane of traffic, stopping at all stop signs and lights, and signaling all stops and turns....
Unfortunately, I found this riding style ALSO infuriates some drivers. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Can't please everyone. Cliche, cliche, cliche.
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maastrichtian wrote:riding in the correct lane of traffic, stopping at all stop signs and lights, and signaling all stops and turns....
Unfortunately, I found this riding style ALSO infuriates some drivers. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Can't please everyone. Cliche, cliche, cliche.
If you're going to be annoying _someone_ either way, though, it's better to be in the right. (Occasionally appreciated, even -- I actually *have* had a motorist in front of me stop at a light, get out of his pickup, and thank me for being a courteous cyclist. Really wasn't expecting it, and it's something of a shame that waiting one's turn in line [or whatever other interactions we may have had getting to that point] is seen as noteworthy).
(My most recent close call was a black muscle car whose driver, waiting at a 2-way stop where I had the right-of-way, decided to gun it while I was already in the intersection and see how close he could come to my front fender; I found myself lucky that he didn't underestimate my speed, annoyed that the valve on my airhorn was closed, and once again pondering the purchase of a helmet camera -- I didn't get nearly enough time to take in the license plate or the police would have been called on the spot).
Best of luck having a productive conversation with the driver of the Element; for me, this has served as a reminder to grab a pump and fill the horn's air tank. And make sure I open the valve back up when done.
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