BIKE: Road Rage (Long)

[Fred Meredith]

You aren't referring to wheelchair curb cuts are you? Those are 
required by law, and not for bicycles.

Fred Meredith

At 3:09 PM -0800 3/14/05, Richard Ryan wrote:
>Hi Jon:  Sorry about your incident.  You were in the "right" and the 
>driver was obviously in the wrong, but I must admit I always use the 
>sidewalk on the Congress Ave Bridge for no other reason than those 
>incredibly cool slots at the north end of the bridge that are 
>perfect little bike tire ramps.  You know, the ones where the lanes 
>narrow on the west side and open up on the east side.  I love those 
>things and I wish they were used more often.  I assume they were put 
>in on purpose, does anybody know?  I think whoever put them in 
>deserves an award.
>
>Dick Ryan
>
>"Grant, Jon" <JGrant> wrote:
>
>Hi, all,
>
>My name is Jon Grant, and I'm new to this list just now.
>
>(I already posted this to the iBob list so for those of you who are on that
>one too, please forgive the cross-post. I'll not make a habit of it.)
>
>I often commute by bicycle to my office downtown. I do my best to share the
>road responsibly and sensitively, but sometimes that isn¼t enough.
>
>On Thursday morning, March 10, 2005, as I rode north across the Congress
>Avenue bridge, a car driver behind me aggressively pulled around and hit his
>brakes, coming to a sudden, complete stop right in front of me. I was
>puzzled by the move, as I had been riding at the right curb, as straight as
>I could manage.
>
>I watched as he entered his parking garage, and I called 911. As I spoke
>with the police dispatcher, the driver walked out of the garage and
>confronted me. He scr eamed in obscene language that he had commuted by
>bicycle for two years and that he had „never once held up traffic.¾ He
>called me „a disgrace to the bicycling community¾ for „completely blocking
>traffic,¾ then walked away.
>
>A pair of police officers on bicycles showed up less than five minutes later
>and took notes as I described the driver, his car, and the incident. One
>officer even went to the man¼s office building in an attempt to find him.
>Then the three of us rode into the garage and found his car.
>
>The driver must have been watching from his office window, because he came
>to the garage and confronted the officers with his „side of the story,¾
>about how I was „taking up the whole lane at five miles an hour¾ and how he
>only intended „to teach him a lesson on what it feels like to be held up by
>somebody -- you know, tit for tat.¾ He told the cops that I „was never in
>any actual danger.¾
>
>The police were not sympathetic to his adm ission that he had just
>deliberately used his car to try to intimidate a bicycler. They told him
>that bicycles had a right to use the road, just like cars, and that his
>action was inappropriate and illegal. They also pointed out that he couldn't
>have been too inconvenienced if he had managed to pass me in the first
>place. He continued to argue that he had only done what anyone else would
>do.
>
>They asked what resolution I expected. I told them that, while I thought
>pursuing further legal options would only make matters worse, I hoped the
>man would realize greater understanding for those with whom he is bound to
>share the road. As I left, they told me they would file a „road rage¾
>report, and that they intended to „talk to this guy for a little while.¾
>
>I expect inattentiveness and ignorance on the road, but when drivers choose
>to express their frustration in willfully dangerous ways, I will call the
>police every time. We don¼t allow c hildren to get their way by throwing
>tantrums, and we certainly cannot afford to allow bullying behavior from
>adults wielding two-ton cars as weapons.
>
>--Jon Grant
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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-- 
When in doubt ... ride your bike (or at least write about it).

Fred Meredith
P.O. Box 100 (12702 Lowden Ln for UPS/FedEx)
Manchaca, TX 78652
512/282-1987 (office/home)
512/282-7413 (fax)
512/636-7480 (wireless)
More than you want to know at: http://2merediths.com
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