BIKE: Road Rage, and Congress Ave. bridge

[Librik or Babich]

A tip of the styrofoam topper to this Bob Grant guy.

When I first opened this message entitled "Road Rage (Long)" I figured I was in
for some hysterical cyclist who jointly escalated a road rage encounter, now
blathering on in a lot of ALL CAPS bleating about his "rights," but in fact Mr.
Grant seems to have done everything pretty well. The cops even showed up in a
timely manner and everybody had their say.

I do not know what kind of mental condition Mr. Grant was in after the event,
but I will bet that motorist was hopelessly unfocussed for the rest of the day,
carrying on arguments in his head where he keeps trying to assert that he really
was in the right to start abusing that complete stranger. I suspect that Mr.
Grant's response was about the most effective possible, and in the long run that
motorist will better think through his actions when his righteous indignation
starts bubbling up again.

Since I tend to look at incidents like this in terms of how the cyclist can best
manage their traffic situation, I noticed this self-description of Mr. Grant's
riding...

> 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.

Mr. Grant was probably not riding all the way over at the curb, because if he
had been I suspect that he would have had an even worse time. When one actually
allows an aggressive motorist to pass within a narrow lane, one can set oneself
up for attacks such as crowding, or where the driver blasts the horn right
beside the cyclist. Even though this motorist felt so indignant about having to
take trouble to maneuver around the cyclist, I feel that such idiots are more
dangerous when they are allowed to come up right beside me, in full control of
our lane, with no one else to watch out for, letting them give their full
attention to harassing me. My point, probably contentious, is that even though
forcing drivers to change lanes to pass you may annoy them, you are actually
safer doing that instead of letting them up beside you in a narrow lane.

In terms of pure danger, this road rage incident was less dangerous than a close
pass in a narrow lane where the motorist is setting out to "teach you a lesson"
about the dangers of riding you bike on the street.

Note also that one can pick up on subtle clues to such psychotic behavior in
motorists by watching them in one's mirror. Big dangers can come up from behind,
and it is good to have them under observation. Any time a car overtakes me and
begins to pull back into my lane, part of my mind is looking at the feasibility
of pulling to the left in case they suddenly brake. While malicious behavior is
rare, a more likely case is that the motorist passes then suddenly brakes to
make a right turn. Always look for an "out." Again, your mirrors will make this
work much, much easier.

Some other notes on some responses to the original post:

Richard Ryan wrote:

> 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.

I know what little ramps Mr. Ryan is speaking of, and they are placed there
specifically for cyclists.

Tommy Eden is the one to thank. And the way to thank him is to call him at
440-1433 and get involved with the new local bike facilities advocacy group he
is forming now. One point that Tommy tries to drive home to people is that it
does not take many people to get good results, but there needs to be someone. I
encourage anyone on this list who likes innovative facilities to call Tommy (do
not bother sending email, he never reads it) and help him out. For the sake of
those little ramps, give Tommy a call.

Personally, I am not a facilities nut, and I prefer to hold a lane of Congress
on those occasions when I cross that bridge. But I know that many readers are,
so do not just sit there. Go help Tommy.

Devices similar to the ramp on the Congress bridge were suggested for use on
Howard Lane several years back. Ask Tommy whatever became of them. He actually
cruises around town on his squeaky bike inspecting those things.

Eric Anderson wrote:

> A Rans "Rocket" recumbant now allows me to actually ride up hills.

FYI, that is spelled "recumbent."

I am quite convinced that certain models of 'bent are the best for dealing with
traffic, but then I can be accused of having ulterior motives for making such a
claim.

> As sucky as this reality is, remember that in trms of brute force, the
> automobile will always annihilate the bicycle. Be safe out there, and watch
> out for such hot-heads. Smile and wave.

Having a properly positioned and non-vibrating mirror will not only let you keep
an eye on the hot-heads, but allows enough interaction with them to keep them
from becoming quite so hot.

Sorry to keep returning to this point about the mirrors, but it seems like I
keep reading about incidents where detailed knowledge of the situation
developing to the rear would have helped the cyclist avoid collision or, more
commonly, a stressful encounter.

Y'all don't run over nobody out there...

--
Mike Librik, LCI #929
Easy Street Recumbents
512-453-0438
45th and Red River St., thereabouts
Central Austin
info
www.easystreetrecumbents.com
www.urbancycling.com

"Is it about a bicycle?"

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