I get tired of getting bullied...

there are certain things that are predictable

I have found it to be a repeated occurrence that when out for pizza with friends
the person who eats the most bread sticks is also the same person who does not eat the pizza crust

am I correct in thinking that the person that gestures to the cyclist in a way to express that they should be in the bike lane or on the bike route is the same person who loves to park in the bike lane or use the bike lane as a turning lane

traffic it is sadly predictable
one thing that you can count on in traffic in all cultures
people in the larger vehicles bully the people in the smaller vehicles
trucks are bullied by bigger trucks
which cause them to bully smaller cars and trucks
and so on down the line
so far down that motorcycles and mopeds disrespect bicycles

it is an obnoxious behavior that no one cares to be a victim of
yet so many drivers contribute to this bully behavior
most often the pedestrian and the cyclist are the lowest characters on the food chain
yep... everyone goes home and kicks the cat

today I got sick of being honked at... I unleashed the bird more times today than a rational person should have to use the bird in a year

again... the righteous versus the humble

if only the person understood that I am doing what I am doing because I am already confident that they do not respect me or my safety
I am putting myself where is most logical
I am putting myself where I am most safe

there are times when I take the full lane
there is a method to the madness
it is a simple effort to make things more sensible for all
sort of preventing the car drivers from making a mistake where I suffer the greatest loss

so... if I am riding outside the door zone in a part of the city where it is common for car doors to be opened and pedestrians to be crossing mid block
well... I am within my right
as it is my right to ride in the road where I am most safe

the irony is that my temporary blockage of these cars does not alter their arrival time
in fact my time on the road blocking them usually does not alter their position in the queue
it may slow them to a speed within the speed limit
but not much more
well... not much more than helping them from having a bicycle on the hood of their car

I am putting myself where I am predictable and easily seen
it is for my safety
but to also assist the cars around me to move logically around me

yet... the car drivers decide to bully me
the use of the horn... there is the use of the horn... which gives me a knee jerk response which involves a wave of my hand with the extension of my middle finger

today I think I gave four obnoxious speeding tailgating red light running assholes the finger because they honked their horn at me

then when out walking my dog I watched as a womean in a Hub Racing Kit rolled down Park Road only to be passed by a car who went obnoxiously fast and obnoxiously close all while honking her horn and of course shaking her head in a condescending way... I flipped her off too.

mo