the other day I got out on the bike...
it was not a training session
it was not a workout
it was just a way to get from POINT A TO POINT B
so often on this short cross town trek from my home in Mount Pleasant to my dad's house in Bethesda I found myself playing chicken with the oncoming cars
it was not just frustrating... it was also dangerous
there were cars swerving to dodge snow crossing the double yellow line coming straight towards me
funny... the car drivers work so hard to avoid damage to their cars
if only they worked so hard to not risk injury to pedestrians and cyclists
so often a car driver will slow for a pothole in the road... while that same driver will not alter their speed when approaching the pedestrian or the cyclist
ASSHOLES!
on my way back from my fathers I took a neighborhood route through Chevy Chase, Maryland on through Chevy Chase, DC then into Rock Creek Park
at one point I experienced an incident that summed it all up
I was going down a road that was plowed such that it was pretty much a one lane road
as I approached a 4 way stop I saw a car approaching me from the opposite direction
they were closer to the curb on my side of the street than theirs
they made no effort to move
I stopped at the stop sign and it became a stalemate
they still refused to move
they wanted to to get out of their way
they wanted me to squeeze between them and the snowbank
all the while I held my ground in my lane where I should be
asking for one thing... my right to my space and some basic respect
well... sure enough... they did not move
I had to ride through the small slot not large enough for me and my bike
as I passed... the driver not only made a face but they also flipped me off
OH MAN!
had they made that face and gestured that way moments sooner they would have certainly gotten at least a snowball to the windshield
but then this morning... well... in the car with my wife and family headed to drop the boys off at school we experience pretty much the same experience
we came down a road that was plowed to one lane
our progress was blocked by a person with their hazards on
the driver was out of her car blocking her shoveled space with lawn chairs
we waited patiently with no emotion
then once in the car the woman made a face and gestured for us to move
her sense of entitlement was absurd
we had granted her time and space
but now... now it is our responsibility for us to move
both me and my wife gestured that she could pull forward and dip into another parking space that was shoveled out and carless
then she could allow the cars that had been waiting to pass
yes she did nothing...
she made faces and gestured
WHILE I CUSSED!
my language was completely inappropriate with kids in the car
my words went unheard by anyone by my wife
I went to open my door to get out and give her a piece of my mind... and maybe a snowball... then removal of her lawn chair from her parking space
but... my door would not open because we were slow close to the pile of snow on the passenger side of the car
it was then that I was reminded of the issue
the issue is not CAR VERSUS BIKE
the issue is ME ME ME!
ME FIRST! FACILITATE THINGS FOR ME!
not me and you... JUST ME! ME! ME! ME!
to make the roads more safe for pedestrians and cyclists we do not need more laws... we do not need more signs
we need to alter peoples sense of self
we need to alter people sense of fairness
we need to try to erase people's selfishness and their sense of self importance
okay... on with my day
time to put her behind me
there will be others like her in my day
so there is no need for me to carry her with me
it was not a training session
it was not a workout
it was just a way to get from POINT A TO POINT B
so often on this short cross town trek from my home in Mount Pleasant to my dad's house in Bethesda I found myself playing chicken with the oncoming cars
it was not just frustrating... it was also dangerous
there were cars swerving to dodge snow crossing the double yellow line coming straight towards me
funny... the car drivers work so hard to avoid damage to their cars
if only they worked so hard to not risk injury to pedestrians and cyclists
so often a car driver will slow for a pothole in the road... while that same driver will not alter their speed when approaching the pedestrian or the cyclist
ASSHOLES!
on my way back from my fathers I took a neighborhood route through Chevy Chase, Maryland on through Chevy Chase, DC then into Rock Creek Park
at one point I experienced an incident that summed it all up
I was going down a road that was plowed such that it was pretty much a one lane road
as I approached a 4 way stop I saw a car approaching me from the opposite direction
they were closer to the curb on my side of the street than theirs
they made no effort to move
I stopped at the stop sign and it became a stalemate
they still refused to move
they wanted to to get out of their way
they wanted me to squeeze between them and the snowbank
all the while I held my ground in my lane where I should be
asking for one thing... my right to my space and some basic respect
well... sure enough... they did not move
I had to ride through the small slot not large enough for me and my bike
as I passed... the driver not only made a face but they also flipped me off
OH MAN!
had they made that face and gestured that way moments sooner they would have certainly gotten at least a snowball to the windshield
but then this morning... well... in the car with my wife and family headed to drop the boys off at school we experience pretty much the same experience
we came down a road that was plowed to one lane
our progress was blocked by a person with their hazards on
the driver was out of her car blocking her shoveled space with lawn chairs
we waited patiently with no emotion
then once in the car the woman made a face and gestured for us to move
her sense of entitlement was absurd
we had granted her time and space
but now... now it is our responsibility for us to move
both me and my wife gestured that she could pull forward and dip into another parking space that was shoveled out and carless
then she could allow the cars that had been waiting to pass
yes she did nothing...
she made faces and gestured
WHILE I CUSSED!
my language was completely inappropriate with kids in the car
my words went unheard by anyone by my wife
I went to open my door to get out and give her a piece of my mind... and maybe a snowball... then removal of her lawn chair from her parking space
but... my door would not open because we were slow close to the pile of snow on the passenger side of the car
it was then that I was reminded of the issue
the issue is not CAR VERSUS BIKE
the issue is ME ME ME!
ME FIRST! FACILITATE THINGS FOR ME!
not me and you... JUST ME! ME! ME! ME!
to make the roads more safe for pedestrians and cyclists we do not need more laws... we do not need more signs
we need to alter peoples sense of self
we need to alter people sense of fairness
we need to try to erase people's selfishness and their sense of self importance
okay... on with my day
time to put her behind me
there will be others like her in my day
so there is no need for me to carry her with me