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Nov. 4th, 2010 09:08 amBeing a bicyclist gives me an uncommon perspective on what dicks most bicyclists are.
I'm riding to work this morning, and I'm coming up on this intersection which is always bunched up, because it's near a school and all the parents are dropping off their trophy-children. I've talked about it before. Behind me is another bicyclist, really riding my ass-- it's the typical example: spandex-wearing, fluorescent yellow rain slicker even though there's not a cloud in the sky, overpriced bike. Beside me, a car is passing. While I'm waiting for it to pass, I signal that I want to merge. After the car passes, the bicyclist pulls out from behind me, cuts me off, and merges himself. This leaves me unable to get into the left-turn lane, where I need to be, and I am consequently forced to cross the intersection, where I don't need to be.
The other bicyclist then proceeds to cut through the traffic he's just crossed along with, and run the light. This happens right in front of the crossing guard, who is, to all appearances, a police officer. She's got a badge, she's got Santa Clara police insignia on her shoulder. So I gesture to this guy as he's riding off, and say to her, incredulously, that he's just run the light right in front of her. The cop comes back to me with this 'what are ya gonna do?' voice that she knows, it happens all the time, bicyclists don't respect the lights. What is she even doing at this intersection, then? Is it her job to be the official witness when some kid gets run down because it's a free-for-all?
I should point out that there was a car accident at this same intersection yesterday. It happened right in front of me. Actually, it happened right next to me. I'm waiting at the light to turn left. On my left is a car, also waiting. There's plenty of oncoming traffic waiting to cross. The light changes. I sort of hover there, waiting for an opening, when I see the car beside me moving away from me, and I think, why are they doing that? There can't possibly be an opening for them. And there wasn't! I had a moment to realize that yes, they were, before they and the oncoming car smacked into each other at low speed. I hung around long enough to reassure myself that I wasn't somehow responsible for the whole thing, before making my left turn through the gap afforded by the accident, floating off like a little butterfly! The intersection is clearly fucked, but nobody seems concerned enough to actually do their job.
But yes, I don't particularly care for other bicyclists. They're either these fruit-eating, lycra-wearing primadonnas who are too good to stop for lights, or they're fucking tourists who press each and every crosswalk button whether they need to or not.
I'm riding to work this morning, and I'm coming up on this intersection which is always bunched up, because it's near a school and all the parents are dropping off their trophy-children. I've talked about it before. Behind me is another bicyclist, really riding my ass-- it's the typical example: spandex-wearing, fluorescent yellow rain slicker even though there's not a cloud in the sky, overpriced bike. Beside me, a car is passing. While I'm waiting for it to pass, I signal that I want to merge. After the car passes, the bicyclist pulls out from behind me, cuts me off, and merges himself. This leaves me unable to get into the left-turn lane, where I need to be, and I am consequently forced to cross the intersection, where I don't need to be.
The other bicyclist then proceeds to cut through the traffic he's just crossed along with, and run the light. This happens right in front of the crossing guard, who is, to all appearances, a police officer. She's got a badge, she's got Santa Clara police insignia on her shoulder. So I gesture to this guy as he's riding off, and say to her, incredulously, that he's just run the light right in front of her. The cop comes back to me with this 'what are ya gonna do?' voice that she knows, it happens all the time, bicyclists don't respect the lights. What is she even doing at this intersection, then? Is it her job to be the official witness when some kid gets run down because it's a free-for-all?
I should point out that there was a car accident at this same intersection yesterday. It happened right in front of me. Actually, it happened right next to me. I'm waiting at the light to turn left. On my left is a car, also waiting. There's plenty of oncoming traffic waiting to cross. The light changes. I sort of hover there, waiting for an opening, when I see the car beside me moving away from me, and I think, why are they doing that? There can't possibly be an opening for them. And there wasn't! I had a moment to realize that yes, they were, before they and the oncoming car smacked into each other at low speed. I hung around long enough to reassure myself that I wasn't somehow responsible for the whole thing, before making my left turn through the gap afforded by the accident, floating off like a little butterfly! The intersection is clearly fucked, but nobody seems concerned enough to actually do their job.
But yes, I don't particularly care for other bicyclists. They're either these fruit-eating, lycra-wearing primadonnas who are too good to stop for lights, or they're fucking tourists who press each and every crosswalk button whether they need to or not.
