takenreasy

So, In my past life I was a die hard 15 year 20 mile a day commuter. Over the years I learned to let the A-hole drivers of cages roll off of me - although very difficult at times. This topic has been covered over and over. Now, I'm a teleworker living "car free" and use my bike for everything. So, the other day I was going to the pet store to get dog food. It was stormy and in the evening so lights were on and strobing. As I was crossing an intersection here comes some yahoo in his pick'm up truck (i live in a city. what the f do these f's need a truck for?) in a totally malicious move. This brought back "flash backs" and I offered him the middle finger with some verbiage. I followed "him" and he stopped a distance down the road. The only reason I felt embolden to do this was two cop cars were parked in front of the hospital with their parking top lights on. This clearly stopped things from going sideways. I was very upset with my self for giving into such a d!ck. I'm over it and will add it to my knowledge bank of "never again." Any one else regress in a similar manner?

Cyclist0108

Only once or twice a week, but I live out in the sticks where there are rather few cars.

Sre312

For what it's worth, when I had a vehicle, it was a pick up truck. I live in Chicago, and I used it all the time for side jobs, and to haul my bike.

You didn't really say what the malicious move was.

I did have a car pass within six inches of me today on a straight away. I was centered in the bike lane and they swerved in. They were doing about 45 (mph) Gave me a good little buzz. They were either trying to scare me, or on their phone or something. I gave them the old, "What the ****!"

That'll show em.

Lot's Knife

Never-ending battle. Earbuds keep me from responding to mere speech. Couple weeks ago I was hit on the side of the face with a water balloon. Consoled myself with the fact it wasn't filled with urine or pig's blood. My skin is much thicker than when I started 11 years ago!

Archwhorides 

Skipjacks

I was behind a pickup truck at a red light yesterday.

Suddenly the thunder started cracking loud enough I could literally feel it and the rain started in a biblical way.

Pick up truck driver open his back window and asked if I wanted to toss the bike in the truck and get a ride where I was going. (I declined. I was close to home anyway)

But clearly not all pick up truck drivers are bad guys out to get bikers.

BobbyG

Yes.

I have tried to remain calm when confronted with aggressive or even dangerous drivers. When an incident does trip me into responding, I find having a Delta Air-Zound Airhorn helps me use my finger to express my "displeasure" in a more acceptable manner.

I began running a helmet cam 4 years ago which has yielded three benefits:

1) I usually have the offending driver on camera, and have evidence to send to the authorities if need be.

2) If I am moved to yell at a driver, I find it very satisfying and less escalating to yell, "You're on video!" In fact, I imagine a driver would find it more threatening than hurling an epithet, and it has always de-escalated the situation...in fact it always ends it.

3) Reviewing videos of incidents and my reactions to them shows me just how horrible I look and sound when I loose my cool.

I also found listening to spoken word podcasts (one ear, curbside) helps me shake off any incidents and clear them from my mind.

Colnago Mixte

Yes, and 10 years from now, it'll be, "Good thing it was only pig's blood. Could have been a radioactive colostomy bag from the AIDS ward that had been filled with razor blades and anthrax and rigged to explode on contact, like happened last week."

wipekitty

Yes...I'll regress from time to time. In some cases, I'll just sprint hard to catch up to the offending vehicle at an intersection or parking lot and give 'em a good, solid stare-down.

For more serious cases, I've gotten good at getting the license plate number and calling it in to Police Non-Emergency. Living in a small town where the cops are generally bored has its benefits

adablduya

using a line from Dirty Harry: "that was mighty white of him".

daoswald

I get yelled at more on my night rides. I have a feeling my rear light is a little too bright. I'm experimenting with using a mode where it's "on" most of the time, with an off-flicker, rather than a hard strobe. It seems like this may be helping.

A few weeks ago a primer-gray truck was parked at the side of the road straddling the marked bike lane. This is not a problem -- neither is it illegal for him to park the way he was parked, nor would I have been using the bike lane anyway because I was doing a 35mph descent in a 35mph zone.

When I approached from behind I gave about five feet between us, as I usually do when I sense a driver might be seated in the "parked" vehicle (I got door-ed once, ripping my shoe from stem to stern, so learned to avoid that potential).

Almost the moment that I was about to fly past him on the left he pulled out without signaling, next to me and accelerated hard enough to meet my speed before I got fully past him. We continued for about five seconds with him driving on my right, in the bike lane, while I continued on his left in the traffic lane. I really couldn't do much -- I couldn't speed up enough past 35 to get past him, and I was afraid to slow down because it seemed like the most appropriate thing for him to do would be to slow down and let the vehicle already in the lane go by. It seemed to me that if he did the most appropriate thing, the safest thing for me was to hold my speed and course so that he wouldn't have to deal with me making unpredictable moves.

After five seconds that seemed like forever, he did slow down, moved left, and hugged my rear wheel, about a foot behind me for a quarter mile, until my hill ran out and I dropped into the 20s. I was really afraid to move right because he was still partially in the bike lane. Mostly I was just focusing on trying to stay ahead of him without getting hit from behind. Finally he backed off enough that I felt safe moving right. He went by without any gesture or words.

I saw his truck a mile on down the road at a 7-11. I would have had to cross opposing traffic to get to the 7-11, and was already going by before I noticed the truck was in the parking lot there. And the thought crossed my mind, even if I stop here what would I do? Pull out my phone and call the police to report that a vehicle scared me? Even if I told them the whole story I doubt that (A) he would stick around long enough for them to show up, and (B) his version of the story would readily admit he was intentionally or obliviously endangering me. What would the police have done? "Sir, please drive safely and alert to cyclists." ...that's about it, I imagined. This whole thing happened so fast I never saw a plate either.

What IS a cyclist to do when confronted with a vehicle that is intentionally menacing him?

Hoopdriver

Hey, I live in the city and have a pickup truck. Just the thing for picking up a yard of mulch or transporting my bikes/trike. Also lumber runs for my woodworking hobby. And how in the heck would I pull my yawl out to the lake for some late afternoon sailing. Get mad at the human, not the vehicle.

On truck forums there are stereotypical descriptions of stupid cyclists. Bad in any corner to generalize in such a manner.

Pilot321

Why do you "need" the kind of house you have, or wine you drink, or type of bike that you have? Who are you to say what other people "need"?

I have been ridden off the road, cursed at, nearly hit several times by cars, and trucks, but have NEVER felt entitled to start hostilities with someone, especially if they hadn't tried to kill me with their vehicle. Maybe do some meditation, or take an anger management course?

takenreasy

Glad you enjoy your truck. I don't find myself to be a stupid cyclist and I certainly don't enjoy trucks heading straight for me with intent to injure. I'm not stereotyping just venting.

takenreasy

It appears you missed the entire purpose of my post. Certainly I've been working on anger management as it pertains to cars/trucks trying to kill me. I came a long way during my commuting career. I was simply surveying whether commuters situations might have change along with their willpower. My emphasis on the truck might have been unwarranted and I apologize to truck owners everywhere. However, I do not like cars/trucks heading straight for me with obvious intent to injure. I was merely venting right after the episode and thought the commuting forum would be empathetic.

Pilot321

We all have a right to vent, especially when someone tries to kill us with their vehicle on the road. However, it really doesn't matter if they're in a pickup truck, or Ford Festiva. We will all still lose that battle. If people are aiming for you purposely, then that is just plain wrong, and worthy of some anger. Yes, it has happened to me also.

Hoopdriver

So say all who profile people.

takenreasy

I didn't apply any analysis to the person trying to kill me but OK.

rseeker

I got passed by a car with a 40 mph speed differential and four inches to spare. I had no room to slide over and almost lost it. I thought about engaging the outrage response but really there's no point, he's past, I didn't die, dwelling on it would just ruin a great ride. I let it go. But he wasn't actually targeting me like the OP. I'd be pretty bent in that case.

(I'm another spoken-word podcast listener, also curb-side only. I haven't yet loaded any music in pod form, but Colnago Mixte's recent post reminded me I have a big stack of Rush CDs I need to turn into MP3s.)

FromBeyond

You're awful hell-bent on believing that drivers regularly intend to injure you and/or kill you. Either you're doing a lot to piss them off and they're all terrible at aiming, or maybe they're not trying to kill you. Maybe they just don't see you.
My wife regularly swears that when she drives (anywhere), other vehicles try to run her off the road. I'm telling you, it just doesn't happen the way she describes. Perception is not always reality.

There are a thousand reasons to own a truck, or a bike. Owning one of either does not make you more or less righteous than anyone else. By the way, you never said what he did that was "totally malicious", just that he was coming, I assume toward your direction. I'm guessing if he had wanted to kill you he probably would have.

noglider 

My father was a NYC taxi driver when he was young. He learned a lesson that he passed on to me: To get angry is to lose the game. I try to remember. Of course, we get angry. My lesson is to try to let go of the anger as quickly as possible.

Archwhorides 

takenreasy

I agree!