The Chainlink

Think of this as a Missed Connection.

You blew the red light east bound on Lawrence at Damen at 5:26 pm this evening.

 

There was enough time for the biker in front of me to make it half way into the intersection, northbound on Damen, before you came whizzing past my front wheel.

 

I yelled "You're an idiot!" at your big haired chick, self, and you looked back at me. I meant it!

 

I woulda testified for any of the cars, that managed to not kill you, if they had.

 

Keep riding like a tard!

love,

gabe

 

Witness bad behavior during your commute? Feel free to post. Maybe that lovely human can read it and think they are famous. Maybe you can also inspire the whole generation of kids to shower but we can start with small things.

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Permalink Reply by spencewine on May 16, 2013 at 2:43pm

My first thought was that you were actually hit by this driver as I take the work "graze" to mean physically touch. But it sounds like that wasn't the case. So I figured I re-acted to your post a little harshly and decided it wasn't really appropriate, so I deleted it. It does bother me greatly to hear other riders having things like this happen to them as many have happened to me as well (hence the reaction). I have learned to generally keep my cool in most situations, but I feel like if a driver intentially hit me to make a point and I could still walk.....well, you already saw what I said I would do.

Chi Lowe 12.5+ mi said:

Spencewine - saw your (now-deleted) post in my Inbox.  I get scared and angry in these situations too, but I try very hard to be "the bigger kid", to actually reach people and calmly point out what they have done and why it is wrong.  Sometimes it works.

With this guy, I evenly (if loudly, to reach him over his shouting) asked several times whether he was sure enough about the traffic rules that he would kill me to prove a point.  Despite all his yelling, he didn't have an answer for that. 

He rolled up his window and proceeded to blow the light he had raced me to in order to get away.


Chi Lowe 12.5+ mi said:

To the guy in the Black Prius who GRAZED ME on westbound Huron this morning SO YOU COULD GET TO A RED LIGHT, then screamed at me (after I caught up to you) that you DID IT ON PURPOSE TO TEACH ME A LESSON FOR NOT RIDING ON THE RIGHT BECAUSE CITY ORDINANCE SAYS I HAVE TO: Here's a prayer - for both of us - that we don't cross paths again.

Permalink Reply by spencewine on May 16, 2013 at 4:05pm

That's amazing that you were able to keep your cool in this situation...I mean seriously hats-off.

But do you really think a psychopath who can rationalize hitting a biker with his car to make a point about getting further over to the right can really be reached?

 

 


Chi Lowe 12.5+ mi said:

No, you read it right. 

He actually grazed, as in, he steered his car left into me some and his car touched my body (right leg), and then lectured me on it.  (For those wondering, I *would have* pulled left out of the way, but things were already tight). 

I felt an urge to make his car like I make my pasta, al dente (nyuk nyuk), but... in these situations, I think it can help to "put a face on" rather than remaining an anonymous "stereotypical cyclist" - sprint to catch the driver at the light, and ask calm, pointed questions. 

For all the harshing I do on "cagers" I've met drivers - initially scared and angry by a close call - who calm down and apologize.  I've also apologized, when the interaction is my fault, and had drivers be gracious.  Others (a) ignore me and/or (b) swear at and threaten me - even when I'm attempting to apologize or the fault is theirs.

My main thing with all of them is to let them know I'm a human, not a kid from a movie they saw or a magazine article they read about bikers.

spencewine said:

My first thought was that you were actually hit by this driver as I take the work "graze" to me physically touch. But it sounds like that wasn't the case. So I figured I re-acted to your post a little harshly and decided it wasn't really appropriate, so I deleted it. It does bother me greatly to hear other riders having things like this happen to them as many have happened to me as well (hence the reaction). I have learned to generally keep my cool in most situations, but I feel like if a driver intentially hit me to make a point and I could still walk.....well, you already saw what I said I would do.

Chi Lowe 12.5+ mi said:

Spencewine - saw your (now-deleted) post in my Inbox.  I get scared and angry in these situations too, but I try very hard to be "the bigger kid", to actually reach people and calmly point out what they have done and why it is wrong.  Sometimes it works.

With this guy, I evenly (if loudly, to reach him over his shouting) asked several times whether he was sure enough about the traffic rules that he would kill me to prove a point.  Despite all his yelling, he didn't have an answer for that. 

He rolled up his window and proceeded to blow the light he had raced me to in order to get away.


Chi Lowe 12.5+ mi said:

To the guy in the Black Prius who GRAZED ME on westbound Huron this morning SO YOU COULD GET TO A RED LIGHT, then screamed at me (after I caught up to you) that you DID IT ON PURPOSE TO TEACH ME A LESSON FOR NOT RIDING ON THE RIGHT BECAUSE CITY ORDINANCE SAYS I HAVE TO: Here's a prayer - for both of us - that we don't cross paths again.

Permalink Reply by Jenn_5.5 mi on May 17, 2013 at 8:25am

Dear Douche who stole the kid's bike off our back porch,

Really?! WTF is wrong with you that you STEAL FROM A CHILD!? I hope you got a good price on the AL. 

I 'threw' the bike on the back porch because we had planned on selling on CL for $5 (It was a 4 year old Next/Walmart bike with more miles than the average adult bike) - The kid was going to donate the money.

Thanks for jacking up the experience for the kid- Filthy Scavenger! 

Hope you get a painful disease that never goes away!

Xoxo - Jenn

*On a side note - I didn't file a report, I don't have a serial number... Should/Can I?! Do I call 311? 

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on May 17, 2013 at 11:45am

Not sure if this should go in the Missed Connections thread or the I Behaved Like a #$%&&! thread.

Dear Lady in the minivan who right hooked me this morning on the 18th Street Bridge, (I was miraculously able to take a massively sharp right turn and avoid a collision). You need to pay more attention to your surroundings. You can kill people with that thing you are driving.

Dear Lady in the Volvo who had the audacity to yell "Stop yelling at her like that" at me while I was losing it at the lady who had just nearly killed me,

Your efforts to live in a world of peace and harmony are commendable. But did you catch the part of the incident where the other lady had just nearly killed me? That sort of thing can't be blown off with a smile and a "pay more attention next time" - at least not by me at my current state of emotional development. She deserved license forfeiture, a ticket, some time in jail - I dunno - far more than just a yelling at by her victim. She got off easy.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on May 17, 2013 at 11:50am

I can't say I was there for the exact situation but that sounds like a good reason not to pass traffic on the right, even if you don't see a turn signal or they're stopped at a light and you're planning to run it.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on May 17, 2013 at 11:54am

In this case 18th Street has "protected" bike lanes. There are Yield to Bikes signs and such making it pretty clear that the expectation is that bikes have the right of way.

Tricolor said:

I can't say I was there for the exact situation but that sounds like a good reason not to pass traffic on the right, even if you don't see a turn signal or they're stopped at a light.

Permalink Reply by Vilda on May 17, 2013 at 12:28pm

Jenn, you could file a police report (if anything it's good data for crime which the Top Cop uses to alocate police) but i wouldn't expect much from the experience other than that.

 

Tony, you didn't behave like a $(*&^*$&^.

 

And mine today was a bus driver cut me off on Damen. Hard. I was clear to the left, luckily, and cut over. But as I passed the bus at a very slow rate of speed the bus driver hung out the window and apologized. He said he was really sorry, and his tone sounded sincere.

 

Watch out Satan, that's a snow flake.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on May 17, 2013 at 12:46pm

Like I said, I didn't know the exact situation.  Yer spot on.

Tony Adams 6.6 mi said:

In this case 18th Street has "protected" bike lanes. There are Yield to Bikes signs and such making it pretty clear that the expectation is that bikes have the right of way.

Permalink Reply by John Wilson 6.0 on May 17, 2013 at 1:51pm

Neighborhood this happened in, license plate # and/or description of the driver?

I'm not going to report this person to the police. I just wanna know who to avoid because they're a potential psychopath.


Chi Lowe 12.5+ mi said:

To the guy in the Black Prius who GRAZED ME on westbound Huron this morning SO YOU COULD GET TO A RED LIGHT, then screamed at me (after I caught up to you) that you DID IT ON PURPOSE TO TEACH ME A LESSON FOR NOT RIDING ON THE RIGHT BECAUSE CITY ORDINANCE SAYS I HAVE TO: Here's a prayer - for both of us - that we don't cross paths again.

Permalink Reply by John Wilson 6.0 on May 17, 2013 at 3:02pm

Thanks.

I go through this area to and sometimes from work.

Permalink Reply by Juan Primo on May 17, 2013 at 3:08pm

To you, the good citizen who gives the helpful "I'm here behind you" taps on the horn...  I already knew you were behind me before you even saw me in front of you. 

Permalink Reply by Dovah Cat on May 17, 2013 at 3:09pm

To the d-bag on the motorcycle who scared the everything out of me, 

The nice new bike lane on 31st is for, well, bikes. Does your hulking metal excuse for an ego-boost look in any way like the bicycles painted on the ground? No? Can it go as fast as those bigger boxes in the lanes to the left? Yes? Maybe you should consider this before you run up my rear and give me about an inch (could smell your cologne) to pass. Slowing down in front of me before leaving the lane was the icing on the cake. Good job finally recognizing you were in my lane. Glad we didn't make a "connection". Blegh. 

Love and hugs, manboy. 

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