Permutations of road rage

[screamingflea]

One would think that, not owning a car, one would be spared. Apparently not!

I've had two incidents in the last couple of weeks that were too ... quirky ... for me to get upset about. One night I was on my bicycle and merged into the left turn lane for obvious reasons. I was first in line at the red light. As the light changed and I gave a hand-signal and pulled out, a woman in the next lane (not even waiting to turn!) started shouting at me. YOU'RE ON A BICYCLE! YOU SHOULD BE IN THE BICYCLE LANE ON THE RIGHT! THAT'S FOR CARS! GET BACK OVER WHERE YOU BELONG!!! The whole thing was just silly - the illogic of me cutting across two lanes to make a right turn from the shoulder, and the passive-aggression of waiting to yell at me after the light changed. I just chuckled, shrugged it off, and kept pedaling.

Had another one today. I was standing at a downtown bus stop of all things, in my own world with my music, doing some people watching from under my generous jacket hood. Some random guy walked past at a fast clip, thrust a middle finger at me under my hood, and cruised on by without skipping a beat. I was careful not to laugh this time in case he was paying attention. But it was so quick and so random I couldn't get mad either - it was just too weird.

The phrase "road rage" is completely ubiquitous now, as is "air rage." Maybe it's time to add "bicycle rage" and "bus stop rage." Anyone else had weird moments like this?

[MagicRat]

My first roadrage incident occurred 28 years ago as I rode my bicycle to school..... a guy on a motorcycle behind me yelled at me (mostly swearing) to move over so he could get by......... only to be stopped by a red light literally 50 ft further down the road.

My city is filled with people who never stop for stop signs..... they slow down, but never stop..... so a couple behind me have honked at me when I have actually stopped for a stop sign.


for some reason, I have been yelled-at by the occasional driver when using a pedestrian crosswalk, walking my bicycle across. I have no idea why the presence if pushing a bike means I am misusing the pedestrian intersection

I have had several pedestrians over the years yell or hit my car because they feel it is without waiting, their "right" to walk wherever they please - on the road - across intersections etc and resent the fact that since my car got their first, that maybe they should wait until I clear the intersection.

When I was younger and more energetic I would yell back, but I realize some people are having a bad day, some people may have a gun, and some are simply crazy - so self preservation means don't get involved in altercations.

[screamingflea]

It seems like a lot of drivers feel personally threatened by the very existence of bicycles. Even in this hippie town with a huge bike culture I've had drivers slow down and yell at me when I'm in clearly marked bicycle lanes. Whatever.

[pinkytoe]

I have noticed a general crudness creeping into all things driving and biking - from both sides. The city I live in has become more crowded by the year and people in cars act in ways they would never consider if they didn't have a big metal box around them. Just the other night a young cyclist riding in the bike lane was killed by a large SUV which just sped on as if they had hit a squirrel and not a human. There is just so much anger and impatience out there these days and very little consideration for others. I am continually amazed by it as it is not the world I grew up in.