Joined: 01 Apr 2006Posts: 22Location: oh somewhere up by shoreline
Everyone knows that there is a HUGE sign on the Fremont Bridge on either side saying yield to all pedestrians/cyclists/childred/wookies...or do they?
Anyhow, last week I was coasting along the sidewalk across the bridge going south and you know everyone and their mom is turning right just on the other side of the bridge. I come off the bridge, down the sidewalk - staring at this honda beside me with no turn signal on - and anticipate him turning right and running me over as I cross in front of him. It was good to act like I was invisible, because he did slowly turn right in front of me. I steered along side his car to avoid slamming into his quarter panel and smacked the shit out of his car with my hand. I was so pissed, but I never pull that shit.
He slammed on the brakes and got out screaming at me, talking shit, and rolling his sleeves up. It would have been a mess. I just reminded him of the sign and went on to work downtown.
Was it right to smack this guy's car to get the point across? I just don't want him doing this to anyone else. Drivers hate bikers because of this kind of shit, but they don't understand that there is a reason we do this. There are bad drivers and bad bikers, but they just don't get it.
_________________ Hard work pays off over time; Laziness pays off NOW.
TrikerTrev
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 2:52 pm
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
well last time i looked most bikes didnt come equipped with a horn as standard equipment.
if ya didnt damage the car (boo-hoo) then i would say you encountered the all too typical Seattle asshattery.
but then again theres a nasty rumor about my reactions, so maybe my opinion is really salt grain material.
_________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
zuvembi
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:08 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 942Location: Little Addis Ababa
I'm a much more mild mannered reporter fellow than Trevor. But I completely agree with him that you had every right to slap the shit out of his car.
Personally, I've done it a handful of times in similar situations. Nobody has gotten agro with me about it, and honestly if they did I'd just ride off.
_________________ When the revolution comes, we're going to need a longer wall
snyd3282
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:21 pm
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
Smack, yell, kick, do whatever to get the law breaker's attention before he kills someone.
...err, maybe I'm getting too frisky here. I cross there a couple times a day on foot and even when I have one foot in the intersection I usually can't tell if the car is going to stop or try to run me over.
When I think about it, it makes me want to buy an air horn to carry around.
Happy Stick Person
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:25 pm
Joined: 20 Sep 2006Posts: 1168Location: Leschi
snyd3282 wrote:
Smack, yell, kick, do whatever to get the law breaker's attention before he kills someone.
yep... I go for the mirrors usually, since most time it's a driver not checking their damn mirrors and and turning into me.
applesauche
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:27 pm
Joined: 08 Oct 2006Posts: 337Location: Capitol Hill
TrikerTrev wrote:
well last time i looked most bikes didnt come equipped with a horn as standard equipment.
if ya didnt damage the car (boo-hoo) then i would say you encountered the all too typical Seattle asshattery.
but then again theres a nasty rumor about my reactions, so maybe my opinion is really salt grain material.
A rare and treasured moment: I whole-heartedly agree with Trevor
Seven
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:31 pm
suddenly quite whiny!Joined: 24 Aug 2007Posts: 345Location: Cap Hill
If I don't have the opportunity to ride right up to their open window and yell at them, I will most definitely smack, if not kick. I've kicked a whole bunch of doors closed on my way to 15th. Honestly it's just a matter of time before I catch some asshole just flinging his shit open without looking, I'm dodging them on a daily basis and morning traffic doesn't really allow me the option of being way out in the lane the whole time. Not because I'll be slowing down traffic, the opposite, actually.
dennyt
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:38 pm
rocket mechanicJoined: 02 Aug 2005Posts: 2708
I find smacking cars to be too dramatic for most encounters. It can startle some drivers, causing an even worse traffic hazard, and cause others to get out and want to fight.
A gentle knock on their passenger window usually gets the point across. Generally, people just don't see you.
Hi, I'm here, asshat. Please don't kill me today! Thanks.
eärendil
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:51 pm
Joined: 23 Jan 2007Posts: 88Location: Beautiful Bellingham, Washington
TrikerTrev wrote:
well last time i looked most bikes didnt come equipped with a horn as standard equipment.
snyd3282 wrote:
When I think about it, it makes me want to buy an air horn to carry around.
But when I don't have my horn, which seems to be the only time the jerks cut me off, I just slap the door panel. I once tapped on the window when an old lady was merging into my (bike) lane, and I thought she was going to die, so mostly now I go with the less passive aggressive door slap. And if you do get a little over zealous and dent a panel, you should probably file an accident report and get them a citation too...
TrikerTrev
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 8:56 am
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
applesauche wrote:
TrikerTrev wrote:
well last time i looked most bikes didnt come equipped with a horn as standard equipment.
if ya didnt damage the car (boo-hoo) then i would say you encountered the all too typical Seattle asshattery.
but then again theres a nasty rumor about my reactions, so maybe my opinion is really salt grain material.
A rare and treasured moment: I whole-heartedly agree with Trevor
WOW!
i'm feeling the love now...wait, damn, it's gone.
Theres also this bike horn called an Airzound, i'm to lazy to google it, but their not very 'spensive, uses a waterbottle converted to a pressurized air canister that is fillable witha bike pump and is loud as fucknuts.
_________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
moronbros
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:37 am
Joined: 01 Apr 2006Posts: 22Location: oh somewhere up by shoreline
dennyt wrote:
I find smacking cars to be too dramatic for most encounters. It can startle some drivers, causing an even worse traffic hazard, and cause others to get out and want to fight.
A gentle knock on their passenger window usually gets the point across. Generally, people just don't see you.
Hi, I'm here, asshat. Please don't kill me today! Thanks.
I agree with what Denny mentioned earlier. in this situation, he actually stopped right in the middle of the street and stopped all sorts of traffic. Everyone got pissed really quick. However, I have seen some aggro drivers get out of cars and throw punches for nothing more than a "gentle knock". guess it depends on the level of testosterone in the car at the moment..
_________________ Hard work pays off over time; Laziness pays off NOW.
langston
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:42 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 5547Location: Columbia City
smack the hell out of it. It's about every other day that someone gets too close, does something dangerous or generally acts like an asshat and gets their car spanked.
snyd3282
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:50 am
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
I can't wait for my airzound to get here.
Finn
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 3:04 pm
AlabamaJoined: 15 Sep 2006Posts: 303Location: Central District
My thoughts (based on riding in southern cities):
If the driver is female, she will be scared by an assault from "some bike punk." Be gentle and explain to her that she just endangered your life. Never had any trouble.
If the driver is male, no amount of reasoning will convince him of error. He will be embarrassed and angry.
Slap with caution.
That said, the question becomes, who will win in a fight/ scare the other guy off?
And some tips:
1. DO NOT get in front of the car.
2. If you're on the driver's side and he threatens to fight you, don't back away. Let him open his door. When he puts his foot on the ground, throw a shoulder into the car door. Fight Over.
3. Also remember, replacing the u-lock you threw at a car window: $30. Replacing a smashed car window: $200
I like to catch up to irate drivers at the next light and tell them how wonderful they are at driving. Smile and say nice things. It makes them crazy.
zuvembi
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:03 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 942Location: Little Addis Ababa
langston wrote:
smack the hell out of it. It's about every other day that someone gets too close, does something dangerous or generally acts like an asshat and gets their car spanked.
That last stop sign before Cafe Fiore today I had some asshat crowd me. To the point I was leaning on his hood with my left hand. I just said slowly and carefully, as if I was talking to a recalcitrant child, "Pardon me, I need a little room here." Honestly I can't figure out why he was crowding me, he had plenty of room, and he turned left immediately after.
I didn't hear a peep out of him, he just took off.
_________________ When the revolution comes, we're going to need a longer wall
Aaron
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:33 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 4645
That right turn at the southbound end of the Freemont bridge is terrible. That street should be closed to cars! Blue Paint, Signs, etc will not do jack. There is no reason that cars cannot just continue south 1/2 block and turn right at the Nickerson. Human nature takes short-cuts, but this one is way to dangerous. I rode that exact route 20 years ago, but I was not going straight. I turned right to go up QA hill. It is exactly the same as it was then. Same situation exists at the south end of the Ballard bridge.
Foo
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:48 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Finn wrote:
I like to catch up to irate drivers at the next light and tell them how wonderful they are at driving. Smile and say nice things. It makes them crazy.
Blow them kisses, this will drive them bonkers, especially the middle-aged, aggro, white guys. Note: it's a good idea to have something solid in between you and the car when you do this.
Rogelio
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:57 pm
Joined: 31 Jul 2007Posts: 3092Location: Pos, aya, por la Corona-Alta-Madera y que no.
Foo wrote:
Finn wrote:
I like to catch up to irate drivers at the next light and tell them how wonderful they are at driving. Smile and say nice things. It makes them crazy.
Blow them kisses, this will drive them bonkers, especially the middle-aged, aggro, white guys. Note: it's a good idea to have something solid in between you and the car when you do this.
I smile and wink like a smug jackass, maybe a little thumbs-up; the kisses are reserved for when I'm trying to draw agg but at that point I'm kinda agg.
There's always the I'm-ashamed-of-you head shake and disappointed look, which I'm fond of.
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john
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:06 pm
AAAARRRRRGGGGbllll pppphtt!Joined: 26 Aug 2006Posts: 725Location: In the lab.
Foo wrote:
Finn wrote:
I like to catch up to irate drivers at the next light and tell them how wonderful they are at driving. Smile and say nice things. It makes them crazy.
Blow them kisses, this will drive them bonkers, especially the middle-aged, aggro, white guys. Note: it's a good idea to have something solid in between you and the car when you do this.
Earlier this year there was a driver stopped in the middle of Mass that pulled one of these out of his glove box, and started to open his door. Fucking idiot was surrounded by about 200 u-locks. I yelled and tried to get us to carry on and avoid an ugly scene, and eventually we just left the fucker behind us. I think there's probably a difference between aggro and simply ignorant/unobservant drivers, and the best solution to the ignorant ones is talking to them, if you have the chance, rather than pissing them off too. But that's my opinion; use your judgment for each situation.
Defend yourself if you need to, and educate those who obviously don't have a clue, on or off your bike.
keyholefish
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:58 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 268Location: somerville, ma
john wrote:
I concur with Foo here about the kisses unless I'm feeling the other side of my bipolarness, then I would suggest this accesory:
lipstick / butch bipolar?!?[/quote]
koos42
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:29 pm
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
I'm all about the gentle knocking on a window, maybe a couple pats on the car. For those that aren't pissed off at me while they break the law, I try to explain if time allows. For those that are pissed off, a finger, a shout. Some times I go on a sarcastic smirk, eyebrow, and wave binge.
The vast majority of people that have nearly killed me so far, just failed to notice me, and were scared shitless when I turned up next to their windows tapping or yelling inches from their bumpers.
koos42
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:38 pm
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
I want a vinyl sticker dispenser that can be attached to my bag strap. I want to load it with backwards stickers that would read "!sreknilb ruoy esu" so drivers could read it on the inside of the car.
Another good one would be: "!enal ekib"
granted the letters would also have to be flipped.
My adopted sister is an organiser for a major environmental lobby. When we were riding around the Capital, she actually had a stack of "I'm changing the climate! Ask me how!" stickers. She was only gutsy enough to tag them to parked vehicles, though.
Hitting a moving car would be difficult since you'd have to realise they're infringing on your lane and tag them before they drove off, no small task since they're probably turning 90 degrees to your path. I suppose you might catch them at a later light, but the odds are low.
Instead, I'd like a "black box" video recorder on my handlebars, and catch the offender on tape, then send a nice email to the local police showing the reckless driving. Knowing the local police though, they'd probably do nothing.
roja
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:10 pm
Joined: 21 Sep 2007Posts: 10
koos42 wrote:
The vast majority of people that have nearly killed me so far, just failed to notice me, and were scared shitless when I turned up next to their windows tapping or yelling inches from their bumpers.
That's exactly why I can count the times I've punched/kicked/spit on/thrown things at a car on one hand. Assessing the driver's reason for fucking up is more immediately important than venting your own anger or fear. Good-natured shit talking + a disappointed face = my usual response to scary driving.
I was on the "slapped" side for the 1st time while driving downtown last week. A guy who was splitting lanes to beat the awful traffic (which I love doing) got surrriously hot-headed and mouthy when I almost turned onto him. Obviously it was accidental, but he was going so much faster than I was and weaving around so much that I almost couldn't have seen him to prevent an accident.
koos42
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:43 pm
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
I also carry a camera on the strap of my chrome bag at all times, not only to take pictures of pretty things, but also to take pictures of people being assholes. I haven't used it to that end much, but I plan to post pictures whenever I do.
It's a funny post. One day I actually brought this up in a group of random people I had just met, and wound up sitting next to the writer of the blog. Small town.
Rogelio
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:56 pm
Joined: 31 Jul 2007Posts: 3092Location: Pos, aya, por la Corona-Alta-Madera y que no.
roja wrote:
I was on the "slapped" side for the 1st time while driving downtown last week. A guy who was splitting lanes to beat the awful traffic (which I love doing) got surrriously hot-headed and mouthy when I almost turned onto him. Obviously it was accidental, but he was going so much faster than I was and weaving around so much that I almost couldn't have seen him to prevent an accident.
Amor, si el hombre anda corriendo entre líneas de coches debería saber y a lo menos esperar que alguien va a tratar entrar su línea de movimiento. A esto entramos al punto de la responsabilidad de el mayor de velocidad; no es como si hubieras abierto tu puerta al hombre. Si andas de bici, tirale vista a las posibles vueltas de coches.
En las dos partes tenemos estar contentos que nadie fue herido, que es lo que cuenta. De serrrrrio.
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