"Get off the f***in' road!"

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Trudi Marrapodi

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Well, it's that time of year again (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) for some of us who are not
as hardy as some of you guys, and who are, admittedly, only seasonal bikers...that time to get our
first yell of the above sentiment from some motorist.

Am I surprised? No. But what does surprise me is this: my first one of the season, today, came from
a guy who was driving on the OPPOSITE side of the road from me.

FYI, nothing out of the ordinary was going on at the time on the side of the road I was on...no one
was backed up behind me, I wasn't making a left turn or doing anything unexpected, etc., with the
folks on the other side. In fact, I think the roadway all around me in my lane was pretty empty. I
was just biking along--barely far enough from the right to stay out of the door zone of a line of
parked cars.

And that's when I got it from this jerk on the other side of the road.

Anything like this happen to anyone else before? Get yelled at by a motorist not for any specific
action you took (legal or not), or for slowing down what he sees as his personal right to drive as
fast as he possibly can, but simply for BEING present on the road?

The ignorance and boorishness of some elements of humankind never ceases to amaze me.
--
Trudi "Just like Pagliacci did..."--Smokey Robinson
____
Say NO to secret judging and corruption in skating -- support SkateFAIR! http://www.skatefair.org
 
Trudi Marrapodi wrote:

<snip>

>
>
> Anything like this happen to anyone else before? Get yelled at by a motorist not for any specific
> action you took (legal or not), or for slowing down what he sees as his personal right to drive as
> fast as he possibly can, but simply for BEING present on the road?
>
> The ignorance and boorishness of some elements of humankind never ceases to amaze me.

I have encountered the same thing in Scranton. People yelling at me at me for being on the road,
slowing down their approach to a light with all motor vehicle traffic stopped due to 3 people making
a left hand turn. Convo goes something like this

Motorist: Ride on the sidewalk, get out of my way!!!

about five seconds pass, they get up to the light and stop

Me: Whatcha stopping for? Get out of my way! The light's green!

I ride along the shoulder, and pass them, and never see them again.

Well, if I do see them again, they don't yell anymore. I think they realize how foolish it is.

As far as drivers on the other side of the road, or drivers in other lanes, yeah, I sometimes get
that too. I just smile and wave. I go by the old saying of "Love your enimies, they hate that".
 
Trudi Marrapodi wrote:
> Anything like this happen to anyone else before? Get yelled at by a motorist not for any specific
> action you took (legal or not), or for slowing down what he sees as his personal right to drive as
> fast as he possibly can, but simply for BEING present on the road?

I once got yelled at by a pedestrian on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. He apparently
had a problem with me riding my bike on downtown streets.

> The ignorance and boorishness of some elements of humankind never ceases to amaze me.

I'm getting so it doesn't amaze me so much anymore. I almost expect it.

--Bill Davidson
--
Please remove ".nospam" from my address for email replies.
 
In article <4Rpta.19833$MJ5.10@fed1read03>,
Bill Davidson <[email protected]> wrote:

> Trudi Marrapodi wrote:
> > Anything like this happen to anyone else before? Get yelled at by a motorist not for any
> > specific action you took (legal or not), or for slowing down what he sees as his personal right
> > to drive as fast as he possibly can, but simply for BEING present on the road?
>
> I once got yelled at by a pedestrian on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. He
> apparently had a problem with me riding my bike on downtown streets.
>
> > The ignorance and boorishness of some elements of humankind never ceases to amaze me.
>
> I'm getting so it doesn't amaze me so much anymore. I almost expect it.
>
> --Bill Davidson

Unfortuneately this happens more and more.

On my sunrise ride this AM I was crossing the river on a four lane bridge. Just me and a Mercedes
Station Wagon.

The guy rolls down his window to yell "GOTFR" or such. I quess he couldn't figure out which lane to
use. Probably hadn't stopped at Starbucks yet.

Its always the same personality types, though.

HAND - Ride Safe

--
"Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness"

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution
 
[email protected] (Trudi Marrapodi) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Well, it's that time of year again (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) for some of us who are
> not as hardy as some of you guys, and who are, admittedly, only seasonal bikers...that time to get
> our first yell of the above sentiment from some motorist.

Something I find really interesting is that, here in the Deep South, I have never had anyone yell at
me to get off the road. I keep reading warnings about Southern rednecks in pickup trucks harrassing
bicycle riders, but it has never happened to me in nearly 30 years of road riding.

**** Durbin Tallahassee
 
Hmmm...In 1200 miles/three weeks through SC, GA & FL perhaps a half-dozen motorists shouted GOTFR! I
haven't had the opportunity to try my newly thought-out retort, "Call the cops and don't bother me!"

"**** Durbin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] (Trudi Marrapodi) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > Well, it's that time of year again (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) for some of us who are
> > not as hardy as some of you guys, and who are, admittedly, only seasonal bikers...that time to
> > get our first yell of
the
> > above sentiment from some motorist.
>
> Something I find really interesting is that, here in the Deep South, I have never had anyone yell
> at me to get off the road. I keep reading warnings about Southern rednecks in pickup trucks
> harrassing bicycle riders, but it has never happened to me in nearly 30 years of road riding.
>
> **** Durbin Tallahassee
 
On Sun, 04 May 2003 16:56:21 GMT, Goimir <[email protected]> ranted:

>I just smile and wave. I go by the old saying of "Love your enimies, they hate that".

That is the proper response, I would think.

Ken (NY) Chairman, Department Of Redundancy Department
____________________________________
email: http://www.geocities.com/bluesguy68/email.htm

Why Don't Americans ask themsleves: "Why couldn't Al Gore Carry his own home state?"
 
X-No-Archive: Yes **** Durbin wrote:

> Something I find really interesting is that, here in the Deep South, I have never had anyone yell
> at me to get off the road. I keep reading warnings about Southern rednecks in pickup trucks
> harrassing bicycle riders, but it has never happened to me in nearly 30 years of road riding.

In more than 20yrs of riding in central Florida I've heard it. Scarier, I've been literally run off
the road three times by someone either delibrately tryig to hit me or scare me (it's hard to tell
the difference under the circumstances).

--
Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEbody's out to get me.
 
If it makes you feel any better, mutter derogatory statements as you smile and wave. They have no
idea what you may be saying and you get to vent a little without any ill feeling afterward. I
reserve this for the worst offenders, but...

Rick

"Ken [NY)" <[email protected]_text> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sun, 04 May 2003 16:56:21 GMT, Goimir <[email protected]> ranted:
>
> >I just smile and wave. I go by the old saying of "Love your enimies, they hate that".
>
> That is the proper response, I would think.
>
> Ken (NY) Chairman, Department Of Redundancy Department
> ____________________________________
> email: http://www.geocities.com/bluesguy68/email.htm
>
> Why Don't Americans ask themsleves: "Why couldn't Al Gore Carry his own home state?"
 
**** Durbin wrote:
>
> Something I find really interesting is that, here in the Deep South, I have never had anyone yell
> at me to get off the road. I keep reading warnings about Southern rednecks in pickup trucks
> harrassing bicycle riders, but it has never happened to me in nearly 30 years of road riding.

I must say, that amazes me. It's not that I got a lot of harrassment when I lived down there, but I
certainly got some. I got more than I do up north, despite the fact that I did many fewer miles down
south, due to the oppressive heat.

--
Frank Krygowski [email protected]
 
Yep, you got that exactly right! Smile, wave (using all five fingers for emphasis), and let loose
some language that would blister paint.

--

alan

Anyone who believes in a liberal media has never read the "Daily Oklahoman."

"Rick Donnelly" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If it makes you feel any better, mutter derogatory statements as you smile and wave. They have no
> idea what you may be saying and you get to vent a little without any ill feeling afterward. I
> reserve this for the worst offenders, but...
 
On Mon, 05 May 2003 22:17:55 -0400, Frank Krygowski <[email protected]> ranted:

>**** Durbin wrote:
>>
>> Something I find really interesting is that, here in the Deep South, I have never had anyone yell
>> at me to get off the road. I keep reading warnings about Southern rednecks in pickup trucks
>> harrassing bicycle riders, but it has never happened to me in nearly 30 years of road riding.
>
>I must say, that amazes me. It's not that I got a lot of harrassment when I lived down there, but I
>certainly got some. I got more than I do up north, despite the fact that I did many fewer miles
>down south, due to the oppressive heat.

They are not called "rednecks" for nothing. Cheers, Ken (NY) Chairman, Department Of
Redundancy Department
____________________________________
email: http://www.geocities.com/bluesguy68/email.htm

Why Don't Americans ask themsleves: "Why couldn't Al Gore Carry his own home state?"
 
[email protected] (**** Durbin) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (Trudi Marrapodi) wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > Well, it's that time of year again (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) for some of us who are
> > not as hardy as some of you guys, and who are, admittedly, only seasonal bikers...that time to
> > get our first yell of the above sentiment from some motorist.
>
> Something I find really interesting is that, here in the Deep South, I have never had anyone yell
> at me to get off the road.

Nobody yells at me in the Greater Seattle area, either. I wonder if one could do a study about
motorist hostility -- does it make a difference wrt gender, mode of dress, rural vs. urban vs.
suburban, etc.?

As for the Deep South, I have a theory that if you are perceived as a guest, you will be treated
with politeness. But my sum total experience of riding in the South was a day in Ft. Lauderdale, so
I'm no expert.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Cpetersky
 
"Claire Petersky" <[email protected]> wrote

> >
> > Something I find really interesting is that, here in the Deep South, I have never had anyone
> > yell at me to get off the road.
>
> Nobody yells at me in the Greater Seattle area, either. I wonder if one could do a study about
> motorist hostility -- does it make a difference wrt gender, mode of dress, rural vs. urban vs.
> suburban, etc.?

I've been yelled at by rednecks in a clapped out Bronco (they got a ticket 3 blocks later), a
'sweet' little old lady on a Sunday morning (no yelling, but much horn honking and sidewalk
gesturing), an older guy in a new Mercedes, teenagers, etc, etc.

North, South, East, West...they're all idiots.

Pete
 
I've lived and ridden in Texas and Georgia. The most common harrassment was a carload of teenage
males who would scream just as they overtook me on my bike. I've lived in Olympia, WA for a year
now. Very progressive, very cyclist friendly. Yesterday, I got this treatment from a pedestrian. Two
adult males were walking away from a convenience store with bags in hand (baby formula, I'm sure).
As I passed them (I was in the bike lane, they on the sidewalk), one yells HEEYYAAAHH!! Got the
adrenaline pumping.

A previous poster stated that people don't yell in metro Seattle. This may be true, but a year ago
in a suburb some teenaged neanderf**k in a car pulled a cyclist off his bike as he passed him. Put
the guy in the hospital and did some permanent damage. He was caught and convicted.

Idiots are everywhere.
 
[email protected] (Claire Petersky) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Nobody yells at me in the Greater Seattle area, either. I wonder if one could do a study about
> motorist hostility -- does it make a difference wrt gender, mode of dress, rural vs. urban vs.
> suburban, etc.?

Most of my riding is in rural areas of North Florida and South Georgia. In those areas we are not
perceived as blocking the road since there is almost always enough room for folks to pass us without
feeling like they have been inconvenienced. Tractors pulling manure spreaders are more of an
inconvenience to drivers than a few bicycle riders.

Drivers seem much more impatient in town (Tallahassee) or in the suburbs where the driver may have
to wait a little while until it is safe to pass. As long as we do not appear to be intentionally
delaying the driver, we don't get any grief.

One practice that I sometimes have to explain to my more urban friends is that it is common for a
driver out in the country to tap his horn as he begins to overtake and pass. It is considered the
courteous thing to do back where I am from (Sunfish, Kentucky).

**** Durbin
 
Claire Petersky wrote:

> Nobody yells at me in the Greater Seattle area, either. I wonder if one could do a study about
> motorist hostility -- does it make a difference wrt gender, mode of dress, rural vs. urban vs.
> suburban, etc.?
>

Most rude: Males under the age of 40, regardless of vehicle type or income. Doesn't matter if
they're driving a beat up subcompact or a shining new Canyonaro. With or without cellphone
attached to head.

Most unpredictable: People with handicapped plates. They seldom signal, stop for just long enough to
be dangerous for nonexistant stop signs, don't understand what "left turn only" means.

Most curteous: Women driving alone. They tend to wait until the road is suitable for passing me, not
passing me before a red light
. . .

Of course, these are generalizations, and all taken from the Scranton area. The descriptions by no
means indicate that all drivers in any set behave that way, merely that the ones who behave as
labeled are most likely to be from that set.

YMMV
 
"Carlos Quintanilla" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've lived and ridden in Texas and Georgia. The most common harrassment was a carload of teenage
> males who would scream just as they overtook me on my bike. I've lived in Olympia, WA for a year
> now. Very progressive, very cyclist friendly. Yesterday, I got this treatment from a pedestrian.
> Two adult males were walking away from a convenience store with bags in hand (baby formula, I'm
> sure). As I passed them (I was in the bike lane, they on the sidewalk), one yells HEEYYAAAHH!! Got
> the adrenaline pumping.
>
> A previous poster stated that people don't yell in metro Seattle. This may be true, but a year ago
> in a suburb some teenaged neanderf**k in a car pulled a cyclist off his bike as he passed him. Put
> the guy in the hospital and did some permanent damage. He was caught and convicted.
>
> Idiots are everywhere.

And that's one reason why I always carry 10% pepper spray in my right jersey pocket.
 
On 7 May 2003 12:39:10 -0700, [email protected] (Carlos Quintanilla) wrote:

>A previous poster stated that people don't yell in metro Seattle. This may be true, but a year ago
>in a suburb some teenaged neanderf**k

No damage was done, but about a month ago I was riding in Toronto. There was a red light with a good
10+ cars backed up. With more than enough room on the right, I started to pass by a 12 passenger
van. As I was mid-way by it, the passenger door suddenly flew open and I hear people laughing. I
almost had to ditch and take a dive onto the sidewalk but just made it.

I proceeded to park myself in front of the van and demand that the driver get out and wait while I
called the cops (automatic $1k fine for "dooring" here). The driver claimed he was an employee of a
local school (I'm assuming Catholic from the name) and said he was returning his team from a game.
He begged me to not call the cops since he'd be fired for the behavior of the kid. He promised to
have the kid booted off the team.

I have no idea if any of his story was true, but I was feeling particularly generous for some reason
and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
 
Thats quite a useful tactic that I will remember. But this "dooring" fine must be specific to your
locale, so I am wondering how to find out such information for my area. Any pointers?

Peace, Nick

"Some User" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 7 May 2003 12:39:10 -0700, [email protected] (Carlos Quintanilla) wrote: I proceeded to
> park myself in front of the van and demand that the driver get out and wait while I called the
> cops (automatic $1k fine for "dooring" here). The driver claimed he was an employee of a local
> school (I'm assuming Catholic from the name) and said he was returning his team from a game. He
> begged me to not call the cops since he'd be fired for the behavior of the kid. He promised to
> have the kid booted off the team.
 
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