Thursday, 31 May 2007

Day Eighteen Friday 1st June 2007

Forecast for today: Friday
An early shower or two, then fine. Partly cloudy with light wind tending northerly.

Precis: Becoming fine.
City: Min 9 Max 15

Road rage

I am riding in the right hand lane, the only lane that allows you to go straight across the intersection. All other lanes must turn.

A driver comes past me and screams out "you cock head" and the expletives trail off as he overtakes. I arrive at the next set of lights, and as I pass him in the traffic queue I give him a friendly wave and smile.

I ride ahead and at the next intersection I have to stop and do one of Melbourne's famous hook turns. As I await the change in lights, Mr Happy drives across the intersection. He winds down his passenger window and screams once more, "you cock head", "what are you doing in the right lane." I reply, "having a good day are you?" A few more expletives from him. I again reply, "I have as much right to use the road as you". By now Mr Happy is holding up other traffic, because he is in the middle of the intersection. Another car doing the hook turn with me gives him a blast of the horn. I can see them laughing at him. He moves off.

I take note of the company name on the side of the car. I decide I will look it up on the internet. If you are going to behave in an antisocial manner then it isn't a good idea to do it in an identifiable vehicle.

I rang the company, the manager knew who it was immediately, "Oh god, Oh don't tell me which car, I know already". I explained that I was in the correct lane and that the abusive behaviour was not a good advertisement for them. I also told him that I had decided to ring him rather than report it to the police. He apologised and said he would have a talk with him.

Righteous indignation felt good!

I reckon it is a result of being stuck in a little box on wheels thinking that there will be no consequences for you and you aren't obligated to the normal social rules that would apply if you weren't in your little protective, isolated box.

This is in contrast to the near miss I had on the way in, but with another cyclist. She was riding on the foot path, I was on the bike path. We just didn't see each other and I stopped a few centimetres from hitting her side on. She just said "that was close" and I just smiled. It was a near miss with no one really at fault, yes I could have been looking more attentively. Yes, maybe she shouldn't have been on the foot path.

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