Arrrrghhhhhhh!!!
This isn't meant to open a discussion, but if people want to share their most recent frustrations while out riding, I won't tell you "No!" ;)
This morning I had 2 moments on my bike ride, one with a car, and one with joggers. The car was just an ******* driver. The jogger was a near-injury accident.
First the joggers....as a backdrop, my ride is mostly street, but includes over 1/3 of that in paved (and some unpaved) trail that can fit 2 people per lane (there is a center dividing line).
I was coming up on a pair of male and female joggers. Abt 10-15 ft. from them I yelled out "Bike on your left!". The female jogger slowed abt 1/2 a step and slid in behind her running partner which left the on coming lane and 1/2 of our lane open for me to pass. All good so far.
I rode up next to, and began to pass, the rear runner. As I did that, at the last moment the lead runner decided to move to the left right across my path. I hit my brakes and clipped his body just a bit (Had he been 1/2 second earlier it would have been a collision, I would have gone down and someone(s) would have gotten hurt.
After I regained my balance I looked back and asked him if he was OK. He said he was fine and that it was "My bad!". I took that as an apology (I heard his jogging partner tell him that I had said "Bike on your left" so I knew she heard me).
At times I've added my tag line of "Be smart. Be safe. Always have a plan b, c, d, ......." This was one of those moments where, even if I did have a backup plan, the suddenness and surprise of the runner jumping in front of me gave me no time to execute it.
The encounter with the car was a simple case of the driver not paying any attention and my assuming he would do exactly that (plan b :) I was coming off the trail and came to a crosswalk (When the kids are in school, a school bus stops right after this crosswalk to pick up the kids...elementary grade level...so I benefit from the bus's red lights when crossing here). School is out so I am more hyper-vigilant at this point of my ride.
As I approach the crosswalk, I look both directions for cars. If they are a couple of hundred feet from the crosswalk, I'll usually continue on. Closer than that, I slow down to see what the driver does. Most of the time, drivers see me and stop to let me cross (and I always acknowledge that courtesy).
This morning a smaller car was abt my safe distance away, but it seemed to be moving faster than normal (speed limit is 25 MPH here), so I stopped and waited. Plenty of time to see me but the car just sped thru the crosswalk without even slowing down a bit (and the crosswalk is painted on a "hump").
As the car passed me, I noticed the driver seemed to be a large (more fat than muscle...and I thought he might have been "shoehorned" into the car this morning :( man. And he was just staring straight ahead. Arrrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!
Thx for letting me vent.
"Be smart. Be safe. Always have a plan b, c, d, ....." :)
This morning I had 2 moments on my bike ride, one with a car, and one with joggers. The car was just an ******* driver. The jogger was a near-injury accident.
First the joggers....as a backdrop, my ride is mostly street, but includes over 1/3 of that in paved (and some unpaved) trail that can fit 2 people per lane (there is a center dividing line).
I was coming up on a pair of male and female joggers. Abt 10-15 ft. from them I yelled out "Bike on your left!". The female jogger slowed abt 1/2 a step and slid in behind her running partner which left the on coming lane and 1/2 of our lane open for me to pass. All good so far.
I rode up next to, and began to pass, the rear runner. As I did that, at the last moment the lead runner decided to move to the left right across my path. I hit my brakes and clipped his body just a bit (Had he been 1/2 second earlier it would have been a collision, I would have gone down and someone(s) would have gotten hurt.
After I regained my balance I looked back and asked him if he was OK. He said he was fine and that it was "My bad!". I took that as an apology (I heard his jogging partner tell him that I had said "Bike on your left" so I knew she heard me).
At times I've added my tag line of "Be smart. Be safe. Always have a plan b, c, d, ......." This was one of those moments where, even if I did have a backup plan, the suddenness and surprise of the runner jumping in front of me gave me no time to execute it.
The encounter with the car was a simple case of the driver not paying any attention and my assuming he would do exactly that (plan b :) I was coming off the trail and came to a crosswalk (When the kids are in school, a school bus stops right after this crosswalk to pick up the kids...elementary grade level...so I benefit from the bus's red lights when crossing here). School is out so I am more hyper-vigilant at this point of my ride.
As I approach the crosswalk, I look both directions for cars. If they are a couple of hundred feet from the crosswalk, I'll usually continue on. Closer than that, I slow down to see what the driver does. Most of the time, drivers see me and stop to let me cross (and I always acknowledge that courtesy).
This morning a smaller car was abt my safe distance away, but it seemed to be moving faster than normal (speed limit is 25 MPH here), so I stopped and waited. Plenty of time to see me but the car just sped thru the crosswalk without even slowing down a bit (and the crosswalk is painted on a "hump").
As the car passed me, I noticed the driver seemed to be a large (more fat than muscle...and I thought he might have been "shoehorned" into the car this morning :( man. And he was just staring straight ahead. Arrrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!
Thx for letting me vent.
"Be smart. Be safe. Always have a plan b, c, d, ....." :)