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Observation and Perspective
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| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
24.23 miles
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Time: 02:05:00
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Max Speed:
0.00 mph
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Avg Speed:
11.63 mph
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Temp:
Min: 84
Avg: 86
Max: 88
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Category: general: commute -
solo
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Route:
Hiton commute w/ towpath & Gordon rd. hill
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Weight:
237
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Altitude Gain:
0 ft
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Avg Power: 0 W
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Calories Burned: 1,200
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Flat
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Bike: Bianchi 32lb-Castro Valley Road
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Club: Commuter Cycling Century |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny and very warm; Winds generally Westerly about 10mph; |
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On the ride home at 5:50PM or there about, pedaling 10-13mph westward along the shoulder of Canal Road, a car horn started blaring as it came up behind me, "BEEEEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEP!"
Very deliberately, I slowed and moved toward the center of the lane. Glancing over my shoulder, a pick-up truck driven by a guy passes and gestures to the vehicle behind his vehicle. "BEEEEEP-BEEEEEP-BEEP-BEEP!!!" There is this heavy-set, middle-aged, women with an unkempt look to her hair, and a pudgy, menacing-looking face. She was driving a 2 door sedan. Perhaps it's a Dodge Neon or a Saturn, purple colored.
She was wearing a "hi-viz" crossing guard type vest. I would think we have a common interest in safety. Both of us were wearing hi-viz. I hope she is not a school bus driver -that's for sure!
As she passed me gesturing and beeping, I shouted, "You don't own the road. I have a right to be here!"
If the point of blaring a horn is to annoy others she achieved her goal. Her actions were very disruptive to the driver in the truck, some neighbors out enjoying a peaceful afternoon, and me! I believe she is the person who has done this in the past, startling the hell out of me.
A driver beeping a car horn has passed me on a few occasions, always about the same location and time on Canal Road.
This individual was apparently on her way home from work. Maybe she crosses children at dangerous intersections?
As far as her behavior, maybe she has vision issues? Maybe she is just ignorant, I don't know. Regardless, her behavior toward bicyclists and her driving etiquette in general was atrocious.
I'm not some self-righteous, know-it-all. Or some overly righteous cyclist, either. However I am a continuously trained School Bus driver, an AARP Driver Safety Instructor, as well as an avid bike commuter. I have a more than 4 decades experience of road issues (both observed and exhibited), with a balanced perspective on road rage and poor driving technique.
I'm not a perfect driver either. In fact I'm so aware of my own shortcomings I'm embarrassed to observe and complain about others. But what bothers me most is a remorseless lack of compassion some people have when they are behind the wheel. It's as if their vehicle offers them a level of anonymity and immunity to not play fair or even to care about how their interactions may effect anyone else's wellbeing.
I'll be on my guard increasingly along that section of my commute. Every cyclist needs to increasingly be aware of their surroundings as they go about their way, and be prepared to compensate for the "Rage on the Road".
105 consecutive cycling days and miles of "road smiles" along the way!
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