Like many of us, riding for me is a stress reliever; it’s an escape from conflict and a busy schedule. Sometimes incidents on the road have the opposite effect and an incident this weekend made me question the state of humanity. It wasn’t an unusual event, nor was it particularly violent, but the “conversation” punctuated how self-centered our society sometimes feels.
First, the Punishment Pass
I had just left the group ride I was on, cutting the ride to get back in time for my kid’s baseball game. I was turning left onto a low speed, lightly traveled, 3 lane northbound road. One of the lanes would eventually become a right turn lane, so I started in the rightmost lane and gradually moved to the left.
There was very little traffic, but as I looked back to see if the next lane was clear, a car was coming quickly, behind me. He got way too close to my steering wheel, before veering left and passing about a foot away. Not the worst punishment ever, but a particularly stupid punishment, considering the driver had 2 extra lanes entirely to himself.
Then, the “Conversation”
I just shook my head and continued, heading to the left. But then we met at the next light and the driver rolled down his window. This was the conversation:
Drivers: What are you doing in the middle of the road? You are supposed to be all the way to the right.
Me: (angry) I was in the right lane. Are you trying to kill me?
Drivers: You are supposed to be completely on the right side of the road. It’s the law.
Me: (deep breath, much more calmly) No, that’s not the case.
Drivers: Yes it is
Me: No, that’s not the case
Drivers: Yes it is
Me: (I’m afraid to say this, but it had to end one way or another) Look, I’m a lawyer. I represent cyclists.
Drivers: (interrupting) Good for you
Me: (ignoring the interruption). What I mean is, I know what the law says. And I have legitimate security reasons to not drive completely to the right. On the one hand, I was heading towards the left lane. And you still had two completely empty lanes to get around me.
Drivers: But I was in this one.
This left me speechless for a second. What do you say to someone who can’t even share a lane when they have two other lanes to choose from? I thought: I’m trying to reason with a toddler.
The light has changed. As he started to leave, I said, “Have a nice day and please don’t hurt anyone.” »
Don’t get me wrong; there are a lot of nice people there. Some people go out of their way to accommodate us on our bikes and to be safe. Many realize that if they wait a few seconds, they will find a safe place to pass, and they do so with plenty of time and space.
A rotten blueberry
But all it takes is one rotten blueberry to ruin the whole bowl, and this guy really got me that day. If we cannot grant ourselves even a small concession; if we demand that “this is my way and you must just get out of my way,” then what hope is there of overcoming our differences? How can we improve as a society when such a vocal part of society doesn’t want to share anything? People don’t want to pay taxes for schools, because they don’t have children in school, or they don’t want their tax money to go to cycling infrastructure, because they don’t ride bikes.
This must change. Society only works if we all give a little to improve the situation of others. In turn, they give a little to help us. And to those who have nothing to give, well, I feel lucky to have enough. I’ll help pay for 6 lane roads like this, even though I don’t drive much. And I hope, after he has had time to think about it, that he will give me one of the ways.