Help me out, fellow cyclist. I’m feeling like an unloved step-child these days. In a span of about ten days, an angry motorist hurled obscenities at me and told me to get off the street (a familiar but by no means an everyday occurrence), a motorcyclist reacted in similar fashion (a first) and a belligerent pedestrian demanded that I remove myself from a trail (another first).
I am not a rude, scofflaw bicyclist. I stop at red lights and stop signs. I do something many motorists fail to do–I signal my intention to turn and change lanes. I take the lane when I need to and, when appropriate, I move to the right so as not to impede other traffic.
In spite of my reasonable behavior, I occasionally get yelled at by a motorist. So I wasn’t too phased last week when an oncoming motorist rolled down his window and yelled, “F#$%!@ cyclist! Get off the street!” I gave him my usual response. I smiled and waved.
I repeated this reaction a few days later when a motorcyclist yelled at me as he buzzed by. I have never had an encounter like this with a motorcyclist and was puzzled by his behavior. In fact, I usually feel a kinship with motorcyclists on the road. We can wave as we pass and converse at traffic lights.
I also consider myself to be a courteous trail user. I don’t buzz by other trail users at breakneck speed. I either ring my bell or call out to warn others of my approach. And, if a trail is overcrowded with people on foot, I move to the road or dismount and join them as a pedestrian.
But I was totally taken aback a couple of evenings ago when an oncoming pedestrian deliberately stepped into my path and told me to get off the trail. I stopped within inches of him, stared back in silence and didn’t move. “Bikes belong in the street,” he growled at me before moving on. Oh yeah, I thought to myself. Tell that to an impatient motorist.
Am I paranoid or is there an increase in hostility toward bicyclists? There’s always going to be an angry motorist. I’m more troubled by this recent show of anger from other road users. Maybe the motorcyclist was having a bad hair day (do they get helmet hair too?). Maybe the pedestrian had just experienced a close call with another cyclist. Maybe the planets are out of alignment.
I’m not accustomed to getting berated for riding my bike by so many in a short period of time when I’m not doing anything wrong. I don’t like to respond to anger with more anger.
So what is a cyclist to do?
