Don't Start Something You Can't Finish

Finally, a cycling-related post. It was a beautiful, sunny, near-windless, upper 60's day, so after raking leaves I hit the road. This is where I expect to get most of the fodder for this blog.

It seems that, at least once on every ride, I see something that makes me frown and shake my head. Maybe it's someone driving in the bike lane or doing a "third-gear stop" (Did you willfully disobey the big red octagonal sign, or are you merely not paying attention? Okay, maybe I rolled through it too, but I have to do more than point my right toe to get going again).

Sometimes, if that "something" happens quite close to me, that frown is followed by a shout and an exaggerated "WTF?" shrug.

If it's a motorist who ticks me off, I'm gonna let him have it. Of course, said motorist typically motors off without any meaningful exchange having taken place. On occasion, an inconvenience like traffic or a red traffic signal causes that motorist to sit still for long enough that I can have a chance to express myself. Today was one of those times.

I was going past Cherry Creek State Park on Dayton. To my left was Cherry Creek High School. In this area, Dayton is one lane plus a bike lane in each direction, with the two directions of traffic separated by a raised median. Approaching a gentle left curve, I can see a pickup pulling out of the school parking lot. Rather, he creeps out of the lot and sits blocking the opposite lane waiting for me to pass. It's the classic "politeness trap" in which a motorist thinks he's being courteous, but in reality he's putting himself in danger, and ultimately me too if a vehicle rounds the corner from the other direction and finds this F-150 stopped across his lane. I don't want to be anywhere in the vicinity while those two drivers sort out what to do. A cyclist is a much softer option for a driver to hit rather than T-boning (or being T-boned by) another vehicle.

In the end, no other vehicle comes along, but as I ride in front of the Ford, I give him The Shrug and ask him if he WANTS to be T-boned (with the hands making the "Time Out" signal). So, then the Ford pulls in behind me, and we come to a stop at the next traffic signal. He rolls down his passenger window and the exchange goes something like:

Me: "Come on! Why'd you stop in the intersection like that? You wanna get T-boned?"
Him: "Okay, next time I'll hit you."
Me: "No, I was way over in the bike lane; there was plenty of room! Either go or don't!"
Him: "I'm a cyclist too! I was giving you room."
Yes, the driver is wearing Lycra. He must've driven to the parking lot to start his ride.
Me, as the light turns green and he drives off: "Okay, thanks, I appreciate it."

At this point, I realize my point has been completely missed. What I'm trying to tell the guy is, if you can't complete your motion through an intersection right away, don't enter it in the first place! If you do, you're liable to get stuck in the middle of it and cause gridlock (at best) or get nailed (at worst). The one exception to this I can think of is waiting to make a left turn at a permissive signal ("left turn yield on green ball") while oncoming traffic is passing through the intersection. This puts you in a position to clear the intersection quicker at the end of the cycle or when there's a suitable gap in traffic.

Another good example of the politeness trap: Multi-lane road, say 2 lanes in each direction, traffic is backed up at a signal such that it almost blocks a driveway. Driver in the right lane stops short and waves out the driver waiting in the driveway. The idiot who accepts this invitation then pulls out and gets vaporized by the guy whizzing through in the left lane. D'oh.

Today's song: "Purgatory" by Assemblage 23