Warning: A Little Ranty
I do not like that drivers so often underestimate how fast I am going on my bike, and that their assumptions mean sometimes-scary near collisions. It is not that I am a speed-racer, but gravity does cause a road bike to go fast down hills. And sometimes that speed is needed for getting to places on time.
This morning I was running late for my 8:00 class. I’d woken up early to finish a lengthy assignment on the Gospel of John, but didn’t finish until ten minutes before class began. It takes me 15-20 minutes to bike to class from Altadena.
I have a racing-type bike and I ride in traffic on the far right side of the lane (as cyclists are supposed to do…sidewalks are actually illegal.) There are a couple of intersections I must frequent in which car-drivers are particularly cheeky: at Mountain and at Lake. If you are the praying sort, pray that Jesus continues to protect me on my daily commutes, particularly at these two intersections.
Today at Mountain, I was coming down the hill through a green light at normal (but high) speed for a hill when a driver coming from the opposite direction was trying to turn left across my path. I looked towards her car and tried to emphatically shake my head “NO,” as often helps, because I knew it would be a near collision. She turned anyway. Fortunately, she’d decided to stop half-way into the intersection. Accident averted. But it was a little close.
Maybe someone should tell her that it is National Bike to Work Week.
I will have to join with the rest of humanity and try not to be rushing from point A to point B. I’m also going to try following this advice and to wave a flamboyant “hello” to turning drivers instead of just shaking my head at them. I am grateful to be in one piece.
(Photo by Imagined Reality)
oh can i relate. cars never give me respect even though I can keep up quite well.