Why a Fellow Cyclist Said Nasty Things to Me this Morning
I was heading east on Dundas this morning when I stopped for a red light at Shaw Street, east of Ossington. A scruffy guy pedalled up from behind, ambling in a high gear, and blew through the red. It changed to green and I was at the guy’s rear wheel after a few pedal strokes. He continued to amble, so I passed him and came to a stop by a minivan at the red at Montrose Avenue. Ambler went by but before he cleared the intersection, I had to call him out.
“Oh yeah, keep going. I don’t want to catch you again,†I said with what I’m sure was playful sarcasm.
“Fuck you, asshole!†he yelled over his shoulder.
A guy in the minivan called to me, across a woman in the passenger seat :
“He’s going to get hit someday.â€
It was offered like a consolation. Sure, ambler was passing you and slowing you up, but he’d get what’s coming, don’t worry ruler-follower. The words were also a show of solidarity. We didn’t run red lights. We were good drivers. It’s like we were on the same team. But we’re not.
“Yeah, but that happens to cyclists who follow the rules, too,†I said.
We both started moving on the green.
Ant.:
What a shit-tay way to start the day. I hate it when that happens to me.
I liked Paul’s comment on FB but your post deserves a real response. As I read it: ambler is the fg. Driver is offering moral support, a few pegs shy of solidarity. It was a small gesture to a fellow frustrated man. Was it logically sound? Would seeing ambler in a horrible accident make anyone feel better? No. Gestures such as driver’s are symbols of empathy, nothing more, nothing less. Driver could easily be a cyclist and if so, your response to him seems a little cold. But of course I wasn’t there; I’m basing this on what you wrote. And you were just accosted by an fg…
…I hope you never run into ambler again!
Best,
Ant.
debra:
wow. on so many levels.
Matthew Pioro:
Ant., you’re bang on. Both you and Paul are. There’s no one in that little scenario who is blameless, including me. And, I feel I should restate what I mentioned on FB: Really, I believe traffic is a communal endeavour. Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are in a dance. It’s not “I’m going somewhere, and all these people are in my way,” but “Let’s all get to where we’re going safely, respectfully and as quickly as possible.” As you can tell, I wasn’t feeling or fostering that traffic community. The minivan guy kind of was, but he was also a little too keen on seeing jerky cyclist getting popped.