What did I do?

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Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Age: 43
Gender: Female
Posts: 276

10 Jan 2006, 10:44 am

I was just cycling home and I had to turn right into my road. So I stuck my right arm out, checked the car behing wasn't going to overtake me, and moved toward the centre of the road (I'm in the UK, we drive on the left). Then I put my arm back in so I could brake, and the car coming toward me, but still some way off, started flashing its lights. Sometimes this can mean the car is letting you go, but by this point it had stopped dead, and I was not yet quite at the turning. There were no cars behind him, so it would have been better for everyone if he'd just kept going and let me turn behind him. He wound down his window and shouted something (the only word I caught was "f#@&ing," but he shouted more than that). I just waved my hand to say thank you, and turned.

Then he suddenly turned into my road behind me. When I got to my house I indicated left and pulled in between 2 parked cars. He stopped and started yelling at me that I should have stuck my arm out to turn, the highway code says you must indicate, and he swore a lot. When he'd finished I said, "I put my hand back on order to brake, like the highway code advises. How else am I supposed to stop?"

He said he was going to report me to the police. I told him I didn't have a problem with that, as cyclists are allowed to use their brakes. I waited until he'd driven round the corner before I went into my house, so he wouldn't know where I live. For all he knew, I got off my bike cos I was scared, not because I lived there. There are a lot of houses anyway, so he'll never guess which one is mine.

I don't know how I manage to do it. I even get communication wrong when there's no talking involved!

Last edited by Tally on 11 Jan 2006, 5:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

majedemon
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10 Jan 2006, 12:48 pm

s**t happen.

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MsTriste
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10 Jan 2006, 1:12 pm

Tally wrote:

I don't know how I manage to do it. I even get communication wrong when there's no talking involved!

I have this kind of think happen to me all the time. Just last night I was telling a story of being abused (you were abused by a sociopath with issues, by the way, and he could have been reported to the officials IMO) and my BF said "You're like a magnet" referring to the frequency of interactions with a**holes.

And it's really hard to shrug off, isn't it, even if you've done nothing wrong.

quietangel
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10 Jan 2006, 9:41 pm

Tally wrote:

I don't know how I manage to do it. I even get communication wrong when there's no talking involved!

Sorry that happened to you, it sounds like you did the right thing.
That crap happens to me at least three times a week at work, I figure that they are jerks. If I do something wrong, and they cannot calmly 1. ask me what I meant, or 2. calmly tell me they didn't like what I did than "they own the problem." Especially if I didn't do anything wrong.
Try to keep your chin up and enjoy yourself riding your bike... people like that are pretty toxic.

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eromi
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Joined: 7 Nov 2005
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11 Jan 2006, 8:21 am

There are always a***holes around the streets cities all over the world as I'm sure you know. So what can we do? Nothing!! !! ! But the way that we are is what makes all the difference to our lives and how we feel. But the way you handled that was fantastic, I would not have been able to respond that way if I had planned that altercation for a week!! !! !! Any one who witnessed that would have truly seen what an idiot this guy looked like as he was mouthing off to you. You'd done nothing wrong!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!Well, I'm sure you won't mind if I borrow that line about "using brakes" I will be able to apply that response to a few things. You go girl.

Eromi

Musical_Lottie
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11 Jan 2006, 8:32 am

Tally wrote:

(I'm in the UK, we drive on the right).

No, the left!

But seriously - you handled that amazingly, and that guy was a complete idiot.

Tally wrote:

I don't know how I manage to do it. I even get communication wrong when there's no talking involved!

Yup, so do I!

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KingdomOfRats
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11 Jan 2006, 4:47 pm

Tally wrote:

I was just cycling home and I had to turn right into my road. So I stuck my right arm out, checked the car behing wasn't going to overtake me, and moved toward the centre of the road (I'm in the UK, we drive on the right). Then I put my arm back in so I could brake, and the car coming toward me, but still some way off, started flashing its lights. Sometimes this can mean the car is letting you go, but by this point it had stopped dead, and I was not yet quite at the turning. There were no cars behind him, so it would have been better for everyone if he'd just kept going and let me turn behind him. He wound down his window and shouted something (the only word I caught was "f#@&ing," but he shouted more than that). I just waved my hand to say thank you, and turned.

Then he suddenly turned into my road behind me. When I got to my house I indicated left and pulled in between 2 parked cars. He stopped and started yelling at me that I should have stuck my arm out to turn, the highway code says you must indicate, and he swore a lot. When he'd finished I said, "I put my hand back on order to brake, like the highway code advises. How else am I supposed to stop?"

He said he was going to report me to the police. I told him I didn't have a problem with that, as cyclists are allowed to use their brakes. I waited until he'd driven round the corner before I went into my house, so he wouldn't know where I live. For all he knew, I got off my bike cos I was scared, not because I lived there. There are a lot of houses anyway, so he'll never guess which one is mine.

I don't know how I manage to do it. I even get communication wrong when there's no talking involved!

That said-it's nothing new in this country,some drivers tend to be prejudiced towards cyclists because they think; with their car-they own the road,and cyclists shouldn't be on it-woe betide any cyclist who doesn't do what one of these particular drivers want them to do--that guy and many others need anger management classes.

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Tally
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11 Jan 2006, 5:16 pm

:lol: :lol: I really said we drive on the right, how embarrassing :oops:

I'm trying not to let this upset me, and remind myself that this man was just a moron.

Musical_Lottie
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11 Jan 2006, 6:02 pm

Tally wrote:

:lol:

I really said we drive on the right, how embarrassing :oops:

Lol maybe you were thinking of the side we drive IN the vehicles ... :wink:

Yes that guy was most certainly a moron - good choice of word there :wink:

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