Hit and Rude

Bikes and cars have this ongoing battle on the road. Let me rephrase this.

Two thirds of the time, people driving in cars make mistakes. They don’t take the time to look both ways. Being aware of bikes and giving them the right of way in certain circumstances is important. As a bicyclist, you have to watch their heads to see if they have made a smart choice by looking both ways. The running of the red light has to be the meanest, most dangerous, outrageous, thoughtless move a car can do.

Everyday, I have at least one close call to a possible collision. I use a lot of that universal sign language (finger that one out). Back to Thursday night.

After getting my bike back, I went to Starbucks near my camp and talked to the regular police force on their lunch break here about the pile of branches people leave in front of their house.

After talking to police, I left the Starbucks.

Coming out of the parking lot adjacent to the apartment complex adjacent is very hard to get in and out of, which is also a driveway going into the apartment. Because of the continuous wave of cars, there are commuters trying to set some kind of record rudeness. God forbid you’d be so kind to let one car in, that would make you late and piss off everyone behind you.

If you’re late for an extended 10 or 15 seconds, you’d be late anyway. You really want to piss off a lot of people? Let two or three cars in. That would be 30-40 seconds added to your commute. Then the whole trip would put you into the first stage of road rage.

Well back to coming out of a parking lot. I guess the lady was engaging for an opening to a drag race/dart into the complex. She didn’t see me.

I plowed in to the side of her car, on my back. She screeched and stopped. Four other groups of people walked up and said, “Are you OK?”

I paused and gasped; only pain was a bruised elbow. I got up and brushed off. I said “Yes, I guess I’m ok.” She said, “I didn’t see you.”

Its obvious I already came to that conclusion. "Is there anything I can do for you,” she asks. I said, "You can buy me a cup of coffee because the one I just had hit the street. It’s $2." She quickly said “I don’t have the cash.” I said, "Well, the coffee shop is 100 yards away." She said, "Ok, I’ll get my cash and go over there and pay."

I told her, "My name is Gary, they know me. I’ll go over and pick it up later."

I came back two hours later. Walked in, ready to claim our settlement from our collision only to find out this lady had not been there to pay her respects for a near fatal event.

I can’t believe a mere replacement for a coffee that I requested was too much for her. I didn’t bother to remember the kind of auto or taking a license plate, just in case I had to take her over to small claims court over the coffee. I should have made a police report. That might have bought me a cappuccino or latte.

Oh well, another one bites the dust.

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