Today has been a bad day. In fact the whole week has been shit. That is because work pressures are upon myself and colleagues, and now we've learned that many of our friends are to lose their jobs. As a result my ride into and out of work has been a little stressful and I've felt more on-edge than usual.
Yesterday a driver who followed me around a corner got a little stressed out at me. The road in question is falling to bits so I have to take the safe line through the potholes and the crap people have thrown out their window. Said driver began leaning on the horn. I turned to look back and assess "the risk" and didn't need to say anything to him so carried on. A few hundred meters around 3 bends in the road and across 3 speed bumps I glanced back a second time I could not see said driver.
I stopped to turn right, shoulder checked and saw him appearing in the distance. I hope he saw me shrug my shoulders at him and his misplaced impatience because he couldn't keep up.
Even leaving work was a pain. There are two lanes on our work's premises: one in and one out of the staff car park. There is a cycle lane but the driver in front of me was in too big a car for the road. I would normally ride past and leave people to their traffic jam but drivers were queuing to enter the car park. Two cars up there was a woman arguing with a van driver that he'd "blocked her in". He hadn't. She had ample space.
3 minutes of her abuse and I could see the van driver hold up his hands and say "I can't help you!" to the woman and wind up his window. STILL she persisted in badgering the man insisting that he was blocking her. Frustrated by all of this I shouted out "YOU'VE LOADS OF ROOM, LOVE! YOU COULD GET A BLOODY BUS THROUGH THERE! SOME OF US WANT TO GO HOME!!!!"
Finally! Finally she moved and then parked up blocking the exit gate. I sheer frustration I approached her window and thanked her for her "considerate driving and parking".
Today I headed down a bus lane intending to turn left. I stuck out the arm seeing a driver indicating to turn right in front of me. Normally they wait. But the driver of this dark green 1980s volvo decided to cut across me. "I'll drive on the other side of the road to avoid hitting him" she must have thought.
The only problem was the rider heading OUT of the side road, who now faced with a car bearing down upon him with the potential of a head-on, decided quickly to leap on the pavement. I don't think said driver even noticed he was there.
She then proceeded to drive at 10mph thus slowing myself and other's down. So impatient to get ahead, yet never in a hurry to get along. Funny? Well no, not really.
Yesterday a driver who followed me around a corner got a little stressed out at me. The road in question is falling to bits so I have to take the safe line through the potholes and the crap people have thrown out their window. Said driver began leaning on the horn. I turned to look back and assess "the risk" and didn't need to say anything to him so carried on. A few hundred meters around 3 bends in the road and across 3 speed bumps I glanced back a second time I could not see said driver.
I stopped to turn right, shoulder checked and saw him appearing in the distance. I hope he saw me shrug my shoulders at him and his misplaced impatience because he couldn't keep up.
Even leaving work was a pain. There are two lanes on our work's premises: one in and one out of the staff car park. There is a cycle lane but the driver in front of me was in too big a car for the road. I would normally ride past and leave people to their traffic jam but drivers were queuing to enter the car park. Two cars up there was a woman arguing with a van driver that he'd "blocked her in". He hadn't. She had ample space.
3 minutes of her abuse and I could see the van driver hold up his hands and say "I can't help you!" to the woman and wind up his window. STILL she persisted in badgering the man insisting that he was blocking her. Frustrated by all of this I shouted out "YOU'VE LOADS OF ROOM, LOVE! YOU COULD GET A BLOODY BUS THROUGH THERE! SOME OF US WANT TO GO HOME!!!!"
Finally! Finally she moved and then parked up blocking the exit gate. I sheer frustration I approached her window and thanked her for her "considerate driving and parking".
Today I headed down a bus lane intending to turn left. I stuck out the arm seeing a driver indicating to turn right in front of me. Normally they wait. But the driver of this dark green 1980s volvo decided to cut across me. "I'll drive on the other side of the road to avoid hitting him" she must have thought.
The only problem was the rider heading OUT of the side road, who now faced with a car bearing down upon him with the potential of a head-on, decided quickly to leap on the pavement. I don't think said driver even noticed he was there.
She then proceeded to drive at 10mph thus slowing myself and other's down. So impatient to get ahead, yet never in a hurry to get along. Funny? Well no, not really.