My morning started out lovely. The kids woke up, made their own breakfast, we managed to get out the door on time and we all rode our bikes to get the boys to school. Then, I got on light rail to head up to Folsom to test out the street ride for our final Traffic Skills 101 course.
I made it about two blocks when I needed to merge out of the bike lane because of parked cars. I scanned, there was traffic, scanned again, signaled, and merged out of the bike lane. The SUV driver who was well enough behind me (and we were coming up to a red light) decided that that wasn't okay for me to do so she GUNNED her engine to speed up and pass me. It was bizarre and all the while she was gesturing at me for being out of the bike lane (door zone, remember?). About 50' up, she squeezed around the car at the red light and made a right turn. I saw her pull into a driveway another 50' down that road so I followed. I know, not the best thing to do, but I was annoyed and just wanted to explain that that was unsafe.
She pulled into a parking lot and saw me behind her. She jumped out of her SUV and immediately got in my face, her finger literally inches away from my nose. She was aggressive and defensive and said "If you want to talk about this, do it another time because I have to get my kids to school on time." I just tried to tell her that what she did wasn't safe and to be more careful. I was trying really hard to remain calm and polite. She launched into a tirade about how she "has kids in the car," she "was going the speed limit," "has to get her kids to school on time," blah, blah, blah. And within 30 seconds of me just standing there saying "I have a legal right to be there, I know my rights, I was being careful. You were being dangerous." she's called the cops. So I stayed there and waited. She gives them my name and description and they offer to send someone one. While she's on the phone with the dispatcher, she tells them that she is being "harassed by a cyclist," that I was "all up in her face," and that I "swerved in front of her car."
Since they were sending someone out, I decided to wait for them so I could tell them my side. Everything this person had told them I was doing was exactly what she was doing to me! After she came out of the school where she dropped off her first child, I was still waiting for her. She kept on her tirade, talking about how I was going to die, get myself killed, and so on. At one point, I actually put my bike in between her and myself because I thought she was going to hit me. I wasn't making any movements but I also wasn't going away. She thought I was standing too close to the back of her car so as she was starting to get ready to leave (she wasn't in her car, yet), she kept telling me to leave and get away from her. She said "you're too close, I need to get my kid to school on time and you're going to get hit." She wasn't even near her driver's side door. I just said that I was fine where I was and that since she had called the police, I was going to wait for them. I had her license plate number anyway.
She pulled away just as the police came so she stopped to talk to one of the officers and I talked to the other. I told him exactly what had happened--I had scanned, signaled, and merged around the door zone, she had sped up and passed me unsafely. He listened and was nice about it. I left as the woman was still talking to the other officer. I'm not sure what they said to her but I've left a message asking for a follow-up report.
What amazes me (and it shouldn't) is that this person actually sees herself as the victim. I honestly had done nothing wrong and didn't even slow her down in the least. The whole time, she kept repeating "and I have kids in the car!!!" as if that's an excuse for her to drive as she had, as if she was protecting them! This is the first time I've ever had the police called on me but I'm glad I was able to stay calm and collected, and I'm glad that they actually came out to talk to us. I'm sure she's going to be seething all day and unfortunately, unless the police officers reprimanded her, she is probably going to keep thinking that she was in the right. I can't stand the entitlement of drivers!
I made it about two blocks when I needed to merge out of the bike lane because of parked cars. I scanned, there was traffic, scanned again, signaled, and merged out of the bike lane. The SUV driver who was well enough behind me (and we were coming up to a red light) decided that that wasn't okay for me to do so she GUNNED her engine to speed up and pass me. It was bizarre and all the while she was gesturing at me for being out of the bike lane (door zone, remember?). About 50' up, she squeezed around the car at the red light and made a right turn. I saw her pull into a driveway another 50' down that road so I followed. I know, not the best thing to do, but I was annoyed and just wanted to explain that that was unsafe.
She pulled into a parking lot and saw me behind her. She jumped out of her SUV and immediately got in my face, her finger literally inches away from my nose. She was aggressive and defensive and said "If you want to talk about this, do it another time because I have to get my kids to school on time." I just tried to tell her that what she did wasn't safe and to be more careful. I was trying really hard to remain calm and polite. She launched into a tirade about how she "has kids in the car," she "was going the speed limit," "has to get her kids to school on time," blah, blah, blah. And within 30 seconds of me just standing there saying "I have a legal right to be there, I know my rights, I was being careful. You were being dangerous." she's called the cops. So I stayed there and waited. She gives them my name and description and they offer to send someone one. While she's on the phone with the dispatcher, she tells them that she is being "harassed by a cyclist," that I was "all up in her face," and that I "swerved in front of her car."
Since they were sending someone out, I decided to wait for them so I could tell them my side. Everything this person had told them I was doing was exactly what she was doing to me! After she came out of the school where she dropped off her first child, I was still waiting for her. She kept on her tirade, talking about how I was going to die, get myself killed, and so on. At one point, I actually put my bike in between her and myself because I thought she was going to hit me. I wasn't making any movements but I also wasn't going away. She thought I was standing too close to the back of her car so as she was starting to get ready to leave (she wasn't in her car, yet), she kept telling me to leave and get away from her. She said "you're too close, I need to get my kid to school on time and you're going to get hit." She wasn't even near her driver's side door. I just said that I was fine where I was and that since she had called the police, I was going to wait for them. I had her license plate number anyway.
She pulled away just as the police came so she stopped to talk to one of the officers and I talked to the other. I told him exactly what had happened--I had scanned, signaled, and merged around the door zone, she had sped up and passed me unsafely. He listened and was nice about it. I left as the woman was still talking to the other officer. I'm not sure what they said to her but I've left a message asking for a follow-up report.
What amazes me (and it shouldn't) is that this person actually sees herself as the victim. I honestly had done nothing wrong and didn't even slow her down in the least. The whole time, she kept repeating "and I have kids in the car!!!" as if that's an excuse for her to drive as she had, as if she was protecting them! This is the first time I've ever had the police called on me but I'm glad I was able to stay calm and collected, and I'm glad that they actually came out to talk to us. I'm sure she's going to be seething all day and unfortunately, unless the police officers reprimanded her, she is probably going to keep thinking that she was in the right. I can't stand the entitlement of drivers!
I don't usually post license plates but if I get hit tomorrow when I'm back in Folsom, check with her, first.
After that experience, I continued on my ride without any further issues. Maybe I should change helmets for tomorrow's ride since we'll be coming down the same road at the same time... Here are some other interesting things I saw in Folsom:
A DIY protected bike lane on a hill with a curve where drivers often drift into the bike lane.
A bike lane/parking... So much for that Silver Bike League status...
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