Beware the car effect!

Sometimes you really have to wonder what is wrong with people. Like why do we as a society not give people a psych exam before we give them the license to drive a huge hunk of high speed metal around (I mean there are kids walking around out there!).

Yesterday I had one of the strangest encounters with a motorist I have ever had the displeasure of living though. Lets set the scene.

State street, 5pm, heavy rush hour traffic, bumper to bumper. I am riding at a very cautious pace down the right hand side of the street, on my right is a large concrete wall, on my left an unmoving mass of traffic. This is a daily ride for me, so my head is on a swivel, scanning for darting pedestrians, cab doors opening, homeless guys wandering about in the street, pot holes, construction, etc. State street can be safely classified as a grade A shit show every day at 5pm. I have learned that everything can happen so I watch out for anything.

Which is why I was only slightly surprised when a black car full of men pulled directly in front of me (to the right mind you) gunned it for ten feet (narrowly missing taking their own mirror off on the jersey barrier), only to slam back over to the left. They nearly ran me down, almost damaged their own car, and nearly ran into the car in front of them all for a one car advantage in the great car battle that they must have imagined they were participating in. What really caught me off guard was when they waited till I was right next to them to open the back right passenger door and eject one of the passengers.

I was going very slow so when the edge of the door came to a rest against my handle bars (right between my pointer and middle finger thankfully) my back wheel barely left the ground. I was immediately confused as this car was stuck on all sides in traffic and there was a large concrete wall on the right, what the fuck? The passenger immediately began screaming “what the fuck are you doing” to which I thought briefly and responded in a logical and cool manner “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING ASSHOLE!” This was to be a clue as to the future interactions I was to have with these road scholars.

After explaining unambiguously (using small words, this guy was clearly some kind if space cadet) that this asshole can go eat a dick (he opened his door in the middle of traffic on the wrong side, without looking). He clearly was not mentally prepared for the debate, and wandered out into three lanes of traffic to find adventure else where. The entire time I was educating him as to the error his ways his three Southy accented friends were busy shouting poorly formed obscenities at me from the vehicle.

As the car wasn’t going anywhere I had more than enough time to take a picture of the cars license plates with my cell phone. You know just in case. This seemed to rustle the feathers of the driver, who must have rubbed his remaining brain cells together and realized that he was now identifiable (52k E81 in case you are curious). He exited his car and allowed me the pleasure of getting a good look at him (by putting his ugly pock marked stump of a face right up into mine) and through a haze of spittle he uttered “I am going to fucking KILL YOU!” The rational part of my brain should have registered that there was now three thick necked troglodytes threatening to end my life (and informed my legs that now would be a good time to run away). Instead the irrational part of my brain took over and frankly I lost my shit.

“You are going to kill me?! You just tried to kill me TWICE, I doubt you got the sack for this kind of work bitch, now get back in your fucking car before this shit gets nasty!” Have you ever seen a skinny person lose their shit, it is at once comical, and terrifying. The complete lack of concern for ones own safety can foster a deep disquiet in even the hardiest opponent, and my shit was most certainly lost at this point. You try to run me over, then you try to door me, then you spit in my face and tell me you are going to kill me? Your car was the threat, you are just a pathetic little man with an over inflated sense of importance.

He immediately returned to his car, his passenger then asked if my bicycle was OK, (to which I responded by holding up my middle finger and saying “you almost broke my finger asshole.” This entire encounter took less than 5 minutes, and at no point did traffic move an inch, I remounted my bike, rode off and the passenger was nice enough to roll down his window so I could inform him that he and his compatriots were worthless pieces of shit, and I had a very excellent ride home in the nice weather last night.

In retrospect this entire encounter was a failure. No one learned anything (other than the driver of the black car with plates 52K E81 is a worthless waste of air). I could have been seriously hurt, by bad driving, poor door opening, or militant thuggery. I completely lost my cool and was most likely biting off way more than I could have swallowed (there were still three dudes in the car, a near certain recipe for an ass whoopin). And yet I don’t feel that bad about it, I stood my ground, defended myself, no one actually got hurt, and I get to warn the world about the driver of car 52K E81.

Consider this a public service announcement.

This is not a story from Boston, but HOLY SHIT is this messed up. Seriously people always wear your helmet…

hat tip to Andres for the heads up.

A driver, now identified as an Asheville firefighter, shot a bicycle rider because he was angry the man was riding with his child on a busy road, Asheville police said.

Charles Alexander Diez

The shooting happened Sunday morning on Tunnel Road.

Officers said the victim was riding with his wife and had his 3-year-old son in a child seat attached to his bicycle when a driver approached him.

Police said the driver, Charles Diez, claimed he was upset that the victim was bike riding with his child on the heavily traveled Tunnel Road.

Diez pulled a gun and opened fire, hitting the victim in his bicycle helmet, according to police.

They said the bullet penetrated the outer lining of the helmet but did not actually hit the victim’s head.

Police arrested Diez and charged him with attempted first degree murder.

His bond was set at $500,000.

Diez has been a firefighter with the Asheville Fire Department since 1992, according to officials.

On Monday, they confirmed he has been placed on paid investigative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.(via)

The latest article from Boston.com is set up as a sounding board for all road users who use the bridge.

The biased title “BU bridge plans could spur road rage” comes from the prediction of Stanley Spiegel, you’ll see the quote in the third paragraph on the page. The article itself gives fair play to both sides of the story, then opens up for discussion among the community.

So, pay a visit, maybe even make your voice heard. Don’t get into too much of a tizzy over the comments, it’s not worth raising blood pressure over, but do try to read them and keep yourself informed. This is a microcosm of the daily struggle that a lot of riders face in the Boston/Cambridge area. I found that after a certain level of detachment is reached a comical sadness can set in.

Update

A genuine-appearing comment from DCR Commissioner Rick Sullivan offers up an e-mail address targetting public response for the Accelerated Bridge Program, of which the BU Bridge reconstruction falls under, and encourages people to contact them with their comments.

I think I might leave a couple there myself. Anyone else care to voice up?

As Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), I am sensitive to the varying perspectives that surround this and other DCR bridge projects. We are extremely fortunate that Governor Patrick has made repairing the state’s bridges a high priority through his Accelerated Bridge Program, and we are working hard to balance the public’s many viewpoints and interests as we move forward on all our projects statewide. Regarding the BU Bridge, we are still trying to find the best ways to accommodate all traffic – including cars, trucks, buses, bicycles, and pedestrians – and I would urge anyone who would like to comment on the plans to contact the agency directly at dcr.updates [at] state.ma.us. That e-mail address has been set up specifically for feedback from the public on the Accelerated Bridge Program, so you can send your comments there for any bridge project. Also let us know if you would like to receive regular updates and notices of DCR public meetings on the agency’s bridge projects. We are doing our best to create a transparent process so that everyone’s concerns can be heard.
Rick Sullivan

The comment can be found on page 13 of the comments for the article.