# A Very Moody Morning Ride



## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

I thought about Kristianna and Matt the my whole ride today, it's hard to get it out of my mind. I had pause when I swung my leg over my bike, it kind of puts a grey cloud over things a bit. 

After reading all the articles about this and the post on this forum I keep wondering why people are so against cyclists. We read it in the papers and we see it on the streets. Today while I was finishing my ride I was changing lanes on this tricky section near Mathilda and Moffet. I looked over my shoulder and the only car I saw was way back at a stop light. I crossed over into the center lane to go straight. About a minute later this old lady in a Volvo honks her horn at me and speeds by me on the left and then swerves out and front of me. By the time she reached me I had already taken then lane. At the light, she rolls down her window and starts yelling at me for not signaling and continues to yell "I HOPE YOU HAVE YOUR DONAR CARD!" Technically she is right I didn't signal that I was going to keep going straight but is that any reason to start yelling at me? I kept my cool and just ignored her.

This seems like a common reaction to cyclists. Something sets people off about a person riding a bike that makes them get all crazy. Is this something that is common to the US or does this happen all over the world? Do some people just transform into monsters when they get behind the wheel of a car? This lady today looked like a nice old grey harried lady but she sounded like a total monster. Should I roll up to cars who don't signal they are going straight and yell at them?

One thought that kept passing through my mind today is "Bikes are not dangerous, cars are!" Oh well lesson learned, I guess I will need to make an extra effort to signal my intentions. Other then the aggressive grandma encounter I had a great ride this morning, I finally made it up Moody Rd. without stopping (yeah I'm that out of shape). Now I just need to get faster!

BTW... anyone is welcome to join me on my morning rides. It would have been nice to have someone to chat with this morning.


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## Chucko (May 15, 2007)

I know that intersection, I work over at Moffett Field and live nearby. I avoid that stretch of Mathilda like the plague.

I wish I knew what it was that got motorists so honked off when cyclists assert their rights. I've had similar experiences riding through the Cambrian area of San Jose, where Camden forks and I needed to take Hillsdale (the left fork), so I took the middle lane at the intersection with Leigh. Some @$$ho!e in a pickup behind me takes offense at this, and roars past me down Camden yelling out the window and calls me stupid. Well excuse me, there isn't a crosswalk for several blocks that would allow me to get onto Hillsdale, so I did the only thing that seemed to be safe.

I try to remember this when I'm driving: My convenience is not an excuse for putting a cyclist or pedestrian in jeopardy. I wish other motorists would see it that way too.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

Chucko said:


> I know that intersection, I work over at Moffett Field and live nearby. I avoid that stretch of Mathilda like the plague.
> 
> I wish I knew what it was that got motorists so honked off when cyclists assert their rights. I've had similar experiences riding through the Cambrian area of San Jose, where Camden forks and I needed to take Hillsdale (the left fork), so I took the middle lane at the intersection with Leigh. Some @$$ho!e in a pickup behind me takes offense at this, and roars past me down Camden yelling out the window and calls me stupid. Well excuse me, there isn't a crosswalk for several blocks that would allow me to get onto Hillsdale, so I did the only thing that seemed to be safe.
> 
> I try to remember this when I'm driving: My convenience is not an excuse for putting a cyclist or pedestrian in jeopardy. I wish other motorists would see it that way too.


I lived at the corner of Hamilton and Leigh (condos right behind eBay) before moving to Sunnyvale and commuted to work every morning. I had a lot more aggressive encounters in that area then here. I think it has to do with the proximity of the lower income neighborhoods (not that I'm rich). I would intentionally plan my route through expensive neighborhoods, the aggressive drivers seemed to go away. 

Which looking back seems odd to me because all the encounters I've ever had where women. Maybe guys know better then to mouth off to a 6'4" 225 pound guy wearing a bright green jersey.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

CrankyMonkey said:


> This seems like a common reaction to cyclists.


It is? I commute on Wolfe/Maude every morning for many years and never had anyone yell at me! Common reaction? Hmph.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

wipeout said:


> It is? I commute on Wolfe/Maude every morning for many years and never had anyone yell at me! Common reaction? Hmph.


When I have an encounter with a motorist it's never, "Hey, I honked at you because I was concerned with your safety." It's always someone yelling "GET OFF THE ROAD!" or like today, "I HOPE YOU HAVE YOUR DONOR CARD!" or some other aggressive statement. I will admit this is the first incident I've had in Sunnyvale in 11 months. But my question is why is there so much aggression towards cyclists?

You don't feel it? Be honest with yourself.


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## kmac (Feb 13, 2007)

I definitely feel it on some of the roads I ride on in Morgan Hill. The thing I'd like motorists to remember is that if a cyclist does something inconsiderate the motorist is, typically, only inconvenienced. But if its the other way round, the cyclist may face a life threatening situation. I don't think the hostility is limited to cyclists though. There is a lot of it between drivers too. There are just a lot of angry people out there or turn into angry people behind the wheel.

Ride safe.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

kmac said:


> I definitely feel it on some of the roads I ride on in Morgan Hill. The thing I'd like motorists to remember is that if a cyclist does something inconsiderate the motorist is, typically, only inconvenienced. But if its the other way round, the cyclist may face a life threatening situation. I don't think the hostility is limited to cyclists though. There is a lot of it between drivers too. There are just a lot of angry people out there or turn into angry people behind the wheel.
> 
> Ride safe.


Very true... their anger is not just limited to us.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

Hmmm. I've lived in the South SF Bay Area for 15 years and I can't remember this stuff ever happening to me. I obey the laws, am courteous, and try to stay out of the way when I can by riding inches from the side of the road. I'm not one of those "I have just as much right to the road as you do so I'm going to ride down the middle of the lane just for the heck of it!" type of rider. (I'm certainly not implying that you are.)

Or, maybe I'm just lucky.

Anyway, lots of people lead sh!tty lives and they want to take out their frustrations on someone. I think they're jealous of our good health and enjoyment of life.


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## Chucko (May 15, 2007)

robwh9 said:


> Hmmm. I've lived in the South SF Bay Area for 15 years and I can't remember this stuff ever happening to me. I obey the laws, am courteous, and try to stay out of the way when I can by riding inches from the side of the road. I'm not one of those "I have just as much right to the road as you do so I'm going to ride down the middle of the lane just for the heck of it!" type of rider. (I'm certainly not implying that you are.)
> 
> Or, maybe I'm just lucky.


I think you've just been lucky. Eventually someone will take offense that you're doing something that makes them have to move their metal cage 2 feet to the left from their preferred line down the middle of the lane, and then you'll see what we're talking about.

"Riding inches from the side of the road" is appropriate some places, but it invites a sideswipe in others, and it's an invitation to a flat most everywhere. I will take the lane if I think my safety requires it.



robwh9 said:


> Anyway, lots of people lead sh!tty lives and they want to take out their frustrations on someone. I think they're jealous of our good health and enjoyment of life.


It has nothing to do with jealousy - these people are just rageaholics. I used to be one myself. Ironically I think a lot of "mellow" herb users are rageaholics when they're not stoned, again from personal experience.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

CrankyMonkey said:


> You don't feel it? Be honest with yourself.


I don't feel untoward anger at me, the cyclist, in the Bay Area. Last time I recall someone yelling was at the 2005 Davis Double where someone in a pickup was screaming at all the riders - probably because all the riders were all over the road. However, in the early 80's while I lived and trained in Texas - that is a different story!

I'm pretty happy with the motorists in this area. I behave and they mostly don't run into me.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

robwh9 said:


> Hmmm. I've lived in the South SF Bay Area for 15 years and I can't remember this stuff ever happening to me. I obey the laws, am courteous, and try to stay out of the way when I can by riding inches from the side of the road. I'm not one of those "I have just as much right to the road as you do so I'm going to ride down the middle of the lane just for the heck of it!" type of rider. (I'm certainly not implying that you are.)


I agree with you on this one. Once in a while someone won't see me and try to turn into a parking lot where I'll have to slow down but that is just a lack of attention and not hate for the cyclist. It sort of ticks me off when I'm waiting at a red light, and some yahoo cyclist barrels past me running the light...


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

Hum... Mellow herb. Would that make people happy and drive really slow? LEGALIZE IT!


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

I think I will just get one of these for my jersey pocket...






 Enjoy!


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## Cruzer2424 (Feb 8, 2005)

yeah. I agree that it doesn't have much to do with cyclists.

people are just angry, period. I think it's just easiest to pick on the guy/gal that happens to not be encased in a 2ton steel enclosure.


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## Roeland (Feb 9, 2008)

I see a great deal of incredibly stupid driving here in the Silicon Valley, but only very occasionally do I see or hear anything aggressive. And then, it is usually between drivers. The stupid driving here is often associated with cell phones, SUVs, and a certain country that has produced a vast number of engineers here on H1B visas. Don't get me started but the most dangerous cars in the world are near the Redwood Middle School in Saratoga during afternoon pick-up. 

As for aggressive, I ride alone and by no choice of my own. I probably have the worst case of Tourette's Syndrome when I'm on a bike in trafffic. At least I get noticed.


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## tmanley (Jul 31, 2005)

It's like open season on us 2-wheel folks...

I walked into my wife's grandparents house, and the step-grandmother starts blasting me as to why 'stupid' cyclist can't ride more safe on Hwy 9 between Los Gatos and Saratoga.

WTF? Back off lady. I politely had a counter-point to each point she brought up. And by the end of the conversation she realized how wrong her opinion really was. 

Frustrating, just frustrating...


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

Every time there is a cycling death reported in the News I have the same conversation at work... :mad2:


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## Chucko (May 15, 2007)

CrankyMonkey said:


> Hum... Mellow herb. Would that make people happy and drive really slow?


It makes them temporarily mellow while they're high, but they turn into @$$ho!es when they run out. Again speaking from personal experience...

edit: keeping with the topic, herb makes people MOODY. IMHO.


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## BSAMach1 (Jul 31, 2005)

I've ridden down Mathilda several times, on evening loop rides around Maude-Mathilda-Caribbean-Lawrence-Central. Never quite liked riding there, despite never encountering any aggressive behavior. I'm just not enthusiastic about riding on roads with multiple freeway ramps, particularly around a large commercial neighbourhood. Weekday evenings mean the stretch funnels all the homeward bound traffic from the area, with sometimes a propensity on drivers' part to veer onto shoulders/bike lanes before intersections and exits. Now that my office is elsewhere, I no longer ride in the area, and instead commute/ride on the San Tomas Aquino trail combined with some side roads, which is a far more pleasant and stressfree ride.


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## dlbcx (Aug 28, 2002)

I do some rides on the cross bike in Baylands Park, right off of Caribbean. Getting across the street is downright dangerous since people are racing to get to 237 and to 101. I finally decided to park at Twin Creeks then ride over Baylands. 
I have had a couple of instances, where I got yelled at but just went on my way. And I have had some racial comments yelled at me (in Los Altos, of all places).


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## Chucko (May 15, 2007)

Why drive to Baylands Park? Try crossing 237 on Fair Oaks, hang a left on Crossman, and another left on Moffett Park Drive. Moffett Park crosses Lawrence/Caribbean and enters Baylands Park at a traffic light.

See this Google map.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

BTW... The 237/Fair Oaks bridge is not as scary as it looks. I ride over that every day and have never had a problem.


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