Sunday, July 8, 2012

Passenger side window shouters

Folks in cars, I feel I need to say this again, just because it happened again this morning.

When you shout something out the window at a cyclist, regardless of whether it's friendly advice, outright harassment, or "hey, didn't we meet at that vernissage last week?" you need to know one thing.

We can't hear you.

Whatever it is you said, it sounds like this:

flrghsmoonyegORmnugh!

We just can't hear you. Even if you were going to say something helpful or informative. So don't bother.

5 comments:

  1. Christian Doppler, call your office. Hold still first.

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  2. I do know that - so let me yell something here that I want to yell all the time, but I don't bother:

    You need a light!

    I don't know if cyclists who don't drive realize how close they come to death when they ride at night without a light. Front and back lights that are clearly visible alter drivers to your presence - so we don't just fee the bump and wonder - "What was that?". Forget about saving the rainforest. If you're dead you won't care. Use a light a night and save a life - you're own.

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  3. Ooops - alert drivers to your presence, and the life you save will be your own.

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  4. Too true! Though, I had one guy shout, "get out of the middle of the road" and I shouted back, "I am a metre away from the sidewalk", after which point he just gave me the finger. I wanted to tell him, "I am in compliance with the Highway and Traffic Act of Ontario and MTO recommendations", but they always zoom off too fast. :'(

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  5. Thanks, I guess, Anonymous, although I do have lights . . . front, back, and reflective tires. And I agree with you that cyclists should have lights at night. I'd totally support you if you wanted to slow down enough to tell them that and have them hear you.

    And NhT - funny how there's never enough time to explain that you are in fact obeying the HTA, eh? You'd think they didn't WANT to learn anything.

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