Worst Driver

Date: Dec 8
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
Bike: LHT
Temp: 12Fam/29Fpm
December mileage: 139
Year to date: 2373

i wish i were savvy enough to install some type of on-line survey on the site, with the most pertinent topic being "who is the worst driver?". my vote goes for yellow school bus drivers. they are VERY bad. VERY! usually if they're near, i'm glad to survive with my bones intact. close buzzes. blatant road hogging. devil-may-care attitude. why is it that the public buses, TARC in our case, seem downright pleasant compared to those ghastly yellow missiles of death? other votes go to:

*soccer moms in SUVs. i think they're worse and more self-absorbed than the minivan-driving ones.
*rednecks in monster trucks. sometimes they're nice, sometimes evil. very hit-and-miss.
*various forms of the underclass in nasty jalopies. if i had their life, i would probably be a danger to the road as well.
*any and all cellphone users obviously.
*workers driving company trucks. for as slow as they arrive to do their contracted work, they sure seem to be in a hurry to run my ass of the road.

it was cold this a.m., 12F with a 2F windchill. for such a trip i wore:

HEAD- fleece balaclava with a thin headcap underneath- A
FEET- very technical here- Assos windsock/wool sock/plastic newspaper sack/wool sock/walking shoe/toe warmer. i have cold feet, so this worked pretty well.- B
LEGS- lycra workout short (for lack of better term/thickish lycra tight/loose-fitting running tights.- B...i'm been dealing with legs-of-stone, and i think i just need to have more on the legs, i guess.??
TORSO- fleece jersey/REI base layer/Bellweather Coat- A
HANDS- Pearl Izumi Lobster gloves. beautiful creations- A

i though at length about my latest slow leg situation, which is to say i seem to be cruising around at 10mph and i don't really want to. i think it's the confluence of numerous factors including:

cold-ass temps
change to standard shoes instead of clips
2" Serfas tires. love 'em, but they're slow
not enough worn on legs

i know it doesn't matter that much, but it takes me longer to get places and i feel like a grandparent cruising around Hilton Head.

pretty good afternoon. found a couple interesting things at Thurman-Hutchins Park including a woodpecker of some sort. haven't taken pics lately b/c, well, it's cold and i don't feel like undoing stuff. we'll have to do better there.

Comments

Anonymous said…
As a school bus driver and a CanBike instructor, I have a beef with your labeling school bus drivers as bad. Now the size of the bus is very large, I think any cyclist who tries to pass a school bus on the right side to get closer to a stop light etc., has a death wish. I did have a STUPID cyclist pass me on the right when I intentionally pulled over to the right near the curb to prevent him from getting squashed into the curb. It was a dumb, dumb move on his part. If a cyclist wants to be treated like traffic, behave like traqffic then. As a cycle instructor, I inform my students to not pass on the right side unless the bicycle lanes are painted there, or there is the room.


B
LvilleTex said…
Hmmm, discussion with "anonymous". I've learned in my years of commuting that acting like traffic is by FAR the best way to behave, as you state. This includes stopping at lights where I'm supposed to, not passing unnecessarily at lights- as you mention-, stopping at lights and 4ways when traffic is a consideration, etc. These things do not help me when I get buzzed by some fat yellow bus when I am in my legitimate space. City buses give me a berth; school buses don't seem to give a crap. Good behavior also does no to help me when buses turn left in front of me much more daringly than do many cars. I'm sorry I'm labeling. I'm sure it's not nice, but is it objective? Rudeness is what it is, even if you're driving a behemoth. Heck, big delivery trucks usually give me more room than school buses. Beware!
Anonymous said…
Tex:

Air density increases as the temperature drops. Another factor slowing you down.

Regarding yellow bus drivers - "I intentionally pulled over to the right near the curb to prevent him from getting squashed into the curb."

This sounds a lot like the time I got squashed against a curb by a school bus.

Irregardless of driver intent and cyclist interpretation, it's not defensive driving by either party which I hope is something B teaches.
Frostbike said…
Here in Minneapolis the worst drivers seem to be folks in luxury cars. Not SUVs, but cars. I don't think it's intentional, for the most part. I just think that many of them haven't ridden a bike since they were kids and have zero empathy for cyclists.

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