Is It Just Me?
I've whined before about how I hate it when someone passes me unsafely. My routes to work take me up the hill on Newman Road where I have had trouble many times. More than once, oncoming traffic has had to pull over and stop to get out of the errant passer. I used to get mad about it, but now I just let it go - until today.
I heard the car coming up behind me and then as it began to come around. Imagine my surprise when I saw a Tippecanoe County sheriff car on my left! After he passed, I made the exasperated hands in the air signal, and he stopped. I rode up beside his window.
Before he could say a word, I started in:
DanOnBike: I can't even count how many times I've wished there was a cop around to ticket people who pass me on this hill on a curve with double yellow lines - and now you're doing it, too!
Young, wet-behind-the-ears deputy: How do expect people to get around a slow moving bike?
Dan: I expect them to wait until it is safe to pass!
Deputy: OK
Dan: The law is pretty clear about it, and you should know that!
Deputy: OK
Dan: Be a little more careful out there!
And I rode off.
(Imagine as you read that I was pretty much out of breath and pumped with adrenaline, so I sounded pretty upset. He had that "this guy is about to explode and I need to calm him down" look on his face.)
As I was riding on to work, my heart was beating amazingly fast, and I couldn't tell if I should be laughing or scared or what. By the time I got to the office, I was feeling pretty proud of myself and had to tell someone.
However, as I said it out loud, it sounded kind of strange and definitely out of character for me. As I think about it this evening, I kind of feel bad for yelling at him. Most drivers don't wish us cyclists any harm; they have been driving this way for ever. Instead of possibly convincing him that he shouldn't do that, he probably thinks all bikers are nuts. Oh, well! Sorry, young deputy. (Did I mention that he passed me again closer to the top of the hill?)
Anyway, I took the North Route home and saw a couple of neat things on Lindberg Road. First, someone must be counting the number of dead frogs on that stretch (there are a lot of them). Each squished amphibian had a orange stripe of spay paint marking his final resting place. Also, remember the couch pillow from April? I seems to have met a nasty end thanks to the county lawn mower. There was stuffing everywhere. Oh, the carnage!
Miles Ridden: 12.9
Total This Year: 261 + TBD
I heard the car coming up behind me and then as it began to come around. Imagine my surprise when I saw a Tippecanoe County sheriff car on my left! After he passed, I made the exasperated hands in the air signal, and he stopped. I rode up beside his window.Before he could say a word, I started in:
DanOnBike: I can't even count how many times I've wished there was a cop around to ticket people who pass me on this hill on a curve with double yellow lines - and now you're doing it, too!
Young, wet-behind-the-ears deputy: How do expect people to get around a slow moving bike?
Dan: I expect them to wait until it is safe to pass!
Deputy: OK
Dan: The law is pretty clear about it, and you should know that!
Deputy: OK
Dan: Be a little more careful out there!
And I rode off.
(Imagine as you read that I was pretty much out of breath and pumped with adrenaline, so I sounded pretty upset. He had that "this guy is about to explode and I need to calm him down" look on his face.)
As I was riding on to work, my heart was beating amazingly fast, and I couldn't tell if I should be laughing or scared or what. By the time I got to the office, I was feeling pretty proud of myself and had to tell someone.
However, as I said it out loud, it sounded kind of strange and definitely out of character for me. As I think about it this evening, I kind of feel bad for yelling at him. Most drivers don't wish us cyclists any harm; they have been driving this way for ever. Instead of possibly convincing him that he shouldn't do that, he probably thinks all bikers are nuts. Oh, well! Sorry, young deputy. (Did I mention that he passed me again closer to the top of the hill?)
Anyway, I took the North Route home and saw a couple of neat things on Lindberg Road. First, someone must be counting the number of dead frogs on that stretch (there are a lot of them). Each squished amphibian had a orange stripe of spay paint marking his final resting place. Also, remember the couch pillow from April? I seems to have met a nasty end thanks to the county lawn mower. There was stuffing everywhere. Oh, the carnage!
Miles Ridden: 12.9
Total This Year: 261 + TBD
posted by Dan at 9:20 PM
2 Comments:
Good for you! I don't know if I would have had the guts to yell at a sheriff's deputy. You were exactly right.
Haha, very nice Dan! I think more people should stand up for what they believe regardless of who the other person is. Just because they wear a badge doesn't give them the right to violate the laws they are supposed to be upholding. They don't have anyone to hold them accountable, except for you. hehe. Good job!
John
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