Oncoming Traffic
Shortly after I moved to Boston I realized the drivers here are completely crazy. It seems that it is commonly accepted that if you need to turn left (through oncoming traffic) you simply do it and know that the other drivers will stop. The thing is, the other drivers do not want to stop and will often accelerate to prove a point. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen any accidents as a result of this phenomena… yet. As a bicycle commuter this is very unnerving—if someone has no problem pulling in front of a car, truck or bus they certainly wouldn’t even think twice about pulling in front of a bike. Tonight on my way home a car decided to do this while I was in the middle of the intersection, they were kind of enough to not drive over me. Instead, they blocked traffic and beeped at me. This is a pretty regular occurrence. I especially like* it when a bus filled with people practices this maneuver. I wonder if some people just do not realize how devastating it would be to hit someone on a bicycle with their car/giant SUV/Bus/etc.
*hate
Hey Chris,
You just illustrated last Friday, when JT was hit by a dumb car turning left really fast. He wasn’t hurt, but his poor Schwin is toast. Both the cop and the driver were giving him a hard time for essentially being in the way!!!-The driver was upset that the front end of his car was damaged!
-What’s going on in this city that with all the left turners thinkin’ they’re so hot! You should publish a drivers manual, with beautiful illustrations like this so people know they are driving around dangerous, giant hunks of metal.
I got hit riding on campus a couple of months back. Luckily, I had winter clothes on that upgraded broken ribs into bruised ones because my jacket/sweater/shirts acted as cushy body armor. I didn’t, however, have a helmet (but I didn’t hit my head).
The one thing I took away from it the most was that in my shock of the situation, no one was there to tell me to get his info and I just wanted to leave all the eyes staring at me. As a result, I had to pay for a new front rim and right-hand shifter/brake, as well as a doctor visit and pain pills.
Also of note: no one came to check on me, and the driver was more concerned about his 4runner I dented and broke the headlight to.
Confirmed: People suck.
Careful out there.
Yikes! That’s awful Monica! I am glad he’s okay though! It really is ridiculous how selfish/inconsiderate the drivers are.
Glad you aren’t too badly hurt Ryan! Get a helmet! People are terrible.