The Translink bus driver going north on Gilmore in the left hand lane turning west onto Lougheed had it nailed until the unshaven, unkempt dude in a white van told me to get onto the side walk...
The bus incident was gnawing at me most of my ride home. Here is what happened:
I am going north on Gilmore. Traffic is heavy and I am attempting to cross two lanes to position myself in the left hand turn lane. I get cut off a few times despite signalling (it is still light outside and beautifully sunny - visibility is not an issue today), but finally make it into the lane beside the turn lane. Signalling to move left into the turn lane when I notice the aforementioned bus in my rear view mirror barrelling down the left turn lane (probably in an attempt to make the advanced turn signal). When I see the bus I abandon my lane switch. Got a car behind me that wants to make the light. Cars on the right of me moving through the intersection... Bus slows down and I move into the lane (signalling again and just about to give the bus driver a little thank you wave when she honks her horn at me (angrily). WTH. Stopped at the green light now yielding to traffic before turning left. Checking behind me to see what is up with the driver. She is gesticulating wildly and I mouth "where do you want me to go?". Ok, I probably startled her, but I certainly didn't force my way into the lane. She slowed down and I took that as indication that she is allowing me to merge.
Lets think about this for a moment...if I as a bike rider cut off a bus, who do you think will come out as winner? Correct. No matter who has the right of way, I will always lose. Dear bus driver woman, please consider this next time you think you have been wronged by a bike rider.
You know what irked me the most after the incident and after getting over my fear of being re ended in a road rage incident ? We took the same route west on Lougheed and then north on Boundary. I caught up with you when you parked your bus somewhere on Boundary to wait for the schedule to catch up...You weren't even in a hurry or late on your schedule...you were just annoyed with yet another bothersome cyclists.
Tell you what... I have been riding, driving, walking and running accident free all my life. Considering that I am in my 5th decade, that should account for something. I am a law abiding citizen, pay my taxes and obey the traffic rules. I even stop at stop signs, slow down on yellow (am I the only one?), come to a full stop before turning right on red and stop for pedestrians. 3-4 times a week, rain or shine, I take my life into my hands and cycle to work. I prefer riding over driving for various reasons and only take the car if I have groceries to buy for my family or I don't feel up to fighting the weather.
My commute is about an hour long each way and involves several dangerous intersections, heavy traffic, steep hills, pot holes, debris on the bike path, the Second Narrow Bridge and streets with no considerations for cyclists. The reason I have not been injured yet, is not your good driving, it is being constantly on the alert for drivers disobeying rules, not stopping at stop signs, turning right on red without yielding to me, turning left without yielding to me, opening their car doors into my path, swerving out of a parking spot without yielding, cutting me off when turning, passing me scarily close.... You get the picture. Those dangers are not the exception, they are the rule and reality of cycling on the streets of Metro Vancouver.
My commute is about an hour long each way and involves several dangerous intersections, heavy traffic, steep hills, pot holes, debris on the bike path, the Second Narrow Bridge and streets with no considerations for cyclists. The reason I have not been injured yet, is not your good driving, it is being constantly on the alert for drivers disobeying rules, not stopping at stop signs, turning right on red without yielding to me, turning left without yielding to me, opening their car doors into my path, swerving out of a parking spot without yielding, cutting me off when turning, passing me scarily close.... You get the picture. Those dangers are not the exception, they are the rule and reality of cycling on the streets of Metro Vancouver.
I know that cyclists have a bad reputation: they don't signal, they pop up right beside you, they ride without a helmet, they don't have lights, they run red lights, they don't obey the rules...Ok, hang on, do you in your car obey the rules? Today I witnessed two people stopping at stop signs...that is a record as I usually just see drivers roll through stop signs. So, when driving becomes civil again in Vancouver, when you stop killing pedestrians and cyclists, then we can start taking about the bad cyclists out there...but they might be dead by then.
Until that time, I just hope that in your hurry and rage, that I won't be your next victim.
As for the moron in the van telling me to get on the side walk, you will see a lot of change in our car oriented culture in the future. Single occupancy vehicle traffic in our city is not sustainable in the long term. The changes implemented over the last few years by forward thinking, bike riding Mayor Gregor Robertson are only the beginning. Better get used to alternative methods of transportation and bike riders sharing your lane!
Until that time, I just hope that in your hurry and rage, that I won't be your next victim.
As for the moron in the van telling me to get on the side walk, you will see a lot of change in our car oriented culture in the future. Single occupancy vehicle traffic in our city is not sustainable in the long term. The changes implemented over the last few years by forward thinking, bike riding Mayor Gregor Robertson are only the beginning. Better get used to alternative methods of transportation and bike riders sharing your lane!
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