Temper, Temper!
I lost my temper today. It doesn’t happen often, but it always gives me pause to reflect on how I might have handled the situation better. In this case I think it’s pretty clear.
I was biking home from work, riding up Pinke on my normal commute route. A bus was stopped in the right lane so I moved into the next lane to pass it. As I did this, a white SUV (IIRC license plate 974-PPF) pulls up close behind me, revving its engine and honking repeatedly. The driver yells out of the window "Get out of the road!"
My immediate reaction was what I always do in such circumstances which is to assert my position in the middle of the lane to ensure that the car doesn’t try to zoom by without leaving me enough room. In the next block he found space to pass in the third lane, yelling obscenities on the way until a red light stops him. I ride up next to him to have a chat.
At this point my blood pressure is quite high and I’ve pretty much lost control. As I rode up I yelled "Do you have a problem sharing the road?" His thoughtful response was "Get out of the !@#*& road. I’m in a car." Regrettably at this point I just laid into him for being lazy and contributing to global warming, to cheers from passing pedestrians. The light changed and we went our own ways.
What makes me most sad about this interaction is that I didn’t make the time to understand what was going on in his head. I would have enjoyed exploring the logic that accompanied "I’m in a car." I might have learned something by listening a little better.
I’m also disappointed in myself for losing my calm. His behavior was so patently absurd that I shouldn’t have any reason to get upset over it — it’s not like h was pointing out my personal failures or anything like that. Arguably the implicit threat of physical violence on me justifies anger, and that the accompanying adrenaline actually helps me deal with the situation. But the subsequent clouding of judgment really doesn’t help. A fear reaction might have achieved the same benefits of adrenaline with a slightly more measured response.
Overall I wish I’d remained calm. I’m hoping that by reflecting on the situation like this I might prepare myself to handle it better next time.
This sort of thing has happened to me a couple of times here in Austin, where things are a bit more car-friendly than Seattle.
Never in my life have I more wanted to carry a handgun. I feel my life threatened by these idiots in tanks!
There must be a better way to deal with it.
Did I mention that I was at Pinke and 3rd? Seriously downtown like all 1-way streets and ridiculously crowded? It's not like it's unusual to see bikes in the streets down there.