That is a picture of 4 cars: a cop car, a subaru, a white car, and a white minivan. In the cop car, the cop is writing a ticket for the guy driving the subaru. The guy driving the subaru slammed into the woman in the white car. The woman in the white car decided -- like so many Spokanites do on a daily basis -- to make up her own rules for the road. Unfortunately for the subaru driver, the law that says: "don't follow too close" pretty much trumps all others. So even though the white car lady was making up her own rules and in my mind is the real perp here, the subaru guy gets the ticket.
The white minivan doesn't have a role in the story.
The white-car-lady's crime? Stopping in the middle of an arterial for a cyclist, who does not have (or want) the right of way to cross the arterial. Anyone who rides a bike for transportation knows this scenario and it drives them crazy. I've written about it here before. It happens to me daily. If I'm with Maddie on the tandem, I can guarantee it will happen.
Traffic rules in America are actually pretty simple and are certainly well-understood by most. When people make ad hoc, spontaneous changes to those rules, bad things happen.
On a brighter note. Can the Fuji Turd get any better?
Now that's a basket.
I rode the Turd up Monroe street last night from down town. I didn't know I could go that slow and still stay up. What a slog. Now I'm holding out for a 3-speed fixed hub for this sucker. That's a long shot unless the rumors about Sunrace doing another production run of the ultra-rare Sturmey-Archer ACS 3-spd fixed model are true.
yep, yep, yep...
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday, finishing off a nice mixed-terrain ride, I'm working my way home on a two-lane road with a striped bike lane. Person in newish pickup zips past, gets about 40 yards ahead and flips on their right turn blinker. No problem. I merge out into the traffic flow. They come to a complete stop - left blinker, right blinker, hazards. Problem. Images of a Jim-pancake. Luckily, trailing traffic is alert and we all come to a stop. We wait. Right blinker on again. Driver turns around and makes spastic hand motions indicating I am to pass on their right. I can read lips which seem to have some volume associated wit their "Go! Go! GO! GO!" directive. We all wait until they finally complete their right turn.
remember:
“Every driver will do the dumbest possible thing at the worst possible time”
I am glad I am not the only one that thinks this is crazy.
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