250 Days
Today was my 250th day of commuting.
Of course, I spent an hour, on the way home, filling out a Police report about a racially-motivated assault on me by a car driver. No one was hurt, but it was pretty exciting. I don't want to get too much into detail on a public forum until I find out if the Aggravated Assault charge goes anywhere. At least I had a witness, so something might actually get done.
It annoys me when these things happen, because I just want to ride my bike and have it not be any big deal. I'm constantly trying to get people out of their cars and on their bikes, and this kind of stuff just makes it look more dangerous than it is.
Two hundred fifty days, and I've really only had two serious encounters with anyone. Yet, those two days give so many people an excuse to not ride.
There's something about the round-numbers. You may recall that a kid backed into me at an intersection on my 100th day. What's in store for day 500? ;-)
So...How was your day?
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posted by Jon @ 6:50 PM
8 Comments:
Yikes! I'm sorry to hear about that ordeal. I hope you are OK. I'm curious what happened but I understand not wanting to say.
My wreck, and now this, are good reminders to be extra vigilant, for our own safety and to act as witnesses if others need us.
This kind of stuff does keep people off of bikes. I take my kids on rides to parks and bike trails (we have some nice Rail to Trail trails around here) instead of road rides - although out here in Amish country it might not be so bad due to the buggies being on the road. E-mail me the details when you feel up to it.
Joy
Good on you for making a scene about it. JAMs need to get taken off the road. It doesn't matter if it's because of racial hate, inattention, or road rage. Driving is not a right, and motorists own a car, not the road.
with my commuting thus far this summer. Yesterday was the first time that an inattentive driver for the local utility company turned out in front of me without even a gesture of apology, just a look of annoyance. And today a driver caught me off guard...I was riding a busy road I would normally avoid, but due to traffic reroutes I was forced to ride it, so I was unfamiliar with the pothole situation and while trying to swerve around a doozy I nearly got sideswiped by this guy passing way too close. Oh, and I got yelled at by some numbskull while transporting my kids in a designated bike lane! Man did I want to chase him down and educate him, but I thought better of it.
A passing truck driver yelled the traditional, "Get the F*&$ off the road!" I waved at him using all five fingers - for emphasis. Let anger shorten his life, not mine.
wow, don't you have all the luck.
Hope you're okay and don't have any broken bones because of it.
Congratulations on your 250th day, Jon! Sorry to hear that it resulted in a police report. (In Nevada, the driver could be charged with a felony.) I hope you're okay. I just want you to know that reading your blog has really inspired me. I have challenged myself to ride my bike or to use public transportation (or both!) to get around town. When school starts this fall (I'm a teacher), my plan is to continue this challenge. Thank you for the inspiration and keep up the good work!
Congrats on 250....wait a minute, that was three days ago. Happy 253!
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