Road raves (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Road raves

11:21am Wednesday 5th November 2008

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You can go quite a while to and froing on a bike to work without incident.

Then, like buses, a few things seem to happen at once.

In just one evening, I was verbally scorned twice by passing pedestrians.

First, as I waited at traffic lights to turn right, an 11 or 12-year-old ran past behind and told me to "get moving, before I knock you off your bike". Charming.

Then, not half a mile later, a young couple sauntered in front of me in that confrontational kind of way and, as I slowed and manoeuvred around them at pretty slow pace (it was uphill) the bloke muttered that I "should be done for dangerous driving".

Double charming.

Then, barely a few days later, an in-a-hurry driver pulled out of a side road yards in front of me, looking at me straight in the eye, but obviously deciding he had time to nip out in front… and then got stuck half way across the road, blocking my way.

Good job I have decent brakes, or his gleaming motor would have had a few scratches and scrapes.

Perhaps my very bright flashing light and high-viz coat weren’t bright enough for him to see me.

Or perhaps, like the others, he was just an idiot.

Thank God that about 99 per cent of other drivers appear to be courteous and bike aware.