hood@aieio.DEC (My favorite dwarf is Grumpy.) (02/26/86)
All this talk about an intimidating image! Geez. S'pose Sylvester Stallone'll play me in the movie version of my life? He'll be riding around on my bike with a few rounds of ammo hanging off his shoulders, tattoes on his arms, and blood pouring from his chest! Wow! Every mall rat from Bangor to Boise'll love me forever. f'kn awesome! Maybe not. I've noticed that a certain amound of intimidation is helpful (let those folks know you're looking at them. Turn you head and glare...) but I find that people don't crowd me if I do things like yield the right-of-way to cars at side streets (with big, sweeping hand gestures), stop for pedestrians, and obey the speed limit. Natch, none of this goes on the highway, but I've noticed that in heavy city traffic, the cars around you tend to tread you as almost a human being. (And they do notice people crossing the road just a little bit in front of them. Super courteous in city traffic. Rambo on the highway. Tom Hood, Bike in garage waiting for spring. DEC, Littleton, Mass.
tjsmedley@watmum.UUCP (Trevor J. Smedley) (02/27/86)
> stop for pedestrians,
The last time I stopped at a crosswalk was when some idiot stopped
about 4 feet beyond where my back wheel had been before I saw her
coming in my rearview mirror. Sure did scare the pedestrians; First I
stop and let them get part way across, and then I take off when
they're right in front of me.
What really bothered me (besides almost having my bike wrecked..) was
that the crazy lady started yelling at me for being in her way. It's
amazing how quickly people shut up when you get off your bike in the
middle of the street. Unfortunately this method if intimidation only
works when you're stopped.
Trevor J. Smedley University of Waterloo
{decvax,allegra,ihnp4,utzoo}!watmum!tjsmedley