There’s a well-known feud going on between cyclists and drivers. Even though most of them take turns being one or the other, whenever you find yourself on one side of the fence, you have to side with that gang.
Cyclists accuse drivers of not paying enough attention and endangering their safety with reckless maneuvers and their general self-sufficient attitude. On the other side, drivers say that cyclists are often a nuisance, they split lanes, pop up unexpectedly, don’t wear reflective clothes at night and don’t have any lights mounted on their bikes and, all in all, just make it very hard for those driving a vehicle to take care of them.
As is often the case, both sides are partially right just as well as both of them are partially wrong. But we’re not here to discuss that, we’re here to talk about a particular encounter between a driver and a cyclist.
We don’t know what the law is in every country, but it would make sense if it were the same everywhere: when using a pedestrian zebra, the cyclist is supposed to get off his bike and walk next to it. That’s perfectly logic: you cross the road on pedestrian marking, you act like one. This is one of those regulations meant to protect the cyclists, as the drivers don’t expect to see a fast-moving vehicle jumping in front of them where only pedestrians are supposed to cross.
On the other hand, if the traffic is already stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross, a cyclist could clear the road much more quickly if he or she stayed on the bike, while also not exposing themselves to any kind of danger, as the cars are already standing still. It’s a win-win situation for everybody, one of those situations where the law can be overlooked for the general gain of all those involved.
The clip below demonstrates one such situation, but this time the driver plays the role of the policeman and honks his horn, signaling the rider he’s in the wrong. The cyclist has the best possible reaction, mocking the driver’s exaggerated civic spirit by taking his bike back and crossing the road on foot, taking his time. He even mocks the driver by looking at his watch.
Well, the driver at least appreciates the show by having a good laugh, and by the tone of his voice we’d say he even realizes he was the main douche here. Even though, technically, he was right.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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