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AITA?
Am I the Ass-hole?
two drivers meet on a country lane and decide to have a chat as I approached, yesterday.
I get pissey about this situation when it happens because I'm pretty sure if it was two cyclists, we'd get some pretty intolerant or even dangerous behaviours from drivers.
I always say on here that in every encounter, be it with drivers or peds, (yesterday was a mixed road and gravel route) I try to act in a way that might make them better (e.g. courtesy, aware) for the next cyclist they encounter.
The guy I engaged with was more stupid and puerile than hostile, but I wonder if I've made us an enemy there now.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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10 comments
I'd actually assume that the chat was about a situation up ahead. One driver letting the other know that the road is blocked or some other problem especially on a narrow country lane. Might be worth being patient just in case. In any event were you on a time trial or emergency response? If not, relax and go with the flow.
I can promise you it wasn't that - but one to bear in mind for when it's mine and another cyclist's turn to block the road.
Dave, you know it doesn't work like that...
I too have come across drivers blocking the road just to have a friendly chat, and taxi drivers blocking a cycle route to do the same.
Pfft....
If there was enough room on the lane for the two cars to pull next to each other to have a chat, there's probably enough room to get by. Most car drivers never seem able to manouvere their vehicles in tight spaces so there are always gaps.
However, if they were being inconsiderate and were that close I'd have just smashed through the middle taking a door mirror off each of them while effing and jeffing at them in a condscending voice
That's not quite the attitude I was hoping for (though I may well have been guilty of similar attitudes in the past).
Maybe. What did you actually say or do?
There's a big difference between "can I get through?" and "MOVE YOUR [expletive deleted] CAR, YOU [expletive deleted]".
Owd Big 'Ead has pretty much summed it up - there's always a gap: there was, created by the car that pulled up next to the first. I called out "behind" to the left-hand driver, who was out of his pick-up, he said something like "pardon?" in a slightly sarcastic/arsey tone, looking for offence, and I repeated the warning before I went through.
You know the sound they did on Shooting Stars when they each hold up a woman's handbag* - he did that, twice. Actually, it's quite satisfying that I reduced him to that, that was his best comeback, that silly sarcasm people do when they know fine they're in the wrong.
Worrying that this man-child drives a 2 tonne pick-up and has had his likely prejudice confirmed, that cyclists are all impatient ass-holes, unlike The Squirrel. But I still don't think he'd have been full of grace if he'd have encountered two bikes randomly blocking the road for him.
* https://youtu.be/8xm6pK-j-yM - 4' 30" and again just after 5'
I'd go with yes.
Whilst the drivers may have been inconsiderate, they weren't endangering anyone so I reckon let them have their chat for a few seconds, maybe up to a minute. I'd most likely have gone with a polite "excuse me, can I squeeze past?" as there's nearly always room to get a bike through.
Compare your reaction/attitude to the same situation if a couple of people in a supermarket were chatting and had blocked an aisle with their trolleys.
"Compare your reaction/attitude to the same situation if a couple of people in a supermarket were chatting and had blocked an aisle with their trolleys."
That deserves the death penalty. The road blockers, slightly less so.
Unfortunately I can't just push one of the cars to the end of the lane with my pushbike!