Keep Smiling
I admit that sometimes I get frustrated with biking in the city. There are days that bring out my inner curmudgeon and I feel like this guy:
But try not to put negativity out there. I don’t want a fight. So I try to stay positive. Sometimes I’m so positive it freaks the shit out of drivers. Like when a driver doesn’t see me and is about to left hook me…
When I wave to them all smiley they really don’t know what to make of it. They just look surprised and let me pass safely.
Try it sometime. Or feel free to experiment with your own positive reinforcement approach.
Well, maybe not this approach.
But you know what I mean. You’ll not only make others smile, you’ll cheer yourself up too.
I love this! I am the guy by the way flashing his man breast! Way to funny. lol
I use the nice approach too. Totally works!
Especially in rural areas, where you tend to be brush-passed by rednecks, I find the smile-and-wave to be particularly effective. Just the wave makes a huge difference in the number of feet in passing you are given. Waving at people who are waiting to get on the road (and you’re “in their way”) and giving a smile, also turns their scowl often into a returned. This is especially true on the tandem. The smile-and-wave transforms us from one of those damn bikes to a nice middle-aged couple that maybe they’d like to have as neighbors. Anything that turns us from an object into human beings nearly always translates into greater courtesy and consideration.
OMG this is one of your best posts yet.
Last week I was out cycling and I saw a guy pull up at the side of a dual carriageway and get out of his car. I stopped and asked if he was OK. He’d run out of fuel. He proceeded to open his boot and take out a plastic petrol can.
I had a bit of time so I offered to cycle off and get him some fuel, the nearest petrol station being about 2 miles away. He asked if I was sure and I said I’d be much quicker than him and could use the exercise. He passed me some cash and told me to fill the can.
Queuing to buy petrol on a bike was a strange experience, but I got him his fuel and cycled back. I felt good. He felt good. And I’m sure a few people in the petrol queue got a smile out of it too. We don’t need to be the guy in the picture at the top. We can be drivers’ friends and it will help bring peace and understanding to our roads.