Thick Skin
It’s not good to honk at a cyclist because, well, it’s startlingly loud:
I can understand the need to communicate, but horns don’t do the trick. But even when some folks use their words, they don’t really do much better…
So when find myself the target of horns or yells, I simply don’t respond.
They’re not looking for a reasonable conversation. And engaging with them might make it worse. I don’t really want to see how unreasonable things could go.
After all, does this ever happen?
So I try to let it go.
I try to ignore the few horns directed to me; it’s too easy to get worked up and lower oneself to the honker’s angry plane. On the bright side, it does mean that s/he’s seen me so I am not going to get hit by that car. Sometimes one can tell tone/volume variation by how the horn is hit – an impatient horn vs. what is meant to be a friendly (albeit usually unnecessary) warning.
I wish cars were equipped so that the horn was just as loud inside and the lights flashed outside; one could then identify the honker who is often anonymous in stopped traffic. Then (oh fantasy!) the police would be there, see the offender and cite him or her for unnecessary honking.
On our part, the same goes to how aggressively or lightly we ring our bells when warning pedestrians on shared paths that we are approaching from the rear.
Struck a chord as the London Cycling Campaign recently posted this: http://LDN.in/E2c1S2
Confound expectations!
whenever someone honks at me I honk like a goose back at them.
You know why cows wear bells, right?
Their horns don’t work.
I agree that the “zen way” is the way to play it on the road. I am fortunate not too see much road rage while on the bike.
Perhaps because I am a Clydesdale (albeit a gentle one) I don’t get alot of comments from drivers or perhaps its because I live in the uber polite Seattle area or maybe a combination. Then again maybe its the “Escaped Mental Patient” emblazoned on the back of my T shirt???
But provoking rude drivers is so much fun.