Driver's etiquette, apparently harder than it looks...

Hello, friends! 

As I've been biking more and more, one of the disturbing things I've noticed is that while the City of Columbia is very bike friendly (plenty of bike lanes and things of that nature), the drivers of the City of Columbia are less so.  I don't want to bunch everyone together because of a few bad apples, but a trend that I have noticed is that there are three types of drivers when it comes to biker relations. 

Type one: The courteous driver.  This is the driver that slows down when they pass, and make sure that they move over a full lane (if possible) so as to give everyone ample room to share the road.  The courteous driver is a favorite around here at Penny Peddling Headquarters.  Unfortunately, these are a minority in the great city of CoMo. 

Type two: The oblivious driver.  This is easily the most common of the drivers in CoMo.  The oblivious driver doesn't care that there are bikes on the road.  It isn't that they oblivious drivers are being mean to bikers; they simply do not notice them until very late.  These drivers are usually characterized by high speeds upon passing and late lane changes to avoid that bike that "came out of nowhere."

Type three: The belligerent driver.  Unlike the oblivious driver, who simply drives as if bikes are not on the road, the belligerent driver seems almost offended by the fact that a bike would dare impede upon his or her (usually his) driving space.  There is only one course of action; retribution must be paid.  These are the guys who honk to try and scare bikers and yell things out the window as they pass and extremely dangerous speeds.  The belligerent driver cares not for the biker.  In fact, he wishes the biker were off the road completely.

Unfortunately, I've seen too much of my share of the belligerent driver here in CoMo.  I have been honked and laughed at, screamed at in passing in an attempt to scare me, and even once called a homophobic slur.  There is always a temptation to catch them at the next stop light and ask them what the deal is, but the occasion never arises, as they are going at very high speeds. 

So, the moral of the story is simple: be nice to your bikers.  We're doing our best to share the road with you.  The least you could do is return the favor. 

Here are today's stats:
Places traveled: Plasma, Parkade, campus, church, campus, and Bengals
Distance traveled: 13.8 miles ($1.24)
Meter: 3 hours on campus ($3)

Grand Total for the day: $4.24
Grand Total so far: $54.48
Left to save: $527.12

Happy Biking!

~Adam