I was on the receiving end of some harassment from a jackass motorist this morning.
Somehow whilst filtering a long queue of stationary traffic, I WAS AT FAULT for holding this good fellow up on his school run, he blasts his horn twice and gestures at the new cycle superhighway chock full of parked cars and 5 year olds running up the hill whilst looking the other way. This isn't the first time this has happened to me here. At school drop off hour, it often makes more sense to descend on the road. Mr motorist took umbrage to my free flowing movement through traffic as I filtered back into line in front of him to allow oncoming cars to pass and decided to take his frustrations out on me. That's when the horn blasts started.
Two long sharp blasts. I turn round to humour him but stay quite happily in place whilst traffic moves on SLOWLY, still more gesturing and tooting from our friend. I started to get mad, he got the one finger salute. Traffic means he's going nowhere. He then starts revving his engine. Rather than sit and wait for the potential nutcase to ram me from behind, I pick up my bike and get alongside him for a chat. He's now shouting out of the open windows for me to get off the road and onto the cyclepath.
"Err no mate, I'm fine right where I am. I'm perfectly entitled to ride on the road and there's no law that states I must ride on the cycle path."
"Yes there is!".
"No there isn't!"
"Oh yes there is, get off the road!"
...as you can imagine, I know I am now dealing with brain deficit disorder. I was getting exasperated, I was about to drop it and cycle off to the path rather than hang around in traffic, but am left thinking why should I be intimidated and change my course, so I stay put. He then starts revving aggressively again, though I not sure why because there's only 2 meters of clear road ahread. At this point, the blokes 4 year old in the front seat looks like he's about to cry. I point out how his behaviour is intimidating not only me but his own child and he's causing a scene outside the schools on the road. The traffic then starts to inch forward so he moves forward 2 meters at speed and almost collides with the van infront where I had been moments before. I set off to carry on past the twunt and the horn starts again and more abuse out of the window.
I couldn't resist.
"Listen mate, sort yourself out. I can cycle here, and the only one breaking the law is you blasting your horn, haven't you read the highway code."
"Get off the road, you are holding me up." More revving. Traffic in front going nowhere fast.
"You don't own the road. I'm perfectly entitled to ride here, in any case you are getting nowhere with this traffic."
"I do own the road!".
Sadly, today was the one day this year I forgot to mount my camera. He could have been the next Ronny Pickering. Traffic starts moving again at pace and he charges off 50 meters down the road, I keep up and he turns off into a school car park. I decide to follow him and finish this conversation.
Now he was stationary in the car park, he doesn't seem so brave, his revving and shouting isn't so helpful when he has to get out of his car to be greeted by a muscular 6'2" bloke. I tap on the window and say:
"We really need to talk about the highway code mate."
"I'm calling the police, you are intimidating me!"
"Please do call the police, I'll wait here for them with you, I'm sure they will be interested to hear about your harassing cyclists with your horn and revving your engine loudly whilst stationary in traffic. They might also be interested in your missing front number plate and bald tyres".
At this point a fellow cyclist who was a few cars back but had heard the commotion pulls up to check I was ok.
The bloke at this point is clearly cowering in his car and winds his window up, his son looking scared. He sits there for 30 seconds hoping for me to give up and leave. I didn't and he eventually works up the courage to open the window again. I explained I wasn't there to hurt anyone but wanted to point out how idiotic his behaviour was. The bloke decides he doesn't want to talk anymore and then gets out of his car but still threatening to call the police. I welcomed him to call them again. He didn't. He than starts bleating on about how he only wanted me to get out of his way because he was running late.
/facepalm.
"Oh right, why didn't you say so!"
At this point I realise I'm just wasting my time and cycle off with the other fellow to lambast some people's absolute stupidity. Now I realise that this is rarely worth the effort, and there's an element of risk challenging these idiots, but I was in front of him and vulnerable, and when he drove off to the car park he wouldn't have a motor to threaten me with. Given that he felt intimidated by a bloke on a bike, I imagine he might not be so 'brave' next time. It just makes me cross really.
just love London sometimes!
