Amusing, futile, depressing? I don't know.
This evening after collecting a friend on the way home, we stop at a set of lights. There is a bus on our inside. My mate fairly shifts away from a standing start and I struggle to keep up with him - me, I leave greased weasel sh*t standing. We're in a pretty comfortable place to be even if we might be considered to be splitting a lane. After a while a very noisy motorbike pulls up behind us.
"Give me some space!"
This is a little bemusing. Whilst my friend is executing what may seem to be an unnecessary track stand, it is one of the elements that contributes to his prodigious acceleration. Me, I'm standing astride my bike. Neither of us are particularly manoeuvrable in a lateral or rearward direction. Acceding to the motorcyclist's wishes is only ever going to deliver any worthwhile satisfaction if judgement is constrained to Benny Hill style comedic opportunity.
I say: "Don't worry! You'll be past us soon enough."
"What if I say 'fark off!'?" shouts the motorcyclist.
My mate, somewhat inconsiderately, finds this quite amusing and laughs. To be fair there's really not much we can do to help.
The lights change. We pull away and I wait for the loud, close and unnecessary pass.
It doesn't happen. We're two hundred yards down the road and firmly ensconced in the left turn filter lane before the rider roars past at a speed completely incompatible with complying with the red signal ahead of him. He snakes to a halt in front of the car that was crossing the junction on green, before accelerating again to the back of the queue that waits just beyond.
I'm pretty sure I've met him before:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zgMMOKsWd0
If it's worth it, I think he's mellowed over the last four years.
