The Unexpectedly Good and the Typically Bad

The Unexpectedly Good

I have been road biking in Texas for about three years now. During that time I have had nothing but negative or neutral experiences with Texas drivers. The most negative having been run off the road and into a ditch with absolutely no justification by a Texas A’ hole in a big truck just because he felt like it and figured, being out in the country and away from cops and other drivers, that he could get away with it. Less negative experiences include honking, being rushed at from behind and then hearing squealing brakes as they stop beside me long enough to roll down the window, give me the finger or swear at me, to just an impatient toot when I am not actually riding up on the curb to give the driver the full benefit of both empty lanes in his direction so that he can own the road.

Tuesday morning, returning from an early morning leg stretcher of 40 miles, I was stopped at a stop light. Have I mentioned that traffic lights in Texas at some intersections are quite long? Well, there I was, standing with one foot in my clips and one foot on the curb. When I heard the window of the black SUV next to me go down, I looked down and checked to see that I was in the gutter, not on the black top, and that I was not in a right hand turn lane, and unclipped my other foot getting ready to dodge flying objects if needed. Much to my shock and surprise, a very cordial voice from within the car called out good morning to me! When I bent over to look in, there was a businessman of about 45 smiling at me. He asked about my ride, where I had been, where I was going, how long it had taken me and so on. I asked him if he rode and he said no, he had always wanted to but couldn’t seem to find the time.

After another brief exchange of comments, the light changed and he waved me ahead of him through the construction of the intersection and then as the road widened pulled up alongside me, gave me a friendly wave and drove off.

Yes!!! At least one polite and friendly driver is alive and well and living in Texas. There is hope.

And the Typically Bad

Yesterday I was pulling out of a parking lot in a local suburb where I had driven to use as a different starting point for my ride. The driveway was mid block on a four lane highway with a center divider. As I pulled out into the right hand gutter, a truck about 300 yards back turned left onto the same street. He and I were the only traffic on that side of the street. The minute he had completed his turn he laid on his horn. As he pulled up directly behind me in the right hand lane, with an empty left lane beside him, he was still laying on the horn. As he passed me, still in the right lane and close enough that I was able to reach out a whack his truck with my fist, he was still laying on the horn, as he drove off ahead of me, cutting in close enough to the curb to run his tire partially up on the curb, he was still on the horn. Only when he reached the light about 500 feet ahead of me did he finally stop honking.

When I returned from my ride, several people from the coffee shop in the shopping center asked if the truck had been honking at me.

At times like this I remember that Texas is a right to carry a concealed weapon state. I wonder if I carried a gun (unloaded and probably fake) in the back pocket of my jersey with just the handle sticking out a bit, it would make any difference at all or would it make me more of a target?

Oh, for a superhero index finger of fiery doom. I promise I would use it responsibly, honest I would.