What are your favourite non-confrontational ways to respond? : bikecommuting

[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 6 days ago (1 children)

One time I was biking on a residential road and slowed down to enter a roundabout, and the driver behind me laid on the horn, so I stopped my bike in the middle of the lane and turned my head to face him.

He opened his door, so I stood up and laid my bike down.

He stayed behind his open car door and said

you're lucky I don't have my glock on me

and I responded

You could just hit me with your car

And he just gently got back in his car without saying anything else (and did not, thankfully, decide to hit me with his car)

[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That is seriously badass.

[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 6 days ago

Lol thanks I was manic

[–] lgsp@feddit.it 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Interesting!

Please add link to source, they deserve it: https://www.systemcomic.com/2011/02/28/the-system-472-road-sage/

[–] comfy@lemmy.ml 3 points 6 days ago

Thanks, that original is much easier to read.

[–] GuelphOnTwoWheels@guelph.social 1 points 5 days ago

@lgsp @lgsp Thank you! I found this image elsewhere on the interwebs without a source. The author, SystemComic, deserves credit.

[–] mdurell@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

Blow them a kiss. 💋

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Just keep driving, don't make their problem your problem.

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

I like doing a thumbs down sometimes. It's simple gesture of disapproval that sticks.

[–] chromolium_falcon@lemmy.ml 5 points 6 days ago

Wave and smile, if they can hear you "plz don't kill anyone"

[+] pubquiz@lemmy.world -6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

What about when you are running a red left turn light on an 80kph divided highway and a driver sounds their horn to warn you that you're about to (1) commit a finable traffic infraction and (2) risk your life and the lives of oncoming drivers and passengers?

The answer is to moon the person warning you, flip them off, and cause right-of-way traffic to dangerously brake to let you proceed.

In other words: be a cyclist douchebag. Let the down-voting begin.

Next time I'll just photograph the skid marks, debris field, and still-warm corpse. Bare-assed, with a defiant middle finger extended.

Yea, fuck cars.

[–] comfy@lemmy.ml 5 points 6 days ago

Are you having a giggle, or are you really so negative that you assumed the cyclist must have done something wrong to get abused?

[–] Praxinoscope@lemm.ee 26 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I sometimes give them a big smile and thumbs up.

This can make them even angrier, but I also commute with a 360 camera on my helmet.

[–] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 13 points 6 days ago

I give people a thumbs down. I feel it's a much more scathing review than a middle finger.

[–] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I do this as well. If they honk to get around and we both meet at a red light, I just laugh at them and shake my head without looking at them.

[–] Naz@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

My go-to is to look confused because that's genuinely the reason most of the time, ex:

I was riding home in the bike lane minding my own business, when a black Toyota Highlander (big SUV) pulls up alongside me, windows rolled down, and a bunch of teenagers from the back yell: "Dickhead" at me.

I looked back at them genuinely confused because they went out of their way to not only insult some random person but also to do so with their windows rolled all the way down.

They giggled and sped off on their merry way, and my thought is, they're probably stoned or driving under the influence.

The suggestions about non-confrontation are fantastic, but what you're supposed to actually do is memorize faces, vehicle details, license plates, and cross streets

Their probations officer would probably not be too pleased to hear about a repeat DUI, but there's no way of knowing what happens to people in such circumstances 🤷‍♂️

[–] naeap@sopuli.xyz 5 points 6 days ago

Yeah, some people are just weird - especially in groups

I was hiking/tramping from France through Belgium to the Netherlands, and was just walking with my backpack along a country road, when suddenly I hear someone shouting something and next thing I know, they throw an empty beer can at me, while driving by

Don't understand how you can get so loaded and angry about what other people do, without being actually hindered.

[–] anarchrist@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago

That's my secret too: I'm always confused

[–] Mr_Blott 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Who the actual fuck would shout at a cyclist from their ca...

Oh right

Yous are fucking deranged barbarians, honestly

That's fucking inhuman

[–] Lennnny@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

I had a guy in a truck with a trailer towed behind overtake me on an uphill with a sharp drop-off. He barely moved over, so this wad of metal rumbled past me super aggressively, and as he passed me he laid on the horn.

He actively tried to intimidate me off the road, for no reason other than I was going bike speed and he didn't like waiting another three seconds to get to a safe passing point.

I actually pulled over and had a cry, I was so shaken by how cruel it was.

[–] JillyB@beehaw.org 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I'm not sure anyone has ever yelled at me for a car. I've had my bad experiences but I can't remember yelling.

Option 1: totally ignore them. Don't let them affect you and you can achieve inner peace.

Option 2: crush the white ceramic on a spark plug and carry a couple of the shards with you. When you throw this at their windshield it will instantly shatter.

[–] walter_wiggles@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 week ago

Pocket porcelain

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

I’ve never seen someone shatter a windshield with a chuck of ceramic, only the other windows, which have less reinforcement.

The other weapon of choice I’ve seen used is the u-lock.

[–] iamdefinitelyoverthirteen@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

So you're saying I should yell at bikes so I can see some titties?

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

depends on why they're yelling

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Tangentially related: https://lemmy.ml/post/21209537

[–] stuart@social.brainsys.com 2 points 6 days ago

@tetris11 @GuelphOnTwoWheels

I wish them a 'Merry Christmas' (except at Christmas time) and enjoy their confusion ;-)

Bike Commuting