Spock Misses The Point

I have to admit.  Before I began cycling to work I didn’t look out for cyclists as much.  In fact, I felt a little impatient with them being slower than cars.  Of course, they always ended up zipping pass me to the front of the jam which I was stuck in anyway.  So my impatience never really lasted.  However after having a few close calls with cars as a cyclist I have become much more aware of, and have more consideration for, cyclists.  Partly because I’m more aware of how vulnerable cyclists really are against cars, and also because I am now more in tune with how they move through traffic.

Not all drivers are bad.  In my experience, most drivers in Sydney are quite reasonable.  It’s the occasional aggressive drivers that one needs to keep an eye out for, whether we are in a car or on a bike.  There’s just less protection when you’re on a bike.

In both cases, I’m glad there were people who had the presence of mind to document it with their cameras.

This happened in Sydney, Australia.  It seems the driver used his vehicle to rear-end the cyclist.  Check out the damage on the rear wheel.  This doesn’t look like a nudge or a bump.  Perhaps the guy wasn’t familiar with the movement of bicycles and braked too late.  Even assuming that as the case, there was certainly no need for his abuse and his attempt to get away.  Click on the photograph to read more about it and see more shots of the incident.

This happened in Toronto.  The driver threw rubbish out.  A courier woman who dislikes littering threw it back in.  He got out and physically attacked her.  Read the discussion (which includes a more detailed version of the incident as told by the courier women), look at the photographs, and make up your own mind.

Technorati Tags: agression, Flickr, photo, photography, road rage