I’ve witnessed the epitome of idiocy on a bike in Richmond, and while I was witnessing it and telling myself and my daughter there is no way it could get any more dangerous, it did. I’d like to share it with you.
As I was driving with my daughter we were stopped at a red light on No. 1 Road one evening. It’s the light just north of Seafair Shopping Centre, and it’s more of a crosswalk, really. Still, as we were sitting there, a bike blew by us on the right side and went right through the red light. As bad as that is, it’s nothing compared to the rider himself. As the light turned green we started driving and were able to witness this: A teenage boy in his t-shirt and jeans, not wearing a helmet, wearing large headphones over his ears, riding with no hands on the handlebars, holding his phone in his lap, looking down at it without any lights on his bike.
I think we can all agree how dangerous this is. Now, this is exactly the person that gives all bike riders a bad name.
I mentioned earlier the situation would get worse, and it sure did. Enter the vigilante motorist. As a cyclist if there’s one thing I’ve learned that you never, ever do when you are driving a vehicle: Never drive up behind a cyclist and hit your horn. If you spook a cyclist, it doesn’t take much for them to accidentally weave off the road, or worse, into traffic. Still, this motorist wanted to take it up a few notches. We were still behind the cyclist in the right lane when a lady passed us on the left. When she saw the boy on the bike, she slowed down to our speed and seemingly figured that two wrongs must make a right, and set out to teach this guy a lesson. Or something.
She accelerated her car, then suddenly blasted her horn, and cut in front of the cyclist at the same time. It was the most irresponsible thing I’ve ever seen a motorist do to a cyclist. And I’ve seen it all, or thought I had. In an instant. the boy on the bike dropped his phone, hit his brakes, flying off his seat and into his bars bringing him to a stop soon after. Of course a chain reaction was in order. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid running into him, and the screech of brakes behind me let me know luckily, the motorist behind me was paying attention. The lady in the car drove off, proud of herself I’m sure for removing that nasty problem on Richmond’s streets. How wrong she was.
Geordie McGillivray is an avid Richmond cyclist. His column appears regularly in the Richmond News.
