Tag: Morons in our Midst

These are my rants about those who I think are morons.

Pinch Commuting

This morning, while riding to work, I discovered the ultimate way to make yourself wake up quickly. Sox, this post you may want to skip.

Take one commuter on his way to work, mix in a pickup, sprinkle with a turn in the road, and top it all with wet pavement. Sound like a tasty treat? Read on for the whole story.

I was riding to work this morning, and came very close to getting pinched by a truck. It was close. Very, very close. As in, I was scared close (and that takes a lot). I was going downhill on Esquimalt, just about to cross under the train tracks. I was slowing for the corner, and a pickup started to pass me. Instinctively I put my hands on the brakes. The truck was already too close for my comfort and a right hand turn was coming up. I started to slow since something felt off. Sure enough the truck started to move right and pinched me into the curb.

I hit the brakes hard and yelled. Truck didn’t move left at all. The driver didn’t even know I was there (remember he had just passed me?). I was on a damp patch of road, on a turn. My back tire locked up, and my bike slid left a little. My bars (on a road bike) were inches from the truck, and my momentum was going left on a right hand turn.

Thankfully my balance was good, and I avoided hitting the truck. Damn I was pissed though. The truck got away from me a bit, and I wanted to chase him down so badly. I was still upright, and I was still rolling.

I regained my composure, with copious amounts of adrenaline flowing through my body. My legs were shaking. I took a few deep breaths, reminded myself that I was OK and not hurt, and continued my commute.

I saw the truck stopped due to construction stopping traffic. I was tempted to talk to the driver, but I didn’t. I gave him a dirty look as I rode by, but neither the driver, nor the passenger were paying attention.

In retrospect I wish I had at least said something cordial to the driver, and reminded them to be more cautious. A few minutes later I arrived at work, thankful I was still in one piece.

The hardest thing about commuting isn’t the riding, it is dealing with the other crap on the roads.

Moron Approaching

I got something to say here. To the drivers of vehicles on the streets of Victoria, get your heads out of your collective asses.

It’s not that hard to be a safe driver, and yet, there are lots of examples of stupidity by careless and clueless drivers. Since I am now a regular cyclist this trend scares me, and I know it scares Sox too.

My Friday commute home was a prime example of what makes me irate. 3 incidents in a 10 minute ride.

The first was as I was climbing a hill on Esquialt Road and approached Tyee, an SUV passed me with their right turn blinker on. No big deal since there was lots of room for them to get past me and make the corner. Stupid lady driver stops and looks back through her vehicle at me. She was wanting me to pass her on the inside. I had to stop and wait on the uphill. Why do people think this is a god idea? Pass a cyclist then stop on a busy road to let the cyclist pass them? Yeah, good idea moron.

The next incident was by a cab. Again on Esquimalt I approached Dominion the stupid taxi driver started to pass me with his turn signal on, I saw this and began to wonder. Sure enough cabbie turns in front of me, cutting me off, forcing me to grab the brakes. I yelled at him, something along the lines of “what the fuck are you doing”. One of the fares in the cab then gave me the finger. I was pretty displeased by that act, so I read the plate, and started reciting it over and over the rest of the ride.

The last incident was at the 4 way stop by my house. When it was my turn to go I noticed another car aproach the stop. Before I knew it they were taking a left turn to end up in the same direction I was going (I was going straight). I yelled Hey at the lady, and she didn’t react. I yelled again and finally she looked over and was shocked that I was there (she ended up driving down the center of the road for a bit).

In none of these incidents was I in any real danger but this is only because I was on the lookout for these moronic episodes. I just hope my luck won’t run out. All it will take is one slip up by me or someone else, and I will have a much more somber post here.

If you drive, please be aware of cyclists. Don’t do stupid things around them. Give cyclists the room on the road they deserve. Don’t pass a cyclist that is approaching an intersection. Slow down a little and let them have the right of way. It won’t cost you any real time on your trip, but it will cause less stress for the cyclist. Share the road. There is plenty of it out there for everyone.

Surreptitiously Copyrighted

It amazes me to no end how greedy and stupid record companies have become, and how ignorant they seem to be of the facts. Why would any company or store knowingly punish their customers?

If you haven’t been following the online uproar recently, Sony has released a bunch of CD’s that contain more than just music. These CD’s surreptitiously install evil software onto windows machines even if the user declines this. The software opens up backdoors into the computer, and hides itself from the operating system. This introduces huge security vulnerabilities, and many also consider this spyware. Sony claims that they do nothing with the data they receive, but my thoughts are that they do nothing now. This is all in a misguided attempt to prevent people from ripping the music and sharing it. Yes, they are trying to prevent the people who actually bought the music from using it the way they want to.

I spend a lot of money on music, only so I can be treated like a thief? I buy a product, and the seller assumes I will do the worst with it? Backwards in my mind. Some CD’s get it right though. Bonus material on a disc, and access to content online using the CD as a key are a couple ways to entice people to purchase the CD. I have several CD’s like this. Very nice. That is the way to treat someone.

The latest thing I have read about is record companies shutting down websites and software developers that distribute lyrics for songs. I’m sorry, but that is asinine. The record companies claim they are infringing copyrights. Read here for some background. While I understand that songs and music are copyrighted, whatever happened to treating customers respectfully? I don’t see how these lyrics providers could cause less albums sales? Quite often lyrics aren’t provided in CD’s. Band websites quite often don’t have this information. Why can’t a third party provide it? Someone clue me in to why record companies feel this threatens them and their industry?

I like supporting the artists, but I hate supporting crap like this. Most of the money that I pay for a CD does not go towards the artist. Some of the money that I pay will go towards badly designed DRM, and lawsuits. That sickens me. Almost to the point where I want to stop buying CD’s. Do you think the record companies realize this? I doubt it. Frustrating.

As a photographer I also have to consider my own artwork. I know I would feel disgusted if people were stealing my products. However, I would never pollute my products with something to destroy someones computer. I wouldn’t try to shut down peoples interaction with my product because someone might do something wrong. I recognize it is a thin line, but I think that record companies are on the wrong side. Unfortunately it is going to take something big to make them change their ways.

Magical Dropping

something about this post should be pretty and nice

What is the magical date that turns people into from nice, easy going Victorians, into crazed, maniacal drivers with no regard for others on the road?

Why does it always seem to occur right after Halloween?

Why do people return to normal after Christmas?

Why are people such fucks during the “holiday season”?

It drives me nuts. Today I encountered some of the most inconsiderate driving I have seen since last Christmas. Cutting people off, running red lights while oncoming traffic is trying to clear the intersection, taking up multiple parking spots, cutting people off in parking lots, not driving on the correct side of lanes in a parking lot, coming up on someone’s bumper while they were trying to parallel park (this happened to me), and not letting people merge in nicely. Those are all things I witnessed today while dropping off movies, and making a quick stop at Canadian tire. I was out of the house for just over an hour!

Holy crap. No wonder I hate Christmas shopping. I will have to deal with this more often, until Christmas is over. Rrrg. Perhaps now I will get my butt in gear and finish my shopping early this year.

Stupidity Glare

Today was my last day for BtWW. I thought I had gotten through the week with only seeing a little stupidity, but today I saw two more incidents. I am still shaking my head.

The first was a little red car on Broughton right before Wharf. At first all I saw was garbage truck backing up, but that turned out to be to let oncoming traffic by since the red car was stopped. As I approached, the red car started backing up, evee though there were no reversing lights on the car. I stopped in the middle of the lane, ad car length back. I couldn’t see what the driver was doing, because of glare on the rear window, but I did see an arm flying about. This chick was wacked. She would back up a few feet, stop, then wave her arm about. I finally figureed out that she had missed her turn, and was trying to back up the road to get to it. By this point there were other cars behind me. Despite thinking otherwise I got on my bike, and rode around this crazy woman. As I was passing she was rolling down her window. Not sure what she was trying to accomplish. I think she missed the turn into a parking garage. My strongest advice to her would be to fix her reverse lights, and next time go around the block. It would have taken less time.

Not two blocks away was incident 2. I was riding along Wharf at a pretty good clip, with no traffic around me. As I got close to the cross walk at the foot of Yates a pedestrian approached. Before I knew it, dippy stepped off the curb and crossed right in front of me. Dippy never looked left before crossing the street! Dumbass. I was in a high gear, and never got to gear down before stopping for this guy. Taking off was difficult.

Two clueless people withing a couple blocks within a few minutes.

Curb Maneuver

With Bike to Work Week upon us again, there are a lot more cyclists out riding the streets. I am participating in BtWW, like I have in previous years. Most of the time riding the roads is fine, but every once in a while you run into someone who just doesn’t get it.

Today was that day.

I was riding home from work along Esquimalt road. As the light at Head turned red, I stopped in the right hand lane, about a metre from the curb (as is suggested by the BtWW pamphlet).

From the left hand lane a minivan starts creeping right, and ends up diagonal across my lane. I look at the driver (male around late 20’s I would guess), who looks back at me. The passenger is looking at me like I am an idiot. I watch incedulously as said futtbuck motors around the corner, then honks at me. Apparently he wanted me closer to the curb so he could get by. Lameass.

Why do people do crap like this? I hope it isn’t to save time since he would have only saved 30 seconds or so. People tend not to do stupid actions like this when there is a motorbike in the same situation, so why do it to a cyclist? Use your head and think a little.

Then, while I was waiting for the light at Esquimalt and Lampson I can see that in the cross traffic someone was turning left. The traffic behind them was changing lanes into the right turn only lane, and proceeding through the intersection. One guy in the opposing traffic almost got smacked because he turned left also, but someone had done the deak maneuver, so both cars honked at each other.

Morons.

Sandwiched Hindrance

lock em away for good

Tuesday, while walking back to work from my car after lunch, I saw the after effects of a fender bender.

A Toyota truck was pulling out from the curb. Sandwiched into the driver side front tire was a Subaru Outback (or some similar car). Looks like either the pickup driver didn’t look for traffic, or the Subaru didn’t stop for the truck pulling out.

The thing that makes them morons is that they left their vehicles like that, blocking the entire lane in the middle of downtown Victoria, while tourist season is starting to pick up. Traffic was starting to pile up, yet the drivers were just standing there looking at the vehicles.

I took a peek as I walked by, and could see some sheet metal damage, but no obvious hindrance to the driveability of either vehicle. Why not get the hell out of the way?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Endangering Ontario

Most of my stories here revolve around the moronic things I see in the drivers around me on the streets of Victoria. This is no exception.

While driving along Esquimalt Ave on my way to Thrifty’s tonight I ran across yet another moron endangering peoples lives.

I approached a section of road where the lane is very wide. It is wide enough for two cars, but it is a residential area, so the right side is generally for parking. I see this van coming up behind me and moving over to the right. I figured he would be turning right at the next intesection. Passing through it, I can see that he is not slowing to turn.

I then think to myself, maybe he is going to park soon. As he passes me, I can see he isn’t. He passes one more van in front of me (everyone but this yahoo from Ontario is doing 50 km/h) then guns it and speeds up. He passes one more vehicle, then cuts them off (there was a car parked in the way on the right). He then has to slow down due to other traffic in front of him.

In the end the moron from Ontario ended up in the Thrifty’s parking lot. I managed to park, and get out of my car before dippy had even found a parking spot.

Approached Incredulously

Fort Rodd Hill Lighthouse

Last Saturday when I drove Suede to the airport, I experienced yet another instance of moronic driving. To be fair, it was an older gentleman driving, but still, his inattentiveness could have killed someone.

It was still early, and very dark out. As I approached the airport, the speed zone on the highway was 90 km/h. Of course I was doing something close to that, but I was in the left lane since the left turn lane was opening soon. As I was nearing the left turn lane, said gentleman moves over from the right lane to the left lane. No big deal, he was doing 80 km/h (maybe a bit less). I figured he was also going to the airport.

As I was slowing, the left turn lane opened, and I moved over into it. I expected the other driver to do the same. I was wrong. Halfway down the left turn lane (now that the lane marker line was solid) he puts his left turn signal on. Again I figured he would move over, and again I was wrong. As we approached the left run lane’s stop line, he hadn’t moved over. I left plenty of room in front of me so he could get over, but this guy stopped dead on the highway! Incredulously I watched this guy in the left lane of the highway, with his lef turn blinker on. If anyone came up on him at 90 km/h they wouldn’t have much time to change lanes or stop. I honked a few times, but there was no recognition. I honked longer, and he made a half hearted attempt a changing lanes. Now he was half inthe left turn lane, half on the highway.

Suede suggested I just move up to the sensor and trip the left turn light. As I crept forward, the guy also moved over a little more. Thankfully the left turn signal went green before anything bad could happen. I did everything I could to indicate to the other guy that they were wrong. Thankfully it was very early on a Saturday morning, and not many people were out driving yet. It could have been a very messy situation.

Opposing Signal

a 4 way light

Today while driving home I witnessed some pure brilliant driving skills. Yup, it was at a 4 way stop. I don’t know about the readers here, but I consider 4 way stops pretty easy to figure out.

One of the nice things that I like to see at a 4 way stop, is that if it makes sense, the opposing lanes can both go at the same time, as long as neither of them are turning left.

Well today a guy in a BMW in front of me gets to the stop line. After the cross traffic goes he starts out into the intersection, but rather slowly. There are no turn signals, and he looks to be going straight through.

The oncoming driver then decides he is going to go. Just as the oncoming driver starts, the BMW guy slams on his brakes and comes to a complete stop in the middle of the intersection, and mouths off to the oncoming driver (he also threw in a couple choice hand gestures). The oncoming driver has a few choice words as well.

The way I see it, the BMW guy definitely should have used a turn signal to let everyone know what he was doing. Also, the other driver should have waited a little longer before starting to really ensure he knew what the BMW guy was doing. Both of them fail the 4 way stop test!