I have the worst short term memory. Along with other things I am not to keen on about myself like directions, misplacing things or forgetting obvious things I need on a regular basis that one hurts me the most in dealing with road rage incidents. Friday riding with Brooke two times out near Burton we got buzzed by dump trucks. one of them was so close and going so fast for the first time I got blown off the road!! Thank goodness it was blown away not in. Dump trucks threatening cyclists. Its maddening.
Totally OT, but its not as if those guys arent well paid. Why blow a good paying job over a slow moving cyclits. For goodnesss sake they are usually the ones holding up traffic.
Riding with Dave Sunday there was the multiple a-holes buzzing us and yelling "Ride Single file". That ones getting really old, but I am hearing it more and more. The one guy was clearly speeding. I speed too, but I dont yell at someone for minor offenses when I know I am guilty of one at the same time. Sure if someones cutting through my street at 50mph (its a 25mph street with loads of kids) I yell SLOW DOWN.
Oh yeah the short term memory thing. One thing I have been trying to do is to read and recall license plates while driving. But damn if I forget to read them every time when I get buzzed. It turns out and I have yet to try it, but if you report the incidents to the local police sometimes some immediate action is taken.
That all by itself is enough to make it worthwhile. I am convinced of this because if we ALL take to this behavior maybe one or two guys will get reported several times and something can be done or at least a case can be built.
Yeah its an inconvenience which would be a deterrent for me to follow through, but its getting bad out there. I NEED to do something to help.
OH wait, i got it, bring a marker with me to write it down on ym arm or top tube...oh but wait, I'd just forget to bring one with me.
Come on brain cells.....get working!!
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Timely, but sad...
Subject: [Shaker Cycling] RECENT INCIDENT FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND
Some of us riding this past sunday had a very unpleasant experience with a driver on the road. I went out this past weekend at 7a.m. with lanny and the regular group and then looped back to meet the husband and wives group at 8a.m. at the circle. when we left the circle we were almost hit be a car going north on gates mills blvd. this driver came about 4-6 inches from my bike intentionally veering from the left lane into our lane and then speeding off. Craig Manchen and i gave chase but in my condition (older than dirt in your backyard) he was just too fast, got to gates mills circle (at som center road) and then sped off.
I found out today from Lanny today that another group of riders later that same sunday morning, (around 10:30 am.) were buzzed by the same driver, same car but going south on gates mills blvd. decided today with this info to go directly to the pepper pike police station, filed a complete report with them on a description of the car and the driver. In my line of work, we would call this past weekend's episode(s )a trend and pattern for a major unusual incident. In other words, this dude is "flippin nuts" and may escalate the buzzing to something more dangerous to us.
I spoke to sergeant Rich Thompson at the pepper pike police station tonight and he had a couple of suggestions. Put these phone numbers in your cell phones, pepper pike police direct line is 216-831-8500 and mayfield heights police is 440-449-1234. pepper pike will take the call for anything that occurs on gates mills blvd, south of cedar and mayfield heights will handle calls north of cedar all the way to the som center circle.Sergeant Thompson will assign a police car to cruise the blvd both on saturday and sunday mornings--i got him to commit to doing this service this week. neither of our groups this past weekend could get a license plate number (we were too busy trying to find our stomachs and slowing our heart rates to see much of anything) but here is the description i gave to the police tonight:
The driver is older, age 55-65, gray curly hair, partly bald, thick glasses
The car is a toyota corrolla, model year @ 93-96, four door, white in color.
The unique piece of info is the horn on the car sounds muted or muffled, almost like a horn on a small motorbike. He uses the horn before he comes upon the group, the sound is unmistakable and unusual.
This above info is in my report, the report number is 0850326 and is on file at the pepper pike police station, would someone please call pepper pike police if you see this vehicle. If you can help with this investigation it might save a rider.
Option B, is if you know this person or know anyone fitting this description or can follow him to his house, please call me as my cousins from Sicily are coming over to visit soon, Guiseppe and Vito, and they are looking for concrete jobs in the area.
Tony T.
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