BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Oh goodness, will it come to this now?

I can only imagine what would have happened if you had been the one shooting photos of them not using a turn signal or failing to come to a complete stop…

Smile and wave. What is she going to do. Post your mug on her blog? Maybe there is a Scion-pgh forum where the users gripe about scofflaw cyclists.

If some car did something you recognize as dangerous, would it seem odd to take their photo with a helmet cam or something? I realize it isn't the same, and she probably put you in danger by cutting you off and driving close enough to take photos, which I see as more of a problem than actually taking photos.

http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf

I live on Boundary St, right next to that empty lot. If you ever get chased down here, hop the curb and duck into the alleyway next to 51 Boundary. It's an enclosed plaza that would allow you obscured access to Dilulus Way.

Kind of a goofy thing to say, but, if you need it, it's there.

Maybe she thought you were cute. Go check out Craigslist for a missed connection.

Thank you. It's good to know that there is a halfway house between my house and work. It isn't my normal route in so hopefully I won't see her again.

moon her.

If you believe that you did something inappropriate, and that you upset someone else by doing so, then an apology can help. I wouldn't make a big deal of it, or engage in dangerous behavior too do so, but if you can stop (say at a light) and engage the driver, and say something like "Hey, I'm really sorry that I failed to stop at the sign back there", it can go a long way.

In the same vein, when I chase down a driver who has endangered or upset me, I try to be calm and polite. "Hey, you may not realize this, but you were dangerously close when you passed me back there." I find that about half of the time, the driver apologizes, and looks genuinely apologetic. It may be goofy, but I usually feel better after those interactions. Plus, I have a vague feeling that the driver will leave the encounter both more aware of their actions, plus thinking that the cyclist wasn't a jerk.

(Most of the rest of the time, the driver won't engage at all - either engages in more dangerous behavior fleeing, or does the childish "I can't hear you" thing.)

next time take out your phone and start taking pictures right back or better yet, video so you can capture the moment perfectly.

So bizarre. The thing that cracks me up is that there is no anti red light running software that cars have that bikes don't. She had just as much ability to roll that red light that you did. It's not like there are police cars cracking down on drivers on every street corner and ignoring bikes. So odd why someone felt that this was such an obscene offense that she needed to track you down and take photos.

I understand that a lot of car drivers have a disdain for bikers that fly through traffic signals. I can see why someone who had a bad day would snap and do something like this. I hate when they do that too.

But, chasing a cyclist for MILES? Anger issues, man. It might not be the best thing to, but at that point, I would start trying to let them hit my bike. At least they'd be held accountable by then.

Or I'd end up like that biker that got hit and dragged for miles by that Fox News van driver.

You know what? I'm just going to go to sleep.

Edit: millvale and cypress

hahahaha I bet she called the cops while she was following you. Can you imagine how pissed off the dispatcher would be if you called to report that you were in hot pursuit of a light running cyclist.

spakbros: I was thinking the same exact thing. Why else would she slowly follow a bike?

She normally can't wait to get around a slower moving cyclist, now that she is on a vendetta it's OK.

I believe edmonds59 coined the term "traffic angel" for such vigilant citizens.

if i'm ever being hostily followed i just find the first one way street and go up it about200 ft, then pull a uturn.... or just go up it the wrong way. unless the person is crazy this will solve that problem quickly.

@mark - that's gotta be the Crazy Ivan of urban cycling. Well played, sir.

mark,

but then they'll take pictures of you going the wrong way down the street. being a traffic angel and all.

Ha ha. Exactly what I was thinking.

Let them take as many photos as they want. You really think they will get tickets issued showing up at the police station with a stack of blurry photos? If that were the case I'd equip my bike with a half a dozen video cameras capturing every angle of my commute, then stop in my local PD before I go to work to issue that day's bounty of citations.

a black scion XB with a lady driving it did this to me and a friend about a month ago. Had to be the same person.

I pulled up on sidewalk to adjust my seat, and got called the worst cyclist she has ever seen. Sorry next time I adjust my seat right in the traffic lane.

I think the worst I've had is a lady tell me "stop means stop" going down Mountain View Drive by Century III mall, where there are stop signs every 100 feet and no intersection traffic. I think I remember her running a stop sign to tell me that. If there's no opposing traffic and you can see far out, why not cross the intersection?

My favorite is a guy yelling at me in Bloomfield for blocking traffic because I stopped at a red light that he wanted to run, but couldn't because I had taken the lane.

So odd. Black Scion lady must have a vendetta against people who ride bikes.

Maybe it's performance art.

I walk around pretending a lot of the morons I see are actually brilliant performance artists.

Black Scion Lady sounds like an anime or something...

this reminds me of a kind of funny story where an older woman where i lived as a teenager hid in the bushes and took pictures of people running a particular stop sign all day (it was an easy one to run... i don't even know why it was there) and turned them all into the police, who just looked at hundreds of pictures of cars that looked like they were stopped at the stop sign because it was a sunny day and the shutter speed was so fast...

somehow it got into the paper and everyone had a good laugh... almost everyone at least.

i really want to run into this scion woman! i'm a little jealous.

Erl, Just out of curiosity, Scion xB v1.0 or 2?

Reminds me of this.

Laws can and sometimes should be changed.

So lemme see if I got this straight... you're riding along, maybe rolled through a stop or two - no big deal, right? The black scion has noticed, and starts following you taking pictures. Presumably the pictures are intended to authenticate some sort of claim that you, the cyclist, are "running" stop signs.

Sound about right?

Okay, so IF that is what the driver of the scion is doing - how do still photos of a cyclist prove anything as relates to stopping or not stopping at signs? (They don't.)

Further, even if it is a video camera, there are no identifying features on you or your bike for any law enforcement agency to use to "track you down," like a license plate, etc.

Therefore, aside from the creepy-factor, or possible privacy issues (or maybe the scion driver has a crush), there seems to be no "here" here. What's the issue?

this is essentially the motorist version of the psychotic elderly downstairs neighbor who monitors mundane things like the laundry and trash and leaves passive-aggressive notes about it.

A few years back a woman that lived across the street from me would walk her dog and let it shit in my yard and the elderly guy next doors yard. I asked her not to do it anymore but she denied it even taking place. One day I caught her in the act. I opened my window, waved to her and started taking pictures. She quickly pulled her dog and took off. Never saw her much after that day either. I know this story has nothing to do with biking but it was amusing still.

A+ story.

i rolled one stoplight and one stopsign in front of black scions since i read this and nothing happened yet...

i'm totally bummed.

When we do find this woman, make sure to get in front of her, take the lane, and come to a full, foot-planted stop at every available stop sign. Following the rules to a "t" annoys the hell out of most people, and I really don't think she will be any different.

Fun with hidden cameras:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kordite/292235634/

This is the owner of the lot next to the Swinburne Street lot vandalizing my car.

Ha ha. Awesome work.

there is no "right to privacy" when you are in public other than being searched. if it is in plain view in public, you by definition don't have privacy.

will keep an eye out for black scion lady tho. i'm fairly adept at making these kinds of people realize how pathetically stupid they are... or at least humiliate them publicly.

tonight i saw a black scion fly through a light that was turning red. i'd love for it to be the same loony tooner

Sorry for the delayed update it was a mint condish Scion 1.0.

We can wait for her. Post up on Millvale starting at 8 and try to set up an ad hoc Criticial Mass as she approaches. This town is too small for her to remain anonymous for long.

@ JZ when I chase down a driver who has endangered or upset me, I try to be calm and polite. "Hey, you may not realize this, but you were dangerously close when you passed me back there." I find that about half of the time, the driver apologizes, and looks genuinely apologetic. It may be goofy, but I usually feel better after those interactions.

Just wanted to see those 'lectrons go by again.

+1

> when I chase down a driver who has endangered or

> upset me, I try to be calm and polite. "Hey, you

> may not realize this, but you were dangerously

> close when you passed me back there." I find that

> about half of the time, the driver apologizes

I tried that once. The PAT bus driver threatened to run me over.

http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/topic/threatened-by-bus-driver-9693

Should have had my Helmet Cam running. The recording of his tirade would have been a great email to be inserted in his employee folder or to be shown on a big screen in the courtroom.

If I am going to chase after a driver I am sure as heck gonna have the helmet cam running.

I chase after people who pass way too close sometimes.

Of those I talked with, 50% have been a constructive conversation. Most apologize and at least nod when I ask them to be more courteous in the future.

For the other half, I've seen fit to call their employer and let them know about their employee's dangerous driving and the non-constructive conversation I had.

So far, those telephone chats have all been 100% "we're sorry", "action will be taken", "we don't take this thing lightly", etc. I figure most of the time the manager is just BSing me, and at most they have a laugh about "the stupid biker that called them", but maybe a few times they take it seriously and have a nice chat with their drivers.

Just this week, I had a driver pull up to the left of me (on the wrong side of the double yellow) at a stop sign. I was stopping, making a left hand turn. He rolled the sign and also made a left hand turn at the same time, trying to get around me on the left on the narrowest 2-way street in Greenfield. It was the most bizarre traffic maneuver ever. In the process of his super illegal turn/pass, he managed to force me into the row of parked cars before giving me the finger, as I yelled for him to stop.

About 100 feet down the road, the doofus goes through the next stop sign, parks, and gets out of his car (to deliver a pizza?). He was wearing a uniform for a local pizza place. Since he was stopped, I tried to talk with him, tell him what he did was unsafe. He said, "You need to SHARE THE ROAD!" (god I hate that slogan) and insisted there was nothing wrong with what he did. He said he wasn't going to hit me, so therefore I had nothing to complain about. Oh okay.

I went home, called the pizza place. They seemed more concerned than the guy driving with what I had to say.

Lessons:

1) If you pull a dick move, and are called out on it, apologize (this goes for cyclists too - you aren't so entitled that you can blow traffic control signals and not say you're sorry if someone calls you out on it).

2) If you don't apologize, make sure you aren't driving around the company car with a phone number on the side, or wearing your uniform.

If that were the case I'd equip my bike with a half a dozen video cameras capturing every angle of my commute, then stop in my local PD before I go to work to issue that day's bounty of citations.

We could surely solve all budge shortfalls in perpetuity by vigilantly issuing citations. I would just need a modest commission to compensate me for my time...

As a make-work program for the homeless, it would sure beat the pop bottle bounty.

Bicycle Bounty Hunters