BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I love how calm he was when the drive came after him in the video. I wish I could be that calm.

I also love what the BBC does with their comments. Good for them.

On a very slightly related note, I've always wondered what kind of needlessly complicated equipment they use to paint those squiggley lines on the roads over there.

Note: the volume on that video player goes to 11.

They have added those squiggly lines on the roads at Washington and Old Dominion Trail as a warning to trail crossing and, even without signs saying that the squiggly lines are specifically warning of trail crossings, they have reduced accidents or near accidents at those trail crossings. Apparently, just there being squiggly lines causes people to drive more cautiously.

Apparently, just there being squiggly lines causes people to drive more cautiously.

Awesome. I'm having visions of vinyl window stickers with squiggly lines, to be applied to the windscreens of the egregiously courtesy-challenged.

I wish I had a camera, the exact same thing happened to me this morning.

Biking on Greenfield Ave from Lydia to the next stop sign at Winterburn. I was moving at a pretty good clip, and there were cars in front of me, as well as cars going the other direction in the opposing lane.

I hear a guy come roaring behind me as I put my arm out to turn left. A blue minivan is half a foot from my rear wheel, and starts pulling up on the left of me (I am now in the center of the lane, preparing to turn left, as we are about 1.5 car lengths behind the stopped cars at the stop sign). As he does this, a big box truck is in the opposing lane, so he cuts over into me. I move over to avoid getting creamed, but he still hit my shoulder with his mirror pretty hard.

The driver slams on the brakes, gets out of his car (I am now at the right rear corner of his vehicle, in a state of wtf?). The fat, old, white, bald guy driving starts yelling at me:

"Why the fuck did you hit my car?!"

"I didn't hit your car, you hit me."

"The fuck I hit you, you're out playing in the middle of the road!"

"I have a right to be in the middle of the road, I was turning left"

"The fuck you do, you get on the fucking curb like all the other kiddies and play there!"

*silence*

"I aught to bust you in the fucking mouth for damaging my car!"

*silence* Constructive conversation will never ensue. Police aren't going to do shit, so I leave. I rode around him and continued to work. Thankfully he didn't follow. I didn't need some yinzer trash doling out his special form of road justice this morning.

I was too worried this guy would start beating me to memorize his license plate. He had a bunch of white oval stickers all over the back of his light blue minivan though that said "laco demolition excavation" They are located at 5007 Lytle St # 100 Pittsburgh, PA 15207-1767 - (412) 421-2190 if you ever wish not to hire them for anything ever again.

Geez, Dan...that's a crappy way to start your day. Glad you weren't seriously hurt.

Sorry this happened Dan. I've had similar things happen once or twice. Cheers for keeping calm and avoiding any further confrontation.

That sucks... glad it wasn't worse. I'd still give the cops a call though.

Yeah, that sucks - good to hear it wasn't worse. Even though it's likely futile, I'd still call the cops - sounds like you have enough of a description of the guy and the van without a plate.

I worry about this all the time, especially at the crest of a hill where there's no way the person passing me can see a car that might be coming the other way. I try to take the lane which is enough to deter some (but not all) people from doing it. I know they're not going to "take one for the team" when that happens but do exactly what this guy did - and then, how could they be at fault, they were "swerving to avoid an accident" and just happened to run over a bicycle, who cares.

Sad that even if someone *can* (or at least should be able to) see the situation developing, they're too dumb or malicious to avoid it - their zombie pea brains are either switched off or worse.

i would call to report it even if only to have a police record of the incident for statistical purposes. if this sort of thing happens enough, and enough people report it, it might get taken seriously.

also, it sounds like there's a decent chance that if they find the guy, he'll go off on a tirade about how you don't belong on the road, and potentially incriminate himself.

Laco Demolition Excavation in Pittsburgh, PA is a private company categorized under Excavating Contractors. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $1 to 2.5 million and employs a staff of approximately 10 to 19. Companies like Laco Demolition Excavating usually offer: Earthwork Services, Excavation Services.

Sometimes I wonder if these people forget that they are driving around in a company vehicle when they act like babies.

I've had employers and instructors say to people, "I don't care what you do/say in your free time, just make sure our logo isn't on you."

There's definitely a reason for that. I hope you make the call, and call the company, ask to speak to a supervisor. maybe (with such a small staff) they can figure out who it was.

For the first time ever for me, I called one of those "How am I driving" 800 numbers on the back of a vehicle after it passed me (while I was driving my car) in the parking lane on Liberty Ave, and then passed the car in front of me by crossing over the double yellow line. Who knows what sort of actions come from such things, but I can't imagine driving like such a moron with my business and phone number listed on the vehicle.

With so few employees, odds are good this guy is related to the owner, whose last name is probably Laco, or -- oh, I see, Victor Lapaglia. Maybe that was Victor himself -- he lives right in that neighborhood. I'd keep my eyes peeled.

Now I'm all fired up... was almost taken out by some old guy driving a blue Subaru wagon tonight @ 7pm approaching the intersection of Liberty & Main outbound. I was taking the far right lane coming up on the bus stop when he decides to leave the middle/through lane & cut into me... looking right at me. Had I not been taking the lane I wouldn't have had room to move right & would've slammed into his passenger door. Tried to give chase but he flew through the next few green lights & I didn't have a chance. First thought was "I'm getting a f'n helmet cam".

Next $10,000 I get, I'm buying everyone who's posted on this board in the last six months a helmet cam. You can lie to the police in a verbal report, but not against a video record (and get away with it).

It's been 6 months or so since I've had a fully WTF interaction with a driver. Maybe 1 out of 25,000 are absolute jagoffs. Still too many.