Double Lane Rage!
I have managed to get myself into the routine of going swimming two mornings a week. I get there about 8am which means I miss the school run traffic.
However, I do not miss most of the cyclists who all seem to congregate on the short distance I have to travel. Bristol is a cycle city so we have cycle lanes and are very ‘cycle’ aware but I do get cross when they flaunt the rules of the road! I travelled very carefully behind one this morning, making sure I did not transgress into his space. There may well have been room for me to over take but it would have been by a whisker so I stayed at the back.
By the time we got to the traffic lights, there was quite a queue behind me and typically the lights went changed to red. The cyclist however, just cycled through, just being missed by a car coming legally across his path. I welcome the approach to being ‘green’ and saving the planet but as long as cyclists use the roads, they should keep to the rules!
My ‘lane rage’ was then continued in the swimming pool. At the time I swim, the pool is divided into lanes – slow, medium and fast. It usually works really well as everyone keeps to the rules of the direction you must swim in.
Today was particularly busy. Now the key to getting a good swim is – choose the lane for your speed and leave enough space between you and the person in front. Similar to leaving two chevrons on the motorway. Well today there were a number of people who either weren’t drivers or who just didn’t have any idea of the etiquette on lane swimming.
People were getting quite cross that their normal commune with exercise was interrupted by turbulent water caused by people in the wrong lane and too near.
It has certainly been a tut, tut morning!
As someone who lives in San Francisco, I love how the SF Bicycle Coalition has substantially increased the number of bicycle lanes throughout the city. However, bicyclists are still supposed to follow the rules of the road established for cars. When they don’t, it is infuriating and dangerous. My husband learned the hard way. On his way home from work he blew through a stop sign (his rational: there were no cars, it was late in the evening, etc), but there happened to be a policeman sitting at the curb in a car. My husband was stopped and given a ticket for running a stop sign at the cost of $120. He is now much more careful. But we still see many cyclists disobeying common traffic rules even during rush hour.I think we need a much stronger public awareness campaign and officers who write tickets more frequently.
As far as swimming is concerned, the lifeguards should have been making sure people were following proper etiquette. I know that our YMCA, they make sure people are swimming at their level and not disrupting flow. Swimming is supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating. Clearly, it was the opposite for you today!
I’m with Lucid Gypsy — I would have said a lot more. You are a patient woman!
You settled with a tut? I’d have been much more vocal 😉
What is wrong with people these days? Why is it all about me; me; me? Sorry to hear your morning didn’t start off well.