At the tail end of my 75 mile bike ride today, a woman cut me off in order to pull into a parking lot. Apparently, getting into the lot 5 seconds quicker was extremely important. Anyway, as she was pulling in another car was coming out, and blocked her from pulling all the way in and so...she had to slam on her brakes---and so did I! I almost ended up in her trunk. I was so infuriated that I actually pulled into the parking lot, stopped at her car and knocked on her window. In a not-so-polite tone of voice I said, "you almost killed me!" Her response? "But that guy blocked me from pulling in." I tried my best to explain to her that I cannot possibly stop in the same manner she can...and I implored her to take a look at the size of me (on my bike) and the size of her (in her car). She apologized (rather condescendingly) and I peddled off, feeling satisfied!
A message for people in cars (please spread to your friends and co-workers): We cyclists are a mere speck compared to you. We cannot move out of your way in time to divert a collision--which, by the way, you will come out the victor every time. If it is so important to save a couple of seconds by pulling in front of us, please leave earlier. Please don't honk at us--it's scary and loud--instead, drive slower and safer. Next time you see a cyclist give her/him the right of way--I'm pretty sure you'll get a friendly wave back.
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