Biking at Night
I have been biking alone at night for like a over a decade and a half. I have had a number of run in with drunks. Have been threatened plenty by want a be thugs. Very rarely have a had any real problems however. This last week I have a couple of encounters that have me frustrated. The first and more serious of the two I was one of the most dangerous situations i have ever been on my bike. I was riding home over the holton bridge back home to riverwest from work. Suddenly some guy shoves me from behind, HARD, trying to knock me over into the cement divide. He hit fairly roughly, as he was hanging out of a car going like 45. Thankfully I managed to catch my balance and avoid face planting into concrete. After i stabilized myself I made a feeble attempt to ride after them. They were really cruising and were already almost a block away. Other then hitting the divide with the front of my bike a bit I was unhurt minus a scraped bike and missing light reflector.
They were car snipers fueled on youth, likely chemicals, and clearly arrogance. With that being said there is nothing much to be done about it. Though needless to say I was disappointing by it as well as angry.
Secondly tonight as I was riding up the last half a block to my house, when i get blinded by a flash light in my eyes. It turns out to it was two beat cops, surprised to see them in riverwest at 1am to say the least. After almost crashing my by blinding me, they proceeded to hassle me for not having a reflector on the front of my bike. (I used to have two one was lost in another bike crash some years earlier) Having just lost my last one 3 days previous I was not in the mood for their "well meaning" but condescending reprimand right in front of my house after a 10 hour day of work. I managed to be reasonably tactful. Telling them about how my most resent reflector was parted from me. Managing to scold them for hassling me for some thing so trivial. Still not get a ticket, and go about the rest of my evening with out to much delay was my goal. They were nice enough for cops despite harassing me for something trival at the end of a long day. So cleared it up to get going avoiding any more hassle with the officers. I am vaguely glad to know that there ARE cops out at night. I would much rather see them stopping dangerous people and not coming off like some suburban parent scolding kids for not wearing knee pads. This is contrast to my being attacked 3 days prior further frustrates my feeling about the authorities being around more to hassle you for tickets then protect you.
I have been biking alone at night for like a over a decade and a half. I have had a number of run in with drunks. Have been threatened plenty by want a be thugs. Very rarely have a had any real problems however. This last week I have a couple of encounters that have me frustrated. The first and more serious of the two I was one of the most dangerous situations i have ever been on my bike. I was riding home over the holton bridge back home to riverwest from work. Suddenly some guy shoves me from behind, HARD, trying to knock me over into the cement divide. He hit fairly roughly, as he was hanging out of a car going like 45. Thankfully I managed to catch my balance and avoid face planting into concrete. After i stabilized myself I made a feeble attempt to ride after them. They were really cruising and were already almost a block away. Other then hitting the divide with the front of my bike a bit I was unhurt minus a scraped bike and missing light reflector.
They were car snipers fueled on youth, likely chemicals, and clearly arrogance. With that being said there is nothing much to be done about it. Though needless to say I was disappointing by it as well as angry.
Secondly tonight as I was riding up the last half a block to my house, when i get blinded by a flash light in my eyes. It turns out to it was two beat cops, surprised to see them in riverwest at 1am to say the least. After almost crashing my by blinding me, they proceeded to hassle me for not having a reflector on the front of my bike. (I used to have two one was lost in another bike crash some years earlier) Having just lost my last one 3 days previous I was not in the mood for their "well meaning" but condescending reprimand right in front of my house after a 10 hour day of work. I managed to be reasonably tactful. Telling them about how my most resent reflector was parted from me. Managing to scold them for hassling me for some thing so trivial. Still not get a ticket, and go about the rest of my evening with out to much delay was my goal. They were nice enough for cops despite harassing me for something trival at the end of a long day. So cleared it up to get going avoiding any more hassle with the officers. I am vaguely glad to know that there ARE cops out at night. I would much rather see them stopping dangerous people and not coming off like some suburban parent scolding kids for not wearing knee pads. This is contrast to my being attacked 3 days prior further frustrates my feeling about the authorities being around more to hassle you for tickets then protect you.