Yesterday morning Poppy and I were in the car waiting for the light to change from red to green. We were just starting the drive from home to Mom's house, as we typically do on Sundays.
I was the one driving and Poppy would soon start the battle of wills as he believes he should help. He has full access to look out the passenger side window but instead pointedly tries to cram himself between the steering wheel and me. Placing his front paws on the steering wheel and his butt on my stomach, he uses my chest to lean back on. This way he is able to comfortably see the activities in front and to both sides of the car. This is important to him as he polices the other drivers and with either silence or barking delegates them to either the "Good Driver" or "Bad Driver" categories. I'm not sure what the parameters are, but he's got the checklist memorized.
This is the first light I encounter when leaving my house. It is also the longest light on the planet. I have sat in front of this light for 2 minutes anticipating moving my foot from the brake pedal to the gas. It really is 2 minutes long. I have timed it. This is FOREVER especially on work days! It is also teeth grinding when you are car number 5 and car number 4 is being driven by Mr. Slow MoFo who takes a 1/2 an hour to move then another 1/2 an hour to make a right hand turn causing you to have to sit through the light again. The good news is that recently there was a pneumatic road tube counter laid across the road so that traffic volume could be counted and since last week the light doesn't last more than 1 minute tops so just as I am ready to break out into hives from the anticipation the light changes.
It is about 10 am when Poppy and I are at the red light trying to be patient. We feel pretty good because he knows we are going to see Teddy, the terrier, at Nana's house and I have the upcoming week off of work. A pedestrian starts to cross the street in the designated crosswalk and then the light turns green. Depending on the walker's speed, I may have to sit through this light again. Eventually he makes his way to the other side of the street and the light is still green! Foot on gas, moving forward, making our way into the intersection and then movement in my peripheral vision causes me to look to my left. I am still moving forward. I look up and check. Yes, my light is green which means the opposing traffic should be stopped at a red light....which they are. All of the cars are stopped. What the hell? It is a bicyclist running a red light. RUNNING A RED LIGHT. He is peddling bent over his handle bars in his bicyclist helmet and tight uniform ignoring the red light.
Without braking, he corrects his trajectory and scoots behind me. What if there was someone behind me? I continue driving and look in my review mirror while calling this person all kinds of names from the benign moron to more colorful adjectives. I am experiencing the after-terror adrenaline shakes and my breathing is jagged. I have to loosen my grip on the wheel and as I come back to being present in the moment I look for Poppy with my hand to check on him. Sensing something upsetting just happened, he is quiet and his ears are folded down submissively. I talk to him and tell him everything is okay and he recovers much more quickly than I. I could have killed that man.
I don't understand why bicyclists don't think the traffic laws apply to them and this is where I get judgmental only because it has been my experience. It seems that the ones that ride the expensive bikes with the fancy outfits are also the ones that think they are above the rules. The thick-wheeled bikes being ridden by people in street clothes normally align themselves with traffic. I have even seen them get off of their bikes to walk them across the intersections.
This man put his life in danger and he also could have ruined mine. For Pete's sake, bicyclists, when you decide to ride in downtown traffic, obey the traffic rules! I hope what happened had an impact on him but I am not counting on it. If he didn't learn this time then it wouldn't surprise me the lesson is put in front of him again.
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