In all my years of bike commuting in Madison - over 20 years, and most of those year-round - I have only had something thrown at me once. Late winter/early spring, riding west at night on "Old" University Ave. someone passed me around Allen St and hit me in the back with a snowball or ice ball. (Not sure where they got it, because I recall there was no snow on the ground at the time.) Although it hurt like hell, the winter layers cushioned the blow a bit.
What the perpetrator didn't expect was that bicyclists can accelerate quickly when adrenaline is suddenly pumping through their veins. I almost caught the van before it turned a corner and roared away. If my glasses hadn't been covered in fog and rain, and if I had better night vision, I would have gotten the plate. Even yelling from irritated motorists has been fairly minimal. Having so many bicyclists on the road helps drivers to understand that we are supposed to be there. Also, most motorists (and walkers, bicyclists and transit users) tend to travel the same routes on a regular basis, so they are used to seeing bicyclists and knowing how to act around them. Another reason that "more butts on bikes" helps make us all safer. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list Bikies@lists.danenet.org http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
