So I’m on my regular commute home yesterday, and find my bike lane blocked by a parked Tow Truck. It is not all that unusual to have cars parked in bike lanes; there were actually three on my route home yesterday alone.
Most of the time, I just occupy the driving lane (when safe) and mutter under my breath. If the vehicle is a little dusty, I might stop and write “don’t park in bike lanes” with my finger on the back window. Very occasionally, I stop and snap a picture, thinking it might end up on my blog at some point. The Tow Truck was near a “no stopping” sign, and right on top of the bike route decal, and was blocking the entire lane, and I thought – what the hell, I have my camera right here.
As I stop in front of the truck and frame the picture, a guy sitting on the porch of the adjacent house asks me what I’m doing.
“Some asshole parked in the Bike Lane,” I said. “I’m taking a picture”.
He replies, “That’s my truck.”
I turn slowly towards him, shrug my shoulders in a way that I hope imparted the “you called it, not me” impression. Snapped my photo, got on my bike and rode away.
He shouted something after me, I’m not sure what.
It was a good day.
So maybe he said something nice about your darling old mother or that he questioned whether you had a father. I almost ran into a guy riding his bike against the traffic as I rode mine with the flow as I turned a fairly blind corner. I just did the shrug move. Next time I will use a hand signal. Mom