https://commuteorlando.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo_Commute_Orlando-webhead-650x214.png00Kerihttps://commuteorlando.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo_Commute_Orlando-webhead-650x214.pngKeri2009-07-08 22:32:112009-07-08 22:32:11Next time someone honks at you
Keri and I share the opinion (as do many others) that a motorist honking is quite similar to a misguided, territorial goose. I usually wave, but according to the YouTube link, they are looking for handouts of crackers. I guess that means I need a cracker dispenser on my velomobile!
The sound is great! My parrot is on the back porch enjoying some outside world, but I’ll play it back for him when he comes in to visit later today.
Once a woman behind me honked repeatedly, refusing to pass in the left lane which had no other traffic. She eventually passed and then pulled in front of me and slowed to 10-15 mph, purposefully slowing me. The speed limit was 35 mph which I was doing downhill. There’s at least 3-4 WTF?? in that scenario!
Their cousins live in my neighborhood. Literally. A little speed and a few simulated dog barks and they’re not too territorial. As bullies go, they’re more “honk” than bite! The trick is to come at them fast enough that they nonchalantly walk off in the other direction, but not so fast that they fly off in fear of their lives.
Crimeny, now I’M the one that’s sounding like a bully. Hey, those durn geese should get off the road anyway!
fred_dot_u says:
Comparing geese to motorists and combining it with Steve’s post means I should simulate a dog bark when a motorist blows the vehicle horn at me. I like the idea.
andrewp says:
For those of us who still drive cars, maybe we should start honking at cyclists, and then yell out at them:
“HEY!! GET OUT OF GUTTER!! GET IN MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, F’ER CHRISTS SAKE!!
I know, I know ………. 😉
Lyle says:
Andrewp, I’ve thought about more than once. I find it very, very hard to resist squeezing through a narrow lane with a gutter-bunny in it. And I’m always afraid they’re going to catch a pedal on a curb or get doored or something and wind up under my wheels. I wish wish wish there was some easy, safe way to say “come on, get out of the gutter, get into the lane so we can all be safer”.
I think fred_dot_u is on the right track, but you have to sound like a predator. Maybe we need to learn to sound like a police siren or an 18 wheeler air horn?
fred_dot_u says:
It’s funny you should say that, Steve. Just the other day, someone in the center lane of a six lane roadway felt he or she had to honk at me. With speed limits of 50 mph, it was too little time to wave, so I hit my AirZound button. 115db honk makes me a goose too.
It’s always possible that someone honking at me is someone who knows me, so I try to match the blast. A short one gets a short one back. A long one gets a short one back, so I won’t seem offensive.
Years ago, I read an article where a car load of kids were making siren noises, without benefit of mechanical devices. They were cited for “imitating a municipal vehicle”.
I have pop-out turn signals on my velomobile. I suppose I could carve out a niche in the nose of the vehicle and install a pop-out red/blue gumball light and really get in trouble with the local authorities!
Pop-out turn signals. I will have to do a post on such things at dfwptp sometime. They were “the bee’s knees” on British cars at one time. They were called “semaphore” turn signals.
Nowadays, people laugh at them. Keep that in mind with the Velomobile and stay safe. I get concerned motorists sometimes don’t understand hand signals nowadays. I make them anyway – I’m just a worrywart.
fred_dot_u says:
Prior to installing the pop-out LED turn signals, my means of signaling was to extend my right arm out of the left side of the cockpit visor, which provided about 12″ of visible body part. Curiously, that was enough to elicit polite delays from other road users, sufficient for a lane change approaching a left turn, for example.
The LEDs curently in place are 2″ x 6″ SuperbrightLEDs truck taillights and are blindingly bright, even in daylight. I think the novelty of the velomobile, combined with the legitimacy and familiarity of the illuminated turn signals provide approximately the same courtesy from road users when I need to change lanes.
I don’t count on them, however. I do keep my eyes open and my senses on edge, except when I’m texting or making a cell phone call.
Dwight says:
Joining the queue at a red light to turn left onto southbound Blair Stone Road from Mahan Drive this afternoon, I found myself behind a motor scooter and a tan-colored sedan.
When our light turned green, we made our turn and began the gentle climb (maybe 40 ft, over about 0.4 mi) to the bridge that crosses the CSX tracks. The motor scooter could do only slightly more than 30 mph on the rise. The left lane was open, but the car driver persisted in the right lane, approaching the scooter ever more closely. Becoming concerned, I kept behind the car (on my motorcycle).
It seemed the car was coming shockingly close to the scooter. The scooter driver put her left hand down to motion the car driver to stay back, but Mr./Ms. Citizen Speed Discipline Enforcer didn’t seem inclined to back away. Our column of three reached the bridge. As the grade leveled and began to descend, the scooter’s speed began increasing. Before she could reach 35 mph (the speed limit), CSDE, evidently realizing their work here was done, merged into the left lane and quickly moved ahead.
JohnB, after reading that article, I will have a new thought in my alleged mind after a motorist honks a horn at me. It will be, “Thank you for your kind wish. I am one with the road and appreciate your recognition of the same”.
Speaking of not understanding hand signals, the other day I was going down Preston road here in Dallas (6 lane arterial with center median). It was morning rush hour and I was in the right lane about to start working my way over to the left for a left turn. I did a head check and there were two cars about to pass me in the center lane, and plenty of space behind them. As they were passing me and in preparation for my move into the lane behind them, I signaled–arm and fingers straight, text book left turn signal as far as I’m concerned. The driver of the first car must have caught the signal out of the corner of her eye or in her side mirror because as soon as I signaled, she immediately slowed to my speed and just stared at me through the passenger window eyes alternating between my face and my still outstretched arm. It was obvious that she was totally confused, and I think she must have thought that I was pointing at her or her car. Or perhaps she thought I was Lenin saluting the Soviet masses from his bicycle, or a voodoo priest throwing down a curse–cross this line and… Anyway, her windows were down so I shouted in a friendly voice something like,”I’m just trying to change lanes!” which I think confused her even more since she didn’t appear to speak English. She continued to pace me and it was clear that I wasn’t going to make my left turn, so I ended up making a right and then U-turn. I just wish I knew what she was thinking!
Oh well, at least she didn’t honk at me and try to peck at my shoe laces.
I’m afraid of semaphore signals–they look too much like pop-up targets at a shooting gallery!
fred_dot_u says:
waco, do you have medians in locations other than the center? Just kidding. The local television newscasters appear to be fond of the term too.
Since I drive a velomobile, too often a driver will pace me in the same manner you describe. This backs up traffic until the driver is sated, but when I need to move over for a left turn, it causes congestion making it more difficult to get in the lane.
Communication is important, but sometimes one cannot get the point across, no pun intended.
LOL! They come up on you, honking, and then refuse to go around you and go on their way!
Hahahahaha! 🙂
Keri and I share the opinion (as do many others) that a motorist honking is quite similar to a misguided, territorial goose. I usually wave, but according to the YouTube link, they are looking for handouts of crackers. I guess that means I need a cracker dispenser on my velomobile!
The sound is great! My parrot is on the back porch enjoying some outside world, but I’ll play it back for him when he comes in to visit later today.
Once a woman behind me honked repeatedly, refusing to pass in the left lane which had no other traffic. She eventually passed and then pulled in front of me and slowed to 10-15 mph, purposefully slowing me. The speed limit was 35 mph which I was doing downhill. There’s at least 3-4 WTF?? in that scenario!
There are stupid geese everywhere 🙂
Wayne
Their cousins live in my neighborhood. Literally. A little speed and a few simulated dog barks and they’re not too territorial. As bullies go, they’re more “honk” than bite! The trick is to come at them fast enough that they nonchalantly walk off in the other direction, but not so fast that they fly off in fear of their lives.
Crimeny, now I’M the one that’s sounding like a bully. Hey, those durn geese should get off the road anyway!
Comparing geese to motorists and combining it with Steve’s post means I should simulate a dog bark when a motorist blows the vehicle horn at me. I like the idea.
For those of us who still drive cars, maybe we should start honking at cyclists, and then yell out at them:
“HEY!! GET OUT OF GUTTER!! GET IN MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, F’ER CHRISTS SAKE!!
I know, I know ………. 😉
Andrewp, I’ve thought about more than once. I find it very, very hard to resist squeezing through a narrow lane with a gutter-bunny in it. And I’m always afraid they’re going to catch a pedal on a curb or get doored or something and wind up under my wheels. I wish wish wish there was some easy, safe way to say “come on, get out of the gutter, get into the lane so we can all be safer”.
I think fred_dot_u is on the right track, but you have to sound like a predator. Maybe we need to learn to sound like a police siren or an 18 wheeler air horn?
It’s funny you should say that, Steve. Just the other day, someone in the center lane of a six lane roadway felt he or she had to honk at me. With speed limits of 50 mph, it was too little time to wave, so I hit my AirZound button. 115db honk makes me a goose too.
It’s always possible that someone honking at me is someone who knows me, so I try to match the blast. A short one gets a short one back. A long one gets a short one back, so I won’t seem offensive.
Years ago, I read an article where a car load of kids were making siren noises, without benefit of mechanical devices. They were cited for “imitating a municipal vehicle”.
I have pop-out turn signals on my velomobile. I suppose I could carve out a niche in the nose of the vehicle and install a pop-out red/blue gumball light and really get in trouble with the local authorities!
Terribly timely and topical:
http://comics.com/frazz/2009-07-11/
If you don’t read Pearls Before Swine, you might miss the last panel.
How does one create a live link for the url?
okay, that happened automatically, disregard
Pop-out turn signals. I will have to do a post on such things at dfwptp sometime. They were “the bee’s knees” on British cars at one time. They were called “semaphore” turn signals.
Nowadays, people laugh at them. Keep that in mind with the Velomobile and stay safe. I get concerned motorists sometimes don’t understand hand signals nowadays. I make them anyway – I’m just a worrywart.
Prior to installing the pop-out LED turn signals, my means of signaling was to extend my right arm out of the left side of the cockpit visor, which provided about 12″ of visible body part. Curiously, that was enough to elicit polite delays from other road users, sufficient for a lane change approaching a left turn, for example.
The LEDs curently in place are 2″ x 6″ SuperbrightLEDs truck taillights and are blindingly bright, even in daylight. I think the novelty of the velomobile, combined with the legitimacy and familiarity of the illuminated turn signals provide approximately the same courtesy from road users when I need to change lanes.
I don’t count on them, however. I do keep my eyes open and my senses on edge, except when I’m texting or making a cell phone call.
Joining the queue at a red light to turn left onto southbound Blair Stone Road from Mahan Drive this afternoon, I found myself behind a motor scooter and a tan-colored sedan.
When our light turned green, we made our turn and began the gentle climb (maybe 40 ft, over about 0.4 mi) to the bridge that crosses the CSX tracks. The motor scooter could do only slightly more than 30 mph on the rise. The left lane was open, but the car driver persisted in the right lane, approaching the scooter ever more closely. Becoming concerned, I kept behind the car (on my motorcycle).
It seemed the car was coming shockingly close to the scooter. The scooter driver put her left hand down to motion the car driver to stay back, but Mr./Ms. Citizen Speed Discipline Enforcer didn’t seem inclined to back away. Our column of three reached the bridge. As the grade leveled and began to descend, the scooter’s speed began increasing. Before she could reach 35 mph (the speed limit), CSDE, evidently realizing their work here was done, merged into the left lane and quickly moved ahead.
Here’s a unique and helpful interpretation of the honk and other associated motorist behavior:
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/road.html
JohnB, after reading that article, I will have a new thought in my alleged mind after a motorist honks a horn at me. It will be, “Thank you for your kind wish. I am one with the road and appreciate your recognition of the same”.
Taking things a step further…
😉
Speaking of not understanding hand signals, the other day I was going down Preston road here in Dallas (6 lane arterial with center median). It was morning rush hour and I was in the right lane about to start working my way over to the left for a left turn. I did a head check and there were two cars about to pass me in the center lane, and plenty of space behind them. As they were passing me and in preparation for my move into the lane behind them, I signaled–arm and fingers straight, text book left turn signal as far as I’m concerned. The driver of the first car must have caught the signal out of the corner of her eye or in her side mirror because as soon as I signaled, she immediately slowed to my speed and just stared at me through the passenger window eyes alternating between my face and my still outstretched arm. It was obvious that she was totally confused, and I think she must have thought that I was pointing at her or her car. Or perhaps she thought I was Lenin saluting the Soviet masses from his bicycle, or a voodoo priest throwing down a curse–cross this line and… Anyway, her windows were down so I shouted in a friendly voice something like,”I’m just trying to change lanes!” which I think confused her even more since she didn’t appear to speak English. She continued to pace me and it was clear that I wasn’t going to make my left turn, so I ended up making a right and then U-turn. I just wish I knew what she was thinking!
Oh well, at least she didn’t honk at me and try to peck at my shoe laces.
I’m afraid of semaphore signals–they look too much like pop-up targets at a shooting gallery!
waco, do you have medians in locations other than the center? Just kidding. The local television newscasters appear to be fond of the term too.
Since I drive a velomobile, too often a driver will pace me in the same manner you describe. This backs up traffic until the driver is sated, but when I need to move over for a left turn, it causes congestion making it more difficult to get in the lane.
Communication is important, but sometimes one cannot get the point across, no pun intended.