Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Yesterday, someone nearly ran me over

I don't think they were trying to, just careless and not paying attention, which is perhaps more damning. Luckily for me, this was early on my ride home, so I had lots of time to compose a cutting letter to the newspaper in my head. Unluckily, it didn't make the cut, so here it is, reproduced for any self-serving sanctimonious drivers of gas-guzzling behemoths who want to know exactly what I think of them.

Dear Editor,

As I was cycling home along Customhouse Quay on Monday, a car overtook me and immediately turned left. Since I, at least, was paying attention, I was able to stop before colliding, yet I am uncomfortably aware that two seconds difference in timing would have made things very nasty indeed.

I cannot pin this on hooligan boy racers, nor the lapses of old age. No, to judge by the leviathan-like size of the vehicle and the faces of the passengers serenely watching as I narrowly avoided death or injury, the driver was in comfortable middle age - that class of people forever telling the rest of us how 'responsible' they are. Given my reflector vest and bike-lights, I'm unsure how I could make myself more visible short of a pipe band and a spotlight, and I have this comment for the drivers of Wellington: to those memorable individuals who cannot cope with people travelling in straight lines, God help us; for the rest of you, please have a care, I'm breakable.

Regards,

Stephanie Pegg

(Yup, still mad.)

2 comments:

Edward Sargisson said...

Well I'm very glad you didn't get hit. Yes, Wellington drivers can be pretty uncaring.

That's a witty letter. I'd send it anyway.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes drivers truly suck :-(

I'm glad you're OK though, and at least you have the satisfaction of knowing *we* appreciate your snarky genius even if the newspaper editors don't have the taste to

Lotsa hugs


T