Modern Buddy

Okay, I've been hit by rocks (up from the road), got trash truck juices on me, cigarette butts flick out of windows, hit by large bugs, had a bug fly up my nose and in my mouth, almost ran over a cat, chased by dogs, run off the road by a distracted cager, and pelted by hail over the past 2.5 years of riding.

But the worse thing that ever happened: I was sitting a left turn lane waiting for the green arrow. Right behind me a Paramedic van pulls up and stops. A few moments go by and you guessed it, he hit his siren. Now most people would have dropped bodily fluids and other waste material right there in the street. But my ears hurt so bad. Normally, I wear my full helmet and it wouldn't be so bad. But that day I was wearing my half brain bucket because it was so hot. I glared back at him as he pulled around me.

Ooouch! Full blast of the siren I wonder how many db's that is?

Worst thing for me? Getting smacked in the face (this was before I switched to a FF) by a bee at 45bmph....... then getting stung in the neck by said bee.

This afternoon's incident is a contender: I was waiting at a red light for cross traffic to clear, when the driver of a van pushed past me (like cagers almost always do to bicyclists stopped at the curb in front of them). I turned right after he did, and caught up and pulled up next to him in the right lane (swearing and giving him the finger when I got there). He started pulling into my lane but backed off. Then he did it again. I left him go then, but memorized his plate number. Haven't decided yet whether to report it to the police.

But the actual worst was when I was stuck taking US-2 (a 55mph two-lane highway) into Manistique MI. A semi pulled up behind me, nearly close enough for me to turn around and check his fluid levels. I stuck up my hand and jerked backward with my thumb, and he backed off a few feet. As soon as oncoming traffic was clear, he straddled the center line and started passing me. I backed way off on the throttle, so he'd pass more quickly, which is good because he didn't wait for me to get clear before he started moving back into "his" lane.

I've been fortunate so far and the worst thing to happen was a bee in my bra. Go ahead and laugh.....I can now.

dakotamouse wrote:I've been fortunate so far and the worst thing to happen was a bee in my bra. Go ahead and laugh.....I can now.

I will and I won't say a word. This is one of those topics that would likely earn me a reprimand from someone if I opened my mouth.

Rob

I had a drink thrown on me on Halloween night

My worst riding experience was getting hit by a bee on my neck and then being stung. My neck hurt so bad I couldn't turn my head for about 24 hours. OUCH!!

cmac wrote:I had a drink thrown on me on Halloween night

Why?!!! I just don't get it. Why must people be such jerks!

dakotamouse wrote:Why?!!! I just don't get it. Why must people be such jerks!

Because they are JERKS!!
Around here it seems like the Red-neck 'Bubbas' ahve a contest to see how many scooters ther can intentionally run off the road into muddy ditches! Has been done to me twice in the last year!
Gotta 'love it' when your front end sticks fast in the mud and pitches you over the bars.....NOT!!

pcbikedude wrote:But the worse thing that ever happened: I was sitting a left turn lane waiting for the green arrow. Right behind me a Paramedic van pulls up and stops. A few moments go by and you guessed it, he hit his siren. Now most people would have dropped bodily fluids and other waste material right there in the street. But my ears hurt so bad. Normally, I wear my full helmet and it wouldn't be so bad. But that day I was wearing my half brain bucket because it was so hot. I glared back at him as he pulled around me.

I am not sure how it is in the rest of the country, but in Ohio, when an emergency vehicle turns on their siren, we move out of their way. We typically do not turn around and glare at them as they pull around us. Even if they do startle us a bit by hitting the siren all of a sudden.

If the worst thing that has happened to you is that you were startled by a siren, I would say you have had a pretty good go of it so far.

Dave

ScooterDave wrote: I am not sure how it is in the rest of the country, but in Ohio, when an emergency vehicle turns on their siren, we move out of their way. We typically do not turn around and glare at them as they pull around us. Even if they do startle us a bit by hitting the siren all of a sudden.

If the worst thing that has happened to you is that you were startled by a siren, I would say you have had a pretty good go of it so far.

Dave

Unless I'm completely misunderstanding the original post, I've got to completely agree with ScooterDave here.

Paramedics have it tough... crappy hours, high stress, most around here are volunteers. I don't think they have a low volume siren for bikes... I think glaring at them was... wrong.

Lostmycage wrote:

ScooterDave wrote: I am not sure how it is in the rest of the country, but in Ohio, when an emergency vehicle turns on their siren, we move out of their way. We typically do not turn around and glare at them as they pull around us. Even if they do startle us a bit by hitting the siren all of a sudden.

If the worst thing that has happened to you is that you were startled by a siren, I would say you have had a pretty good go of it so far.

Dave

Unless I'm completely misunderstanding the original post, I've got to completely agree with ScooterDave here.

Paramedics have it tough... crappy hours, high stress, most around here are volunteers. I don't think they have a low volume siren for bikes... I think glaring at them was... wrong.

Flashing Lights would have been the appropriate response if the van pulled up and stopped at the same red light behind a cyclist. It wasn't a matter of yielding the right of way while moving. Turning a siren on behind a cyclist without forewarning is a bonehead move regardless of hours and profession. What was the scooter gonna do? Run the light? Once the scooter had a chance to get out of they way, the sirens for the rest of traffic would have been fine.

There's a speed trap on the 101 btwn my house and the first major intersection. It's a speed limit of 30mph but most folks cruise along at 50mph+ . About once a month they set cops out there and loads of people are ticketed (4 were pulled over when I passed this morning and 3 were pulled over same time yesterday). I've only heard sirens when the driver is too oblivious to notice they are being followed by a cop with lights on.

We can easily assume these EMTs were tired and not thinking clearly just as easily as we can assume they were assholes who wanted to see PCBIKEDUDE jump. Sirens weren't appropriate in that situation as described imo.

Sirens weren't appropriate in that situation as described imo.

I'd disagree. Anytime I see an emergency vehicle approach an intersection, they turn on the sirens (usually blowing that low horn thingy as well) to alert vehicles in all directions that they need/are coming through. While their lights may have alerted the immediate rider and drivers around them, I don't see them venturing through the intersection without tooting the siren and horns.

It may have seemed like overkill to the rider right next to them, but I don't think it was unnecessary overall.

What was the scooter gonna do? Run the light?

Scooters are small enough and nimble enough to get out of the way without having to run the light. Depending on overall traffic conditions, I can think of a couple of ways to get out of the way without entering the intersection.

I worked as a paramedic for 9+ years. I taught emergency vehicle driving.

The lights and sirens are a request for right of way. They should have first turned on the lights. Next tapped the horn and if there was no response, THEN hit the siren.

And if the emergency vehicle only did it as a prank or turned them back off after clearing the intersection, they could be in legal trouble.

For those thinking the glare was inappropriate. read the description again. The Ambulance came to a stop in line waiting for the light. While there, a call or something came in and they immediately turned on the siren as the second vehicle in line at a light behind a scooter.

It wasn't approaching the intersection with an emergency. It was stopped and waiting and THEN turned on the siren without warning. When lights first would have been an appropriate first move in that situation.

It seems pretty obvious from the description that the ambulance driver got the call, wanted to get underway without delay, and hit the lights and siren - a reasonable precaution when about to pull into the opposing lane and bypass a red light - without stopping to think about how loud that would be a scooterist right in front of him. Not knowing how dire an emergency it was, or how long till the light was going to change and he could safely proceed without the siren, I can't judge whether he should've waited for the light or not. I'd classify it as "understandable, but inconsiderate". And yeah: I glare at people for "inconsiderate".

Lostmycage wrote:

ScooterDave wrote: I am not sure how it is in the rest of the country, but in Ohio, when an emergency vehicle turns on their siren, we move out of their way. We typically do not turn around and glare at them as they pull around us. Even if they do startle us a bit by hitting the siren all of a sudden.

If the worst thing that has happened to you is that you were startled by a siren, I would say you have had a pretty good go of it so far.

Dave

Unless I'm completely misunderstanding the original post, I've got to completely agree with ScooterDave here.

Paramedics have it tough... crappy hours, high stress, most around here are volunteers. I don't think they have a low volume siren for bikes... I think glaring at them was... wrong.

+2

Here if a vehicle doesn't move out of the way, they let loose with the BIG horn, about eleventy hundred seven decibels!

ECS