03-05-2016, 12:17 PM
So rush hour during the months when it overlaps with dawn and/or dusk then?
I could have been one of those fatalities just yesterday as sadly there seems to be no shortage of hair-raising moments when commuting via motorcycle. I have the option of using the freeways or surface streets to get to my workplace which is located in an industrial part of the city. Yesterday I chose to travel via the surface streets. One of the downsides of this route is the possibility of getting stuck at a train crossing. As I was headed for the tracks, the lights began to flash and the guards were just starting to lower. In addition, I knew that there was a minivan in the lane to my right that was traveling along at a pretty good clip and based on the view in my mirror was gaining speed. I had a feeling that the driver was going for it. Sure enough, that was the case. I started to slow just in time. The minivan ended up coming uncomfortably close to me as it cut over into my lane in an attempt to avoid the guard (of the hinged design) which it barely cleared (I'm talking just a few inches). It took the kind of sharp weave that caused the vehicle to lean pretty good as the driver corrected its path.
Almost hit by a minivan and stuck waiting for the train to boot — it was not a good commute. With the exception that I'm here to describe it as opposed to being stuck in the hospital or worse. After all is said and done, even when dealing with encounters such as this, I still tend to arrive at work in a better mood when I've ridden my bike than I do when I driven my truck.
I could have been one of those fatalities just yesterday as sadly there seems to be no shortage of hair-raising moments when commuting via motorcycle. I have the option of using the freeways or surface streets to get to my workplace which is located in an industrial part of the city. Yesterday I chose to travel via the surface streets. One of the downsides of this route is the possibility of getting stuck at a train crossing. As I was headed for the tracks, the lights began to flash and the guards were just starting to lower. In addition, I knew that there was a minivan in the lane to my right that was traveling along at a pretty good clip and based on the view in my mirror was gaining speed. I had a feeling that the driver was going for it. Sure enough, that was the case. I started to slow just in time. The minivan ended up coming uncomfortably close to me as it cut over into my lane in an attempt to avoid the guard (of the hinged design) which it barely cleared (I'm talking just a few inches). It took the kind of sharp weave that caused the vehicle to lean pretty good as the driver corrected its path.
Almost hit by a minivan and stuck waiting for the train to boot — it was not a good commute. With the exception that I'm here to describe it as opposed to being stuck in the hospital or worse. After all is said and done, even when dealing with encounters such as this, I still tend to arrive at work in a better mood when I've ridden my bike than I do when I driven my truck.